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Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2002 13:19:35 -0800
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Subject: [WASAN] FW: PAMBAZUKA NEWS 50 PART I - GOMA,
CONGO: CITY AIR MAKES MEN FREE?
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Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2002 17:59:27 -0600 (CST)
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Subject: PAMBAZUKA NEWS 50 PART I - GOMA, CONGO: CITY AIR MAKES MEN FREE?
PAMBAZUKA NEWS 50 * 8482 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,
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Resources, 18. Jobs, 19. Books and Arts, 20. Letters and Comments
Look for Part II in your mailbox tomorrow!
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address (usually starting with http://) in the body of your message.
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1.EDITORIAL
GOMA, CONGO: CITY AIR MAKES MEN FREE?
Ben Wisner
A series of question come to mind in the face of the damage to a large town
in a volcanic eruption.
Principle question is suggested by the irony of Goethe's aphorism.
Does "city air make men free" in the case of Goma? Why is Goma where it is?
What was its function in the days of Belgian colonialism? Under Mobutu? In
1994? Now? Is it a life boat for people in a sea of economic and security
threats, or is it a death trap?
Another question concerns "disaster diplomacy" in the broad sense. This is
a very unstable region where there are several armed groups dating from the
terrible events in Rwanda in 1994 and also the civil war within Mobutu's
Zaire and, after his downfall, within the new Democratic Republic of Congo.
The latter war became internationalized as a number of African countries
became involved on one side or the other. There is presently a cease fire
supervised by the United Nations. Will armed groups take advantage of this
situation to do more than loot, possibly beginning hostilities again? Will
people displaced by the volcano be in danger from armed gangs?
To what extent has this long history of war and instability undermined the
capacity of local government, at municipal level, such as in the sizeable
town (small city) of Goma (pop. 500,000)? Would more municipal capacity
have provided clearer, more timely, and credible warnings and instructions?
A third cluster of questions surround this issue of risk communication. Why
have the population movements sea-sawed back and forth between Rwanda and
Congo? Why don't displaced persons want to stay in the camps that have been
established for them farther from the volcano, deeper in Rwanda (an
additional 20 km)? What efforts at risk communication have been undertaken?
RECOVERY
What was the status quo ante? Is that to be the goal of recovery? What was
municipal capacity before? What was scientific capacity? If one agrees with
Oxfam UK director, Barbara Stocking, that the prior situation was, in
itself, a human development disaster, then what should the goal of recovery
be?
In the future there will be an on-going volcano treat. (With the next heavy
rain will there be mass movements of cement-like ash called lahar?) Are
there more and less exposed sites in greater Goma? Have they been mapped?
Will people be resettled there? How?
Many cities "live with volcanoes". There are dozens of examples in the
Caribbean, Central America, the Andes, Philippines, Indonesia, and Japan.
Seattle sits within view of Mt. Rainer, and Quito just below Pinchicha.
Think of Hilo, Hawaii; San Salvador, El Salvador; Puebla, Mexico; or
Kagoshima, Japan. What can they teach Goma? What are the preconditions for
Goma's being able to institutionalize such lessons?
In this context an interesting comparison presents itself. As one looks
back a few years hence at the recovery process on the Caribbean island of
Montserrat, where the principle city was destroyed, and the recovery of
Goma, how will the two compare?
On a more philosophical note, a few questions about urbanism and
urbanization suggest themselves. Throughout history cities have served
regions of towns, villages, homesteads. They have had links with other
cities of the same size and larger ones. They have been part of networks.
Cities have economic, administrative, military, and social functions.
Presumably Goma has been such a city? Has it slowly ceased to be a city in
any of those senses since 1994? If so, can it be such a city again?
Does one perhaps need a new name for a new kind of city: isolated by
disintegration of the national state administrative and economic network?
Maintained by the economic activity of foreign relief agencies, militias,
and peace keepers? At risk to a wide variety of natural and technological
hazards because of the deterioration of managerial capacity, economic
viability, and deterioration of infrastructure?
Sarajevo? Kandahar? Mogadishu? Now: Goma?
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5402
Contact: [log in to unmask]
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2.CONFLICT, EMERGENCIES, AND CRISES
ANGOLA: UN SANCTIONS MONITORS IN LUANDA
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?
ReportID=19223&SelectRegion=Southern_Africa&SelectCountry=ANGOLA
Members of the UN Monitoring Mechanism on Sanctions against UNITA are in
Luanda to hold discussions with diplomats, civil society and President Jose
Eduardo dos Santos' government.
CONCERN DISPATCHES EMERGENCY AID TO DR CONGO
http://www.concern.ie/news/congo_press.htm
Concern has responded by allocating an initial €100,000 to aid those
affected by the eruption of the Nyiragongo Volcano near Goma, Democratic
Republic of Congo.
DRC FACES A HUMANITARIAN CRISIS
http://dw-world.de/english/0,3367,4789_W_412498,00.html
Aid agencies in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been struggling to
help thousands of desperate people in the aftermath of a volcanic eruption.
Many refugees refused to go into camps to be fed and insisted on returning
to their homes in Goma to inspect damage, relief officials said on Sunday.
DRC: AGREEMENT IN BRUSSELS AMONG NON-BELLIGERENTS
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?
ReportID=19440&SelectRegion=Great_Lakes&SelectCountry=DRC
Representatives of the political opposition and civil society of the
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) - meeting in Brussels this week to
discuss the future of their country - signed a 14-page document on Thursday
aimed at paving the way towards the inter-Congolese dialogue.
DRC: AID SHIFTS TO GOMA AS VOLCANO JUDGED SPENT
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20020121/wl/congo_democratic_volcano_dc.html
Aid agencies were poised to start substantial emergency supplies to the
stricken Congolese town of Goma on Tuesday after a leading expert said
Africa's deadliest volcanic eruption in 25 years appeared over.
DRC: AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT WILL FUND EMERGENCY RELIEF IN CONGO
http://www.ausaid.gov.au/media/release.cfm?
BC=Media&Id=8341_3495_5823_8443_8881
The Australian government will provide $500,000 in emergency aid following
the devastation caused by the eruption of Volcano Nyiragongo last Thursday
in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
MR STRAW, I PRESUME
http://www.observer.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,636278,00.html
This week the UK Foreign Secretary begins a three-day trip to the Great
Lakes region of Central Africa. Next month Tony Blair will follow with a
trip expected to take in Ghana, Senegal, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. In his
conference speech last October, Blair said that Africa is a 'scar on the
conscience of the world'. Whether he has anything more than a sticking
plaster to offer as a cure will soon become clear.
OXFAM RESPOND TO THE CONGO DISASTER
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/whatnew/press/drcmoral.html
Oxfam has commited funds to assist victims of Congo volcanic eruption and
has appealed to international community to honour their moral obligation to
help Congo. It says the international community has failed to help Congo
escape years of war and now they have a chance to get it right following
Thursday's horrific volcanic eruption in Goma.
ROADMAP TO UNILATERALIST NUCLEAR POLICY
http://www.fpif.org/commentary/2002/0201nuke.html
The congressionally mandated Nuclear Posture Review (NPR, not to be
confused, even for a second with "National Public Radio"), released last
week, was an opportunity for President Bush and his team to provide a
framework for formulating a U.S. nuclear strategy for the post-cold war
world--something the Clinton administration failed to do with its own
nuclear review in 1994. However, much like the Defense Department's
Quadrennial Defense Review, which was described by Senator Carl Levin
as "full of decisions deferred," ambiguity prevails.
SIERRA LEONE: 3,000 WEAPONS BURNED TO SYMBOLISE END OF CONFLICT
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?
ReportID=19447&SelectRegion=West_Africa&SelectCountry=SIERRA_LEONE
A symbolic weapons burning ceremony took place at Lungi, north of the
capital Freetown, on Friday to mark the end of a decade of civil conflict
in Sierra Leone. During the event 3,000 weapons and hundreds of rounds of
ammunition were destroyed, Francis Kai-Kai, Executive Secretary of the
National Committee for Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration, told
IRIN on Friday.
SOMALIA AS A US MILITARY TARGET
http://www.fpif.org/commentary/2002/0201somalia.html
The east African nation of Somalia is being mentioned with increasing
frequency as a possible next target in the U.S.-led war against
international terrorism. Somalia is a failed state--with what passes for
the central government controlling little more than a section of the
national capital of Mogadishu, a separatist government in the north, and
rival warlords and clan leaders controlling most the remainder of the
country. Before the U.S. attacks that impoverished country, however, it is
important to recognize how Somalia became a possible haven for the
followers of Osama bin Laden and what might result if America goes to war.
SOMALIA: OPPOSITION GROUP URGES INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO HELP
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?
ReportID=19425&SelectRegion=Horn_of_Africa&SelectCountry=SOMALIA
The Somali opposition grouping, Somali Reconciliation and Restoration
Council (SRRC), on Friday urged the international community to step in and
resolve once and for all the civil conflict that has blighted the war-
ravaged country since 1991.
SUDAN: CAUTIOUS WELCOME FOR NUBA CEASE-FIRE ACCORD
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?
ReportID=19662&SelectRegion=East_Africa&SelectCountry=SUDAN
The government of Sudan and the rebel Sudanese People's Liberation
Movement/Army from the Nuba Mountains (SPLM/A-Nuba) on Saturday signed a
renewable six-month cease-fire agreement for the area in Southern Kordofan,
south-central Sudan.
UGANDA: "DUKA-DUKA!": MEMORIES OF THE CIVIL WAR
http://www.uct.ac.za/org/agi/newslet/vol9/duka.htm
Reading the title of this article and knowing the history of Uganda, one
may ask: “which war?” There have been several civil wars in my country
since independence; in fact, currently (un)civil war rages in the northern
and southwestern regions of Uganda. The civil strife that I refer to here
is that which Ugandans witnessed between 1981 and 1986. The war itself was
concentrated in the so-called “Luwero Triangle” - a large swathe of land
lying just 50 miles northwest of the capital city, Kampala. Nevertheless,
generalized violence and bloodshed rippled throughout the length and
breadth of the country and touched each one of us. Moreover, the civil war
took place against a historical backdrop of vicious military and civilian
dictatorships in Uganda's post-independent politics. The words “duka-duka”
were reminiscent of the times - running for cover and fleeing civil strife.
ZIMBABAWE: HUNT FOR MUGABE'S ASSETS
http://www.mg.co.za/mg/za/archive/2002jan/features/21jan-zim1.html
Commonwealth, European Union and United States officials have begun
investigating the overseas assets of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, his
family and his close associates in readiness for possible sanctions against
the country.
ZIMBABWE CRACKS DOWN ON 'ILLEGAL' JOURNALISTS
http://www.mg.co.za/mg/za/news.html#zim
Zimbabwean authorities are searching for several foreign journalists who
entered the country as tourists in defiance of a ban on most visiting
correspondents, a senior government official said on Thursday.
ZIMBABWE: CRACKS APPEAR IN MUGABE CABINET
http://www.mg.co.za/mg/za/news.html#crax
The Zimbabwe government has failed, for the second time in a week, to
introduce in parliament a controversial bill that would clamp down on press
freedom.
ZIMBABWE: DEVELOPMENT AGENCIES'S FOOD SECURITY FUNDING COMES THROUGH
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?
ReportID=19842&SelectRegion=Southern_Africa&SelectCountry=ZIMBABWE
Christian AID,Save the Children and UN World Food Programmes's funding for
food security in Zimbabwe's poorest regions has had a positive impact on
intended beneficiaries.
ZIMBABWE: MUGABE IS LOSING ARMY'S SUPPORT, SAYS WAR VETERAN
http://www.zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=3451
The Zimbabwean army is disillusioned with Robert Mugabe and will not
support his attempts to cling to power if he loses the forthcoming
presidential election, according to a former guerrilla commander who was
close to Mr Mugabe during the war that brought him to power.
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3.RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY
CAMEROON:HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER TARGETED AND HARASSED
The arrest of a respected human rights lawyer underlines a consistent
pattern of intimidation and harassment of human rights defenders in
Cameroon, Amnesty International have said.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5342
GUINEA-BISSAU: LAWYERS TO FINALLY VISIT COUP DETAINEES
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?
ReportID=19446&SelectRegion=West_Africa&SelectCountry=GUINEA-BISSAU
After spending one and half months in prison, the 29 alleged plotters of a
coup attempt reported in Guinea Bissau last month, will finally be allowed
to meet defence lawyers, the Portuguese news agency Lusa reported on Friday.
MADAGASCAR'S CHILD BONDAGE
http://www.mg.co.za/mg/za/archive/2002jan/features/24jan-madagascar.html
Thousands of Madagascar children find themselves in domestic slavery,
according to this piece published on the Daily Mail & Guardian.
MADAGASCAR: PROTESTS SET TO RESUME AFTER COURT RULING
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?
ReportID=19362&SelectRegion=Southern_Africa&SelectCountry=MADAGASCAR
Presidential candidate Marc Ravalomanana has called on his supporters to
return to the streets in protest following a High Constitutional Court
ruling on Wednesday to recount votes cast in presidential polls on 16
December.
NIGERIA: HUNDREDS FLEE AFTER MOB KILLS SEVEN POLICEMEN
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?
ReportID=19685&SelectRegion=West_Africa&SelectCountry=NIGERIA
Hundreds of people fled a rural town in Nigeria’s northern Katsina State
fearing reprisal attacks after a mob killed seven policemen, residents said
on Monday.
NIGERIA: ICFTU DEMANDS SWIFT RELEASE OF NLC LEADER
The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) reacted today
with outrage at the arbitrary arrest of the President of the Nigeria Labour
Congress (NLC), Adams Oshiomhole. In a letter to ILO Director General, Juan
Somavia, the Brussels-based labour group strongly condemned the arrest of
the labour leader, incarcerated while leading a nation-wide protest over a
hike in petrol prices.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5306
NIGERIA: LAWYERS TEAM UP AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY
A consortium of Nigerian lawyers opposed to the death penalty, are
representing Safiya Husseini Tungar Tudu, the 30-year-old woman sentenced
to death by stoning for adultery, in the northern state of Sokoto.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5331
RWANDA: TRIBUNAL RELEASES FIRST CD-ROM
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?
ReportID=19420&SelectRegion=Great_Lakes&SelectCountry=RWANDA
The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda has released a CD-ROM
containing the decisions and papers from the court's first five years of
operation, the first such conference tool the UN has produced in
international criminal justice, the world body reported on Thursday.
SADC SUMMIT COMMUNIQUE
http://www.zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=3420
Final Communique of the SADC Extra-Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and
Government, January 2002, Blantyre, Malawi.
SIERRA LEONE:AN INDEPENDENT PROSECUTION POLICY MUST BE ASSURED
If the Special Court for Sierra Leone is to tackle impunity effectively and
fairly and contribute to the peace and reconciliation process, the
independence of the prosecutor must be assured and monitored, adequate and
sustained funding must be guaranteed, and a clear relationship between the
Special Court and Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) established,"
Amnesty International has said.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5377
SWAZILAND: JAILED PRESIDENT OF PUDEMO ON TRIAL THIS WEEK
Swaziland Solidarity Network
The political landscape in Swaziland is daily changing due to the
intensified brutality and terror of a desperate regime. This desperacy is
met with the untiring resolve of the struggling masses of our country to
meet fire with fire. This last week saw a huge turn out at a National
Prayer service for the jailed President of PUDEMO – Cde Mario Masuku, just
a few days before the beginning of the 10-days marathon trial in the
capital city of Swaziland, Mbabane, which begins on the 24th January, 2002.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5278
Contact: [log in to unmask]
UNIQUE COURT TO TRY KILLERS OF SIERRA LEONE
http://www.mg.co.za/mg/za/archive/2002jan/features/18jan-sierra.html
The United Nations and Sierra Leone's government on Wednesday agreed to
establish a unique war crimes tribunal to try those most responsible for
atrocities in a civil war noted for its horrific treatment of civilians,
particularly children.
US: ANTI-TERROR CAMPAIGN CLOAKING HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSE
The anti-terror campaign led by the United States is inspiring
opportunistic attacks on civil liberties around the world, Human Rights
Watch warned in its new annual global survey.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5318
US: TOUGHER THAN TERROR
http://www.prospect.org/print/V13/2/slaughter-a.html
A protracted US war against terror must combine military force with the
resources of the criminal-justice system. And this exercise must be
multilateral in two complementary senses: Military campaigns and their
aftermath require the assembly of coalitions, the cooperation of allies,
and the use of international peacekeeping forces and relief efforts under
the aegis of international agencies. Furthermore, a war against terror
necessarily requires the cooperation of many nations in hunting down and
bringing to justice individual suspects. Simply to try all suspected
terrorists before U.S. military tribunals intended for emergency
battlefield conditions would put America at odds not only with its own
domestic constitutional safeguards but with international conventions on
the treatment of prisoners of war.
ZIMBABWE FACES 'SMART SANCTIONS'
EU Loses Patience Over Human Rights
Zimbabwe faces the near certainty of EU sanctions yesterday after failing
to give assurances on press freedom, or to say how international observers
will be able to monitor the presidential elections.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5390
ZIMBABWE: ANNAN CONCERNED, BUT WELCOMES SADC ACTION
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?
ReportID=19213&SelectRegion=Southern_Africa&SelectCountry=ZIMBABWE
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has welcomed Zimbabwean President Robert
Mugabe's assurances of a free and fair election in March, but says he
is "acutely" concerned by the promulgation of a battery of restrictive laws
in the troubled southern African country.
ZIMBABWE: BASELESS ALLEGATIONS AGAINST CIVIL SOCIETY ARE AN OPEN INVITATION
TO ATTACK THEM
Baseless allegations against a human rights organization printed in
Zimbabwe's state controlled daily newspaper signal the newest phase in the
government's campaign to undermine civil society, according to Amnesty
International.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5378
ZIMBABWE: PRO-MUGABE MILITANTS BLOCK OPPOSITION RALLY
http://www.zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=3446
At least 18 people were injured in Zimbabwe on Sunday when pro government
militants blocked the opposition from holding a rally, the party's
secretary general said.
ZIMBABWE: SIGNS OF PROGRESS - ZIMRIGHTS
There are signs that the Zimbabwean government is trying to honour
commitments it made to its neighbours at the recent Southern African
Development Community (SADC)summit in Malawi, a leading human rights
activist told IRIN on Tuesday.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5393
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4.CORRUPTION
BENIN: NINE MAGISTRATES REPORTEDLY ARRESTED FOR EMBEZZLEMENT
http://globalarchive.ft.com/globalarchive/article.html?
id=020121005408&query=corruption
In Benin, the determination of President Kerekou's government to fight
corruption is bearing fruit. In this connection, nine magistrates have just
been arrested. They are accused of stealing more than 1bn CFA francs.
KENYA'S LIST OF CORRUPTION UNVEILED
http://www.nationaudio.com/News/DailyNation/19012002/News/News61.html
Three government departments have been ranked as the most corrupt in Kenya
in a dramatic new national survey. Kenya Police top the bribery league
followed by the Ministry of Public Works and the Immigration Department.
KENYA: POLICE CONTEST REPORT OF SERIOUS CORRUPTION
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?
ReportID=19689&SelectRegion=East_Africa&SelectCountry=KENYA
The Kenyan police and the ruling party have both rejected a new report
stating that the police force is the most heavily bribed institution in
Kenya, saying that it was an effort to discredit the government and its
efforts to fight corruption.
KENYA: TRAFFIC POLICE TARGETED IN LATEST WAR ON CORRUPTION
http://www.nationaudio.com/News/DailyNation/Today/News/News7.html
The police are the first targets of an "aggressive war" on public
corruption that has been launched in Kenya. Mr Swaleh Slim's anti-
corruption police unit chose the graft-prone traffic police department as
its first stop. Graft fighting experts will assess the magnitude of the
problem in the police department before they move to other government
departments perceived to be dens of corruption.
SOUTH AFRICA: CRIME, CORRUPTION TOP LIST OF OBSTACLES
http://www.bday.co.za/bday/content/direct/1,3523,1005931-6099-0,00.html
SA OPINION makers have identified crime and corruption as the two biggest
obstacles to doing business in the country.
SOUTH AFRICA: THE ARMS DEAL AND HIV/AIDS
http://www.uct.ac.za/org/agi/newslet/vol9/arms.htm
The Strategic Defence Procurement Package, better known as the arms deal,
has angered the South African public. Common sense indicates that in the
middle of a health crisis such as HIV/Aids which requires massive public
investment, spending large amounts of money on military hardware is gravely
inappropriate. Media attention on the arms deal has been primarily focused
on Cabinet's lack of accountability to parliament, and the corruption in
the procurement process. These are crucial issues that deserve close media
scrutiny. Furthermore, without the incentives for graft that exist in the
arms industry, it seems unlikely that the deal would have taken place, so
an analysis of the arms deal that does not consider corruption would be
incomplete. However, it is arguably the misplaced priority given to arms
spending that is at the core of public dissatisfaction with the deal. If no
evidence of corruption had arisen, and Cabinet had received unequivocal
approval from parliament for the deal, it is likely that civil society
organisations would still have reacted with indignation.
ZIMBABWE: HELP NEEDED TO TRACE MUGABE FUNDS, SAYS PWC
http://globalarchive.ft.com/globalarchive/article.html?
id=020118001219&query=mugabe
International auditingfirms operating in southern Africa said an
investigation into the assets of Robert Mugabe, president of Zimbabwe, and
those of his associates would be strengthened by the co-operation of
international donor agencies.
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5.HEALTH
ETHIOPIA: CHURCH LEADER WARNS AGAINST SPREAD OF AIDS
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?
ReportID=19811&SelectRegion=Horn_of_Africa&SelectCountry=ETHIOPIA
The head of the Ethiopian Orthodox church has warned about the spread of
AIDS in a sermon marking the country's holiest day. Patriarch Abune Paulos,
in an address to celebrate Ethiopian Epiphany, urged the community to
provide support and show compassion to victims of the virus.
INASP HEALTH LINKS
http://www.inasp.info/links/health/
'INASP Health Links' is a new Gateway to selected Web sites of special
interest to health professionals, medical library communities, publishers,
and NGOs in developing and transitional countries. Please have a look and
let us know what you think of the site and, especially, how we might
improve it.
MOZAMBIQUE: CHOLERA EPIDEMIC KILLS 139
http://enn.com/news/wire-stories/2002/01/01182002/ap_46173.asp
A cholera epidemic in 8 of Mozambique's 11 provinces has infected 11,527
people and killed 139 in only a few months, health officials said. The
epidemic began in August in the central Zambezia province, where more than
half the deaths have been recorded, Avertino Barreto, the deputy national
director of health, told state radio.
SA: MORE THINKING NEEDED TO TACKLE CHOLERA
http://www.mg.co.za/mg/za/archive/2002jan/features/22jan-cholera1.html
Lindy Morrison and Richard Holden, both officials of the Mvula Trust, a
water and sanitation NGO working in rural and peri-urban communities,
suggest how to tackle cholera in South Africa.
SA: TACKLING THE CHOLERA CRISIS
http://www.mg.co.za/mg/za/archive/2002jan/features/22jan-cholera.html
About 3 400 people in KwaZulu-Natal have been infected with cholera over
the past six weeks and Sapa reports a further outbreak in the Eastern Cape.
SOME SEXUAL LUBRICANTS MAY INACTIVATE HIV
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_hiv_recent_rep.cfm?
dr_cat=1&show=yes&dr_DateTime=17-Jan-02#9004
Some "safe, inexpensive [and] widely available" sexual lubricants
containing two compounds reduced HIV replication by 99.9% in HIV-infected
sperm, according to a University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston study
published in the November 2001 issue of AIDS Research and Human
Retroviruses, Salon.com reports.
SOUTH AFRICA: MEDICAL ASSOCIATION ENDORSES USE OF POST-EXPOSURE TREATMENT
FOR RAPE SURVIVORS
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_hiv_recent_rep.cfm?
dr_cat=1&show=yes&dr_DateTime=16-Jan-02#8979
The South African Medical Association, which represents 17,000 doctors, two-
thirds of whom work in the public sector, has announced its support for
physicians who prescribe post-exposure prophylaxis antiretroviral treatment
for rape survivors, despite the national government's policy against such
treatment, the South African Press Association reports.
TANZANIA: SCIENTISTS FIND WILD CHIMP WITH SIMIAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_hiv.cfm#9023
AIDS researchers have discovered simian immunodeficiency virus, an HIV-like
virus, for the first time in the wild in a Tanzanian chimpanzee, the AP/New
York Times reports. The findings "bolster" the theory that HIV originated
in chimps, Dr. Beatrice Hahn, a molecular geneticist at the University of
Alabama-Birmingham, said in her report that appears in the journal Science.
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6.EDUCATION AND SOCIAL WELFARE
AFRICA: 'RED CARD' FOR CHILD LABOUR
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/oneworld/20020118/wl/africa_s_child_labor_gets_
the_red_card__1.html
Two child workers from Mali are honoured by the country's President, Alpha
Oumar Konare, as he kicks off a campaign on behalf of the International
Labour Organisation at the start of Africa's biggest football competition.
CHANGING THE GLOBAL FATE OF EDUCATION:
Only Rights Can Halt And Reverse Wrongs
http://www.right-to-education.org/content/index_2.html
Primary school children cannot form a political party, get elected to
parliament and secure budgetary allocations for their education. The
proportion of children in the northern part of the world is small and their
parents can secure funding for education, combining their political voice
with paying tax. In many developing countries, children constitute the
majority of the population but obtain a vote only after becoming adults;
hence they have to rely on their parents and their teachers. Few of their
parents pay tax, many because they earn too little, and their vote seldom
affects budgetary allocations because there often is simply too little to
distribute. Their teachers habitually have to battle to get their rights
recognized and their salaries paid so that they could teach. Children thus
need to have their right to education fully recognized, and this right
necessarily goes beyond national and regional borders.
CHILDREN'S RIGHTS
World Report 2002
http://hrw.org/wr2k2/children.html
Violations of children's rights were all too common in 2001. Children were
beaten and tortured by police, forced to work long hours under hazardous
conditions, or warehoused in detention centers and orphanages. Millions
crossed international borders in search of safety or were displaced within
their own countries. Hundreds of thousands served as soldiers in armed
conflicts.
GABON: INITIAL REPORT TO COMMITTEE ON RIGHTS OF CHILD
http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/537A47397C7C5527C1256B4500
378EC9?opendocument
The Committee on the Rights of the Child has started its examination of an
initial report from Gabon with a Government delegation saying that Gabon's
capacities and performances in health and education have allowed the
implementation of children's rights at an appreciable level.
IS THE RIGHT TO EDUCATION REALISED IN PRACTICE?
Gap Between Promise And Performance
http://www.right-to-education.org/content/index_2.html
The key requirement of the right to education - making primary education
free, compulsory and all-encompassing - has not been translated into
reality. Because there is no global monitoring system, we do not know how
many children in how many countries have no access to primary education,
nor indeed whether the situation is improving or deteriorating. The vast
majority of countries whose children have no access to school are poor,
many are heavily indebted, some are at war or warfare has recently ended.
Thus, this list raises questions about international cooperation much as
about individual governments. To find figures for a particular country, use
the drop down list on the Right to Education website.
KENYA: NOMADIC TRIBE'S CHILDREN LURED INTO CHILD LABOUR
Fishmongers operating at Kenya's lake Turkana, part of the great Rift
Valley lakes, are luring school children to drop out and engage in
childlabour, local officials have confirmed.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5327
NIGERIA: DISABLED PERSONS DECRY SECOND CLASS TREATMENT
http://allafrica.com/stories/200201150227.html
A Social Philanthropic and Advocacy group, Club Two-Twelve, (CTT),
comprising of persons with disabilities, has restated its earlier call on
the federal government to build "special schools" in the states for the
education of disabled persons,stressing that government puts a stop to
their treatment as second class citizens.
SUDAN: GOVERNMENT, UNICEF SIGN AGREEMENT ON CHILD RIGHTS
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)on Thursday, 17 January agreed
to provide US $100 million in funding to help improve the lives of Sudanese
children over the next four years, the Sudanese Ministry of International
Cooperation and UNICEF said in a joint statement.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5392
THE NATURE OF PEACE EDUCATION
http://www.ppu.org.uk/learn/peaceed/pe_which.html
What is peace education? Does it mean creating a separate subject in the
school curriculum? Or does it involve the creation of a dimension across
the curriculum, a concern that may be explored in different ways with any
age group and in any subject?
UN WELCOME ENTRY INTO FORCE OF PROTOCOL ON SALE OF CHILDREN
http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/B9BC655B13AE847AC1256B4500
4C599C?opendocument
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, and the
Chairman of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, Jacob Egbert Doek,
have welcomed the entry into force today of the Optional Protocol to the
Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child
prostitution and child pornography. "Entry into force of the Optional
Protocol is a significant further step in the protection of children
against particularly gross violations of their rights", Mrs. Robinson said.
WEST AND CENTRAL AFRICA: IRIN FOCUS ON REGIONAL EFFORTS AGAINST CHILD
TRAFFICKING
Already burdened by brutal civil wars, internal conflicts, socio-political
unrest, and economic difficulties - all of which have retarded development-
West and Central African countries have woken up to another challenge:
child trafficking and exploitation.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5373
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7.WOMEN AND GENDER
CHADIAN WOMAN WINS HIGHEST AWARD OF HUMAN RIGHTS MOVEMENT
http://www.digitalsmile.com/mea
Jacqueline Moudeina, a lawyer from Chad, was announced today as the winner
of the 2002 Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders. The
announcement comes at the opening of a key meeting, Frontline's Dublin
Platform for Human Rights Defenders, where Ms Moudeina is one of the
participants.
GAMBIA: PUBLIC CONCERNED OVER MOUNTING RAPE CASES
http://allafrica.com/stories/200201180174.html
People say they are appalled by the alarming rate of rape cases and
concerned by what they described as lack of action by the government.
NIGERIA: ALARM RAISED OVER SEXUAL ABUSE OF FEMALE DESTITUTES
http://allafrica.com/stories/200201180130.html
The Itumbauzo Centre for Mentally Ill Persons in Abia State has raised
alarm over flagrant sexual abuse of mentally ill women in the society by
supposedly responsible men.
NIGERIA: INCREASED PRESSURE ON SHARI'A DEATH SENTENCE
http://www.afrol.com/Categories/Women/msindex.htm
Protests from all the world keep streaming into Nigeria for the upholding
of the death sentence by stoning against Safiya Hussaini, 35, a woman which
is accused of adultery by an Islamic court in northern Nigeria. Today, the
European Parliament joined the protests.
SOUTH AFRICA: CONTINUING THE CULTURE OF MILITARISM IN CAPE FLATS TOWNSHIPS
http://www.uct.ac.za/org/agi/newslet/vol9/amand.htm
Mercifully, South Africa has experienced a reasonably peaceful transition
into the democratic “rainbow nation”. Yet the soldier with his gun, and the
ubiquitous R4 rifle remain the constant, if not the only, signifiers of
symbols of power that thread through and remain respected during both
apartheid and the era that has come after it. The omnipresent Casspir with
its male occupants, rifles at the ready, driving through township streets
today, makes one question the extent to which the physical and social
spaces of South African townships have been demilitarized.
SUDAN: WOMAN SENTENCED TO DEATH BY STONING
'Women Living Under Muslim Laws' Calls For Urgent Intervention
http://www.wluml.org/english/alerts/2002/sudan/abok-alfau-akok.htm
On 8th December 2001, Abok Alfa Akok a Christian woman of 18 years of age
from the Dinka tribe, was sentenced by the criminal court in Nyala City,
Southern Darfur, to execution by stoning for the crime of adultery.
THE 8TH INTERNATIONAL INTERDISCIPLINARY CONGRESS ON WOMEN
Gendered Worlds: Gains And Challenges
http://www.makerere.ac.ug/womenstudies/congress2/details.htm
The congress is organized by the Department of Women and Gender Studies at
Makerere University around the main theme "Gendered Worlds: Gains and
Challenges". This theme provides an opportunity for a broad reflection on
the state of women and gender issues taking stock of achievements,
challenges and opportunities. It enables discussions focused on both
differences and similarities and offers positive pointers for future action
for gender equity and equality.
UGANDA: KNOW HOW CONFERENCE
Call For Proposals
http://www.wougnet.org/Documents/IsisWICCE/cfp_khca.html
Kampala, 23-27 July 2002
To build and consolidate powerful relationships between participating
organizations, in order to create new programs to make information on the
position of women, and for women, highly accessible and visible.
UN COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN
4-15 March 2002, New York
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/46sess.htm
The forty-sixth session of this Commission will consider the following two
thematic issues: Eradicating poverty, including through the empowerment of
women throughout their life cycle in a globalizing world; and Environmental
management and mitigation of natural disasters: a gender perspective.
UN COMMITTEE ON ELIMINATION OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN
Opens 26th Session
http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?e30512231&e=6392
At the opening of its twenty-sixth session, the Committee on the
Elimination of Discrimination against Women -– the monitoring body for the
implementation of the Convention against such discrimination -- discussed
recent progress and future action. Adopting its agenda and programme of
work, the Committee agreed that during the current session, which is to
last until 1 February, it will examine reports of eight States parties. The
Committee's 23 experts, who act in their personal capacity, are also
expected to continue their work on a new recommendation to address article
4.1 of the Convention on temporary special measures aimed at accelerating
de facto equality between men and women.
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8.REFUGEES AND FORCED MIGRATION
BURUNDI-TANZANIA: REPATRIATION OF REFUGEES FROM TANZANIA
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?
ReportID=19438&SelectRegion=Great_Lakes&SelectCountry=BURUNDI-TANZANIA
The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has
agreed to help those among the 345,000 Burundi refugees in Tanzania return
home, but said it was not calling for an immediate repatriation because of
continuing insecurity in Burundi.
CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE NOW A DESTINATION FOR ASYLUM SEEKERS
http://www.europaworld.org/issue65/centralandeastern18102.htm
A new report from the United Nations Refugee Agency, UNHCR, paints a
fascinating picture of how asylum seeking has developed and changed over
the last two decades. And it is a measure of the rapid rate of change that
countries from which people were fleeing in the early eighties are now in
their turn actually becoming havens for those seeking asylum.
DRC: VICTIMS OF VOLCANO STREAM BACK HOME
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?
ReportID=19695&SelectRegion=Great_Lakes&SelectCountry=DRC
Thousands of people who fled their homes in the eastern Congolese town of
Goma following a volcanic eruption on Thursday have begun streaming back
home, ignoring continued tremors from Mt. Nyiragongo and warnings by UN
officials.
DRC: VOLCANO CREATES NEW FLOOD OF REFUGEES
http://www.lwr.org/action/news/02/11502.html
The Lutheran World Federation reports from Rwanda that tens of thousands of
people fleeing a volcano near Goma, Congo, have made their way across the
border into Rwanda seeking shelter in churches, schools and public
buildings. Others are believed to have fled into the forests and along the
shores of Lake Kivu. Some have already returned to their city to find lost
loved ones.
SOMALIA: ANXIETY PROMPTING EXODUS TO COUNTRYSIDE
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?
ReportID=19617&SelectRegion=Horn_of_Africa&SelectCountry=SOMALIA
Worry over possible US attacks on Somalia has prompted an exodus from urban
areas to the countryside for safety reasons, a senior official of Somalia's
Transitional National Government (TNG) told IRIN on Monday.
SOUTH AFRICA GETS READY FOR A FLOOD OF ZIM REFUGEES
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?
click_id=13&art_id=ct20020116214110682Z540635&set_id=1
Plans are well advanced for large holding camps near the Zimbabwe border to
accommodate thousands of refugees should the situation in that country
deteriorate in the run-up to and aftermath of the March presidential
elections, according to the department of home affairs.
SUDAN: SPECIAL REPORT ON WAR-RELATED DISPLACEMENT FROM RAGA
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?
ReportID=19778&SelectRegion=East_Africa&SelectCountry=SUDAN
The enduring phenomenon of internal displacement is one of the most evident
and acute effects of the civil war in Sudan, which has been raging since
1983.
SWAZILAND: AIDS DEVASTATES WORKFORCE
http://www.afrol.com/News2002/swa001_aids_labour.htm
A long denial of its AIDS dilemma will transform Africa's smallest country
into a destination for foreign migrant workers, to the dismay of a national
leadership that seeks to keep the character of the traditional kingdom of
Swaziland intact in the 21st century.
UN: GLOBAL CONSULTATIONS
An Agenda For Protection
http://www.unhcr.ch/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/global-consultations
After the international community overwhelmingly reaffirmed its commitment
to the 1951 Refugee Convention, UNHCR's Global Consultations process moves
forward on an Agenda for Protection -- a series of activities which will
serve as a guide to humanitarian organizations and governments in
strengthening refugee protection.
WEST AFRICA: GLOBAL OVERVIEW TRENDS IN LABOUR MIGRATION, STANDARDS AND
POLICIES
http://www.december18.net/paper35Dakar.htm
At the beginning of the 21st Century, the total number of persons living
outside of their countries of origin worldwide was estimated at over 150
million, of which the ILO counts some 100 million as migrant workers and
their families. According to ILO estimates, Africa has among the largest
numbers of migrant workers, 20 million, one-fifth of the global total.
There are some 30 across Europe -East and West--, 18 million in North
America, 12 million in Central and South America, 9 million in the Middle
East, and 7 million in South and East Asia.
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9.RACISM AND XENOPHOBIA
EU RACISM AND XENOPHOBIA REPORT
http://www.eumc.at/publications/ar00/index.htm
The European monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia has published its
third report on developments in racism, xenophobia and Anti-Semitism in the
EU Member States. The Annual Report 2000 was presented to the public in
Brussels on the 18 December 2001. Read also our News Release. You may
download an electronic version of the Report or fill in the order form if
you prefer to receive a printed copy of EUMC publications.
UK: 'ECONOMIC RACISM', LEGALISED
http://www.ncadc.org.uk/letters/news25/economic.html
From January 28th 2002 highly waged people will be given freedom to move to
the UK, under the new, Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP). High
earners with exceptional skills, abilities or experience will be able to
come to the UK to seek work The applicants will be assessed on a 'Money' -
based system of qualifications and experience. To be considered for the
scheme an applicant will need to obtain a minimum of 75 points from the
five following areas: Past earnings - Educational qualifications - Work
experience - Achievement in chosen field - suitably qualified doctors.
HMSP, is just the latest piece in a long history of racist immigration
rules. The vast majority (if not all) of immigration detainees, presently
held in detention centres and prisons in the UK, come from the countries
mentioned above. Very, very few of them would earn the sums quoted. HMSP,
not only discriminates against these people but depletes these countries of
badly needed skilled workers.
UN: ANTI-RACISM CONVENTION ELECT NINE MEMBERS TO MONITORING BODY
http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/FED8E10BC28D6770C1256B4500
3DE46F?opendocument
The nineteenth Meeting of States Parties to the International Convention on
the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination have elected, by
secret ballot, nine members of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial
Discrimination for four-year terms, to replace those whose terms of office
will expire on 19 January. It also elected its chairpersons and four vice-
chairpersons.
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10.ENVIRONMENT
TWO HEFTY ASTEROIDS PASS CLOSE TO EARTH
http://enn.com/news/wire-stories/2002/01/01172002/reu_46170.asp
Two hefty asteroids passed close to Earth last Wednesday. At least five are
more set to swing near by January's end, but none are dinosaur-killers,
scientists who track them said. One of Wednesday's close-approaching
asteroids measured between .6 and 1.8 miles in diameter, a big enough space
rock to cause catastrophe if it collided with Earth. But asteroid 7341 1991
VK got no closer than 7 million miles, nearly 24 times the distance from
the Earth to the Moon.
EU FAILURE TO SECURE FISHERIES AGREEMENT WITH SENEGAL
Environmental groups have welcomed the EU’s failure to secure a fisheries
agreement with Senegal. WWF calls this a ‘positive sign’ that developing
countries are becoming more prudent in weighing short-term economic gains
against protecting their natural resources. WWF argue that while the EU
aims to alleviate poverty in the
developing world its own heavily subsidised fleets have pushed small-scale
local fisher folk to the side and damaged fragile ecosystems.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5298
KENYA WILDLIFE SERVICE GOES BROKE, ELEPHANTS AT RISK
http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2002/2002L-01-17-03.html
Elephant poaching has resumed in Kenya, senior Kenya Wildlife Service
officials admit. At the same time, government officials say that the Kenya
Wildlife Service, responsible for managing the country's wildlife, is in
the red and is relying on government handouts to operate.
SOUTH AFRICA: BATTLE AGAINST ASBESTOS POLLUTION CONTINUES
http://www.sabcnews.com/south_africa/general/0,1009,26825,00.html
The asbestosis case against the British mining company, Cape PLC, may have
been won but the battle against asbestos pollution carries on. There are
huge asbestos mine dumps around the country, with 82 in the Northern Cape
alone.
SOUTH AFRICA: THE WORLD SUMMIT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Civil Society Statement
The World Summit on Sustainable Development provides South Africans with a
unique opportunity to work for poverty eradication on a world scale in the
context of environmentally, socially and economically sustainable
development. The main constituencies of civil society have a key role to
play in achieving this objective. Moreover, our people can use this
opportunity to learn about international debates on sustainable
development, to network with counterparts from around the world, and to
engage in action around sustainable development in South Africa itself. In
this context, we need to ensure a coherent, financially sound and fully
representative structure to represent South African civil society at the
WSSD.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5313
TANZANIA: MORE THAN 1,000 ELEPHANT TUSKS SEIZED
http://enn.com/news/wire-stories/2002/01/01182002/reu_46161.asp
More than 1,000 elephant tusks stolen by poachers have been recovered in
the Tanzanian port of Dar es Salaam, police have said.
WORLD BANK PREPARES MAJOR REPORT FOR SUSTAINABILITY SUMMIT
http://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/topic/knowledgebank/k2627wdr2002.html
A World Bank team is currently preparing the next World Development Report
which will be launched at the World Summit on Sustainable Development this
September. However despite the wide interest in the report's subject matter
and the sensitive timing of its release, the Bank has produced no clear
plan for outsiders to be involved in the drafting process.
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11.MEDIA
CAMEROON: EDITOR OF WEEKLY SENTENCED TO FIVE YEARS' IMPRISONMENT
In a letter to Justice Minister Amadou Ali, RSF asked for clarification
following the sentencing of Georges Baongla, publication director of the
weekly "Le Démenti", to five years' imprisonment. "Due process was
seemingly not respected in this case.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5343
DRC: SWISS NGO, UN TO SET UP RADIO STATION
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?
ReportID=19650&SelectRegion=Great_Lakes&SelectCountry=DRC
A Swiss nongovernmental organisation, Foundation Hirondelle, in
collaboration with the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
plans to start a nationwide radio station within the next month, the
mission's information officer, David Smith, said at the weekend.
MOZAMBIQUE: CHILDREN OF SLAIN JOURNALIST UNDER THREAT
http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=20160
international campaign to preserve press freedom in Mozambique appeared to
win a tactical victory Friday when a judge delayed for two months a
criminal defamation trial against the two small children of a corruption-
fighting journalist who was gunned down in an apparent assassination in the
capital, Maputo, 14 months ago.
MUGABE'S ALLIES REVOLT OVER PRESS FREEDOM LAW
The Zimbabwean President faced a rebellion by some of his closest allies on
Tuesday when they refused to endorse a media law that seeks to stifle
criticism of Robert Mugabe and shut down the free press.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5391
SA: DEAL TO KEEP COMMUNITY RADIO ALIVE
http://www.mg.co.za/mg/za/archive/2002jan/features/24jan-agreement.html
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) and the National
Community Radio Forum (NCRF) are close to sealing a deal to enhance the
sustainable growth of community radio in South Africa.
ZIMBABWE: ARTICLE 19 CONDEMNS FURTHER RESTRICTIONS ON MEDIA
ARTICLE 19 has released a report criticising a Bill now before the
Zimbabwean Parliament that will significantly extend government control
over the independent media. ARTICLE 19 calls on the Parliament not to pass
the Bill into law. The Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Bill
2001 would grant a broad range of restrictive powers over the media to a
Commission under the control of the Minister of Information. Despite its
name, the Bill does very little to ensure access to information and
contains only limited provisions on privacy.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5372
Contact: [log in to unmask]
ZIMBABWE: GOVERNMENT SET TO AMEND RESTRICTIVE NEW MEDIA LAW
http://www.cpj.org/news/2002/Zim17jan02na.html#more
After intense international pressure, Zimbabwe's government delayed its
vote last week on a harsh media bill that would stifle dissent during the
run-up to the presidential elections, scheduled for early March, until
certain changes can be made to the legislation, according to Justice
Minister Patrick Chinamasa.
ZIMBABWE: JOURNALISTS PROTEST BILL
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=19684
Zimbabwean journalists who gathered in Harare on Saturday have resolved to
defy a proposed new media bill expected to be considered by parliament
later this week.
ZIMBABWEAN GOVERNMENT WANTS RADIO BROADCASTS STOPPED
Zimbabwe's Minister of State for Information and Publicity Jonathan Moyo
wants the European Union (EU) to urge the British and Netherlands
governments to stop sponsoring short wave radio stations that broadcast in
Zimbabwe.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5330
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12.DEVELOPMENT
BROWN'S "NEW DEAL" SUGGESTS ENHANCED BANK, FUND ROLES
http://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/topic/reform/r2608newdeal.html
Gordon Brown's recent speeches on a "New Deal" for the global economy have
been generally welcomed, especially for their suggestions that aid budgets
should be increased. But some of his more detailed proposals on the World
Bank and IMF are controversial.
DANGERS OF THE IMPACT OF THE EURO ON AFRICAN CFA CURRENCY
There are divergent views between the French central bank and development
experts on how the new EU currency – the Euro - will impact on the CFA, the
currency adopted by 14 West and Central African countries. The CFA, which
used to be tied to the French franc, was automatically tied to the euro
from 1999 when France joined the Euro zone.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5299
DRC: COLTAN MINES BLIGHT LOCAL COMMUNITIES, SAYS REPORT
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/oneworld/20020117/wl/congo_s_coltan_mines_bligh
t_local_communities_says_report_1.html
Fresh concerns over the impact of coltan mining in eastern Democratic
Republic of the Congo were raised this week by a local pressure group
following a marked decline in the livelihoods of communities close to the
sites where the rare mineral is extracted.
ETHIOPIA: MARKET INSTITUTIONS, TRANSACTION COSTS, AND SOCIAL CAPITAL IN THE
GRAIN MARKET
http://www.ifpri.org/pubs/abstract/abstr124.htm
This report addresses the overarching question regarding the role of
institutions in enhancing market development following market reforms. It
uses the New Institutional Economics framework to empirically analyze the
role of a specific market institution, that of brokers acting as
intermediaries to match traders in the Ethiopian grain market in reducing
the transaction costs of search faced by traders. Brokers play a key role
in facilitating exchange in a weak marketing environment where limited
public market information, the lack of grain standardization, oral
contracts, and weak legal enforcement of contracts increase the risk of
contract failure. Relying on primary data, it analyzes traders'
microeconomic behavior, social capital, the nature and extent of their
transaction costs, and the norms and rules governing the relationship
between brokers and traders.The study uses an innovative approach to
quantify the costs of search and demonstrates that the brokerage
institution is economically efficient both for individual traders and for
global economic welfare.
ETHIOPIA: MASSIVE ANIMAL CENSUS TO BE LAUNCHED
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=19262
One of the world’s largest animal surveys will be launched in Ethiopia next
month. For the first time ever, all the animals in the country are to be
counted as part of a massive census by the Ethiopian Central Statistics
Authority (CSA).
EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRIES REVIEW GETS HARSH RECEPTION
http://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/topic/privatesector/p2615eir.html
NGOs say the World Bank's Extractive Industries Review (EIR), launched at a
workshop in Brussels at the end of October, has severe shortcomings. The
EIR is an international consultation process aiming to produce
recommendations to guide World Bank Group involvement in the oil, gas and
mining sectors.
NIGERIA: NORMALCY RETURNS AS UNIONS END STRIKE
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=19443
Normalcy started to return to Nigeria on Friday after labour unions called
off a two-day-old general strike which had shut down most of the country’s
major cities.
SA: ASHOKA INDUCTION CEREMONY
Ashoka Southern Africa is to elect leading social entrepreneurs to their
Global Fellowship at a gala event at the Spier Auditorium, Spier
Estate in Stellenbosch. The Fellows are being recognised for their
innovative approaches at addressing pressing social issues.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=5381
WORLD BANK PLANS PRIVATE SECTOR SHAKE-UP
http://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/topic/privatesector/p2601psdstrat.html
In February the World Bank's Board will consider a new Private Sector
Development Strategy. Long-time Bank-watcher Robert Wade, a professor at
the London School of Economics, warns that this is the Bank's "biggest
refocusing in a decade". He says it is not based on analysis of what will
work best for poorer people but "owes everything to intense US pressure".
PART I ends here - look for PART II in your mailbox tomorrow!
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Next WASAN meeting is Wednesday, January 30, 2002. Location: Safeco Jackson Street Center, 306 23rd Ave. S at S. Main St, Suite 200 , Seattle
7:00 PM WASAN business meeting
7:30-9:00 PM Program: South Africa
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