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Subject: [WASAN] FW: PAMBAZUKA NEWS 70 - G8: IT'S THE 'BLAME THE VICTIMS'
SUMMIT
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Date: Sun, 30 Jun 2002 15:29:13 -0500 (CDT)
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Subject: PAMBAZUKA NEWS 70 - G8: IT'S THE 'BLAME THE VICTIMS' SUMMIT
PAMBAZUKA NEWS 70
A weekly electronic newsletter for social justice in Africa
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1.EDITORIAL
G8: IT'S THE 'BLAME THE VICTIM' SUMMIT
Action For Southern Africa (ACTSA) And The World Development Movement (WDM)
Briefing
http://www.actsa.org/News/press_releases/250602_nepad.htm
Leaders of the G8 have adopted a new approach to their annual summits. Over
the
past five years, they have met in tumultuous carnival of protests and empty
promises. This year, they have retreated to a fireside chat in a remote
mountain resort, far away from demonstrations.
But some things will stay the same. There will be more empty promises. The
G8
will re-announce token amounts of aid and debt cancellation, and promise
more
in the future. But the real responsibility for the economic crisis in Africa
will be blamed on the African countries themselves.
NEPAD and G8 Action Plan for Africa
At their meeting on 26 - 28 June in Kananaskis, Canada, the G8 leaders will
unveil an 'Action Plan on Africa'. The fact that the leaders of the rich
countries are committing themselves to engage with the New Partnership for
Africa's Development (NEPAD), being hailed an 'African plan for African
development', is a welcome change from the recent past, when plans were
imposed
from G8 capitals.
However, as pointed out in 'Africa: What the G8 must deliver', the new
briefing
by Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA) and the World Development Movement
(WDM),
the crucial test for the G8 is whether they will deliver on their own
responsibilities, rather than blaming Africa for its poverty.
It is undeniable that there has been poor governance, corruption and
mismanagement in Africa. However, the briefing reveals the context - the
legacy
of colonialism, the support of the G8 for repressive regimes in the Cold
War,
the creation of the debt trap, the massive failure of Structural Adjustment
Programmes imposed by the IMF and World Bank and the deeply unfair rules on
international trade. The role of the G8 in creating the conditions for
Africa's
crisis cannot be denied. Its overriding responsibility must be to put its
own
house in order, and to end the unjust policies that are inhibiting Africa's
development.
Yet the G8 will do little and lecture Africa extensively. Its communique
will
undoubtedly recycle some of the most pervasive myths:
* Africa has received increasing amounts of aid over the years - in fact,
aid
to Sub-Saharan Africa fell by 48% over the 1990s;
* Africa needs to integrate more into the global economy - in fact, trade
accounts for a larger proportion of Africa's income than of the G8;
* Economic reform will generate new foreign investment - in fact, investment
to
Africa has fallen since they opened up their economies;
* Bad governance has caused Africa's poverty - in fact, according to the UN
Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), economic conditions imposed by
the IMF and the World Bank were the dominant influence on economic policy in
the two decades to 2000, a period in which Africa's income per head fell by
10%
and income of the poorest 20% of people fell by 2% per year .
As a result of these myths, the victims are being blamed for their poverty.
Africa is already labouring under conditions imposed by the IMF and World
Bank,
aid donors, the US Growth and Opportunity Act, the EU Cotonou agreement,
Bilateral Investment Treaties and the 28 agreements of the World Trade
Organisation.
Promises, promises...
The past record of the G8 does not give confidence of real commitment. The
strategy has been: Make promise. Grab headlines. Tick it off. Job done. Then
when the shouting dies down... quietly break promise.
* Last year, they ticked off HIV/AIDS with a Trust Fund - only $2.1 billion,
a
fraction of the $10 billion called for by Kofi Annan, has been delivered.
* In 1999, they apparently ended the debt crisis with a promise of $100
billion - only $13 billion of debt stock has been cancelled to date ($7.5
billion in Net Present Value).
Year after year, they have promised to support education for all, to make
trade
rules fairer and to end tied aid to the poorest countries. Yet, year after
year, the G8 has failed to deliver.
This year, it is likely to be even worse. The promises from previous summits
will not only be recycled, they will come with a heavy price tag.
* $1 billion more for the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Trust Fund
will come with a continuation of the IMF and World Bank influence over
economic
policies of African countries.
* Improved access to rich markets will come with increased pressure on
Africa
through World Trade Organisation negotiations to give new rights to
multinational companies producing a wide range of services, including those
that are essential to the poor.
* Announcements of aid for Africa will not be "new money", but will come
with
new conditions on African leaders, including those related to migration.
As the G8 discusses new forms of conditionality, Africa is being divided
into
the deserving and undeserving poor. ACTSA and WDM are calling on the G8 to
stop
tinkering at the margins and actually deliver on its long-standing promises
to
Africa. This G8 must stop blaming the victims and commit to a real
development
plan that reflects Africa's urgent needs.
Links on Nepad and the G8:
* How does the G8 affect Africa?
http://g8.activist.ca/print/g8-africaflyer-sp.pdf
* Critiques of NEPAD from African NGO's
http://www.web.net/~iccaf/debtsap/nepad.htm
* NEPAD: A critical review
http://www.sask.fi/Documents/NepadLRS.doc
* Little hope for Africa from G8
http://www.debtchannel.org/
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2.CONFLICT, EMERGENCIES, AND CRISES
AFRICA: THE G8, AFRICA AND ARMS SUPPLY
http://web.amnesty.org/web/web.nsf/pages/ttt3_africa
One of the ways in which the G8's actions impact on the lives of ordinary
Africans threatens to remain in the shadows - the way in which the transfer
of
military, security and police equipment and expertise contributes to human
rights violations and exacerbates ongoing conflicts in the region.
ANGOLA: A GRIM SITUATION
http://www.rnw.nl/humanrights/html/angola020624.html
"The situation remains grim, dramatic. It's sad to say, but people are
dying,
and over the coming months, I'm certain that quite a number of people will
perish," says United Nations Humanitarian Co-ordinator for Angola, Erick de
Mul.
DRC: RCD REBEL FORCES FACING MUTINY AGAIN
Heavy fighting has broken out again in South Kivu Province, southeastern
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), between the leader of a mutiny among
troops of the Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie (RCD-Goma) and
loyal
forces of the Rwandan-backed rebel movement, news agencies reported.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8508
ETHIOPIA: UNEASY CALM RESTORED IN AWASA
Bekele Sakuma is now hoping for calm and peace. Just four weeks ago he
identified the body of his 17-year-old son, shot dead during clashes with
security forces in the southern Ethiopian town of Awasa. "The hardest thing
a
father can do is pick his son out of a line of bodies," said Bekele, a
55-year-
old security guard who lives in the nearby village of Loke. The village was
where some 7,000 protesters gathered on 24 May before marching towards Awasa
to
demonstrate against a change in the town's status. Like many Sidamas - the
ethnic group whose heartland surrounds Awasa - he believed that he might
lose
his land with impending political changes.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8507
GUINEA-BISSAU: CALM BUT TENSE, UN SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS
The overall situation in Guinea-Bissau has remained calm over the past three
months, but political tensions still run high, UN Secretary-General Kofi
Annan
said in his latest report on the West African nation to the UN Security
Council.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8440
KENYA: DROUGHT PROBLEMS REMAIN EVEN AS FLOODS RECEDE
Parts of southeastern Kenya, which received exceptionally poor rainfall
during
May, are experiencing the stress of drought - even as flooding subsides in
western and eastern parts of the country, according to a new vulnerability
update for the country.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8438
SIERRA LEONE: CONFLICT IN LIBERIA POSES THREAT TO STABILITY - ANNAN
The United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has warned that escalating
conflict in Liberia and increasing incursions by armed elements into Sierra
Leone portend a "worrying trend".
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8560
SOUTH AFRICA: COPS OPEN FIRE ON PROTESTERS IN LENASIA
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=13
Men, women and children ran for cover as violence erupted in Lenasia on
Tuesday
morning after police opened fire with rubber bullets. The R554 highway to
Lenasia, which had been closed off in protest by about 4 000 residents over
the
removal of Tembelihle informal settlement residents to Vlakfontein, was
strewn
with odd shoes, clothes and knobkerries after police started firing rubber
bullets.
SUDAN: KHARTOUM REACTS TO BUSH CALL FOR IT TO END WAR
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28476
The Sudanese government has said it will send a letter to US President
George
W. Bush to clarify its position after his call last Thursday, 20 June, on
Khartoum to demonstrate more serious commitment to ending the Sudanese civil
war. Minister for External Relations Mustafa Uthman Isma'il said the
government
welcomed without reservations Bush's call for an end to the war, but was
displeased that he had not touched on the need for the other warring party -
the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) - to do the same.
SUDAN: ORGANISING FOR PEACE AS THE WAR ESCALATES
http://www.crisisweb.org/
The renewed Sudan peace effort that began in Nairobi on 17 June may be the
last
chance for the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) process to
set
meaningful negotiations in train, says a new International Crisis Group
(ICG)
report. The decisive issue in negotiations will be self-determination for
the
South, combined with reform of the central government. ICG urges diplomatic
support for self-determination as the only way to get an agreement that has
a
chance to maintain Sudanese unity.
TANZANIA: 30 FEARED DEAD IN MINING TRAGEDY
http://www.africantimes.com/articlepg1.asp?ID=48551
More than 30 people may have suffocated deep inside a tanzanite mine in
northern Tanzania last Thursday after an oxygen pump failed, mining
officials
said. Alex Magayane, Arusha regional mines officer, said rescue workers had
pulled one body from the gemstone mine in Mererani, 24 miles southeast of
Arusha, and believed 31 others were still trapped inside.
TANZANIA: TRAIN VICTIMS' RIDE TO DEATH
http://allafrica.com/stories/200206260629.html
Passengers aboard the doomed train that crashed in Tanzania had to endure a
20
minute roller coaster ride to death. Early estimates of a death toll of more
than 200 proved modest. Tanzania's worst rail disaster has claimed more than
300 lives, it was feared last night.
ZAMBIA: FOOD SITUATION REMAINS CRITICAL FOR RURAL POOR
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28500
The Zambian government's Disaster Management Unit is "doing its best" to
cope
with the country's food crisis, but the situation remains dire for Zambian
villagers in affected rural areas.
ZIMBABWE: FARMERS VOW NOT TO ABANDON FARMS
The tension was ratcheted up a notch in Zimbabwe this week as farmers vowed
to
ignore a government order banning them from farming as millions of people
struggle with the daily grind of food shortages. Under the country’s Land
Acquisition Act, nearly 3000 farmers roughly half of the farming population
will be breaking the law from June 25 if they continue to farm their land.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8564
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3.RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY
AFRICA: ANALYSTS WARN OF CHALLENGES AHEAD OF AU LAUNCH
Analysts on Thursday issued a cautious welcome for the African Union (AU),
expected to be launched on 8-10 July in Durban, South Africa. Speaking to
western diplomats gathered at the South African Institute for International
Affairs (SAIIA), political observers agreed that although the transformation
from the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) into the AU was a promising
move,
the new organisation faced enormous challenges.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8544
ALGERIA: TIME TO PROVE THAT POLITICS MATTERS
http://www.crisisweb.org/projects/showreport.cfm?reportid=686
The single most notable message from the recent elections in Algeria was the
high rate of voter disinterest, according to a new International Crisis
Group
(ICG) report. In the capital, Algiers, 70 per cent of voters stayed away. In
the Kabylia region, where there have been massive anti-government protests,
alarming levels of violence and a powerful movement to boycott the
elections,
turnout was as low as 2 per cent. ICG Middle East Program Director Robert
Malley said: "Since they won their independence, the Algerian people have
gone
from the enthusiasm of the post-colonial days, to authoritarian single-party
rule, chaotic pluralism, and then a grisly war that has been civil in name
only. Today, Algeria's political class - in power and in opposition alike --
faces a straightforward task: to prove that it can be useful and that
politics
can work".
BENIN: POLICE HALT PROTEST MARCH BY RIGHTS ACTIVISTS
http://www.newafrica.com/news/articlepg1.asp?ID=48594&countryid=6
Benin police last Wednesday stopped a protest march planned in Cotonou by
the
country's Human Rights League (LDH), against alleged human rights violations
in
the country, witnesses said. The estimated 40 security men armed with tear
gas
canisters and truncheons, stormed the Cotonou Labour Office Square where the
demonstrators had assembled for the march.
BURKINA FASO: UNDP SUPPORT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
An initiative aimed at financing activities that promote human rights was
launched on Friday in Burkina Faso by UN Development Programme (UNDP)
Resident
Representative Christian Lemaire. "UNDP's support for such initiatives aims
at
enabling local action in favour of human rights for a sustainable
improvement
to the daily life of Burkina Faso's populations," Lemaire said at the launch
of
the programme in Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8492
CAMEROON: MINISTER FIRED FOR ELECTION DELAY
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_2061000/2061700.stm
Cameroon's President Paul Biya has sacked his interior minister after having
to
postpone parliamentary and municipal elections, which were scheduled to
start
on Sunday. Ferdinand Koungou Edima was accused of failing to prepare the
vote
properly after the state-run printing press had not finished producing the
ballots.
CONGO: CALM PREVAILS IN SECOND-ROUND LEGISLATIVE ELECTIONS
Calm prevailed on Sunday in Brazzaville, capital of the Republic of Congo,
as
voters went to the polls in the second round of nationwide legislative
elections. Results are expected by late Monday or early Tuesday.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8447
KENYA: U.S., UK URGE PROMPT KENYA POLLS
http://www.africantimes.com/articlepg1.asp?ID=48562
The United States and Britain have urged Kenya to go to the polls this year
on
schedule and ignore a ruling party proposal for a delay, a plan widely seen
as
a ploy to prolong President Daniel arap Moi's rule.
MADAGASCAR: HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS MUST BE ADDRESSED
http://web.amnesty.org/ai.nsf/Index/AFR350032002?
OpenDocument&of=COUNTRIES\MADAGASCAR
Talks on the political crisis in Madagascar must address the deteriorating
human rights situation, Amnesty International says. "The leaders of
Madagascar
and the international community must condemn the ongoing human rights abuses
and take a firm stance on holding those responsible to account," the
organization said.
MADAGASCAR: US RECOGNIZES RAVALOMANANA, UNFREEZES ASSETS
http://allafrica.com/stories/200206270003.html
In a surprise move, the United States became the first major world power to
formally recognize the government of Marc Ravalomanana in Madagascar. A
letter
to that effect from President George Bush was presented by American
ambassador
Wanda Nesbitt in Madagascar on Wednesday.
NIGERIA: AFRICA COMMISSION RULING ON OGONI VIOLATIONS
The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (Mosop) has welcomed the
decision of the African Human Rights Commission which found Nigeria in
violation of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights in relation to
its treatment of the people of Ogoni.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8442
NIGERIA: CEASE SPONSORING VIGILANTE VIOLENCE
Ebonyi State in south-eastern Nigeria should not endorse the activities of
vigilante groups, Human Rights Watch and the Centre for Law Enforcement
Education (CLEEN) has said. The human rights groups were responding to
recent
reports that the governor of Ebonyi, Sam Egwu, was planning to introduce the
vigilante group, known as the Bakassi Boys, into his state and to sign a law
establishing them there. The Bakassi Boys have been responsible for numerous
human rights abuses in the neighboring states of southeastern Nigeria where
they operate, including extrajudicial killings, public burnings,
mutilations,
torture, and unlawful detentions.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8441
NIGERIA: IRIN FOCUS ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT CRISIS
When the three-year tenure of Nigeria's 774 local government councils lapsed
at
the end of May, new elected officials should have taken their place.
However,
no new councillors have been voted into office. In fact, it seems
increasingly
doubtful that local government polls will be held on 10 August as had been
announced, and this has raised fears of a prolonged crisis in the country's
third tier of government.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8559
NIGERIA: OUTRAGE AS NIGERIA REGISTERS ONLY 3 NEW PARTIES
http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.jsp?a=37&o=5137
Nigeria's election commission last Saturday registered three new parties out
of
a total of 24 that applied to compete in next year's national elections. The
decision immediately reignited a furious row over the commission's strict
rules, which many of the would-be parties regard as a cynical and
unconstitutional ploy to exclude them.
SIERRA LEONE: PARLIAMENT STARTS BUSINESS
Sierra Leone's newly elected parliament sat for the first time on Tuesday,
electing Justice Edward Cowan as speaker and Elizabeth Alpha Lavallie as
deputy
speaker. Both are from the ruling Sierra Leone's People's Party (SLPP). The
session, held at Parliament Building, Tower Hill, in the capital, Freetown,
was
attended by 120 members out of 124, including opposition leaders.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8558
TOGO: EYADEMA TRIES TO IMPROVE RELATIONS WITH EU
The presidents of Togo, Gnassingbe Eyadema, and the European Commission,
Romano
Prodi, held talks on Monday in Brussels on Togo's political situation and
bilateral relations. Eyadema told Prodi his country was suffering because
the
EU had cut financial aid following controversial elections in 1998. He
blamed
the aid cut on opposition parties which had lobbied against his government
after the elections, the pro-government Republic of Togo online news service
reported.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8501
ZAMBIA: PRESIDENT SLAMS PREDECESSOR CHILUBA
http://www.africantimes.com/articlepg1.asp?ID=48548
Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa has slammed his predecessor Frederick
Chiluba,
accusing him of granting ''outrageous'' benefits to retiring military heads
three days before December general elections.
ZIMBABWE: IMPUNITY ENABLES EVER MORE HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS
http://web.amnesty.org/ai.nsf/recent/AFR460352002!Open
The Zimbabwean government has systematically ensured that those responsible
for
torture, abductions and political killings are never brought to justice,
Amnesty International says in a new report called 'The Toll of
Impunity'. "Impunity has become the central problem in Zimbabwe where state
and
non-state actors commit widespread human rights violations without being
brought to justice. Unless the cycle of impunity can be broken, human rights
abuses will continue unchecked and victims and their families will not see
justice," the organization said.
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4.CORRUPTION
AFRICA: BLAIR PROMISES £1BN AID FOR AFRICA IN GOOD GOVERNANCE DEAL
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/story.jsp?story=309139
Tony Blair underlined his determination yesterday to make Africa a priority
at
the G8 summit when he announced British aid to the continent would rise to
£1bn
a year by 2006. The initiative requires African nations to institute good
governance and crack down on corruption as part of a drive to make
development
cash more effective.
ANGOLA: FINANCE MINISTER DENIES $1BN WENT MISSING
http://www.africantimes.com/articlepg1.asp?ID=48787
Angola's finance minister on Wednesday denied a humanitarian group's charges
that $1 billion had gone missing from the African nation's budget last year.
London-based Global Witness, an international humanitarian pressure group,
has
estimated more than $1 billion or between a third and a half of all state
income was unaccounted for in last year's budget.
KENYA: FORMER KNH DIRECTOR IN COURT OVER CORRUPTION
http://www.kbc.co.ke/story.asp?id=12047&categoryID=1
A former director of Kenyatta National Hospital and four other senior
officials
on Monday appeared in a Nairobi court facing corruption charges. The
director,
Dr. Hosea Waweru, was charged with abusing his office by authorising the
payment of 5.3 million shillings as refund of duty and value added tax to
High
Voltage Communications Limited.
KENYA: FRAUD ON THE RISE, SAYS REPORT
http://allafrica.com/stories/200206200091.html
Fraud and corruption cases are on the increase in East Africa, threatening
to
undo economic gains made by the region, says a new report.
NIGERIA: PUBLIC SPENDING UNDER INVESTIGATION
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/business/newsid_2056000/2056238.stm
Nigeria's government is under attack again for its lack of financial
transparency. A recent report by a parliamentary committee says there has
been
a "virtual slide into financial anarchy".
NIGERIA: SOME 243 POLICEMEN NABBED FOR CORRUPTION
http://allafrica.com/stories/200206250554.html
Another batch of 92 policemen allegedly involved in corrupt practices were
last
week arrested by the Police Anti-corruption Squad. This brings to 243 the
number of such arrests since the squad was initiated recently by the
Inspector-
General of Police, Mr. Tafa Balogun.
SOUTH AFRICA: SCORPIONS ORDERED TO PROBE COUNCILS
http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=40054
President Thabo Mbeki has ordered the special investigating unit the
Scorpions
to investigate wide ranging allegations of corruption and maladministration
in
five councils in the Western Cape province of the country.
TANZANIA: SHORT TO VISIT TANZANIA AS FRAUD CLAIMS FLY
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/foreignaffairs/story/0,11538,744049,00.html
Clare Short, the UK international development secretary, is to fly to
Tanzania
next week to discuss the row over the country's controversial £28m military
air
traffic control system as allegations of shady deals and fraud begin to
surface.
ZAMBIA: CHILUBA BRIBED CHIEF JUSTICE CLAIM
http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=40087
After sensational claims in the press, nongovernmental organisations are
calling on Zambia's chief justice, Matthew Ngulube, for his side of a story
alleging he was bribed by former president Frederick Chiluba. The Post
reported
on Monday that Chiluba gave him $168000 from the national treasury for
various
things, including school fees for his children.
ZAMBIA: ZAMBIAN PRESIDENT VOWS TO DEAL WITH CORRUPTION IN RULING PARTY
http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=40075
Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa vowed to root out corruption within his
government Tuesday and said his administration was not beholden to the
ruling
party officials who put him in power.
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5.HEALTH
AFRICA: 28 MILLION AFRICANS NOW LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS - UNAIDS
More than 28 million Africans are now living with HIV/AIDS and in some
countries over 30 percent of the adult population is infected, a UNAIDS
statement warned on Tuesday. "The devastating impact of HIV/AIDS is rolling
back decades of development progress in Africa," said Peter Piot, UNAIDS
executive director.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8504
AFRICA: AFRICANS STILL IGNORANT ABOUT AIDS
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_2062000/2062156.stm
High numbers of people in Africa and other developing countries do not
realise
that HIV/Aids can kill. Even in countries with high infection rates a large
majority of men and women believe they are not at risk of contracting Aids,
the
UN Population Division says in a new report.
AFRICA: AGEING AND AIDS IN AFRICA
http://www.who.int/hpr/ageing/Research%20Update%20Fin.pdf
Of the total number of children under the age of 15 who had lost their
mothers
or both parents to AIDS by 2000, 90% were in sub-Saharan Africa. Most of
those
infected with HIV are people in their economically active stages of life
(15-
49). It is grandparents who have to care for their sick or HIV-infected
children and raise and support their orphaned grandchildren. In most cases,
they provide this care with little or no state or other support.
AFRICA: BUSH PLAYS SHELL GAME WITH AFRICAN LIVES
http://www.fpif.org/commentary/2002/0206aids.html
On the eve of a meeting of rich country leaders in Canada, President Bush
has
brought out a "new initiative" promising $500 million to prevent
transmission
of HIV/AIDS from mothers to children. Intended to stave off the
embarrassment
of coming empty-handed to a summit trumpeted as focusing on Africa, the
White
House initiative is in fact a cynical move to derail more effective action
against AIDS.
BURUNDI: VACCINATION CAMPAIGN PROGRESSES, DESPITE FIGHTING
Despite continuing fighting in parts of Burundi, the vaccination campaign
launched last week was "moving forward as planned", Susanna Campbell, the
communications officer for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF),
says.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8453
GHANA: TB BECOMES MAJOR KILLER DISEASE
http://www.africantimes.com/articlepg1.asp?ID=48672
Tuberculosis is claiming more lives in Ghana than any other diseases
including
AIDS and kills about 20,000 people each year, Ghana News Agency reported
Monday. Dr Mohammed Bin Ibrahim, director of Western Region of Health
Services,
made the remarks when launching the regional TB campaign on Monday. About
40,000 cases were reported in the year 2000 in the west African country,
Ibrahim added.
MALAWI: QUEST FOR HIV/AIDS TREATMENT FUELS BOGUS DRUG BOOM
http://allafrica.com/stories/200206210451.html
Many Malawians living with HIV/AIDS are forced to rely on illegal drugs in a
bid to treat opportunistic illnesses, ease suffering and prolong their
lives.
SOUTH AFRICA: ANTIRETROVIRAL THERAPY REDUCES TUBERCULOSIS INCIDENCE IN AREAS
WHERE AIDS, TB ENDEMIC
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=11720
Highly active antiretroviral therapy can reduce the incidence of
tuberculosis
in HIV-positive people by 80% or more in areas where the two diseases are
endemic, with the most protection being afforded to those with advanced
immune
suppression, according to a study published in the June 15 issue of the
Lancet.
SOUTH AFRICA: SA RESEARCHERS MAKE MALARIA BREAKTHROUGH
http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.jsp?a=11&o=5145
South African researchers have made a breakthrough in malaria research that
will enable more effective drugs to be developed to treat the parasite-based
infection, a medical researcher said on Sunday. The breakthrough was based
on
identifying how the malaria parasite handles iron in red blood cells, said
Giovanni Hearne, a doctor at the Wits University's Medical School in
Johannesburg. Malaria is transmitted to humans through the bite of an
infected
female anopheles mosquito and is a huge problem worldwide, particularly in
Africa.
SOUTH AFRICA: TREATING AIDS SAVES MONEY, SAYS AIDS GROUP
http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.jsp?a=11&o=5191
Not treating HIV-positive people was more expensive than buying them
medicine,
the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) said in Johannesburg on Monday. "That's
the
thesis that our experts are testing and they are looking at hard figures to
support it," TAC secretary Mark Heywood told reporters in Johannesburg.
Heywood
was speaking ahead of a HIV/Aids congress due to take place in Durban.
SUDAN: NEW HOPE FOR TREATMENT OF KILLER DISEASE KALA-AZAR
The recent development of a treatment for leishmaniasis, also known as black
fever, a disease that each year afflicts some 500,000 people globally and
kills
at least 60,000, offers a ray of hope for thousands of Sudanese who die each
year from the disease for lack of treatment.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8451
UGANDA: 'FEMALE CONDOM NOT YET POPULAR'
http://allafrica.com/stories/200206200143.html
The female condom has not been well received because it interferes with
certain
cultural sexual practices, a monitoring and evaluation specialist has said.
ZAMBIA: CONTRACEPTIVE AND SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTION PROTECTION IN
LUSAKA
http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/2809602.html
Although efforts are being made to integrate STI services into family
planning
clinics in Zambia, these efforts need reinforcement. The educational levels
of
both providers and their clients may be barriers to a successful transfer of
STI prevention information during client-provider interactions.
ZIMBABWE: UPDATE ON STATE OF EMERGENCY OVER HIV/AIDS
A month after Zimbabwe's government declared a state of emergency over
HIV/AIDS
to allow the importation and manufacture of generic drugs, not much action
has
been taken and there are still a lot of unanswered questions, Zimbabwe's
National Network for People living with HIV/AIDS (ZNNP+), told PlusNews.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8454
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6.EDUCATION AND SOCIAL WELFARE
AFRICA: A CRISIS OF AGEING
http://www.id21.org/insights/insights42/insights-iss42-art03.html
There has been much talk of an ageing crisis in Europe, but the real crisis
is
in Africa. A combination of high fertility, rising longevity, civil war and
HIV/AIDS lies behind a unique transformation of the demographic structure in
which, unlike any other regions in the world, falling life expectancy at
birth
is associated with rising life expectancy at later ages.
ANGOLA: POLIO-FREE CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED
Angola launched a drive last weekend to vaccinate three million children
under-
five against polio - with the support of the country's girl and boy scout
movement. The signing of Angola's ceasefire in April has, for the first time
in
years, opened up areas throughout the country that were previously
inaccessible
for polio National Immunisation Day (NIDs) campaigns, the UN children's
agency
UNICEF said in a report.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8505
ETHIOPIA: FOCUS ON EDUCATION IN BORENA
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28537
Like most children in her village, Gechawa Gandesha laughs when she is asked
why she will not go on to senior school. "It would take me almost a week to
walk there," said the 14-year-old, who already walks more than four
kilometres
to her current school. Gechawa is at the top of her primary class, and longs
to
become a doctor. Her headmaster says she is more than capable of achieving
that. But she lives in one of the remotest corners of Ethiopia, and schools
are
few and far between.
KENYA: UNDERWEIGHT BABIES IN 'GRAVE DANGER' IN NAIROBI HOSPITALS
http://allafrica.com/stories/200206250034.html
A new study on child mortality in Kenya says that newly-born underweight
babies
admitted to the country's leading public hospital are at a higher risk of
dying
within the first month than Nigerian children were more than 25 years ago.
According to the study, which is another damning indictment of the poor
standards of healthcare at Kenyan public hospitals, low birthweight babies
admitted to the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) - the country's biggest and
most advanced hospital - are also more likely to die than those admitted to
the
institution more than a quarter of a century ago.
NIGERIA: GABON REPATRIATES 242 NIGERIAN TRAFFICKED CHILDREN
http://www.africantimes.com/articlepg1.asp?ID=48541
A Nigerian NGO leading the fight against women trafficking and child labour,
said 242 Nigerian children were repatriated from Gabon between January 2000
and
June 2001, the local press reported last Thursday.
SOUTHERN AFRICA: FUTURE UNCERTAIN: SOCIAL PENSIONS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA
http://www.id21.org/insights/insights42/insights-iss42-art07.html
Only three countries in sub Saharan Africa - South Africa, Namibia and
Botswana - provide non contributory social pensions for their elderly
citizens.
In all three countries, the social pension injects substantial volumes of
cash
into poor households and communities. It has stimulated trade and marketing
infrastructure, helped stabilise rural food supplies, and reduced
vulnerability
by providing a 'safety net' against livelihood shocks such as drought.
UGANDA: AIDS ORPHANS INCREASE TO 2 MILLION IN UGANDA
http://www.newafrica.com/news/articlepg1.asp?ID=48655&countryid=52
The number of children orphaned byAIDS has increased from 1.7 million in
2000
to 2 million this year despite a decline in the rate of infection, the
English
daily Monitor reported on Monday.
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7.WOMEN AND GENDER
AFRICA: US GROUPS IN BUSH APPEAL FOR UNFPA FUNDS
A group of 25 population, women's rights, medical, religious and health
groups
sent a letter last week to US President George Bush asking him to release
life-
saving funds for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The group says
women and their children are suffering because the funds have not been
released.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8530
ETHIOPIA: WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT VITAL FOR DEVELOPMENT - GOVERNMENT
Women must seize the opportunity of equality and fight for their rights, the
Ethiopian government urged on Monday. Without their full participation in
society the country could never attain rapid and sustained development, the
information ministry declared in a statement.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8461
KENYA: TWENTY POKOT GIRLS HOSPITALISED AFTER CIRCUMCISION
http://allafrica.com/stories/200206240186.html
Twenty girls have been admitted at Ortum Mission Hospital in West Pokot
after
undergoing female genital mutilation (FGM). And among them, 10 have
successfully been operated on by a team of doctors from University of
Nairobi
led by Dr Hillary Mabeya. The girls aged between 10 and 16 were rescued from
bleeding to death by a local NGO, Setat Women Group - North Rift Chapter.
NAMIBIA: TEEN PREGNANCY RATE 'HIGH' IN KARIBIB AREA
http://allafrica.com/stories/200206260112.html
Last year one in five pregnant women in the Karibib district were teenagers
who
should have been in school, says Dr Matthew Akpo. The Usakos-based doctor
told
a Women's Action for Development (WAD) Field Day at Karibib last Saturday,
that
the teenage pregnancy rate remained high even though health workers were
teaching family planning techniques.
NIGERIA: 1,098 VICTIMS OF TRAFFICKING DEPORTED IN THREE YEARS
http://allafrica.com/stories/200206260484.html
Two hundred victims of human trafficking were deported to Nigeria last week,
bringing to 1,098 the number sent back from Europe and North America in the
past three years, figures released on Wednesday by the Nigerian immigration
authorities showed. More than 98 percent or 1,081 were women who had been
sold
to prostitution rings in the different countries. Only 17 of the victims
were
male.
NIGERIA: AJANAKU WANTS GENDER BALANCE IN PARTIES
http://allafrica.com/stories/200206250173.html
The Special Adviser to the President on Women Affairs, Mrs. Titilayo
Ajanaku,
has called for the restructuring of the political parties at all levels to
ensure gender balance. She said "all stakeholders hold it as a duty to see
how
the women can be encouraged to function and how to make the atmosphere
conducive for women's participation without destroying their identities and
distinctiveness."
SIERRA LEONE: AID GROUP WORKS TO EASE RETURN OF SEX ABUSE VICTIMS
http://www.unfoundation.org/unwire/2002/06/21/27183
As they struggle to reintegrate back into their communities following civil
conflict in Sierra Leone, women and girls who have been sexually abused by
combatants are receiving much-needed assistance from Christian Children's
Fund,
which is promoting community dialogue and education in the country.
SWAZILAND: LAWS MAKE WOMEN LEGAL MINORS
http://www.africantimes.com/articlepg1.asp?ID=48638
Swaziland’s authorities have been accused of stepping up their repression of
women following a decree that women may not wear trousers because it against
social traditions. Reports from the capital Mbabane say soldiers will
enforce
the law by ripping trousers off women who dare to flout the custom.
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8.REFUGEES AND FORCED MIGRATION
ANGOLA: ANGOLA EXPRESSES SUPPORT FOR REFUGEES
http://www.newafrica.com/news/articlepg1.asp?ID=48586
Angola took advantage of last Thursday's World Refugee Day to express its
commitment to gradually solve the dramatic situation facing thousands of its
citizens, particularly children and women living in refugee camps.
BURUNDI: JOINT DELEGATION TO SEEK REPATRIATION OF BURUNDIAN REFUGEES
http://allafrica.com/stories/200206260398.html
Burundi and Tanzania announced on Tuesday that they would send a delegation
to
Geneva to ask the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to facilitate
the
repatriation of all Burundian refugees now in Tanzania. Close to 500,000
Burundian refugees are camped in Tanzania, thousands of who have been
returning
home on their own or under UNHCR-sponsored operations. However, the UNHCR
position is to facilitate repatriations only to safe areas, while
extending "limited assistance" to refugees insisting on going elsewhere in
Burundi.
ERITREA: MORE THAN 50,000 REFUGEES REPATRIATED
The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
reported on Tuesday that the number of Eritrean refugees repatriated from
Sudan
has passed the 50,000 mark. The operation, which is now a year old, reached
this milestone when, on Sunday, its 91st convoy carried 960 Eritreans from
the
eastern Sudanese town of Kassala to Teseney in western Eritrea, according to
the UNHCR spokesman, Kris Janowski.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8524
GAMBIA-SENEGAL: UNHCR LOOKS INTO NEW DISPLACEMENT
The office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees sent a mission to The
Gambia on Tuesday to take stock of possible population displacement
following
an announcement last week by the Senegalese army that it had launched
security
operations in Casamance, a UNHCR source told IRIN on Wednesday. The
Senegalese
army announced last weekend that it had begun an operation to curb increased
insecurity and banditry in Casamance, an area in southern Senegal that
borders
on The Gambia.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8557
KENYA: FIRST CONVOY IN SOMALI BANTU RELOCATION SET TO LEAVE
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) is due to begin
transporting
some 11,000 Somali Bantu refugees living in Dadaab refugee camps in
northeastern Kenya to Kakuma refugee camp in the northwest from Wednesday,
26
June, in close collaboration with the office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8509
KENYA: KENYAN GOVERNMENT SETS INDIGENOUS GROUP'S COURT CASE FOR JULY 23
http://www.dfn.org/news/kenya/ogiek0723.htm
A case in which the Ogiek community have challenged the government over
their
tribal Mau Forest land will now be heard on July 23. Although the community
went to court over a year ago contesting a government decision to excise
parts
of the expansive Mau forests of Kenya to settle other communities, the case
has
yet to be heard because the government has yet to file its defense.
LIBERIA: THOUSANDS MORE FLEE TO SIERRA LEONE
An estimated 4,000 people have fled to Sierra Leone from Liberia following a
rebel attack last Thursday on Sinje refugee camp, northwest of the Liberian
capital, Monrovia, the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR)
said.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8503
SIERRA LEONE: UNHCR APPEALS FOR RELEASE OF ABDUCTED PERSONS
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) last Friday urged the rebel
Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) to release five
abducted nurses and an ambulance belonging to their NGO, MERCI. LURD rebels
attacked Sinje refugee camp, 80 km northwest of the Liberian capital,
Monrovia,
last Thursday, taking away the nurses and causing Sierra Leonean refugees
and
displaced Liberians to flee.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8439
SOMALIA: REFUGEES BEING TRANSFERRED FROM MANDERA TO DADAAB
http://allafrica.com/stories/200206260359.html
The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has
transferred up to 1,043 Somali refugees, who have been stranded for weeks in
the northeastern Kenyan border town of Mandera, to the Dadaab refugee camp
500
km to the south. The refugees are part of a group of 10,000 who fled
inter-clan
fighting in the Somali town of Bulo Hawa near the border with Kenya starting
in
April, and have been camped in and around Mandera under difficult
conditions.
SUDAN: CHURCH APPEAL FOR CONFLICT IDPS IN WESTERN UPPER NILE
Church World Service (CWS), an umbrella group of Christian organisations in
the
US, has appealed for urgent support for relief efforts to assist thousands
of
families displaced in Rubkona County, southern Sudan, by government military
action in the oil-rich area.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8510
SUDAN: EU CONCERN AT HUMANITARIAN DANGERS, IGAD TALKS
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28508
The EU on Tuesday expressed grave concern about the humanitarian situation
in
many parts of Sudan, particularly in western Upper Nile (Unity/Wahdah
State),
Eastern Equatoria and Bahr al-Ghazal - all in the south and affected by
serious
fighting. Humanitarian actors working in Sudan estimate that between 150,000
and 300,000 people were displaced in western Upper Nile alone between
January
and April.
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9.RACISM AND XENOPHOBIA
SOUTH AFRICA: LET'S TALK ABOUT RACE
http://allafrica.com/stories/200206200499.html
Why are we so afraid of admitting our racism/s? Media coverage of racism
often
extends only to sensational killings or attacks, or the media defending
itself
against being racist. There is little space for open, honest debate on race,
and when there is, where are the voices of ordinary people? And why are the
voices so often male? Do women experience racism?
SOUTH AFRICA: WARDER DENIES RACISM CLAIM
http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/FreeState/0,1113,2-7-
832_1203803,00.html
A Grootvlei Prison warder on Monday denied claims by inmates that he had
made
racist and sexist remarks about members of the Jali Commission into prison
corruption.
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10.ENVIRONMENT
AFRICA: HUMAN TB INFECTS AFRICAN MEERKATS AND MONGOOSES
http://enn.com/news/enn-stories/2002/06/06272002/s_47551.asp
A major killer in human populations, tuberculosis has now jumped into
populations of Africa's meerkats and mongooses. The culprit is ecotourism, a
phenomenon once thought to be agreeably benign. Apparently, the hotel system
now operating in the continent's once-isolated bush country has exposed the
fauna to more human diseases.
AFRICA: WARMING CLIMATE SPAWNS DISEASE EPIDEMICS
http://ens-news.com/ens/jun2002/2002-06-25-06.asp
Dozens of lions died in Tanzania in 2001 after flies carrying distemper
spread
to eastern Africa. This is an example of how the changing, warming climate
around the globe is triggering unprecedented numbers of disease outbreaks in
both land and ocean based wildlife populations in habitats ranging from
coral
reefs to rainforests. Ecologists and epidemiologists have expressed concern
over this rising trend in a new report in the June 21 issue of the
journal "Science."
KENYA: KWS RUES HUMAN, WILDLIFE CONFLICT
http://allafrica.com/stories/200206260260.html
Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has acknowledged an upsurge in human-wildlife
conflict in the country. A communications officer, Mr Daniel Njaga, said the
service is concerned by the sharp increase in the human-wildlife conflict
that
has seen several people lose their lives.
LIBERIA: CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES ENGULF AFRICAN FOREST - NGOS OBSERVE
http://allafrica.com/stories/200206240246.html
The plundering of forests is pervasive in Africa and is causing enormous
damage
to the environment and the economy, as well as hurting the poor the most,
say
NGOs from five African countries.
NAMIBIA: IVORY PLAN GETS SUPPORT
http://www.newafrica.com/news/articlepg1.asp?ID=48585&countryid=36
Two wildlife organisations have come out in support of a government bid to
be
allowed to sell ivory stocks on an annual basis. The Namibia Nature
Foundation's Project Co-ordinator, Nils Odendaal, told The Namibian that
they
backed the request 100 per cent. Namibia is home to approximately 10 000
elephants and has about 40 tonnes of ivory stockpiled. Namibia's elephant
population is on Cites' Appendix II, which allows one-off sales of ivory but
not annual quotas.
TANZANIA: ILLEGAL LOGGING THREATENS RARE TREE SPECIES
http://www.newafrica.com/news/articlepg1.asp?ID=48786&countryid=49
Tanzania's rare hardwood trees, including the Fagaropsis angolensis species
found around Mount Kilimanjaro and the Brychylaena holschensii in the north-
eastern Usambara mountain region are currently under threat from illegal
logging, forest officials concede.
UGANDA: PRESIDENT SUSPENDS ANIMAL EXPORTS
http://www.newafrica.com/news/articlepg1.asp?ID=48646&countryid=52
President Museveni has called for an end to wild animal exports, saying it
would be more profitable to use Uganda’s wildlife to promote tourism.
ZIMBABWE: WILDLIFE IN CRISIS
http://www.kubatana.net/html/archive/wild/020613wpa.asp?sector=WILD
It is estimated that Zimbabwe has lost about 50 percent of its wildlife, 65
percent of its tourism and up to 90 percent of safari hunting on commercial
farms due to resettlement, according to Wally Herbst, Chairman of the
Wildlife
Producers Association.
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11.MEDIA
CANADIAN MEDIA IS TAKING AIM AT AFRICA
http://allafrica.com/stories/200206270053.html
The Group of Eight (G-8) summit being held in Kananaskis, a ski hamlet about
100km west of Calgary, has stirred a wave of interest about Africa in the
Canadian media.
DRC: JED ACCUSED OF TARNISHING COUNTRY'S IMAGE
Minister of Communications and Press Kikaya Bin Karubi has responded to the
recent protest letter from Journaliste en danger (JED) which denounced
threats
and harassment aimed at the private broadcaster RAGA and journalist
Jean-René
Mputu Biduaya. In an 18 June 2002 letter to JED, Kikaya denied any
involvement
in the blackmail efforts and intimidation campaign designed to force RAGA to
stop criticising the government. The minister described the remarks reported
by
JED as "gratuitous" and "fabrications aimed at having our foreign partners
believe that the private press in the Congo is bullied by the authorities."
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8497
KENYA: MEDIA CALL FOR PROTECTION
http://www.nationaudio.com/News/DailyNation/28062002/News/News9.html
The government has been told to provide security for journalists covering
the
coming General Election. Journalists from both public and private media
organisations complained that they were being harassed and intimidated by
State
officials and political party operatives even before the elections are
called.
KENYA: NEWS FIRM CHALLENGES NEW LAW ON THE MEDIA
http://www.nationaudio.com/News/DailyNation/28062002/News/News67.html
A news agency in Kenya has moved to court to challenge the law requiring
publishers to execute bonds of Sh1 million to run newspapers and magazines.
Kenya Eyes News Services wants a Constitutional Court to declare the Statute
Law (Miscellaneous Amendment) Act 2002 illegal.
MALAWI: COMMUNITY RADIO STATION CENSORED
The Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) has warned the Malawi
Institute of Journalism radio station (MIJ FM) that it risks losing its
broadcasting license because of what MACRA describes as anomalies and bias
in
its reporting. MIJ FM is a community radio station run by the MIJ to train
students. However, it has been established that the license principles
issued
to MIJ state that the radio station should protect the best interests of the
community, encourage new and innovative programmes and promote community
access
to information. MACRA Director of Telecommunications Mike Kuntiya refused to
clarify what the authority meant by "anomalies" in MIJ FM programmes. MACRA,
hitherto dormant, is yet to prove to be a neutral referee. The Authority has
failed to take action against the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC),
despite the public outcry over MBC's apparent partisan reporting in favour
of
the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF).
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8516
MALAWI: POLICE DISBAND PRESS CLUB MEETING
On 20 June 2002, police in Malawi's largest city Blantyre stopped a series
of
public debates organised by the Lilongwe Press Club to discuss the proposed
amendment to the Malawi Constitution regarding the limits on the president's
term in office.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8515
NIGER: PUBLICATION DIRECTOR OF "LE CANARD DÉCHAÎNÉ" JAILED AGAIN
Abdoulaye Tiémogo, publication director of the satirical weekly "Le Canard
déchaîné", was arrested on 18 June 2002 further to Prime Minister Hama
Amadou's
filing of a complaint for "defamation". RSF has urged the prime minister to
withdraw his complaint and see to it that the journalist is released
immediately.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8495
NIGERIA: BABANGIDA, GOVT BATTLE IN COURT
The attempt by former military President, General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida
to
stop the implementation of the report of the Human Rights Violation
Investigations Commission (HRVIC) got underway in Abuja last week with the
federal government declaring before the Federal High court that General
Babangida had no legal right to dictate when or how the reports of the HRVIC
should be implemented.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8513
NIGERIA: NUJ UNDER PRESSURE TO SCRAP NAWOJ
The National President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Mr. Smart
Adeyemi, has said that he is under "severe pressure" to scrap the Nigeria
Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ). According to him, this should be
done
before the association's elections billed to be held next month. Adeyemi,
who
spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja, said that
the
Nigeria Guild of Editors (NGE) and the Newspapers Proprietors Association of
Nigeria (NPAN) "are pressing continuously" on the issue.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8500
TUNISIA: CPJ PROTESTS PROSECUTION OF ONLINE EDITOR
In a 19 June 2002 letter to Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, CPJ
protested the arrest and prosecution of Zouhair Yahyaoui, an Internet café
employee and editor of the online publication "Tunezine". On the evening of
4
June, plainclothes state agents detained Yahyaoui at an Internet café in the
capital, Tunis. Authorities then searched Yahyaoui's home and confiscated
disks
and other computer materials. After spending several days in detention,
Yahyaoui was charged in court on 13 June with intentionally publishing false
information.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8506
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12.DEVELOPMENT
AFRICA: AFRICANS CALL FOR POLITICAL ACTION TO ACHIEVE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT
GOALS
Governments need to go beyond reliance on their development programmes and
start mobilizing popular political support to achieve progress towards the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This was a key conclusion of a forum on
the MDGs that brought together ministers and senior government officials
from
14 eastern and central African countries in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, this
week.
World leaders endorsed the goals at the UN Millennium Summit in 2000,
setting
clear targets for reducing poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy,
environmental
degradation and discrimination against women by 2015.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8546
AFRICA: G8 DEBT RELIEF 'NOT GOOD ENOUGH'
http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.jsp?o=5292
The announcement by G8 summit leaders in Kananaskis in Canada on Wednesday
to
grant up to one billion dollars in additional debt relief to some of the
world's poorest countries represented neither progress nor a breakthrough on
debt relief, according to Jubilee South Africa. "The announcement is proof
that
the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) debt relief initiative has failed,"
Jubilee South Africa representative Neville Gabriel said on Thursday.
Gabriel
said in a statement that the G8 were only trying to catch up on empty
promises
made three years ago at the Cologne summit for $100-billion in debt relief
in
terms of the HIPC debt relief initiative.
AFRICA: G8 UNLIKELY TO ADVANCE CONCRETE AFRICA PLAN
http://allafrica.com/stories/200206260388.html
A year ago in Genoa, Italy, the leaders of eight nations known as the G-8
set
up a task force to develop a concrete plan of action to support "Nepad" -
the
Africa-generated new partnership for African development. But hopes for much
specificity have been ratcheted down as the Summit gets underway. In New
York
Tuesday, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned
against "unrealistic expectations" and "magic success" at the summit. Still,
Annan said he hopes "that this partnership would lead to a changed economic
environment on the continent."
AFRICA: PUTTING PEOPLE BEFORE ENVIRONMENT
http://www.scienceinafrica.co.za/2002/june/nepad.htm
The objective of Agenda 21, the strategy document adopted at the 1992 Rio
Summit, was to maximise economic and social welfare without compromising the
sustainability of vital ecosystems. But Will Alexander of the University of
Pretoria, South Africa argues that this is a utopian view, and that there
should be no environmental impediments to the maximisation of economic and
social welfare. He calls for multidisciplinary approaches to problems, and
warns against the imposition of northern hemisphere solutions to Africa
problems. This is critical, he says, in the light of the forthcoming World
Summit on Sustainable Development.
AFRICA: SUCCESS AND FAILURES IN PROGRESS TOWARDS DEVELOPMENT GOALS
http://www.undp.org/mdg/mdgreportinafrica.pdf
There have been success stories in Africa: an increasing number of countries
are recording high growth rates, while successful elections have swept the
continent. But for every success story there have been setbacks. Child
mortality rates are up in several countries, as is HIV/AIDS, while reliable
data in many countries is hard to come by. This is according to a new
26-page
report on progress towards the Millenium Development Goals, compiled by the
UNDP and Unicef for G8 Africa representatives.
G8: FAILING MODEL OF GLOBAL GOVERNANCE
http://www.fpif.org/briefs/vol7/v7n09g8.html
Since the mid-1990s, the G8 annual summits have incorporated more social
issues
and developing country concerns into their agendas, but they have failed to
demonstrate much progress on these issues. Similarly, the G8 has failed to
produce the kind of global leadership necessary to jettison the failed
neoliberal model for managing the global economy. For many NGOs and
developing
countries, the G8 summit remains a symbol of elite global governance, but
concerns about the legitimacy of this self-constituted forum are
increasingly
overshadowed by criticisms of the forum's ineffectiveness.
MALAWI-MOZAMBIQUE: POVERTY REDUCTION NEEDS MORE THAN JUST POLITICAL WILL
A lot more than political will is needed to eradicate poverty in Africa,
according to a recent report by an international development think-tank. The
British-based Overseas Development Institute (ODI) asked some tough
questions
of how public money is managed and spent in trying to alleviate poverty in
five
African countries - Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda. The aim
of
the research titled, 'How, When and Why does Poverty get Budget Priority'
was
to identify the factors influencing the importance attached to poverty
reduction within the budget process, and the effectiveness with which
policies
are translated into funding and, ultimately, into results.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8549
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13.INTERNET AND TECHNOLOGY
EGYPTIANS FLOCK TO NEW NET PLAN
Free Internet Model Working In Egypt
http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,52993,00.html
Egypt has scrapped its old Internet subscription plan in favor of per-hour
dial-
up charges, resulting in an immediate and welcome spike in usage.
FACTS ON WIRELESS/CELL/MOBILE TELEPHONES
http://www.fda.gov/cellphones/
The Food and Drug Administration in the US has published a web site with
consumer information about cell phones. Everything from health hazards to
how
they work and the effect they have on medical equipment is covered.
ISOC VS ICANN - A DEMOCRATIC INTERNET?
http://newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=02/06/25/0259203
"ISOC claims around 8,600 individual members. That's not a lot, considering
that the worldwide number of Internet users is in the hundreds of
millions...The free and open Internet, as opposed to the glorified shopping
network so many corporate types apparently want the 'Net to become, needs a
strong and organized voice to speak up on its behalf." ISOC and ICANN both
claim to be this voice: ICANN is wrapped in scandal and ISOC needs members.
Perhaps the much-touted 'anarchy' of the internet is prevailing - or is it
the
apathy of its users? Read the article.
PREPARING FOR THE DIGITAL DARK AGE
http://www.infowarrior.org/articles/2002-08.html
This scathing article from computer security expert, Richard Forno, analyses
the new Palladium computer design announced by Microsoft. MS intend
Palladium
to answer security worries with a hardware/software bundled solution.
Viability
is in doubt.
SPAM VS SPAM
http://www.salon.com/tech/col/leon/2002/06/24/spam_assassin/index.html
Salon.com has an article on using open-source software to stop spam: "The
only
way to stem the flood of unwanted e-mail may be to harness a million
eyeballs
and an army of open-source hackers".
XML FOR HUMAN RIGHTS: CALL FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST
Following discussions at the 25th meeting of ECCHRD, participants
representing
European based human rights NGOs and IGOs discussed the possibilities of
embracing XML as a standard for the exchange of data on human rights, in
particular of data with regard to violations of human rights, within the
human
rights community.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8474
Contact: [log in to unmask]
YOUR PC'S ENEMY WITHIN
Speaking Out Against Spyware
http://news.com.com/2009-1023-937457.html?tag=fd_lede
The Wild West days of cyberspace are over--and, like it or not, it's time
for
government to change its laissez-faire attitude toward the Internet and
create
laws that clearly prevent unscrupulous businesses from preying on
unsuspecting
consumers and seizing control of computers.
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14.eNEWSLETTERS AND MAILING LISTS
EMAIL SERVICE WITH A FOCUS ON FUNDING
http://www.chapel-york.com
Chapel & York's email-Information Service helps you find the resources you
need
from amongst the vast amounts of information available for charities, non-
profits, & NGOs on-line. The focus is on new funding information, and
international and cross-boarder funding.
POPULATION AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH PORTAL
http://www.developmentgateway.org/pop
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Development Gateway
Foundation have launched the Population and Reproductive Health Internet
Portal, a community-built database of shared population information,
including
data, research, projects, ideas and dialogue. Visitors to the website are
able
to sign up for free membership, which entitles them to receive regular
updates
on new resources that are added.
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15.FUNDRAISING
AFRICA: AID AGENCIES' RESPONSE TO UK AID INCREASE
http://allafrica.com/stories/200206250740.html
Aid agencies have welcomed an announcement that the United Kingdom will
increase aid to Africa, but said it is likely that there will be little
progress on debt relief, trade and funding for education at the G8 summit.
BURKINA FASO: PROJECT AIMS TO IMPROVE CONDITIONS IN POVERTY BELT
A US $30-million poverty alleviation project aimed at improving agricultural
output in areas near Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, was launched at
the
weekend by the African Development Bank (ADB) and the Burkinabe government.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8573
SOUTHERN AFRICA: CANADA GIVES FUNDS FOR SOUTHERN AFRICA CRISIS
Canada will contribute CAD $34.2 million (US $22 million) in humanitarian
aid
to Southern Africa, a statement said last Friday.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8574
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16.COURSES, SEMINARS, AND WORKSHOPS
CALL FOR APPLICANTS
Adilisha Distance Learning Courses For Human Rights And Advocacy
This is the first call for applicants for Adilisha distance learning courses
for human rights and advocacy organisations in southern Africa. Fahamu, in
association with the Department for Continuing Education at the University
of
Oxford, will be offering courses specifically designed to meet the needs of
human rights and advocacy organisations in southern Africa. Developed
together
with international and regional experts, seven courses will be run in the
course of the next 12 months.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8538
HUMAN RIGHTS DISTANCE LEARNING COURSE
This distance learning course, taking place between 23 September and 15
December, provides participants practical guidance on how to monitor human
rights and is specifically a generic pre-deployment course for human rights
monitors.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8536
WORKSHOP ON SCIENCE COMMUNICATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
SciDev.Net is holding a four-day workshop in Entebbe, Uganda between 29
September and 3 October on Science Communication for Sustainable
Development.
It will bring together a group of scientists, public relations officers,
print
and radio/TV journalists along with professionals from academies of science,
government departments, science and technology policy institutions and non-
governmental organisations.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8537
YOUNG WOMEN’S SYMPOSIUM IN KENYA
The Eastern and Southern African Symposium on Young Women and HIV/AIDS, will
take place in Nairobi, Kenya between 27-29 November. The theme is HIV/AIDS,
Education and Youth.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8534
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17.ADVOCACY RESOURCES
CALL TO OPPOSE SUDANESE DEATH SENTENCES
Twelve prisoners were hung in Sudan in the closing days of May and a further
15
prisoners have been sentenced to death and are awaiting execution, according
to
the World Organisation Against Torture, whose international secretariat
urgently requests those opposed to the death penalty to write to the
Sudanese
authorities and protest against the killings.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8479
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18.JOBS
AFRICA PROGRAMME OFFICER
Pacific Institute For Women's Health
http://www.comminit.com/vacancy862.html
Collaborates with local organisations in Africa, the US, and elsewhere, as
well
as with consultants, advisors, and interns. Commitment to women's health and
rights, including access to safe abortion information and services. Ability
to
travel to and work effectively in Africa (25-35% time).
EAST AFRICA AREA REPRESENTATIVE
World Neighbors
World Neighbors seeks an East Africa Area Representative. Responsibilities
include program development, strategic planning, budgeting, evaluation,
reporting, administration and fund-raising. Travel 30-40% of the time.
Position
supports WN activities in Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8551
UK DEPUTY DIRECTOR: OPERATIONS
Mango
Mango has grown rapidly over the last two and a half years. Maintaining a
tight
focus on strengthening the financial management of NGOs, we deliver a range
of
complementary services, including: training, placing financial staff,
publishing capacity building materials and consultancy. Through our
practical
approach and high professional standards we are recognised as having made
financial management accessible to NGOs around the world. We are recruiting
a
Deputy Director: Operations to play a major role in the development of the
organisation. We are looking for someone with considerable energy,
initiative
and ability to join our small and enthusiastic team. The successful
candidate
will have practical field experience of working with NGOs and a heart-felt
commitment to improving standards of financial management in the sector.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8555
ZIMBABWE COUNTRY COORDINATOR
Academy For Educational Development
http://www.comminit.com/vacancy794.html
Support management of the in-country HIV/AIDS workplace prevention and
education programme, under an umbrella initiative called SMARTWork
[Strategically Managing AIDS Responses Together]. Experience in programme
design, and needs assessment research, for technical assistance and
training.
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19.BOOKS AND ARTS
FIFTY AUTHORS CONFIRMED FOR AFRICA BOOK FAIR
Preparations for the Africa's 100 Best Books of the 20th Century
celebrations
and awards presentation ceremony are on course. At least 50 of the 100
authors
have confirmed their participation in the event due to be held at the Civic
Centre in Cape Town. Also expected to attend are the patron of the project,
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and the founding father of the project, Prof. Ali
Mazrui. This event is also expected to be attended by former President
Nelson
Mandela and senior officials and dignitaries from UNESCO and the OAU. In his
letter of acceptance, Mazrui said; "I am delighted that plans are going in
full-
stream ahead for the Literary Centennial Gala in Cape Town in the last week
of
July."
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8499
QUALITATIVE METHODS: A FIELD GUIDE FOR APPLIED RESEARCH
This field guide is a practical, hands-on guide for use by social
scientists,
public health specialists, and research teams interested in using
qualitative
methods to study sexual and reproductive health.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8486
THE WTO, AGRICULTURE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
http://www.greenleaf-publishing.com/catalogue/wtoagri.htm
Despite the Doha declaration of November 2001, the failure to start a new
round
of global trade negotiations at Seattle in December 1999 and the hostility
of
protesters to the trade liberalisation process and growing global economic
and
social disparities was a wake-up call for the World Trade Organisation
(WTO).
The ambitious goal of this ground-breaking book is to identify the strengths
and weaknesses of liberalised world trade, in particular in the agricultural
sector, and to investigate to what extent the current WTO agreements provide
the necessary fail-safe devices to react to trade-related negative impacts
on
sustainability, environmental protection and food security. The background
and
interrelationship between the WTO, the tenets of sustainable development and
the unique features of the agriculture and forestry sectors are explored,
and
conclusions regarding the deficits of the world trade system and its
conflicts
with basic societal goals—such as sustainability—are drawn.
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20.LETTERS AND COMMENTS
BRIAN MACGARRY
Harare, Zimbabwe
Your newsletter contains a lot of useful information, but also contains
items
that I don't find relevant; although other people won't be interested in all
that interests me. But have you considered returning to publishing it in two
parts? People like me could then subscribe to one part. Our server charges
by
the kilobyte, and that does add up. Otherwise, I can only say keep up the
good
work.
SHONA POLLOCK
This is an excellent resource and I will pass it on to our members.
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