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Subject: [WASAN] FW: PAMBAZUKA NEWS 53 PART I: AFRICAN ORGANISATIONS SPEAK
    OUT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT



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Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 17:49:52 -0000
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Subject: PAMBAZUKA NEWS 53 PART I: AFRICAN ORGANISATIONS SPEAK OUT ON
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

PAMBAZUKA NEWS 53 * 7675 SUBSCRIBERS
A weekly electronic newsletter for social justice in Africa

PART I: 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

PART II: 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

Pambazuka News is now distributed in two parts. PART II will be distributed
shortly. If you miss it, contact [log in to unmask] or get it on the
web at http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php

If you have e-mail access, you can get web resources listed in this
Newsletter
by sending a message to [log in to unmask] with the web address (usually
starting with http://) in the body of your message.

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1.EDITORIAL

AFRICAN ORGANISATIONS SPEAK OUT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Firoze Manji, Fahamu - Learning For Change
About 200 organisations from around Africa, including representatives NGOs,
trade unions, women's organisations, farmers and young people's groups met
in Bamako, Mali, recently to prepare African inputs to the World Social
Forum held at the end of January.

They resolved, among other things, that globalization is just a new and more
acceptable term for imperialism, that double standards were being applied
with the selective imposition of rules about trade to the detriment of
Africa. They expressed concern that the "New Partnership for Africa's
Development" (NEPAD) was based on accepting the neo-liberal analysis and
strategies of the rich countries and was therefore not acceptable as a basis
for planning Africa's future.

The importance of the African Social Forum was in presenting development in
Africa as a political issue about power to decide on Africa's future. For
too long development has focussed on the physical consequences of this
unjust world order and has limited itself to addressing the lack of water,
health, incomes, basic services etc. This has led to NGOs becoming
instruments of neo-liberal globalisation that have colluded in undermining
the state by providing services and using funding destined for them. (For a
fuller report see below).

Sustainable development is about much more than the rise and fall of GNP. It
is about creating an environment in which people can develop their full
potential under conditions where there is respect for human dignity and
human rights. The goal of sustainable development must be human freedom, and
the measure of its success must be a measure of the extent to which citizens
of a country are able to exercise that freedom. But, as Professor Amartya
Sen, Nobel Prize Winner in Economics, has argued in his book 'Development as
Freedom', "Freedoms are not only the primary ends of development, they are
also among its principal means." Development should be seen as a process of
expanding freedoms. "If freedom is what development advances, then there is
a major argument for concentrating on that overarching objective, rather
than on some particular means, or some chosen list of instruments". To
achieve development, he argues, requires not only the removal of poverty,
lack of economic opportunities, social deprivation, and neglect of public
services, but also the removal of tyranny and the machinery of repression.

Such a view is in contrast to what has become the 'conventional wisdom' of
development that sees economic growth as both the means and the end.
Development, the story goes, is possible only if there is growth. And growth
is equated with the 'right' of a minority to amass wealth. Only when this
freedom is unrestricted will others in society benefit from any associated
spin-offs (the trickle-down effect). All other freedoms are only achievable
if such growth occurs. The purpose of 'development' is, therefore, to
guarantee 'growth' so that ultimately other freedoms can, at some
indeterminate time in the future, be enjoyed. Such a view has increasingly
been associated with the international financial institutions (IMF and World
Bank) whose influence on economic policy - especially in Africa - has been
so pervasive. State expenditure, according to this view, should be directed
towards creating an enabling environment for 'growth', and not be 'wasted'
on the provision of public services that, in any case, can ultimately be
provided 'more efficiently' by private enterprise. This is the approach
that, as Professor Sen points out, makes socially useful members of society
such as school-teachers and health workers feel more threatened by
development policies than do army generals.

Such an approach to development has had dire consequences for the developing
world in general and Sub-Saharan Africa in particular. Of the nearly 5
billion people in the developing world, more than 850 million are
illiterate; 325 million boys and girls are denied schooling; 2.4 billion
have no access to basic sanitation. More than 30,000 children under the age
of 5 years die each day from preventable causes. And some 1.2 billion people
live on less than a dollar a day. Add to that the fact that more than 36
million people were living with AIDS. Of the 36 million people living with
HIV/ AIDS, 70% are to be found in sub-Saharan Africa.

Only 60% of adults in Sub-Saharan Africa are literate in the region, as
compared with 73% in the rest of the developing world. Life expectancy at
birth is less than 49 years, and nearly half the population survives on less
than $1 a day. Economic growth in the region has fallen during the last 25
years, with GDP per capita growth averaging -1%. Per capita income in 1960
was about 1/9th of that in high-income OECD countries, but by 1998 it had
fallen to 1/18th.

Sub-Saharan Africa's massive external debt, estimated at more than $300
billion is perhaps the single largest obstacle to development and economic i
ndependence. The 48 countries of sub-Saharan Africa spend $13.5 billion each
year repaying debts to foreign creditors. Over the last 20 years, African
countries have paid out more in debt service to foreign creditors than they
have received in development assistance or in new loans. Trade
liberalization associated with the Structural Adjustment Programmes may have
increased the importance of international trade for Africa, but the region's
share of world trade has declined.

But it is not that sub-Saharan Africa is devoid of wealth. There is abundant
mineral wealth in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Angola, in the Democratic Republic
of Congo (DRC), in South Africa and elsewhere. Yet it is this very abundance
of natural resources that has led to vicious competition for access and
control, frequently supported by outside vested interests. The result has
been armed conflict, mass displacement of people, torture and ill treatment,
and frank impunity for the perpetrators. Unarmed civilians have frequently
been the victims of such conflicts with killings, amputations, rape and
other forms of sexual abuse and abductions being rife in countries such as
Sierra Leone, the DRC, and Burundi. Angola, which has seen an estimated
500,000 people killed since 1989 and an estimated 3 million refugees. It is
also being torn apart directly as a consequence over the competition for
resources such as diamonds and offshore oil, with various factions fighting
for these prizes.

But, as Mahmood Mamdani has pointed out, despite the current dogmas, "the
story of independent Africa is not one of unremitting decline. The first two
decades of independence were decades of moderate progress. Between 1967 and
1980 more than a dozen African countries registered a growth rate of 6% [.]
To be sure there was a downside. That was that the failure to transform
agriculture, and thus to bring the vast majority of the population into the
development process. This shortcoming in economic policy went alongside and
was sustained by a political authoritarianism."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4352001,00.html

The economic policies followed by many African countries, frequently under
pressure from international financial institutions, have resulted in high
levels of income equality. And it is this that has created instability in
the region. Development policies have, it is true, resulted in enrichment.
But it has been the rich in these countries who have been getting richer,
while the poor have become poorer. According the UNDP, "In 16 of the 22 Sub-
Saharan countries with data for the 1990s, the poorest 10% of the population
had less than 1/10 of the income of the richest 10%, and in 9 less than
1/20." Marked, and growing, inequalities have had serious consequences on
the social fabric of these countries. It has resulted in massive social
exclusion, the growth in organized street crime, disillusionment with the
political process, and the growth in the appeal for the use of violence for
political ends. Faced with growing discontentment, corruption, abuse of
state power, many governments have become intolerant of legitimate protest
and political opposition. The use of excessive force to deal with public and
political discontent has become all too common, as vividly illustrated by
the current crisis in Zimbabwe where, as a result of recent legislation, it
has become illegal to criticize the president.

Time has come for there to be substantial changes to current approaches to
development. Ten years ago at the "Earth Summit" in Rio de Janeiro,
Governments committed themselves to a plan of action known as Agenda 21.
Principle 5 of that plan stated that:

"All States and all people shall cooperate in the essential task of
eradicating poverty as an indispensable requirement for sustainable
development, in order to decrease the disparities in standards of living and
better meet the needs of the majority of the people of the world."

"But commitments alone", as the Secretary General of the United Nations,
Kofi Anan has put it, "have proven insufficient to the task. We have not yet
fully integrated the economic, social and environmental pillars of
development, nor have we made enough of a break with the unsustainable
practices that have led to the current predicament."

The Jury at the International People's Tribunal on Debt, convened at the
recent the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, called for the external debt
to be declared "as fraudulent, illegitimate and the cause of the loss of
national sovereignty and the quality of life of the majority of the
population of the South". Similar proclamations are needed in the build up
to the World Social Summit on Sustainable Development scheduled to be held
in Johannesburg 26 August to 4 September. One hopes that the alternative
view from African civil society organizations will be heard loud and clear.
Southern African NGOs have already organized. We hope in forthcoming issues
of Pambazuka News to provide regular coverage to statements from African
civil society organizations.

http://www.johannesburgsummit.org/web_pages/prepcom_one_statement_by_sangos.
pdf
South Africa to hold Rio+10 Summit:
http://www.un.org/rio+10/web_pages/rio+10_summit.htm
Text of the UN General Assembly Decision:
http://www.un.org/rio+10/web_pages/resolution.htm
The Rio+10 Summit Meeting:
http://www.un.org/rio+10/flat/riosummitmeeting.htm
Earth Summit 2002 website:
http://www.earthsummit2002.org/www.sustainabledevelopment.gov.uk/search_by/s
ubject/wssd4.htm
www.corpwatch.org/news/PND.jsp?articleid=1170

REPORT ON AFRICA SOCIAL FORUM
David Waller, ACORD
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5893

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2.CONFLICT, EMERGENCIES, AND CRISES

ANGOLA-NAMIBIA: NAMIBIAN SOLDIERS CLASH WITH UNITA
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=20541
Three suspected UNITA rebels were shot and killed last week near Namibia's
northern border, Namibian defence officials said at the weekend.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: NATIONAL DISARMAMENT CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=20671
The prime minister of the Central African Republic (CAR), Martin Ziguele,
has launched a national disarmament and arms collection programme, the
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) reported on Monday.

CHILD SOLDIERS TREATY ENTERS INTO FORCE
http://web.amnesty.org/web/news.nsf/WebAll/1BF98003301558DE80256B5A0042244C?
OpenDocument
Thousands of 'red hands' will be planted in the grounds of the United
Nations Palais des Nations in Geneva on 12 February to mark the entry into
force of a new UN treaty prohibiting the use of children under 18 in
hostilities.

DR CONGO: MASIRE HOPEFUL ABOUT NEW TALKS
http://allafrica.com/stories/200202110646.html
A second round of Inter-Congolese dialogue is scheduled for February 25, in
Sun City, South Africa. Sceptics question the ability of Botswana's former
President, Ketumile Masire, to facilitate the talks because he does not
speak French. But in an interview with a group of international journalists,
including allAfrica.com's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton, Masire says language is not
the issue.

DRC-RWANDA: THREE WEEKS ON, NO QUICK-FIX SOLUTIONS FOR GOMA
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=20532
Three weeks after Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was
inundated by lava flows from Mt Nyiragongo, the future of this town of some
400,000 people remains precarious.

ETHIOPIA: UN AMBASSADOR REJECTS IDEA OF "GREATER SOMALIA"
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=20684
Ethiopia's ambassador to the UN, Abdul Mejid Hussein, has rejected the
possibility of a "greater Somalia", along with other senior political
leaders from Ethiopia's Somali National Regional State.

KENYA: FEARS MOUNT OVER US TROOP PRESENCE
Despite claims to the contary, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the
United States (US) intends to use Kenya, and particularly the Kenyan coast
as its base as it launches an attack against the neighbouring Somalia. Some
3,000 US military personnel from the Marine Corps and the US Navy have been
strategically deployed across the Somalia border, in the remote Kenyan
islands of Pate and Manda, increasing fears that the first phase of the US
war against terrorism in Africa, is in the offing.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5824

SOMALIA: FOREIGN TERROR SUSPECTS FREED
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=20421
The Transitional National Government (TNG) of Somalia has freed 11 foreign
nationals who were arrested in December for suspected links with terrorist
groups.

SOUTH AFRICA-SUDAN: PRETORIA INVESTIGATING MERCENARY LINKS
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=20689
The South African government is investigating the alleged mercenary
activities of it's citizens in strife-torn Sudan. It has also banned a
state- owned petroleum company from seeking oil concessions in the east
African country, IRIN has learnt.

SOUTHERN SUDANESE: SELF-DETERMINATION PUT AT RISK BY EUROPEAN, U.S. MOVES
http://www.selfdetermine.org/news/0202sudan.html
Concern that the European Union (EU) and the United States are taking the
demands of the largely black African population of southern Sudan off the
agenda is rising among a broad coalition of activists critical of the Arab
National Islamic Front (NIF) government in Khartoum. A new peace process is
sidelining those who favor tougher sanctions against the Sudan regime and
who believe that negotiations to end the 19-year-old civil war must consider
the autonomy demands of southerners in Sudan.

SUDAN: EU WELCOMES CEASE FIRE
Activists Criticise EU Decision To Resume Co-operation
The Spanish Presidency of the EU, speaking on behalf of the Union, has
welcomed the cease-fire agreement in the Nuba Mountains in Sudan. The EU's
readiness to resume cooperation with Sudan. has been widely criticised by
activists working in the Sudan. Press reports this week quote John
Prendergast, a Sudan expert at the International Crisis Group, who advised
former President Bill Clinton, stating ''This (European) announcement was
very badly timed. It certainly reduces the political leverage the
international community has in supporting the peace process.''
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5817

SUDAN: SPLM/A ALLEGES CEASE-FIRE VIOLATIONS IN NUBA
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=20442
The Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) claimed on Wednesday
that Sudanese government forces had attacked its positions in the Nuba
Mountains region of Southern Kordofan, south-central Sudan, violating for
the second time a cease-fire agreement both parties had signed on 19
January.

ZIMBABWE: EU STANDS FIRM AS MUGABE BLOCKS ELECTION MONITOR
http://www.zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=3613
Pierre Schori, head of the European Union observer mission to Zimbabwe's
already bloody election campaign, failed to get his accreditation yesterday
amid new incidents of violence. "We are in contact with the Government,"
Stefan Amer, his spokesman, said. "However, our mission has to be accepted
as it is. We won't negotiate that."

ZIMBABWE: MANICALAND REPORT
http://www.zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=3612
Documenting political violence and abuses of power in Manicaland Province.

ZIMBABWE: STATEMENT ON SEXUAL TORTURE
AMANI TRUST
Over the last few months there has been increasing evidence of the youth
militia involved in organized violence of having received formal training in
torture techniques. However, a new and very disturbing form of torture has
emerged in the last few weeks, with even more long-term ramifications for
the victims than the physical and psychological trauma sustained with
physical torture. Forced rape by men, witnessed both by the perpetrators of
the violence and others, is being imposed on the victims, with the victims
being forced to have sexual intercourse with other victims, either
heterosexual or homosexual, with the perpetrators "supervising" the act.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5828
Contact: [log in to unmask]

ZIMBABWE: SUSPECTED WAR VETERANS VANDALISE MDC OFFICES
http://www.zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=3615
About 50 suspected war veterans and 15 Zanu PF youths last Thursday raided
the MDC offices in Buhera North, vandalised the premises and stole property
worth more than $500 000.

ZIMBABWE: UK THREATENS TO IMPOSE SANCTIONS
http://allafrica.com/stories/200202070777.html
Britain has threatened to impose sanctions on Zimbabwe following the arrest
of local journalist Basildon Peta on Monday. London is alleging that Harare
broke the terms of an EU ultimatum, which among other things demanded the
accreditation of the international media to cover next month's presidential
election.

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3.RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY

BLAIR VISITS WEST AFRICA
Prime Minister Tony Blair's trip to West Africa this week presents a major
opportunity for the British government
to affirm its commitment to human rights and to bring international
attention to some of the most pressing issues on the continent, Human Rights
Watch said today.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5829

BURKINA FASO: INVESTIGATION INTO MASSIVE EXTRAJUDICIAL EXECUTIONS NEEDED
The Government of Burkina Faso should immediately investigate allegations
made by the Burkinabe Human and Peoples' Rights Movement(MBDHP) that 106
extra judicial executions have taken place over the past three months,
Amnesty International said after raising its concerns to the government.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5779

BURUNDI: GOVERNMENT MUST NOW ACT TO STAMP OUT TORTURE AND IMPUNITY
"Burundi's new transitional government must not waste an historic
opportunity to end the blight of torture and impunity," Amnesty
International has said as it made public a Memorandum addressed to Burundi's
transitional authorities and the international community.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5757

DRC: ICJ TO DELIVER JUDGMENT ON NDOMBASI ON THURSDAY
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=20675
The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of
the UN that has the final word in disputes among states, will on Thursday,
14 February deliver its judgment in the case concerning an international
arrest warrant issued on 11 April, 2000 by a Belgian judge against Abdulaye
Yerodia Ndombasi, then the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) foreign
minister, for "serious violations of international humanitarian law".

EGYPT: TRIAL OF HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS THREATENS FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
http://allafrica.com/stories/200202050571.html
The trial of Saad Eddin Ibrahim and three other human rights defenders is a
blatant attempt by the Egyptian authorities to stifle freedom of expression,
Amnesty International said as the Court of Cassation is set to pronounce its
decision on 6 February 2002 regarding their appeal.

ERITREA: WORSENING HUMAN RIGHTS CRISIS
http://web.amnesty.org/web/news.nsf/WebAll/C4E451AA878D3B7E80256B5800525D2C?
OpenDocument
The resolutions of the recently concluded National Assembly session
seriously undermine the rule of law and the protection of human rights in
Eritrea, Amnesty said today in reaction to the legislature's failure to
adequately address the deteriorating human rights situation in the country.

GUINEA-BISSAU:HUMAN DEFENDERS FACE INCREASED GOVERNMENT HARASSMENT
"Human rights defenders and political opponents in Guinea Bissau are facing
a sustained clamp-down on peaceful opposition and criticism of government
policy," Amnesty International have warned, adding that the government was
also increasingly interfering in matters outside its jurisdiction.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5749

MALAWI: INQUIRY INTO HUMAN RIGHTS
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=20543
The Malawi government has defended it's human rights record ahead of a
public inquiry into political and religous discrimination, violence, and
related intolerance.

RWANDA: PEACE WORKERS SUFFER INCREASING POLITICAL REPRESSION
Amnesty International have called for the immediate and unconditional
release of three peace and reconciliation activists - Laurien Ntezimana,
Didace Muremangingo and Ignace Ndayahundwa - arrested by police and held at
Butare central prison, southern Rwanda, on 27 January and 2 February.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5759

RWANDAN GENOCIDE PRIEST SURRENDERS
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_1806000/1806249.stm
A Rwandan Roman Catholic priest wanted on charges of genocide and crimes
against humanity has given himself up to the international tribunal for
Rwanda based in the Tanzanian town of Arusha.

SIERRE LEONE: VOTER REGISTRATION CONSOLIDATES PEACE PROGRESS
http://www.europaworld.org/issue68/voterregistration8202.htm
The presidential and parliamentary elections in Sierra Leone, due to be held
on 14 May, will consolidate peace in that country according to the United
Nations Mission there.The Mission - known as UNAMSIL - has been urging more
Sierra Leoneans to sign up for the voter registration process before it
closes shortly.

WEST AFRICA: REGIONAL SEMINAR ON INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Economic
Community of West African States (ECOWAS) held a three-day regional seminar
last week in Abidjan on the statute of the International Criminal
Court(ICC). The aim of the conference, attended mainly by senior officials
of ECOWAS member states and law specialists, was to inform the regional
experts on the role and purpose of the Court, its powers and its methods of
operation, ICRC's regional office in Abidjan said in a statement.
Participants were also briefed on the measures countries need to take to
implement the statute of the Court.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5809

WHITHER ZIMBABWEAN CIVIL SOCIETY?
Zimbabwe's fallout has proved beyond doubt that local civil society,
epitomized by ubiquitous human rights Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs),
lacks the requisite political clout to challenge President Robert Mugabe's
increasingly totalitarian rule. Civil society's capacity to build popular
support for democratic change people-centred change has been blown out of
proportion by outside donors, who continue to religiously pour funds into
the rather politically innocuous sector.

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4.CORRUPTION

BLAIR CALLS FOR CLAMPDOWN ON COMPANIES THAT EXPLOIT AFRICA
http://globalarchive.ft.com/globalarchive/article.html?id=020207001758&query
=blair
Britain wants to clamp down on companies that fuel wars in Africa through
their exploitation of valuable natural resources such as diamonds, oil and
timber. The UK wants the G8 group of industrial nations to throw its weight
behind international guidelines designed to ensure that companies behave
responsibly in potential conflict zones.

EUROPE: 'WHO'S A BANANA REPUBLIC NOW?'
http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=20301
Corruption is far from being just the scourge of the Third World. It is
quite common in Europe as well, so common in fact that it is almost an
assumed perk of high office. Is corruption a Third World disorder? Not if
the French are any guide.

GREAT LAKES: ENGEN LEARNS IT PAYS TO HAVE FRIENDS
http://allafrica.com/stories/200202070594.html
Reports have emerged since South African energy giant Engen sold Engen
Petroleum Rwanda in December that it was forced to abandon its operations in
Rwanda following death threats against its senior management.

LESOTHO: MYSTERY ON COURT FILES DISAPPEARANCE
http://allafrica.com/stories/200202120658.html
A mystery surrounding disappearance of some court files in the Lesotho High
Court is threatening the country's judicial system at the time a speedy
trials bill is finding passage in the National Assembly.

SOUTH AFRICA: LEGISLATION TARGETS PUBLIC SERVICE CORRUPTION
http://allafrica.com/stories/200202120568.html
Anticorruption legislation, partly aimed at regulating post public service
employment, clamping down on the abuse of state resources and the protection
of whistle blowers will be passed by Parliament this year. Cabinet approved
the Prevention of Corruption Bill last week as part of a broader plan to
clamp down on corruption and mismanagement, Public Service and
Administration Minister Geraldine FraserMoleketi has said.

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5.HEALTH

AFRICA: WORLD BANK OFFERS ADDITIONAL $500M LOAN FOR COUNTRIES TO FIGHT
HIV/AIDS
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_hiv_recent_rep.cfm?dr_cat=1&s
how=yes&dr_DateTime=08-Feb-02#9363
The World Bank has approved an additional $500 million loan for African
countries to fight HIV/AIDS, bringing the total loan amount under the bank's
Multi-Country HIV/AIDS Program (MAP) for Africa to $1 billion for the
current fiscal year, the AP/Nando Times reports.

ANGOLA-ZAMBIA: MAJOR IMMUNISATION DRIVE PLANNED
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=20540
A major immunisation drive is planned in western Zambia and eastern Angola
in response to new polio cases among young Angolan refugees, the World
Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF said in a joint statement.

ARMED CONFLICT AS A PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM
http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/324/7333/346
Armed conflict between warring states and groups within states have been
major causes of ill health and mortality for most of human history. Conflict
obviously causes deaths and injuries on the battlefield, but also health
consequences from the displacement of populations, the breakdown of health
and social services, and the heightened risk of disease transmission.
Despite the size of the health consequences, military conflict has not
received the same attention from public health research and policy as many
other causes of illness and death. In contrast, political scientists have
long studied the causes of war but have primarily been interested in the
decision of elite groups to go to war, not in human death and misery.

AUNTIE STELLA
A New Web-based Resource For Adolescent Reproductive Health
The Training and Research Support Centre (TARSC) based in Harare, Zimbabwe
(www.tarsc.org) announces the creation of a new site linked to the TARSC
website specifically developed for young people to engage in discussion and
problem solving on issues related to their reproductive health. The website
Auntie Stella: Teenagers talk about sex, life and relationships can be
reached through the TARSC address above or directly on www.auntiestella.org.
The site has been adapted from the print version of Auntie Stella which has
been successfully used by youth in and out of school.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5826

ETHIOPIA: 250,000 UNDER-FIVES IN HAVE HIV/AIDS
Two hundred and fifty thousand children under the age of five are living
with the HIV/AIDS virus in Ethiopia, according to the ministry of health.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5792

ETHIOPIA: HELP NEEDED TO TACKLE AIDS
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=20823
Ethiopia can never defeat AIDS alone and needs the help of the international
community, the deputy speaker of the country's House of Representatives
admitted on Wednesday.

NAMIBIA: 2000 DHS PRELIMINARY REPORT ONLINE
the Preliminary Report of the 2000 Namibia Demographic and Health Survey has
recently been published. The report contains around 40 pages. Chapter 1
provides a brief background, while the methodology is described in Chapter
2. The main findings of the survey are contained in the third chapter, which
highlights the most important results at output and outcome level. Chapter 4
provides a summary and concluding remarks. The key results appear condensed
in table form in Annex 2. The report may be downloaded from the website of
the Namibian Ministry of Health and Social Services.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5751

SOUTH AFRICA: GATES CALLS FOR INCREASED GLOBAL HEALTH FUNDING
http://fdncenter.org/pnd/news/story.jhtml?id=5000004
Addressing leaders at the World Economic Forum in New York City over the
weekend, Bill Gates called on government, industry, and nonprofit
organizations to substantially increase and sustain development funding for
global health initiatives.

SOUTH AFRICA: MBEKI REPEATS FOCUS ON PREVENTION NOT TREATMENT FOR AIDS
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_hiv_recent_rep.cfm?dr_cat=1&s
how=yes&dr_DateTime=08-Feb-02#9363
South African President Thabo Mbeki in his state of the nation address said
that the government will increase its efforts to halt the spread of HIV, but
added that the efforts will focus on prevention and not the use of
antiretroviral drugs, the Associated Press reports.

SOUTH AFRICAN MEDICAL GROUPS SHOW SUPPORT FOR USE OF NEVIRAPINE
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_hiv_recent_rep.cfm?dr_cat=1&s
how=yes&dr_DateTime=05-Feb-02#9289
The Colleges of Medicine of South Africa, the country's "leading body" for
specialist physicians, today issued a statement saying it supports the use
of nevirapine to prevent vertical HIV transmission and that failure to
provide such treatment is "unethical," Agence France-Presse reports.

SOUTHERN AFRICA: BUSH TO MEET WITH LEADERS FROM THREE NATIONS
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_hiv_recent_rep.cfm?dr_cat=1&s
how=yes&dr_DateTime=06-Feb-02#9310
President Bush will meet with the leaders of Angola, Mozambique and Botswana
on Feb. 26 to discuss economic and security issues, including HIV/ AIDS,
Reuters reports. White House spokesperson Ari Fleischer on Monday said that
Bush "looked forward" to speaking with Presidents Jose Eduardo dos Santos of
Angola, Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique and Festus Mogae of Botswana, calling
the three men "critically important" to the future of southern Africa.

SOUTHERN AFRICA: GATES FOUNDATION SUPPORTS CLINICAL TRIALS OF AIDS-FIGHTING
MICROBICIDE
http://www.popcouncil.org/mediacenter/newsreleases/gates2002rls.html
The Population Council has announced that it plans to begin the clinical
trials of its lead candidate microbicide, CarraguardT, by the end of 2002. A
$20 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will provide a
substantial part of the funding needed for this large-scale study of 6,000
women in southern Africa.

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6.EDUCATION AND SOCIAL WELFARE

AFRICA: RIGHTS OF DISABLED PEOPLE NEGLECTED
More than 80 million people are living with disabilities in Africa - placing
an enormous burden on already overstretched services, a pan African
conference has heard.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5756

DRC: NGO REPORTS ON IMPACT OF WAR ON CHILDREN
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=20445&SelectRegion=Great_Lakes&S
electCountry=DRC
The impact of the conflict on children is devastating, depriving thousands
of vulnerable young people of anything approaching a normal childhood, the
Refugees International (RI)nongovernmental organisation (NGO) said on
Wednesday in its bulletin entitled "Children in the Eastern Congo: Adrift in
a sea of war and poverty".

ETHIOPIA: IS BETTER HEALTH AND EDUCATION AN UNACHIEVABLE AMBITION?
http://www.id21.org/education/S9bfm1g1.html
In the decade since the collapse of the totalitarian regime of Mengistu
Haile Mariam have the lives of ordinary Ethiopians improved? As the
population rises, external debt spirals upwards and aid continues to
decrease, can the country meet 2015 international development targets?

NIGERIA: YOUTHS, ORPHANS AND WOMEN DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES (YOWEDI)
YOWEDI, a forum for the promotion of social justice and the empowerment of
women and youths towards a better and greater Nigeria, requests assistance
in the areas of capacity building, networking and sponsorship, and asks that
NGOs furnish them with further information covering their organization.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5780
Contact: [log in to unmask]

SOUTH AFRICAN EDUCATION: MOBILISING MEN TO CARE?
http://www.id21.org/education/EgveMorrell.html
Violence, gender inequality, and high rates of HIV transmission are three
major problems at all levels of South African education. Gender inequalities
play out in a variety of different types of violence: girls are raped by
boys and boys are the main perpetrators of sexual assault but boys can also
be the victims of assault by other boys. Yet, many interventions reflect the
perception that boys are perpetrators and girls are the victims. How can the
gap between rhetoric and practice in addressing boys' and girls'
vulnerability be addressed?

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: EDUCATION AND CONDOM USE
http://www.id21.org/education/h5jg1g1.html
Why do so few people in sub-Saharan Africa use condoms regularly? How can
condom promotion campaigns be more effective? Researchers from a
collaborative study between institutions in Europe and Africa report on a
study in four cities in sub-Saharan Africa.

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: ICTS IN EDUCATION
http://www.imfundo.org/knowledge/database.htm
Imfundo has launched a database which catalogues all major initiatives and
organisations that use information and communication technology (ICT) to
enhance education across sub-Saharan Africa. This is the first element in
the development of the Imfundo KnowledgeBank portal.

UGANDA: AIDS EDUCATION FOR SCHOOLCHILDREN
http://www.id21.org/education/h5jw3g3.html
Comprehensive AIDS education can make pupils aware of the need to protect
themselves against infection. It can also bring about gradual changes in the
wider social environment, making safer sex more acceptable. But what is the
best way to introduce AIDS education to schools with scarce resources and a
packed curriculum?

UNESCO: HIGH-LEVEL GROUP ON EDUCATION FOR ALL DEMANDS REDOUBLING OF EFFORTS
http://www.unesco.org/education/efa/bulletin/en/communique.shtml
The first EFA (Education For All) High Level Group Meeting took place in
Paris on 30th October. The meeting ended by adopting a Communiqué that
requested all EFA partners to redouble efforts to meet EFA goals through
greater co-ordination of efforts, partnerships with civil society and
increased and more efficient funding of basic education.

ZIMBABWE: CHILDREN AFFECTED BY POLITICAL VIOLENCE
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=20545
The impact on children of Zimbabwe's mounting political violence was
condemned on Monday by a coalition of child rights NGOs.

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7.WOMEN AND GENDER

WORLD BANK: CURRENT DIRECTION REGARDING GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT
The Bank's new gender mainstreaming strategy, "Integrating Gender into the
World Bank's Work: A Strategy for Action," emphasizes the need to determine
priority actions on a country by country basis, with the country taking
leadership.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5758

CALL FOR PAPERS: GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT
Gender and Development, the international journal for development
practitioners, policy-makers, researchers and feminist activists is planning
the July 2002 issue which will focus on Climate Change.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5778

HOW CAN NGOS IMPROVE THEIR WORK IN GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT?
Interview with Irma van Dueren of NOVIB (the Dutch Oxfam). Novib recently
completed an evaluation of its Gender Route Project. This project worked
with several of NOVIB's NGO partners to help them improve their work in
promoting gender equality.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5761

KAMPALA DECLARATION ON GENDER AND HIV & AIDS
Among the gender dimensions of HIV/AIDS identified, inadequacy of gender
sensitive and responsive HIV & AIDS policies and programmes was highlighted.
In response, one of the main recommendations was that HIV & AIDS policies
and programmes must integrate gender.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5768
Contact: [log in to unmask]

KENYA: CALLING FOR NOMINATIONS OF WOMEN'S HUMAN RIGHTS AWARDS 2002
The Coalition On Violence Against Women
Nominees should be women, currently active and have over the years
demonstrated a passionate interest, campaigned for and stood firm for the
defence of women's and girl's human rights in Kenya. The award is intended
for women whose contribution may not obviously have been recognized at the
national level. According to a statement from COVAW (K) "the nominating
organization or individual must have direct experience of the nominees
work."
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5747
Contact: [log in to unmask]

RESEARCH AWARD: SOUTH AFRICAN GENDER BASED VIOLENCE AND HEALTH INITIATIVE
One or more research awards will be made by the SOUTH AFRICAN GENDER BASED
VIOLENCE AND HEALTH INITIATIATIVE(SAGBVHI) at the First Gender Based
Violence and Health Conference, South Africa, 17-19 April 2002. The award is
intended to encourage research in specific areas of gender based violence
and health. Applicants are invited from researchers based in South Africa.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5752
Contact: [log in to unmask]

SEEKING NOMINATIONS: PRIZE FOR WOMEN'S CREATIVITY IN RURAL LIFE
http://www.woman.ch
The Prize($500 per laureate) honours creative and courageous women and
women's groups around the world for their contributions to improving the
quality of life in rural communities.

UNITED NATIONS COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN: NGO EVENTS
New York, March 4-15, 2002
The NGO Committee on the Status of Women, New York, extends an invitation to
the following events during the 46th Session of the United Nations
Commission on the Status of Women (March 4-15, 2002). There is a
registration deadline of 22nd February 2002, and advance registration is
necessary for all.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5776
Contact: [log in to unmask]

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8.REFUGEES AND FORCED MIGRATION

ANGOLA: MORE THAN 5,000 IDPS ARRIVE IN LUENA
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=20683
Fleeing fighting in the Angolan countryside, more than 5,000 internally
displaced persons (IDPs) arrived in the eastern city of Luena in January,
the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in
its latest situation report.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC-DRC: WFP EXTENDS EMERGENCY OPERATION FOR DRC
REFUGEES
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=20526
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) announced on Friday that its emergency
operation for refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in
the Central African Republic has been extended to 15 April 2002.

DENMARK: OUTCRY AT PLANS TO ROLL BACK REFUGEE RIGHTS
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=655&u=/oneworld/20020207/wl_
oneworld/1032_1013105715
Drastic changes to rules for asylum seekers, making it much more difficult
for people fleeing persecution to seek refuge in Denmark, are causing alarm
among members of the international human rights community. A series of
reforms proposed by Denmark's new Liberal-Conservative coalition government
as a means of reducing the number of foreigners, will severely curtail the
rights of asylum seekers in the country, say refugee groups.

LIBERIA: THOUSANDS FLEE FIGHTING, REACH SIERRA LEONE BORDER TOWN
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=20685
At least 5,000 Sierra Leoneans and Liberians arrived at the border town of
Jendema, after fleeing fighting between Liberian government troops and
dissidents, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, reported on Monday.

SOUTH AFRICA: CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS TO WORK ON THEIR READINESS FOR ZIM
SITUATION
Progressive civil society organisations in South Africa, including the SA
NGO Coalition (Sangoco), Amnesty International and the Centre for Study of
Violence and Reconciliation, this week resolved, among others, to marshal
resources within SA society to deal with the impending humanitarian and
refugee crisis in Zimbabwe.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5805

UGANDA: KIKAGATI RESETTLEMENT PLANS DELAYED
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=20402
The planned resettlement of a group of Ugandan returnees from Tanzania,
currently camped in Kikagati, Mbarara District, in the southwest, has been
delayed following resistance from local residents in the proposed
resettlement area.

UN REFUGEE CHIEF WARNS OF PERSECUTION
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/south_asia/newsid_1807000/1807933.stm
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Ruud Lubbers, has warned
that refugees may face increased discrimination in the era of heightened
international security after the 11 September terror attacks on the United
States.

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9.RACISM AND XENOPHOBIA

PERMANENT FORUM ON INDIGENOUS ISSUES
http://www.igc.org/igc/gateway/arn/020402head7.html
Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues will hold its first session in New York
from 13 - 24 May 2002. The Permanent Forum was established in accordance
with United Nations Economic and Social Council resolution 2000/22 to serve
as an advisory body to the Council, with a mandate to discuss indigenous
issues relating to economic and social development, culture, the
environment, education, health and human rights.

PERSONAL REACTIONS TO THE WCAR
http://www.igc.org/igc/gateway/arn/worldconf/index.html
Before I went to Durban, I had read all the NGO position papers and learned
about globalism's role in racism. I got the feeling that U.S. objections to
the Durban conference had more to do with globalism than to the
Israeli-Palestinian issue. I was aware that U.S. preparation for the
conference was half-hearted. The Clinton and Bush administrations could have
done more. So when I went, I really didn't expect major U.S. support for the
conference.

WCAR OVERVIEW
http://www.igc.org/igc/gateway/arn/worldconf/arch121701.html
Approximately 8,000 civilian human rights and anti-racism activists and
government representatives from 163 countries gathered in Durban, South
Africa, from August 28 through September 8 to try to come up with solutions
to the problems of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related
intolerances worldwide. Whether they succeeded or failed is a matter of
debate.

WHAT IS RACISM?
http://www.africaonline.com/site/Articles/1,10,21502.jsp
The word 'racism' is often used in everyday life, yet the definition of the
term is surrounded by controversy. No one single concise definition of the
term has been reached. People use the term colloquially to mean many
different things while specialists of every field have their own meanings.

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10.ENVIRONMENT

CLIMATE CHANGE THREATENS GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/feb2002/2002L-02-07-06.html
Two new reports by U.S. and international conservation groups detail the
extensive threats to wildlife and biodiversity hotspots posed by global
warming. Saying the studies provide further evidence that quick action is
needed to combat climate change, the groups are calling on U.S. lawmakers to
help cut greenhouse gas emissions by enacting higher fuel efficiency
standards for cars and light trucks.

GLOBAL MOUNTAIN SUMMIT: GLOBAL E-CONSULTATIONS
UNEP is coordinating the production of ten thematic papers for the Global
Mountain Summit (BGMS Bishkek, Kirgystan, Oct. 28- Nov. 1, 2002), which will
form the basis of the Bishkek Mountain Platform, an action plan for future
sustainable mountain development. The themes of these papers are listed
below. Leading international figures in sustainable mountain development
have been commissioned to act as lead authors in order to prepare the first
drafts of these papers. However, it is recognised that only with a much
wider input and gathering of knowledge and best practices from mountain
ranges in all regions of the world can these papers truly contribute to the
future of sustainable mountain development.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5816
Contact: [log in to unmask]

HOPE FOR AFRICA'S LAST MOUNTAIN GORILLAS
http://enn.com/news/wire-stories/2002/02/02082002/reu_46327.asp
There are only a few hundred mountain gorillas left in the wild, making them
one of the rarest large mammals on earth. Their survival stems partly from
the efforts of the famed American researcher Dian Fossey, who brought their
plight to the attention of the world before her murder in 1985.

KENYA: FUNDING CRISIS HITS TANA RIVER CONSERVATION SCHEME
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=20403
A US $7.1 million conservation project in Tana River District, eastern
Kenya, has stalled after the lead financier opposed the displacement of some
600 families planned under the scheme.

KENYA: TOXIC ALGAE FISH DEATHS EXPECTED TO CLEAR NATURALLY
http://enn.com/news/wire-stories/2002/02/02082002/ap_46351.asp
Scientists have confirmed that thousands of fish deaths along the Somali and
Kenyan coasts were caused by two types of naturally occurring toxic algae,
which should dissipate naturally by next week, a Kenyan official said
Thursday.

UNDERSTANDING OF NITROGEN CYCLE CALLED INTO QUESTION
http://enn.com/news/enn-stories/2002/02/02072002/s_46269.asp
In my writing I have discussed the importance of the nitrogen cycle and the
relationship between plant growth and organic and inorganic nitrogen. As it
happens, I may have been mistaken - and so might more than a century of
biological science.

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11.MEDIA

MEDIA MONITORING PROJECT ZIMBABWE
Media Update # 2002/04
The press carried 43 political violence related stories, of which two
appeared in both the private and public press. Three new murders, all MDC
members, were reported during the week, all in the private press. ZANU PF
members were allegedly responsible. Zimpapers carried 20 reports of
political violence, of which 15 were blamed on the MDC. Police arrests and
court cases reported only implicated the MDC. TV recorded 15 incidents of
political violence; four less than those reported the previous week. The MDC
was blamed for five, while ZANU PF was identified as being responsible
twice.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5827

NIGER: GUNS FOR RADIOS
http://www.freeplayfoundation.org/News/NewsItems/NigerRCP.htm
In Niger, a new project encourages people to exchange weapons for
solar-powered radios, trains young people to repair them and supports the
country's expanding community radio network.

NIGERIA: CNN'S OVER-KILL
http://allafrica.com/stories/200202080094.html
An editorial in This Day (Lagos) criticizes CNN for suggesting that recent
ethnic clashes in Lagos and the explosion at a munitions warehouse have led
to a eagerness among the Nigerians to see a resumption of military rule.
Last weekend CNN Bureau chief in Nigeria, Jeff Koinange, reported, "people
are tired of democracy and now want the military back."

PRESSING THE PRESS AT THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM
http://www.mediachannel.org/
A dozen years ago, there was a film called "Slaves of New York." That's what
some of the journalists covering the World Economic Forum felt like, crammed
in cramped, overcrowded newsrooms and also barred from actually attending
the event they were there to report on. Many in the working press were only
allowed to follow the proceedings on TV screens in a press center set up in
an adjoining hotel. The Earth Times, which denounced the practice and
petitioned to be allowed access, says it was banned for its complaints. It
countered with a headline screaming "Media Apartheid!" and is now suing the
WEF for defamation and libel in connection with these goings-on.

RSF DENOUNCES PRESS FREEDOM VIOLATIONS BY NEPAD MEMBER STATES
In anticipation of the meeting of the New Partnership for Africa's
Development (NEPAD) at the Elysée Palace on February 8, 2002, Reporters Sans
Frontières (Reporters Without Borders - RSF) has addressed a letter to the
five heads of State in charge of the steering committee: Mr Abdelaziz
Bouteflika (Algeria), Mr Hosni Moubarak (Egypt), Mr Olusegun Obasanjo
(Nigeria), Mr Abdulaye Wade (Senegal) and Mr Thabo Mbeki (South Africa). RSF
wishes to draw their attention to repeated violations of freedom of the
press by several NEPAD Member States.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5802

SENEGAL: PRIME MINISTER TAKES LEGAL ACTION AGAINST TWO JOURNALISTS FOR
'INSULTS'
Prime Minister Boye has taken legal action against Guèye, "Le Tract"
newspaper's publication director, for "insults to a member of the
government" and "distribution of false news through the use of false or
fabricated documents". Touré, Guèye's computer graphics technician, is being
taken to court for "complicity". On 31 January 2002, the two journalists
appeared before the examining judge in a Dakar court. Guèye's next hearing
is scheduled for 11 February.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5748

SUDAN: KHARTOUM MONITOR HEAVILY FINED
On 16 January 2002, a Sudanese court ordered the editor of the English
language newspaper "Khartoum Monitor" to pay a five million Sudanese pound
(approx. U$1,950) fine over an article published in the paper that accused
the government of facilitating slavery.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5755

ZIMBABWE'S DAILY NEWS OFFICE BOMBED (AGAIN)
http://www.zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=3618
The offices of Zimbabwe's only independent daily and those of a company that
printed opposition election campaign material were petrol bombed early on
Monday in the country's second largest city. The incident occurred amid an
increasingly tense run-up to presidential polls on March 9-10.

ZIMBABWE: AUSTRALIAN JOURNALIST DENIED ACCREDITATION
Despite assurances by the Zimbabwean government that foreign journalists
will be allowed in the country, Australian journalist Sally Sara has been
denied accreditation.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5750

ZIMBABWE: MUGABE BACKLASH FEAR OVER MISLEADING REPORT
http://www.zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=3617
Fears were raised yesterday that Zimbabwe's regime could seek to step up its
curbs on the media after it emerged that the Independent's Harare
correspondent wrote a misleading story about his treatment by the police.
The Media Institute of Southern Africa, a journalists' lobby group, accused
Basildon Peta, 30, of "giving grounds" for "further repression" after he
filed a detailed account of being held overnight in police cells last week.

ZIMBABWE: RADIO STATION REACHES LISTENERS BY TAPE
http://allafrica.com/stories/200202070473.html
A street-smart Zimbabwean radio station has found a way around President
Robert Mugabe's crushing broadcasting regulations and is distributing its
show by cassette. Radio Dialogue decided to distribute thousands of
cassettes of their programme called 'Taxi Tunes' around Bulawayo after the
government refused to grant it a license last month.

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12.DEVELOPMENT

AFRICAN SUCCESS THROUGH AFRICAN OWNERSHIP
Tony Colman MP
http://allafrica.com/stories/200202120763.html
At the time I was living in Africa, in the late sixties, the atmosphere was
one of post independence optimism. Over the last thirty-five years this
optimism has gradually been replaced by disillusionment and disappointment,
regret and recriminations. The most significant lesson we must learn from
the past few decades of African experience is straightforward but
fundamental: development will not come to Africa through policies dreamt up
in western think tanks and universities, it must come from within, it must
be designed and supported by African people themselves. Development for the
people, by the people. It is for this reason that the creation of the
African Union and the New Economic Partnership for African Development
(NEPAD) causes my optimism of the sixties to be reborn.

BLAIR CHALLENGES DEVELOPED NATIONS TO OPEN THEIR MARKETS TO WORLD'S POOREST
COUNTRIES
http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=20310
Tony Blair challenged the G8 group of industrial nations yesterday to give
the world's poorest countries full access to their markets as he warned that
developed states would not be safe from terrorism while Africa was ravaged
by poverty and war.

ETHIOPIA: PLEDGE TO DEVELOP NILE POTENTIAL WITH EGYPT
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=20492
Ethiopia and Egypt have pledged to fully develop the potential of the Nile
River to bolster greater relations between the two countries, Ethiopian
government sources told IRIN on Friday.

G-8 CHIEFS PLAN BACKING FOR NEPAD AT SA MEETING
http://allafrica.com/stories/200202120221.html
Representatives of the Group of Eight industrial countries and selected
African countries will meet in Cape Town on Thursday as part of a continuing
effort to come up with a detailed plan of action for the New Partnership for
Africa's Development (Nepad).

GLOBALIZING HOPE: ANOTHER WORLD IS STILL POSSIBLE
Dispatch From The World Social Forum
The only way to really describe the World Social Forum (WSF), that just
ended here in Brazil, is a global political "carnaval." Not that there was
much of the glitter and hedonism associated with that most famous Brazilian
street party which begins later this week. Rather, inside the conference
halls and out, this astounding event--part political convention, part art
and music festival, part intellectual gathering of social movements, was in
a state of nearly perpetual celebratory protest for five days and five
nights.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5800

MALAWI: ICFTU REPORT CONDEMNS DEPLORABLE CONDITIONS FOR WORKERS
A new report released by the ICFTU has condemned the deplorable situation
faced by working people in Malawi and challenged the government to meet its
obligations to protect its citizens. Despite having ratified all of the
eight ILO conventions on core labour standards, the situation for the
hundreds of thousands of child labourers, women and for the majority of
workers in general, remains as miserable as ever.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5763

MAURITANIA: FIGHTING WITH MISERY AND NEGLECT
Declared an LDC because of pervasive poverty, Mauritania is in the process
of modernising its economy. However, social progress can't seem to keep up:
purchase power continues to slide; wages and working conditions have
stagnated at 1980s levels and the countryside and shantytowns are
poverty-stricken. In very precarious conditions themselves, trade unions
struggle to pull their country out of misery and neglect. Natacha David
spoke recently to Abdallahi Ould Mohammed (Natah), General Secretary of the
General Confederation of Mauritanian Workers (GTM) for the ICFTU spotlight
interview.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5746

NIGERIA: 80 MILLION CITIZENS ARE POOR - WORLD BANK DIRECTOR
http://allafrica.com/stories/200202120125.html
No fewer than 80 million Nigerians have been declared poor with low standard
of living. Dr. Mark Tomlinson, the World Bank Country Director for Nigeria
made the disclosure at a national workshop on the Interim Poverty Reduction
Strategy in Abuja. He said this proportion of poverty in the country had
snowballed over the last two decades when the country received over $300
million from the sale of oil and gas.

UN CHIEF ADDS FINAL NOTE TO UPBEAT WORLD SOCIAL FORUM
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan brought the second World Social
Forum (WSF) to a close Tuesday, following six days of heated debate among
50,000 activists and rights groups gathered to hammer out proposals for
economic policies that help close widening gaps between the world's rich and
poor nations.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5799

WORLD SOCIAL FORUM RETROSPECTIVE
http://www.fpif.org/commentary/2002/0202portoalegre3.html
The second annual World Social Forum (WSF) is now over, and the intention is
to make it an annual event. But the questions being discussed among
participants as they exchange hugs and business cards and board planes to
various parts of the globe is, what shape should this gathering take in the
future?

WTO CHIEF SAYS TRADE ROUND OFFERS HOPE FOR AFRICA
http://allafrica.com/stories/200202120573.html
WORLD Trade Organisation (WTO) director-general Mike Moore has said that the
new global trade round which was launched at Doha in November, would address
the "obscenity" that while trade can offer hope to Africa's poorest nations,
some richer countries have closed their markets to African exporters.

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Next WASAN meeting is Wednesday, February 27, 2002. Location: Kimball Elementary School, 3200 23rd Ave S. Seattle.  (access to the school's parking lot is from S. Hinds St. between 23rd and 24th.)
7:00 PM WASAN business meeting
7:30-9:00 PM Program: "The Rising of Eritrean Women: Self-sufficiency and Empowerment Back Home and in the Diaspora" by Nancy Farwell and Lette Hadgu

We usually meet the fourth Wednesday of the month. For a calendar of local Africa events see http://www.ibike.org/africamatters/calendar.htm .  To post a message: [log in to unmask]  To subscribe send a message to [log in to unmask]  To unsubscribe send a message to [log in to unmask] . All past postings are archived at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wa-afr-network

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