---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 12 Apr 2002 14:57:41 -0700
From: charlotte utting <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [WASAN] FW: PAMBAZUKA NEWS 59 PART I: PUTTING HUMAN RIGHTS ON THE
    TABLE



----------
From: [log in to unmask]
Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
Date: Fri, 12 Apr 2002 12:49:47 +0200
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: PAMBAZUKA NEWS 59 PART I: PUTTING HUMAN RIGHTS ON THE TABLE

PAMBAZUKA NEWS 59 * 7600 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

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.

/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\

1.EDITORIAL

PUTTING HUMAN RIGHTS ON THE TABLE
The Human Rights Council Of Australia
In the United Nations and within bilateral development agencies there is
increasing discussion of what has become known as the human rights approach
to development. The approach asserts that development should be seen as the
process by which people can fully realise all their human rights and that
the approach should be reflected both in process and outcomes. The human
rights approach has something to offer to communities and NGOs preparing to
sit down with their governments to participate in planning national anti-
poverty strategies. This brief introduction outlines the principle features
of the human rights approach to development and its relevance to grass
roots advocacy on poverty.

The human rights approach to development sees poverty as a denial of human
dignity. No surprises there. The approach also recognises poverty as a
denial of our human rights economic, social, cultural, civil and political
- and argues that this brings something different and potentially powerful
to existing efforts to overcome discrimination and to end poverty.

Human rights are legal expressions of our human dignity and they place
obligations, or duties, on others mainly but not exclusively the State.
While we all have responsibilities to respect the rights of others, it is
now widely accepted that States have the specific obligations to respect,
protect and fulfill human rights.

The obligation to respect requires the state and its agents not to violate
the rights of individuals or tolerate discrimination in law, policy or
practice.

The obligation to protect rights obliges the state to prevent the violation
of rights by other individuals or non-state actors. Where violations do
occur the state must guarantee access to legal remedies.

The obligation to fulfil involves issues of public expenditure,
governmental regulation of the economy, the provision of basic services and
related infrastructure and redistributive measures.

The human rights approach to development uses existing, internationally
agreed, human rights standards as a framework for development policy and
practice. The human rights framework is not about imposing a single model
of development. It emphasises participation and the right of people to
choose their own path recognising that the realisation of human rights is a
shared goal.

Within their borders, States have a responsibility to focus their
development efforts on realising human rights with a priority being given
to the poor, marginalised and vulnerable - those currently most denied
their rights. International development efforts should focus on assisting
States to meet their human rights obligations again with a priority focus
on the poor, marginalised and vulnerable.

At a very minimum international human rights standards impose a
responsibility on international agencies and governments providing aid and
development loans to ensure that their policies and practices do not have a
negative impact on the capacity or ability of states to meet these
obligations.

The approach encourages people to use agreed human rights standards to
assert their rights and to determine their own development. It outlines how
international human rights agreements can be used practically by actors in
the development process to analyse their development needs, to set
development objectives, to guarantee participation, to demand
accountability and to call for solidarity.

It therefore has particular relevance to the current focus of development
agencies on poverty and to the process taking place around the formulation,
adoption and approval of Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs).

A recent study by Fantu Cheru, the UN's Independent Expert on Structural
Adjustment and Economic, Social and Cultural rights not only found many
flaws with the process of participation in the PRSP process to date, but
found scant reference to human rights.

This is despite the formal commitment of the governments involved, donor
and recipient (or lender and borrower) to human rights and the fact that
these governments make up the Executive Boards of the World Bank and IMF.
Human rights do not feature explicitly in the charters of these
international institutions, yet these Institutions place heavy emphasis on
the rule of law and should respect the legal obligations of States to human
rights standards.

Most bilateral development agencies now give great prominence to both
participation and the promotion of human rights through aid to complement
their formal legal commitments. These policy commitments need to be
reflected in the international financial institutions the governments
finance and sit on the board of.

The human rights approach demands that policies to address poverty need to
be judged against the requirement for States to realise specific economic,
social and cultural rights progressively over time and to the maximum of
available resources (including resources available through international
development assistance).

Looking at each of the rights in these standards, including the right to an
adequate standard of living, the right not to suffer discrimination, the
right to health and the right to education it is possible to capture the
different dimensions of poverty, to understand and respond to poverty as
more than simply an absence of income or basic necessities but as a lack of
choice and control as well as resources.

The emphasis on participation by development agencies and in the process of
drafting Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) does provide NGOs and
communities with new opportunities to put human rights on the table for
discussion ? not as a separate concern, but because poverty is a human
rights issue.

NGOs participating in the PRSP process can ask for information on the
likely impact (particularly on the poor and vulnerable) of suggested
policies and programs on the right to social security, the right to work,
the right to an adequate standard of living and other specific human
rights.

They can ask what human rights agreements their government is already
committed to and how the PRSP will help realise these rights. They can ask
UN agencies about the comments of UN human rights treaty bodies (that
monitor implementation of human rights at the national level) with relation
to their country and ask how these comments are to be reflected in the PRSP
and in development planning. They can ask particular bilateral agencies
(such as UK, Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Canada) with strong
human rights policies for help in finding information and analysing poverty
from a human rights perspective.

They can ask their NGO partners in developed countries to make similar
approaches to their official development agencies and to ask that their
country's representative on the World Bank and IMF raise these questions
when they consider the PRSP for approval.

Fifty years after the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
and the creation of the Bretton Woods Institutions, the commitments of
national governments to respect, protect and fulfill human rights have yet
to be properly reflected in the policies and practice of some of the most
powerful international institutions they control, the IMF and the World
Bank.

All this is not to suggest that the human rights approach offers a magic
panacea that will see resources and policies and power instantly
transferred to the poor and vulnerable. Unlike the World Trade
Organisation, the UN has no practicable way of imposing punishments or
fines on governments that violate or ignore their commitments to human
rights. Yet international legal standards, international solidarity, moral
suasion and the court of international opinion have proved potent tools in
the struggle for civil and political rights. They need to be brought to
bear in the struggle for all the human rights of the poor. The PRSP process
offers an important opportunity to do this.

If people are interested in finding out more about the Human Rights
Approach to Development or more about economic, social and cultural human
rights, then the following might publications and websites are a good place
to start.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=6803

/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\

2.CONFLICT, EMERGENCIES, AND CRISES

ANGOLA: A NEW CEASE-FIRE - A NEW OPPORTUNITY FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
The cease-fire signed in Luanda presents a new opportunity to build respect
for fundamental human rights, according to Amnesty International.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=6754

ANGOLA: CUBA FOLLOWED U.S. SECRET PAPERS REVEAL
http://www.oneworld.org/ips2/apr02/02_10_004.htm
Secret Cuban and U.S. documents recently released show that the
administration of then-president Gerald Ford was planning covert actions in
Angola well before Cuba's intervention in the former Portuguese colony's
civil war in 1975.

ANGOLA: DEMOBILISATION OF UNITA SOLDIERS CRITICAL FOR PEACE
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=27117
Angola's peace plan could fail if the government does not have the capacity
to meet the needs of UNITA soldiers and their families during the
demobilisation process, a UNITA parliamentarian told IRIN on Wednesday.

ANGOLA: TRC NEEDED FOR ANGOLA
A human rights organisation has called for the establishment of a South
African-style Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) to take forward
Angola's peace process.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=6756

DRC: NO COMMITMENTS MADE AT LUSAKA PEACE SUMMIT
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=27100
A one-day summit held in Lusaka, Zambia, on the Democratic Republic of the
Congo (DRC) peace process ended on Wednesday evening with no new
commitments made by the participating regional leaders.

DRC: RCD-GOMA FREES 104 CHILD SOLDIERS
he Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie (RCD-Goma) armed opposition
group on Tuesday gave custody of 104 child soldiers to the UN Children's
Fund (UNICEF) and its partner agencies, International Committee of the Red
Cross, Save the Children-UK (SCF-UK) and SOS Grands lacs in Goma, eastern
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). According to a statement from
UNICEF on Thursday, the liberation of this first group of children signals
the start of a larger agreement reached with RCD Goma to ultimately
demobilise some 2,600 child soldiers from within their ranks.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=6760

DRC: UN ENVOY DISMISSES PEACE VIOLATIONS CLAIMS
http://allafrica.com/stories/200204040076.html
Most claims of peace violations in the DRC are unfounded, UN secretary
general's special envoy Amos Namanga Ngongi has said. Speaking at the
official opening of the summit of signatories and heads of state to the
ceasefire agreement, Ngongi said the UN had received more than 200
complaints of peace violations and had investigated most of them.

ERITREA-ETHIOPIA: ETHIOPIA'S MINE INFORMATION NOW ''FINALISED''
Ethiopia has handed over complete details of where it laid thousands of
mines during the war with Eritrea, the UN announced on Friday.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=6761

GHANA: PARLIAMENT EXTENDS STATE OF EMERGENCY
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=27134
Ghana's parliament has extended by six weeks the state emergency imposed in
the northern Dagbon traditional area, where fighting between two clans last
week left a traditional ruler and 28 other people dead.

MADAGASCAR: NGOS WARN OF IMPENDING HUMANITARIAN CRISIS
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=27035
Concern is mounting in Madagascar that the strangulation of the
opposition-held capital Antananarivo by a blockade laid by the army and
government supporters, could spark a humanitarian crisis in the city.

SOMALIA: TERMS FOR RECONCILIATION TALKS ESTABLISHED
A technical committee, meeting to prepare for Somali reconciliation talks,
ended its deliberations on Friday by establishing the terms of reference
for the conference. Sources close to the meeting, held in the Kenyan
capital Nairobi from 3-5 April, told IRIN the terms of reference included
agreement on cessation of hostilities, recognising steps made so far in
national reconciliation, discussing the concerns of the neighbouring
states, and abiding by the outcome of the conference.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=6775

SUDAN: THINK-TANK FEARS CHANCE FOR PEACE COULD BE MISSED
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=27078
The current window of opportunity for peace in Sudan could be missed if
efforts are not made by the international community to revitalise a
comprehensive peace process, according to a new report by the International
Crisis Group (ICG).

SUDAN: UN FOOD AGENCY DECRIES BAN ON RELIEF FLIGHTS
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=3301&Cr=sudan&Cr1=
The United Nations World Food Programme has strongly protested the decision
by the Government of the Sudan to deny access to the agency's flights to 43
locations in southern Sudan, where some 1.7 million people are in dire need
humanitarian assistance.

UGANDA-SUDAN: FOCUS ON MISSING CHILD ABDUCTEES
The United Nation's Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Thursday reiterated its
"grave concern" over the fate of thousands of children abducted by the
Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in southern Sudan, especially in light of the
reported abandonment of many of them by the rebel group after a major
military offensive by the Ugandan army.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=6757

ZIMBABWE: CIO OFFICER SPEARHEADS CHIMANIMANI TERROR
http://www.zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=4073
Joseph Mwale, a Central Intelligence Officer accused of killing MDC
activists Tichaona Chiminya and Talent Mabika in Buhera during the June
2000 parliamentary elections campaign, is reportedly spearheading
retributions on MDC supporters in Chimanimani.

ZIMBABWE: MUGABE'S FAST-TRACK TO SELF-DESTRUCTION
http://library.northernlight.com/FD20020404160000055.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0
#doc
Rejected by the Commonwealth and abandoned by his peers, despised in his
capital and banned from most of the developed world, it is just possible
that President Mugabe, may now be starting to realise the price of victory
in last month's disputed presidential poll.

/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\

3.RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY

BOTSWANA: UN CONDEMNS 'DISPOSSESSION' OF BUSHMEN
http://www.survival-international.org/bushmannews020402.htm
Botswana has been condemned by the United Nations for its 'discrimination'
against Bushman tribes. The UN Human Rights Commission heard that the
Bushmen have been the victims of 'discriminatory practices', and are being
'dispossessed of their traditional lands'.

BUSH MULLS "UNSIGNING" TREATY FOR INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=655&ncid=655&e=2&u=/oneworl
d/20020405/wl_oneworld/1032_1018015188
The administration of President George W. Bush is actively considering
"unsigning" the 1998 Rome Protocol establishing an International Criminal
Court (ICC) before it takes effect next week when the 60th signatory to the
treaty is expected to deposit its ratification with the United Nations,
according to knowledgeable sources.

DRC: KABILA PLEDGED RIGHTS REFORMS, BUT ABUSES PERSIST
In its 2001 report on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Human
Rights Watch (HRW) says that President Joseph Kabila promised human rights
reforms, but delivered "relatively little".
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=6758

NIGERIA: MILITARY MASSACRES UNPUNISHED
http://www.hrw.org/press/2002/04/nigeria040102.htm
The Nigerian government has so far failed to conduct any investigation or
prosecution into the massacre of more than two hundred unarmed civilians by
the Nigerian army in Benue State in October 2001, Human Rights Watch has
charged in a report.

RWANDA: EIGHT YEARS LATER, RWANDA REMEMBERS GENOCIDE
http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/africa/04/07/rwanda.genocide.reut/index.html
After a week of harrowing television footage commemorating Rwanda's
genocide, survivors marked its eighth anniversary on Sunday wanting to lay
the gruesome past to rest.

RWANDA: GENOCIDE TRIBUNAL READY TO INDICT FIRST TUTSIS
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,678999,00.html
The international tribunal for Rwanda is to bring its first charges against
Tutsis accused of murdering Hutus during the 1994 genocide, despite
Kigali's attempts to block the investigations.

RWANDA: TRIAL OF ACCUSED MASTERMIND OF GENOCIDE ADJOURNED UNTIL SEPTEMBER
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=3274&Cr=rwanda&Cr1=tribunal
The United Nations war crimes tribunal for Rwanda today adjourned until
September the trial of the alleged mastermind behind the country's 1994
genocide one day after it began to give the prosecution and defence teams
more time to ensure the case would proceed smoothly.

RWANDAN MUSICIAN PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO GENOCIDE
http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/reuters04-04-082328.asp?reg=AFRICA
A Rwandan musician accused of writing songs and poems that incited the
killings of ethnic Tutsis in 1994 pleaded not guilty to charges of genocide
before a U.N. tribunal on Thursday.

SIERRA LEONE: RUF URGES ECOWAS TO INTERVENE OVER ELECTIONS
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=27115
Former rebels of the Revolutionary United Front Party (RUFP) are appealing
to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to intervene in
forthcoming elections in Sierra Leone following a declaration by the
country's electoral commission that RUF leader, Foday Sankoh, was
ineligible to stand as a presidential candidate, Sierra Leone Web reported
on Thursday.

SIERRA LEONE: SUPPORT FOR ELECTIONS IN VITAL FOR RECOVERY FROM WAR
http://www.undp.org/dpa/frontpagearchive/2002/march/28mar02/index.html
As Sierra Leone prepares for key parliamentary and presidential elections
in May, UNDP is working in close cooperation with national and
international partners to assist the National Electoral Commission,
encourage public participation, and support election observers.

ZIMBABWE: MDC: NO GOVT OF NATIONAL UNITY
http://www.zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=4070
Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai said on Sunday that his
party would not co-operate with the government of President Robert Mugabe,
which he described as a "military junta." We cannot be expected to
co-operate with such a regime," he said. "If they don't want to talk about
new elections, then there is no need to even start negotiations," said
Tsvangirai.

ZIMBABWE: AFRICA MUST SEIZE OPPORTUNITY TO PROTECT THE RIGHTS OF ALL ITS
CITIZENS
http://www.kubatana.net/html/archive/hr/020328ai.asp?sector=HR
Hundreds of Amnesty International?s members in Southern Africa have called
on African leaders in general and Southern African Development Community
(SADC) diplomats in particular to seize every opportunity to protect the
rights of citizens in Zimbabwe. Current discussions on Zimbabwe at the
United Nations Commission on Human Rights provide the perfect opportunity
at the highest of international fora.

ZIMBABWE: ASSAULT AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE BY MILITIA
State-sponsored militia are continuing to carry out assaults and acts of
sexual violence in reprisals against the opposition. Militias are also
controlling the distribution of food supplies in rural areas and it is
feared that this is systematically being used as a tool of repression
against opposition supporters.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=6759

ZIMBABWE: MBEKI WAS TOLD COUNTING WAS RIGGED
http://www.zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=4069
Australian Prime Minister John Howard has told President Thabo Mbeki and
Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo that Zimbabwean opposition leader
Morgan Tsvangirai won the recent presidential election, but that hundreds
of thousands of votes were shifted to change the result after the votes had
been counted.

ZIMBABWE: MORE THAN 60 STILL IN JAIL
http://www.zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=4071
A total of 64 pro-democracy protesters arrested on Saturday when violent
police action crushed anti-government demonstrations around the country
were still in jail on Sunday and were being denied legal access, lawyers
said.

/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\

4.CORRUPTION

KENYA: ANOTHER CRUCIAL BILL PUBLISHED
http://www.kbc.co.ke/story.asp?id=10836&categoryID=1
The government has published another Bill that remained a hurdle to the
resumption of aid to Kenya by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Attorney General Amos published the Public Officers Ethics Bill on
Thursday, a day after he published the Corruption Control Bill.

KENYA: NEW JOBS, TAX CUTS AND GOOD GOVERNANCE IN OPPOSITION PLAN
http://allafrica.com/stories/200204080719.html
The National Alliance for Change have spelt out its vision for Kenya in a
20-page document. The creation of three million new jobs, economic growth,
zero tolerance of corruption, tax cuts, an independent Judiciary, new homes
and better health care were high on their list of pledges.

KENYA: PROF. GHAI ON THE REVIEW PROCESS
Prof. Yash Pal Ghai is the Chairman of the Constitution of Kenya Review
Commission (CKRC). This short interview was carried out during a one-day
conference on ?Constitutional Reform To Fight Corruption?. The conference,
hosted by TI Kenya, involved Prof. Ghai, his commissioners, MPs, other
civic and governmental bodies and concluded by making recommendations to
the CKRC.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=6808

NIGERIA: ANTI-GRAFT PANEL PROBES AGENCIES, MINISTRIES, PARASTATALS
http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/news2/nn853613.html
FOLLOWING incessant delays in the payment of government workers' salaries,
the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) is to probe all Federal
ministries and parastatals in the country.

SOUTH AFRICA: LIVING IN GLASS HOUSES: GOOD GOVERNANCE AND HOW TO ACHIEVE IT
http://allafrica.com/stories/200204030824.html
In the current deluge of corruption sweeping South African business and
government, the need for good governance is stronger than ever. The most
effective way to create and sustain integrity is by implementing internal
checks and balances, as an ongoing principle.

ZAMBIA: LEVY IS CORRUPT
http://allafrica.com/stories/200204080574.html
President Levy Mwanawasa is corrupt, Patriotic Front president Michael Sata
has charged.

ZANU-PF TOP BRASS FINGERED IN TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL REPORT
http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=25431
Zidco Holdings, the investment arm of Zanu-PF, which controls a substantial
stake in the Zimbabwean economy, was a front for personal enrichment by
individuals in that party's top brass, including President Robert Mugabe,
Transparency International said this week.

/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\

5.HEALTH

AFRICA: CALLS FOR HELP EXCEED GLOBAL FUND RESOURCES
http://www.irinnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=1254
Funding proposals submitted to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis
and Malaria have exceeded the resources available for this year, the Fund's
spokeswoman told PlusNews this week.

CONGO: US SUPPORTS HIV/AIDS EDUCATION IN MILITARY
The US government has lent its support to an initiative to educate the
Congolese military on preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=6747

KENYA: SUPPLY CRISIS OF BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB ARVS
There has been a shortage of two Bristol- Myers Squibb (BMS) antiretroviral
(ARV) drugs in Kenya, reports Kenya Coalition for the Access to Essential
Medicines. For a period of weeks there has been a severe shortage of
reduced-price Videx 25mg tablets and Zerit 30mg capsules.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=6746

POLIO: UNICEF DONATES $2.2 MILLION AS ETHIOPIA NEARS ERADICATION
http://www.unfoundation.org/unwire/util/display_stories.asp?objid=25283
UNICEF has donated $2.2 million to support Ethiopian efforts to eradicate
polio by 2005. The agency said that the country is entering the final
stretch in its race to wipe the disease out.

REALISING THE RIGHT TO HEALTH
Opening Statement By Mary Robinson, UN High Commissioner For Human Rights
http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/EC7C3A10E0816F03C1256B920
04A0DEC?opendocument
"We all know that the stigma and discrimination associated with AIDS
continue to fuel its spread and exacerbate its impact. Developing
countries, where AIDS and poverty are now mutually reinforcing negative
forces, continue to bear the overwhelming burden of the epidemic. In
sub-Saharan Africa AIDS is the leading cause of death. AIDS has left in its
wake millions of orphans at risk of hunger, neglect and exploitation ? and
this number is set to rise to the tens of millions in the space of a few
years if the spread of the epidemic is not curtailed."

REALISING THE RIGHT TO HEALTH: ACCESS TO HIV/AIDS-RELATED MEDICIATION
Zackie Achmat TAC Chairperson
For children, women and men with HIV/AIDS the rights to dignity, life,
equality and their inter-connection with the right to health care access,
particularly access to medicines including anti-retrovirals stands between
us and death. This is particularly true in poor countries and poor
communities in wealthy countries. These rights - dignity, life, equality -
are essential tools in our struggle to remove the barriers to HIV treatment
and health care for all. What are these barriers?
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=6751

SOUTH AFRICA: MTCT PILOT PROGRAMME UNDER THREAT
http://www.irinnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=1251
The use of nevirapine to prevent mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV
in South Africa has come under threat after reports last week of
irregularities during trials of the drug in Uganda.

SOUTH AFRICA: NEVIRAPINE: COURT RULES FOR THE PEOPLE
IT was HIV-positive pregnant women, parents and babies who were the real
winners when the Constitutional Court on Thursday refused the government
leave to appeal against a Pretoria High Court execution order, Treatment
Action Campaign (TAC) representative Mark Heywood said.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=6744

SOUTHERN AFRICA: FOOD SHORTAGES COULD INCREASE HIV/AIDS DEATHS
http://www.irinnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=1259
The severe food shortages experienced by many southern African countries
and the resultant poor nutrition could contribute to a rise in
HIV/AIDS-related deaths in the region, aid organisations have said.

WHO, UNAAID TO CONTINUE NEVIRAPINE SUPPORT DESPITE "IRREGULARITIES" ON
KAMPALA TRIALS
http://allafrica.com/stories/200203250268.html
The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Aid (Unaid)
would continue supporting the use of nevirapine for prevention of
mother-to-child transmission of HIV, despite irregularities found to have
characterised the Ugandan study on the use of drug, the two organisations
have said.

WORLD AIDS CAMPAIGN 2002-3: STIGMA AND DISCRIMINATION
http://www.unaids.org/wac/2002/index.html
With its focus on stigma and discrimination, the Campaign will encourage
people to break the silence and the barriers to effective HIV/AIDS
prevention and care. Only by confronting stigma and discrimination will the
fight against HIV/AIDS be won.

/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\

6.EDUCATION AND SOCIAL WELFARE

AFRICAN REGIONAL EFA FORUM TAKES OFF
http://www.unesco.org/education/newsletter/
African Ministers of Education have inaugurated the African Regional Forum
on EFA in Chantilly near Paris. The objective of the Forum is to create a
framework for dialogue between African decision-makers in education,
national EFA co-ordinators, development partners and civil society
organizations. It is chaired by the Nigerian Minister of Education, Abraham
Babalola Borishade.

EDUCATION FOR WAR OR FOR PEACE?
http://www.unesco.org/education/education_today/index.html
Schools are no longer just places where youngsters acquire an education.
They are increasingly called on to turn out responsible and tolerant
citizens. Focus, a four-page special dossier from UNESCO, examines whether
we are asking too much of schools.

KENYA: REVIEW OF POLICY ON HIV/AIDS STUDIES URGED
http://allafrica.com/stories/200204060065.html
The Kenyan government has been urged to address the legal implications of
the policy on the recently introduced Aids education in schools. The issue
of discrimination and stigmatisation which mitigate against human rights,
have not been adequately addressed according to the expert.

SECOND WORLD ASSEMBLY ON AGEING NGO FORUM
April 2002,Madrid, Spain
A draft plan of action: Proposals made by Justice Sans Frontières ( JSF )
of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=6777

SOUTH AFRICA: APARTHEID JAIL OPENS HUMAN RIGHTS SCHOOL
http://www.itechnology.co.za/index.php?click_id=180&art_id=ct20020403233755
492H562696&set_id=1
Robben Island, once the place to which freedom fighters were banished,
reached another landmark in its efforts to reinvent its image when an
international human rights academy was launched there on Wednesday night.

STATE OF THE WORLD'S OLDER PEOPLE 2002
HelpAge International launches State of the world's older people 2002 on 8
April 2002 as the Second UN World Assembly on Ageing opens in Madrid. This
Assembly, the first UN global conference on ageing since 1982, will agree
an International Plan of Action on Ageing, setting the course of
international policy for the next 20 years.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=6769

TACKLING TABOOS: ABUSE OF GIRLS IN ZIMBABWEAN SCHOOLS
http://www.id21.org/education/e2fl1g1.html
Abuse in school is a difficult area to research associated as it is with
sexual abuse, a taboo topic which most people would prefer to ignore. This
is as true of countries in sub-Saharan Africa, where abuse in schools is
only just being acknowledged, as anywhere else. But what can be done to
stamp it out?

UN CONFERENCE: CHILDREN'S ROLE IN PEACE AND SECURITY
http://allafrica.com/stories/200204080643.html
World leaders will gather in New York City in May for a major conference
focused on global progress for children and the key role that investment in
children can play in building global peace and security, the United Nations
has announced.

UNHCHR: THE RIGHT TO EDUCATION
Statement Of The Special Rapporteur, Professor Katarina Tomasevski
http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/1A26D938041732B2C1256B920
02E4DC7?opendocument
"The Commission's initiative in focussing on the right to education
initially raised in the realm of education an inevitable question: "what
can the human rights approach contribute?" Obviously, we never intended to
duplicate what was already done in education, our mandates are this
Commission's thematic procedures, and this is the Commission on Human
Rights, not on education. We had to prove that the human rights profession
had something to contribute to education, that we had (to use a term seldom
employed within this Commission) a comparative advantage."

/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\

7.WOMEN AND GENDER

ABUJA, NIGERIA: ECOWAS STARTS MEETING ON WOMEN IN DEVELOPMENT
http://allafrica.com/stories/200203250461.html
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the United
Nations Economic Commission for Africa held a four-day meeting to
articulate policies to stimulate the participation of women in development
in West Africa.

ACCRA, GHANA: DOMESTIC VIOLENCE BILL NEEDS SUPPORT - FIDA
http://allafrica.com/stories/200203260604.html
The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) has called on
Parliament, the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs and the Ministry
of Justice to support the promulgation of the domestic violence bill
through Parliament.

ADVOCACY FOR IMPROVING ABORTION ACCESS
A CALL FOR A STATEMENT OF INTEREST, THE WOMEN'S HEALTH PROJECT, SOUTH AFRICA
The Initiative aims to build capacity among individuals and organisations
engaged in advocacy for improving abortion access, either through legal
change or by increasing access to and quality of services. This was a
collaborative effort of 18 NGOs worldwide, 11 of whom conducted research in
their respective countries looking at factors that promoted or impeded
access to abortion. A book consisting of 12 chapters and detailing the
findings from 11 countries was published in 2001. 11 chapters interrogate
factors that promoted or impeded abortion access, either through
legislation or service provision in 11 individual countries. The 12th
chapter is a comparative analysis that looks at all the findings. The
project is now in its second phase and we are sending out a call to NGOs in
Africa who are interested in sharing the lessons that were generated
through the collective experiences of the 18 participating countries.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=6776

AFRICA: NEW PARTNERSHIP PROMOTES BUSINESS FOR WOMEN AND HIV/AIDS EDUCATION
http://www.undp.org/dpa/frontpagearchive/2002/march/28mar02/index.html
Strategic Partnerships for Women's Empowerment in Africa will help African
businesswomen through a programme combining entrepreneur development and
business skills training with HIV/AIDS education. This is the first Africa
initiative linking entrepreneurship and financial independence for women
with HIV/AIDS education and prevention.

AFRICAN ENTREPRENEURS JOIN FORCES WITH UNIFEM TO SHRINK DIGITAL DIVIDE FOR
WOMEN
http://www.unifem.undp.org/pr_afr_digital.html
UNIFEM has announced the formation of a unique Global Advisory Committee
comprised of African IT entrepreneurs living in the Diaspora and in Africa,
as well as representatives from the private sector and the UN system.

EAST AFRICA: SPECIAL REPORT ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
http://africaonline.com/site/articles
Throughout East Africa, human rights and women's lobby groups have achieved
a measure of success in pushing for the recognition and legal protection of
women's rights. In practice, however, women still face economic, social and
cultural disadvantages that continue to leave them exposed to violence and
abuse.

GENDER AND ICT:
INSTRAW Call For Papers
To address the need for sharing of knowledge and learning about gender
aspects of ICTs, INSTRAW is initiating a collaborative research programme.
Authors should submit a 500 word abstracts to INSTRAW no later than 22
April 2002, together with a brief resume of their academic/professional
background and experience. INSTRAW will select the most relevant abstracts
by 1 May 2002 and commission the authors of the selected papers to prepare
full versions of the papers. Authors will be paid a
fee of US$ 1,000 per paper. T
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=6738
Contact: [log in to unmask]

NEW PARTNERSHIP PROMOTES BUSINESS FOR WOMEN
http://allafrica.com/stories/200203280799.html
UNDP and the Business Women's Network (BWN) recently launched a new
alliance to help expand women's entrepreneurship and HIV/AIDS education
throughout Africa.

SOUTH AFRICA: STORY TELLING FOR CHANGE
http://www.id21.org/education/EgveShariff.html
Violence in dating relationships has increasingly become an accepted social
norm for men, women, boys and girls in South Africa. How can aspects of
popular culture support work in schools and convince adolescent youths that
it?s cool not to be cruel?

STATEMENT BY THE WOMEN?S CAUCUS
www.un.org/ffd
The Women?s Caucus at the meeting on Financing for Development were alarmed
that the meeting on Financing for Development was used as a venue for
subverting development and advancing the militarist goals of the U.S.
government?s ?war on terrorism?.

THIRD WORLD CONGRESS OF RURAL WOMEN
October 2-4, 2002, Madrid
http://www.mtas.es/mujer/rural/mujer_rural/english/index.htm
The aim of this 3rd World Congress is to discuss different issues related
to the situation of rural women in a global context, sustainable
development, gender and food safety, the impact of the new technologies,
empowerment, public policies supporting rural women, etc. It is intended to
encourage debate and considerations relating to the search for new
alternatives and to exchange different experiences.
Contact: [log in to unmask]

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN: WHAT DO WE WANT TO TEACH OUR TEACHERS?
http://www.id21.org/Education/EgveDreyer.html
South Africa has a history of very high levels of violence which dates back
to the apartheid era, if not further. A women is raped every 35 seconds,
estimates the South African Police Service. Gender-based violence (GBV),
and its link to HIV infection, is very gradually being discussed in the
public domain, but educators have no choice but to provide learners with
the basic skills to cope with the dual threat of gender violence and
HIV/AIDS now. But how, and when, can this be done within an education
system?

/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\

8.REFUGEES AND FORCED MIGRATION

BURUNDI-TANZANIA: ICVA WARNS AGAINST REFUGEE REPATRIATION FROM TANZANIA
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=27108
The International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA), an advocacy
association representing over 70 nongovernmental agencies, has added its
voice to those warning against the mass repatriation of Burundi refugees
from Tanzania.

BURUNDI: SOME 4,800 FAMILIES DISPLACED IN RUSHUBI
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=27081
Some 4,800 families have been displaced in Rushubi town in Isare District,
in Bujumbura Rural, east of Burundi's capital, Bujumbura, a humanitarian
source reported local authorities as saying on Wednesday.

SEXUAL AND GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE BIBLIOGRAPHY
The Reproductive Health For Refugees Consortium
http://rhrc.org/resources/gbv/bib/
These materials are designed to improve international and local capacity to
address GBV among refugee and internally displaced populations. Training
tools, manuals, and other literature listed here have been selected
specifically for their quality and relevance for work with refugee and IDP
GBV survivors, though many resources may have wider applicability.

SUDAN: WFP BACK HELPING WAR-AFFECTED IN RAGA
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=27095
The World Food Programme (WFP) has announced that it is planning to carry
out a series of food deliveries to assist war-affected people in Raga, a
strategic town in western Bahr al-Ghazal, southern Sudan, which government
troops seized from the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) in
mid-October 2001.

ZIMBABWE: UP TO 50,000 DISPLACED NEED HELP
Human rights group Zimbabwe in Crisis appealed for urgent assistance on
Friday for at least 50,000 people who it says have been displaced by
political violence and land seizures. "We are dealing with a humanitarian
crisis and are asking organisations like the United Nations and the United
Nations High Commission for Refugees to help," said spokesman Kumbirai
Hodzi.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=6755

/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\

9.RACISM AND XENOPHOBIA

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PROTEST AGAINST WAR & RACISM
April 20
On March 4 and 5, activists from the U.S. took International A.N.S.W.E.R.?s
call for April 20 to be an International Day of Protest Against War &
Racism to the Second International Encounter in Solidarity and for Peace in
Colombia and Latin America in Mexico City. This call was met with an
overwhelmingly positive response, and as a result, demonstrations for April
20 are now planned across the world.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=6745

SOUTH AFRICA DECRIES ANTI-SEMITISM AT DURBAN RACISM CONFERENCE
http://www.icare.to/news.html
The South African government has condemned the anti-Semitism at the
non-governmental conference against racism held in Durban last August.
Referring to the "disgraceful events," Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs
Aziz Pahad said the conference was hijacked and turned into an anti-Semitic
event. Pahad made his comments in a speech earlier this month at the annual
conference of the South African Zionist Federation in Johannesburg. Pahad
also used the speech to confirm what he said were "immutable pillars" of
South African policy: "unequivocal and unchanging support" for Israel's
right to exist within defined borders, in peace and security with its
neighbors; utter condemnation of terrorism against Israeli civilians; and
total support for an independent Palestinian state. The South African stand
carries considerable weight because of the country's post-apartheid moral
voice and its leadership role in Africa and the non-aligned movement.

/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\

10.ENVIRONMENT

BUSH ADMINISTRATION SEEKS TO OUST CLIMATE EXPERT
http://ens-news.com/ens/apr2002/2002L-04-03-07.html
With the State Department's announcement Tuesday that the U.S. government
will sponsor an Indian scientist as the new chair of an international
climate change group, the Bush administration took another swipe at efforts
to understand and combat global warming. Dr. Rajendra Pachauri would
replace Dr. Robert Watson, a widely respected American scientist who has
warned of the human causes of climate change for almost six years.

FROM GOLDEN RICE TO ANTI-VIRAL TOMATOES -- GOOD HEALTH OR GOOD MARKETING?
http://www.corpwatch.org/issues/PID.jsp?articleid=2228
As the international leaders meet in the Hague this week to discuss the UN
Convention on Biodiveristy, activists are finding it difficult to get the
biotech genie back in the bottle. Not even negative world opinion has
slowed the development of a new generation of genetically modified plants
and animals.

JOHANNESBURG: WTO MUST RESPECT MULTILATERAL ENVIRONMENTAL AGREEMENTS
As governments meet in New York to prepare the Earth Summit in
Johannesburg, Friends of the Earth International, Greenpeace International,
Northern Alliance for Sustainability(ANPED), Sierra Club and Third World
Network have issued a statement calling upon the Johannesburg Summit to
ensure that Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) are not
subordinated to or undermined by the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=6736

LINKS BETWEEN AIR POLLUTION, HUMAN HEALTH CLARIFIED
http://enn.com/news/enn-stories/2002/04/04032002/s_46806.asp
In the last 50 years, most of humanity has been transformed into urban
dwellers, more at home in the city than any other environment. But this
rapid rush towards urbanization has brought with it a host of problems,
including air pollution, the consequences of which we are just beginning to
recognize.

REPORTS CONCLUDE MUCH OF WORLD'S REMAINING INTACT FORESTS AT RISK
A series of reports based on new maps covering nearly half of the world's
forests concludes that vast areas of remaining intact or old growth and
primary forests are being degraded as the result of unsustainable
development practices.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=6741

SOUTH AFRICA: EXPEDITION TO STUDY FOSSILS
http://enn.com/news/wire-stories/2002/04/04042002/reu_46847.asp
Scientists are launching a major study of "living fossils" in deep waters
off South Africa with the help of a small submersible craft that can probe
to depths of 1,300 feet. It is hoped that the minisub, which can fit only
two people, will shed light on the elusive coelacanth, a curious looking
fish that has been swimming the seas for an astonishing 400 million years.

WEST AFRICA: EU TRAWLERS DUMPING DEAD FISH OFF COAST
http://allafrica.com/stories/200204080008.html
Thousands of tonnes of fish are being dumped overboard by the large
European Union fishing vessels trawling off the West African coast,
according to leading environmentalists.

WITH US OR AGAINST US TO SAVE THE PLANET?
http://www.foeeurope.org/press/FoEI_05.04.02_WSSD.htm
Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) have slammed governments gathered
at UN Headquarters in New York for failing to respond to the widespread
global concern over globalization. FoEI accused the United States, Canada,
Australia and the OPEC countries of trying to ruin the historic World
Summit on Sustainable Development to take place in Johannesburg, South
Africa this August.

/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\

11.MEDIA

CHAD: BAN ON POLITICAL PROGRAMMES AHEAD OF ELECTIONS
In a letter to Emmanuel Touade, president of the High Council of
Communications (Haut conseil de la communication, HCC), RSF protested the
decision to bar private, community and associative radio stations from
programming "political debates" or "programmes of a political nature"
during the entire legislative election campaign. The election is scheduled
for 21 April 2002.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=6828

DRC: BROADCAST JOURNALIST ARRESTED
José Feruzi Samwegele, a 33 year-old journalist with the public broadcaster
RTNC 2 (Radiotélévision nationale congolaise 2) was arrested at the
entrance to network offices in Kinshasa/Lingwala on 3 April 2002 by
soldiers of the Congolese Armed Forces (Forces armées congolaises, FAC). He
was taken to a jail in Kinshasa/Kintambo run by the Military Detection of
Anti-State Activities, Military Intelligence (Détection Militaire des
Activités anti-patrie, renseignements militaires, DEMIAP).
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=6823

ERITREA SLAMMED OVER JOURNALISTS' DETENTION
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_1919000/1919386.stm
A press freedom lobby group has called on the government of Eritrea to
release 10 journalists who have been detained without trial since
September. The New York-based International Press Institute described their
treatment as "cruel, inhuman or degrading". The journalists began a hunger
strike on 31 March.

ETHIOPIA: EDITOR-IN CHIEF SENTENCED
The First Criminal Bench of the Federal High Court on 3 April 2002
sentenced Ms Lubaba Sa-id, former Editor-in-chief of Tarik newspaper, to
one year inprison for disseminating "fabricated news that could have
negative psychological effect on members of the Defence Army and cause
disturbances in the minds of the people."
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=6827

ETHIOPIA: REMANDED EDITOR-IN-CHIEF FACES THIRD CHARGE
On 1 April 2002, the Third Criminal Bench of the Federal High court ordered
Melese Shine, editor-in-chief of "Ethiop" newspaper and magazine, to appear
in court on 17 May for a third criminal charge that has been filed against
him. Shine is presently remanded in custody because he has been unable to
pay bail of 10,000 birr (approx. US$1,200) for a previous charge.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=6822

MALAWI: GOVERNMENT GREATEST VIOLATOR OF FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
http://allafrica.com/stories/200204020425.html
The Government has been named as the biggest violator of the freedom of
expression in Malawi followed by the general public, politicians and then
employers. Surprisingly, the Malawi Police Service is seen as the least
violator, according to a recent survey conducted by Media Council of Malawi
(MCM).

MEDIA ROLE FOR THE DISABLED
http://www.nationaudio.com/News/DailyNation/27032002/Letters/Letters36.html
One of the factors militating against empowering and integrating people
with disabilities is ignorance of the issue by the public. The commonly
held negative attitudes and beliefs towards such people stem from the fact
that society in general has little information on the plight, needs,
concerns and aspirations of the disabled.

TOGO: THREE NEWSPAPERS SEIZED FOR ARTICLES ON HUMAN RIGHTS
Another Two Newspapers Seized
http://www.rsf.fr/rsf/uk/
A few days after "La Tribune du peuple", two weekly newspapers were seized
for publishing "false statements".

TUNISIA: HAMMA HAMMAMI JAILED FOR THREE YEARS
http://www.rsf.fr/rsf/uk/
Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières - RSF) says it is
appalled at the three years and two months jail sentence for subversion
passed on Hamma Hammami, publisher of the Tunisian Communist Workers' Party
(PCOT) newspaper El Badil, calling it "further evidence of the
determination of President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali's regime to muzzle the
press."

UGANDA: ANTI-TERRORISM BILL THREAT TO JOURNALISTS
http://allafrica.com/stories/200204100373.html
THE Ugandan press is facing a new threat. It is the Anti Terrorism Bill
passed by Parliament recently. The Bill has very serious implications not
only for the press freedom but also the freedoms of speech and expression.

WORLDSPACE TO RELAY NEW INFORMATION PROGRAMME
http://www.nationaudio.com/News/DailyNation/11042002/Business/Business20.ht
ml
A digital broadcaster has entered into a partnership to provide information
to community development workers.

ZIMBABWE: RECENTLY RELEASED JOURNALIST QUESTIONED ON CITIZENSHIP STATUS
On Tuesday 2 April 2002, Peta Thornycroft, the Zimbabwe correspondent for
the British "Daily Telegraph", was questioned on the status of her
citizenship in the continuing saga following her arrest on Wednesday 27
March.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=6824

/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\

12.DEVELOPMENT

CHRETIEN: AFRICA MUST CREATE CLIMATE FOR GROWTH
http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/africa/04/07/africa.chretien.reut/index.html
Africa must foster a political and economic climate that encourages the
foreign investment its economies badly need for growth, Canadian Prime
Minister Jean Chretien said on Sunday. Chretien is in Africa to discuss the
New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), which will be prominent
on the agenda of the next Group of Eight leading nations (G8) summit in
Canada in June.

GHANAIANS CONTEST BANK-BACKED WATER PRIVATISATION
http://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/topic/privatesector/p2701ghanawater.html
Ghanaian organisations have mobilised in recent months to prevent the
privatisation of their country's urban water supply system. They have
formed the Coalition Against the Privatisation of Water in Ghana which
argues that the privatisation package is a bad deal both technically and
financially. It says the reforms are largely imposed by external interests
led by the World Bank and the IMF, which have imposed tough conditions.

NAMIBIA: FARMERS QUESTION LAND TAX
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=27109
Commercial farmers will have to pay a special tax from this month to
facilitate the government's land redistribution programme, but say they are
concerned about the way in which the revenue will be used.

SOMALIA: CLOSURE OF REMITTANCE COMPANY AVERTED
The UN Development Programme (UNDP) for Somalia has helped avert the
closure of the Dahabshiil Money Transfer Company (DMTC), the largest
remaining such company in Somalia, a UNDP press statement said.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=6774

SOUTH AFRICA: ALLIANCE DECLARES NEW GROWTH PLAN
http://www.dispatch.co.za/2002/04/08/southafrica/CALLIANC.HTM
A summit bringing together the ANC and its alliance partners has announced
an ambitious short-to-medium term programme of action to accelerate growth
and development in South Africa.

SOUTH AFRICA: BULLETS FLY AS CROWD STONES MAYOR'S HOME
http://www.sundaytimes.co.za/2002/04/07/news/news02.asp
Gunfire erupted last Saturday outside the Johannesburg home of Amos
Masondo, South Africa's most powerful metropolitan mayor, when a crowd of
about 80 Soweto residents attacked the house. They were protesting water
and electricity cutoffs.

SOUTH AFRICA: TRIPARTITE TENSIONS EASED, NOT ERADICATED
http://www.bday.co.za/bday/content/direct/1,3523,1057947-6099-0,00.html
Although there are signs that problems within the ruling tripartite
alliance are abating, huge differences remain about the direction which the
SA economy should take.

SOWETO ELECTRICITY CRISIS COMMITTEE PROTEST
South Africa Indymedia Report
http://www.southafrica.indymedia.org/display.php?id=1025
A bus-load of SECC members embarked on a ?Fire the Mayor ? Fire the
Council? protest. What was meant to be a peaceful march turned sour when a
security guard, a ?Mr Mathebula?, brandished a firearm and pointed towards
the protestors. At that point in time,there was no sign whatsoever that the
protesters were on a mission to damage or cause any harm to anybody or
property.

TANZANIA-UGANDA: INTERVIEW WITH OUTGOING WORLD BANK REPRESENTATIVE, JIM
ADAMS
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=27076
Jim Adams was the World Bank?s country director for Tanzania and Uganda
from 1995 until March 2002. He is now returning to the Bank?s headquarters
in Washington DC, USA, where he will be the vice-president of operational
policy. He spoke to IRIN about some current topics of interest in Tanzania
and Uganda - including economic growth, poverty reduction, debt relief and
government spending priorities.

THABO MBEKI'S NEW PARTNERSHIP FOR AFRICA'S DEVELOPMENT
Breaking Or Shining The Chains Of Global Apartheid?
http://www.foreignpolicy-infocus.org/papers/nepad/index.html
Analyst Patrick Bond critically evaluates the NEPAD's promise to promote
growth and democracy in Africa, examining both the strategies for
integration as well as its technocratic approach to democratic governance.
He then outlines an alternative agenda to the NEPAD that is grounded in the
struggles of African networks of social justice movements.

WORLD BANK STUDY QUESTIONS BREADTH AND IMPACT OF PRSP PARTICIPATION
http://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/topic/adjustment/a2708prsppartic.html
A World Bank study of participation in PRSPs has set out a number of
criticisms. The study, by the Participation Team of the Bank's Social
Development Department, brings together external assessments with an
in-house review of PRSPs in-progress and completed.

/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\

THIS NEWSLETTER IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY FAHAMU, KABISSA, AND SANGONET
Fahamu - learning for change
Unit 14, Standingford House, Cave Street, Oxford OX4 1BA, UK
[log in to unmask]
http://www.fahamu.org

Kabissa - Space for change in Africa
24 Philadelphia Avenue, Takoma Park, MD 20912, USA
[log in to unmask]
http://www.kabissa.org

Southern African Non-Governmental Organisation Network (SANGONeT)
P O Box 31
Johannesburg, 2000
South Africa
[log in to unmask]
http://www.sn.apc.org

The Newsletter is an advocacy tool for social justice. The Newsletter is
open to any organisation committed to this goal. You can use this
Newsletter to tell others about your work, events, publications, and
concerns. The quality and range of information depends on you.

SUBMIT YOUR NEWS
If your organisation is a regular provider of information, please ensure
that your information is widely read by adding [log in to unmask] to your
addressbook and mailing lists. Help us in particular by making sure that
sections relevant to your work are well represented. We consider every
submission to that address for inclusion. Please attribute original sources
by including a website address and/or contact e-mail.

SUBSCRIBE
The Newsletter comes out weekly and is delivered to subscribers by e-mail.
Subscription is free! To subscribe, send an e-mail to
<[log in to unmask]> with only the word 'subscribe' in
the subject or body.

WRITE AN EDITORIAL
We welcome original editorials. Typically, editorials run 300-500 words and
include links and contact details of their authors. Space is available
through the website for longer editorials. Please inquire to
[log in to unmask]

FAIR USE
This Newsletter is produced under the principles of 'fair use'. We strive
to attribute sources by providing direct links to authors and websites.
When full text is submitted to us and no website is provided, we make the
text available on our website via a "for more information" link. Please
contact [log in to unmask] immediately regarding copyright issues.

The views expressed in this newsletter, including the signed editorials, do
not necessarily represent those of Kabissa, fahamu and SANGONeT.

(c) Kabissa, Fahamu and SANGONeT 2001

If you wish to stop receiving the newsletter, unsubscribe immediately by
sending a message FROM THE ADDRESS YOU WANT REMOVED to
[log in to unmask] Please contact [log in to unmask] should you
need further assistance subscribing or unsubscribing.

/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\


------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Buy Stock for $4
and no minimums.
FREE Money 2002.
http://us.click.yahoo.com/orkH0C/n97DAA/ySSFAA/DKgolB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->

Next WASAN meeting is Wednesday, April 24, 2002. Location: Safeco Jackson Street Center, 306 23rd Ave. S @ S. Main St, Suite 200, Seattle (enter parking lot off of S. Main, between 23rd and 24th)
7:00 PM WASAN business meeting
7:30 PM PROGRAM: "Kenya: Development Challenges and Successes form the Grassroots" with Wriko Waita.  A free event.

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

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface
at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to:
[log in to unmask]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~