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Subject: [WASAN] FW: PAMBAZUKA NEWS 72 - PEOPLE VS BIG OIL: RIGHTS OF
NIGERIAN INDIGENOUS PEOPLE RECOGNIZED
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Date: Fri, 12 Jul 2002 06:52:44 -0500 (CDT)
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Subject: PAMBAZUKA NEWS 72 - PEOPLE VS BIG OIL: RIGHTS OF NIGERIAN
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE RECOGNIZED
PAMBAZUKA NEWS 72
A weekly electronic newsletter for social justice in Africa
CONTENTS: 1. Editorial, 2. Conflict, Emergencies, and Crises, 3. Rights and
Democracy, 4. Corruption, 5. Health, 6. Education and Social Welfare, 7.
Women
and Gender, 8. Refugees and Forced Migration, 9. Racism and Xenophobia, 10.
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1.EDITORIAL
PEOPLE VERSUS BIG OIL: RIGHTS OF NIGERIAN INDIGENOUS PEOPLE RECOGNIZED
Jim Lobe, Foreign Policy In Focus
http://www.fpif.org/commentary/2002/0207nigeria_body.html
At a time when the petropolitics of the Bush administration seem to reign
supreme, the rights of peoples affected by the global hunt for oil have
received an important boost. An African commission has ruled the Nigerian
government should compensate the Ogoni people for abuses against their
lands,
environment, housing, and health caused by oil production and government
security forces. Nigerian and international groups say that the ruling by
the
nine-member African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) is a
sweeping affirmation of what the human rights community calls ESC rights--
defined by the UN's International Covenant on Economic, Social, and,
Cultural
Rights.
The commission called on Nigeria to undertake a "comprehensive cleanup of
lands
and rivers damaged by oil operations." It must also ensure that the social
and
environmental impact of future oil development on its territory does not
harm
local communities.
Human rights groups are hailing the commission's decision as a major
breakthrough in the battle for international recognition of ESC rights,
which
have long been given lesser status--particularly by Western countries--than
political and civil rights. "This is the first decision by the African
Commission to specifically and comprehensively address violations of
economic
and social and cultural rights under the Africa Charter," said Felix Morka,
director of the Lagos-based Social and Economic Rights Actions Centre
(SERAC),
which launched the case against the military regime of Gen. Sani Abacha in
1996. Morka observed that the recent ruling was the strongest and most
articulate statement on the validity and enforceability of economic and
social
rights emanating from any intergovernmental human rights body.
"It is a remarkable decision indeed," said Bronwen Manby, a Nigeria
specialist
at the London office of Human Rights Watch (HRW). "The very fact that it's a
decision by the African Commission--which is a body of the Organisation of
African Unity (OAU) and appointed by governments--means that it will
certainly
form a part of the body of international jurisprudence on economic and
social
rights."
The case was filed shortly after the execution in November 1995 of nine
leaders
of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), including the
world-renowned playwright and author, Ken Saro-wiwa. MOSOP and Saro-wiwa had
led a global campaign to publicize the plight of the Ogonis, a minority in
the
oil-rich Niger Delta region, whose lands and rivers had been polluted for
years
as a result of operations by Shell Petroleum Development Corporations, the
area's largest foreign oil producer, and the Nigerian National Petroleum
Company (NNPC). Protests by the Ogoni, especially in the early 1990s, were
met
with fierce military repression, including what one internal government memo
called "wasting operations" against Ogoni villages and suspected MOSOP
activists. Scores of people were killed and their property looted and
burned.
After the 1995 executions, Shell became a target of an international
consumer
boycott, while a number of Western countries slapped diplomatic and other
sanctions on the military regime, most of which lifted only after the return
of
civilian rule in 1999 when retired Gen. Obusegun Obasanjo won elections.
Apart
from one submission that confirmed the main allegations filed by SERAC, the
Obasanjo government did not participate in the case, forcing the Commission
to
conclude that Nigerian courts were not prepared to act on the plaintiffs'
case.
Although the judgement was communicated to the government early last month,
Abuja has not yet reacted officially.
The decision, which runs 14 pages, asserts that the government violated
seven
articles of the 1981 African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, to which
Nigeria is a signatory. They included the rights: "to enjoy the best
attainable
state of physical and mental health," "to a general satisfactory environment
favorable to [the peoples'] development," and to "freely dispose of their
wealth and natural resources."
According to the ruling, "By any measure of standards, its practice falls
short
of the minimum conduct expected of governments." In a direct reference to
the
role of the oil corporations, the commission observed: "The intervention of
multinational corporations may be a potentially positive force for
development
if the State and the people concerned are ever mindful of the common good
and
the sacred rights of individuals and communities."
The decision is important for people throughout the world who suffer from
corporate practices, said Roger Normand, director of the New York-based
Center
for Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (CESR), which co-sponsored the
case
with SERAC.
"I believe that this can serve as a precedent not only throughout Africa,
but
also for all similar efforts to hold governments accountable for gross human
rights violations linked to abusive corporate practices," he added. Normand
and
others also agreed with Morka that the decision is the strongest affirmation
to
date by an inter-governmental body of ESC rights. Despite their inclusion in
the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, this family of rights have
tended to be given second-class status by the West, including Western-based
human rights groups such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.
Western nations agreed most recently at the 1993 World Conference on Human
Rights in Vienna that all rights in the Universal Declaration are
indivisible
and interdependent, however, "for most of the past 50 years, these rights
were
totally neglected by governments and human rights NGOs," according to Larry
Cox, senior program officer for international human rights at the New York-
based Ford Foundation. "But in the last five years, we've seen the beginning
of
real momentum on these rights, led first and foremost by groups in the
Global
South who are in many ways the most adversely affected by the lack of such
rights," he noted. "That's the history of the human rights movement: people
who
make these rights real are the victims who are fighting for them."
Although the U.S. government has long agreed that all of the rights included
in
the Universal Declaration are indivisible and interdependent, Washington has
tended to treat economic and social rights more as privileges than as core
rights. Indeed, the State Department's annual human rights country reports
do
not explicitly cover economic and social rights. In that respect, said
Normand,
the African Commission's decision "is moving ahead of western standards in
the
protection of economic, social, and cultural rights--an important
achievement
for Africa, but an example for the rest of the world."
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2.CONFLICT, EMERGENCIES, AND CRISES
BURUNDI: CEASEFIRE TALKS FOR NEXT WEEK SAYS PRESIDENT BUYOYA
http://www.africantimes.com/articlepg1.asp?ID=49404
Burundian President Pierre Buyoya said Wednesday his government will hold
peace
talks with Hutu rebels in Tanzania next week, a report reaching here said.
Briefing journalists upon his return from Durban, Buyoya said he met on the
sidelines of the African Union summit with South African Vice President
Jacob
Zuma and Gabon's President Omar Bongo,as well as the head of the regional
initiative for Burundi, Uganda's Yoweri Museveni.
DRC-RWANDA: PRESIDENTS KAGAME AND KABILA HOLD ''CONSTRUCTIVE'' TALKS
Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of the
Congo
(DRC) held talks late on Tuesday in Durban, South Africa, on issues
concerning
the DRC conflict, news agencies reported. Central to the discussions -
brokered
by South African President Thabo Mbeki - was the issue of a security zone to
be
created along the border between Rwanda and the DRC to prevent incursions of
Hutu rebels from the DRC into Rwanda.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8851
DRC: RWANDAN TROOPS REPORTEDLY IN MOBA, KATANGA PROVINCE
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28674
The UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), known as
MONUC,
confirmed last Friday it had received reports of the presence of hundreds of
Rwandan troops and their Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie (RCD)
allies near Moba, in the northern part of Katanga Province. If fighting were
to
break out between these forces and pro-government forces, it could further
endanger the efforts to bring about a political and diplomatic solution to
the
DRC's long-running war, analysts said.
DRC: SCORES DIE IN TWO DAYS OF FIGHTING IN BUNIA
Scores of people have died in fighting between the Rassemblement congolais
pour
la democratie-Mouvement de liberation (RCD-ML) and a militia representing
the
Hema people, in the northeastern town of Bunia, Democratic Republic of the
Congo (DRC). "We have counted 40 dead among the soldiers, and we do not know
how many casualties there are on the other side," Ernest Uringi Padolo, a
RCD-
ML official, said from Bunia.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8847
DRC: TALKS ON TRANSITIONAL GOVERNMENT STALL OVER ARMY
http://allafrica.com/stories/200207090249.html
Disagreements over command and control of the army constituted the factor
causing talks on a transitional ruling body between the government of the
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the former rebel Mouvement de
liberation congolais (MLC) to stall on 5 June.
ETHIOPIA: OROMO REBELS DENY DEFEAT
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28665
The rebel Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) last Friday denied claims by the
Ethiopian army that it had "completely annihilated" separatist forces in the
west of the country. "This is not the first time the Ethiopians have claimed
total victory against our forces," OLF spokesman Lencho Bati told IRIN. "Our
forces are intact." He admitted that OLF troops had sustained casualties in
the
fighting which has been raging in the Gambela region for the past two months
when the OLF launched an offensive in the area.
LIBERIA: GOVERNMENT TROOPS RETAKE TUBMANBURG
Liberian government troops on Tuesday recaptured the town of Tubmanburg,
northwest of the capital, Monrovia, from rebels of the Liberians United for
Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD), the government has reported.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8819
MADAGASCAR: LENGTHY POLITICAL CRISIS OVER
http://www.rnw.nl/hotspots/html/madagascar020708.html
The political crisis in Madagascar appears to finally be at an end. Saying
the
incoming President seems to be "a chap who can actually deliver on things,"
Richard Cromwell of the Institute of Security Studies in Johannesburg
discusses
how the crisis was resolved and what lies ahead for the impoverished island
nation.
SIERRA LEONE: NEW GOVERNMENT MUST ADDRESS WAR LEGACIES
http://hrw.org/backgrounder/africa/sl-bck0711.htm.
The new government of Sierra Leone must act decisively to address the issues
that gave rise to the bloody decade-long war, Human Rights Watch says in a
new
briefing paper. President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah, who will preside over the
formal
opening of a newly-elected parliament, must set as top priorities steps to
establish the rule of law and seek accountability for past abuses. Failure
to
do so will undermine efforts to establish lasting peace and stability.
SOMALIA: BAIDOA CEASEFIRE DOCUMENT SIGNED
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28739
The warring sides in the southern town of Baidoa have officially signed a
ceasefire document, local sources told IRIN on Wednesday. They said the
ceasefire, which was arranged by a mediation committee and announced over
the
weekend, has been observed by both sides, even before it was officially
signed.
Fighting between rival factions of the Rahanweyn Resistance Army (RRA),
which
controls much of Bay and Bakol regions in southwestern Somalia, erupted last
week.
SOMALIA: PEACE TALKS FIXED FOR SEPTEMBER
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28733
The UN Security Council on Tuesday confirmed that the planned Somali peace
talks to be held under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Authority on
Development (IGAD) in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, are now scheduled to take
place in September.
SUDAN: REBELS AGREE TO NUBA CEASEFIRE EXTENSION
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28715
The rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) has agreed to the
extension of a ceasefire in the Nuba Mountains region of south-central
Sudan,
sources close to the rebel group told IRIN.
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3.RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY
AFRICA: AFRICAN UNION SHOULD SPOTLIGHT HUMAN RIGHTS
The African Union must strengthen the region's human rights institutions if
its
promise is to become reality, Human Rights Watch says. The African Union's
Constitutive Act pledges respect for human rights and rejects the widespread
impunity that has characterized armed conflict and political repression in
many
African countries. In "grave circumstances" such as occurred during the
Rwandan
genocide, the Constitutive Act authorizes the African Union to intervene.
But
the existing regional human rights institutions the African Union will
inherit
have been crippled by a lack of resources and political will.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8748
AFRICA: AFRICAN UNION SUMMIT CLOSES
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-1870158,00.html
The first summit of the African Union ended Wednesday with lofty promises of
a
new era of economic development and good government on a continent plagued
by
poverty and oppression. Still to be seen is whether member states have the
political will to turn those goals into reality.
AFRICA: AU MUST BE RELEVANT TO AFRICANS
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28746
Civil society organisations have urged that African Union (AU) leaders speed
up
the implementation of two key institutions, which will ensure the
accountability and transparency of the AU following its launch. At a meeting
on
the sidelines of the historic summit, which has seen the AU replace the
Organisation of African Unity, activists committed themselves to ensuring
that
the Union fulfilled its promise of being more "people oriented".
AFRICA: ZIMBABWE CASTS SHADOW OVER AU LAUNCH
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28729
The African Union (AU) was launched with much pomp and ceremony in Durban,
South Africa, on Tuesday. However, the crisis in Zimbabwe cast a shadow over
the festivities. The leader of Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic
Change (MDC), Morgan Tsvangirai - unable to attend the launch - sent a
videotaped message saying the biggest challenge for the AU was
the "illegitimate" government of President Robert Mugabe.
CAMEROON: OPPOSITION WANTS ELECTIONS ANNULLED
Church leaders and opposition politicians have described legislative and
municipal elections held in Cameroon on 30 June as flawed. The politicians
have
also called for the polls to be annulled.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8737
COTE D IVOIRE: LOCAL ELECTIONS RECORD LOW TURNOUT
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28755
The ruling Front populaire ivoirien (FPI) and the former ruling party, le
Parti
democratique de Cote d'Ivoire (PDCI) each took 18 councils in Cote
d'Ivoire's
first-ever local elections. A total of 58 councils (called departments) were
contested in Sunday's polls. Voter-turnout was however a low 30 percent and
allegations of fraud have emerged.
KENYA: RIFT IN RULING PARTY
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_2120000/2120822.stm
A split has emerged within the ruling Kanu party in Kenya over the
announcement
by some party members that the son of Kenya's first president, Jomo
Kenyatta,
should be the party's presidential candidate at the next election.
MALAWI: NO THIRD TERM FOR MULUZI
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28678
President Bakili Muluzi of Malawi publicly accepted defeat after a bid to
run
for a controversial third term was rejected by the country's parliament last
Thursday.
SOUTHERN AFRICA: POLICING TO PROTECT HUMAN RIGHTS
http://web.amnesty.org/ai.nsf/recent/afr030042002
Human rights are under attack every day in countries in southern and eastern
Africa. Under pressure to deal harshly with rising levels of crime or
through
political manipulation, police inflict torture and ill-treat criminal
suspects
and political activists. Excessive or unjustified lethal force is used to
suppress peaceful protest and government opponents are arbitrarily detained,
according to a new report from Amnesty International.
SWAZILAND: CONCERN OVER PROPOSED NEW CONSTITUTION
King Mswati's efforts to use the constitution to permanently enshrine
absolute
monarchial power and ban political opposition is being challenged by Western
envoys stationed in the kingdom. "The aspirations and basic rights of all
Swazi
citizens must be guaranteed," warned United States Ambassador to Swaziland,
James McGee, in his formal address at an observation marking America's
Independence Day last week.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8752
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4.CORRUPTION
SOUTH AFRICA: FORMER SOUTH AFRICAN ANC CHIEF FACES ARMS FRAUD TRIAL
http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=40259
A prominent South African politician went on trial on Tuesday charged with
fraud and corruption linked to a multi-billion-dollar arms deal. Tony
Yengeni,
47, former chief whip of the ruling African National Congress and Michael
Worfel, a German who is former head of European Aeronautic Defence and Space
Co
(EADS) in South Africa, appeared in a Pretoria court.
SOUTH AFRICA: TOP GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL SUSPENDED
http://www.dispatch.co.za/2002/07/08/southafrica/BTOP.HTM
The chief director of the Department of Public Enterprises, Andile Nkuhle,
has
been suspended amid allegations he had received money from a company which
won
the bid for a R335million state forestry deal, the department said.
TANZANIA: TRA DENIES CASH REGISTER ALLEGATIONS
http://www.newafrica.com/news/articlepg1.asp?ID=49329&countryid=49
The Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) has no contractual relationship with
any
firm in its decision requiring businessmen to have electronic cash register
(ECR) machines. TRA Director for Taxpayer Education, Protas Mmanda, said in
Dar
es Salaam that businessmen were free to buy ECRs machines from anywhere in
the
world provided they meet TRA specifications. He was reacting to allegations
raised by one "disappointed businessman" that TRA was promoting ECRs being
sold
by a company he did not name.
UGANDA: ARMY TO ELIMINATE CORRUPTION, SAYS DEFENCE MINISTER
http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=40230
Defence Minister Amama Mbabazi has said the army is seeking to achieve
savings
by eliminating wastage and corruption by instituting more efficient
financial
management systems. He said the army would prioritize its missions. Mbabazi
was
speaking at the opening of a South to South seminar meant to discuss the
African experience on security sector transformations.
UGANDA: COMPANY WARNED ABOUT BRIBE
http://www.newvision.co.ug/detail.php?subCatId=6&subCatName=Front%
20Page&story=45846
The United States Department of Justice is reported to have alerted AES
Corporation about the US$10,000 bribe a contractor in the Bujagali dam
construction consortium gave a Ugandan official in 1999. “When the US
Department of Justice tipped AES about the bribe, the company immediately
instituted a probe into the allegations,” said a source.
ZIMBABWE: $50 BILLION LOST IN MONEY LAUNDERING OVER LAST SIX YEARS
http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=40240
An estimated US$1 billion has been laundered over the past six years in
Zimbabwe, according to the National Economic Consultative Forum.
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5.HEALTH
AFRICA: AIDS CONFERENCE CRY IS FOR 'MUCH MORE MONEY'
http://allafrica.com/stories/200207090002.html
On Barcelona's streets outside the Aids conference, treatment advocates,
doctors and people with HIV/AIDS plan to stage "massive" protests. South
Africa's Treatment Action Campaign chairman, Zackie Achmat, says that
treatment
advocates are also planning a "new pan-African treatment movement, demanding
everything from vitamins to anti-retrovirals." The protests are just one
sign
that this may be the most complex of the Aids conferences since the first
took
place almost a decade and a half ago. And while much of the noise coming
from
the 14th Aids International Conference in Barcelona, Spain that began Sunday
will be the sound of argument about how much weight to give treatment versus
prevention, the real battle cry, raised by voices focused on prevention as
well
as treatment, is for much more money for the Aids fight.
AFRICA: CALL FOR SUPPORT TO FIGHT AIDS IN AFRICA
http://allafrica.com/stories/200207100004.html
"It’s not knowledge that’s the barrier. It’s political wealth. The world
stood
by while AIDS overwhelmed Subsaharan Africa. Never again," said Peter Piot,
executive director of UNAIDS, in an address to the International Aids
Conference in Barcelona.
AFRICA: CHALLENGE OF TREATMENT ACCESS
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has thrown down a challenge to the
international community at the AIDS 2002 conference in Barcelona this week,
calling for three million people to have access to antiretroviral (ARV)
therapy
by 2005. WHO's goal represents half of the six million people who need
treatment now, and a fraction of the 40 million currently living with the
virus.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8823
AFRICA: DOCTORS CALL FOR SUPPORT ON GENERICS
http://www.msf.org/content/page.cfm?articleid=CACAC71B-FF8D-431C-
B4E33789E5854491
Calling the lack of action taken by international governments to prevent the
AIDS crisis a "crime against humanity", a group of doctors asked leaders at
the
International AIDS conference in Barcelona to stop debating
cost-effectiveness
and start providing more generic drugs to third world countries.
AFRICA: THROW OPEN THE DOORS! - ACTIVIST OFFERS THE DRUG COMPANIES A DEAL
http://www.aids2002.com/ViewArticle.asp?article=/T-
CMS_Content/News/7112002030456AM.xml
Zackie Achmat, the ailing South African AIDS activist, has called for drug
companies to waive patent restrictions and throw open the doors to a
competitive market in generic drugs throughout the developing world. “The
partial price reductions and insufficient donations by drug companies will
not
assist in the long term to deal with the epidemic in a sustainable and an
effective manner,” said Achmat, speaking to an Aids conference in Barcelona,
Spain.
AFRICA: WIDESPREAD INFECTION FROM AIDS VIRUS THREATENS TO DESTABILISE
AFRICAN
NATIONS
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/africa/story.jsp?story=312977
The Aids virus threatens to destabilise entire nations in Africa, an
international conference on the disease was warned this week. Ministers from
Botswana told the 14th International Aids Conference that their country was
facing "extinction" because nearly 40 per cent of adults were infected.
Their
warnings came as activists marched on the conference in Barcelona to demand
that two million infected people in the developing world were guaranteed
access
to anti-Aids drugs.
BURUNDI: HUMANITARIAN COMMUNITY TACKLES CHOLERA OUTBREAK
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28696
The Burundi Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
presented on Monday a coordinated plan to counter the latest cholera
outbreak,
the UN agency reported. Two cholera-related deaths and 101 cases have been
recorded since the outbreak began on 17 June in Bujumbura Mairie, the city
centre.
GAMBIA: WHO, UNICEF HELP IN THIRD MENINGITIS VACCINATION DRIVE
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28702
A two-week mass vaccination exercise against meningitis, which kills
hundreds
of people in West Africa each year, began on Monday in The Gambia.
KENYA: ACTIVISTS UNHAPPY WITH NEW HIV/AIDS LAW
Activists in Kenya are seeking ways to reverse a new law which they say
blocks
the importation and local manufacture of much-needed cheaper, generic AIDS
drugs.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8733
KENYA: NEARLY 300 KILLED IN MALARIA EPIDEMIC
The Kenyan authorities have given details of an outbreak of highland
malaria,
which has killed a total of 294 people since June.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8848
NIGERIA: PROMOTING DUAL PROTECTION IN FAMILY PLANNING CLINICS IN IBADAN
Research Paper
http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/2808702.html
Integrating dual-protection counseling and female condom provision into
family
planning services appears feasible, as is service providers' acceptance of
dual-
protection objectives. While providers and clients are key to transforming
family planning to dual-protection services, the attitudes and behaviors of
clients' male partners must be considered in gauging the success of the
dual-
protection intervention.
SOUTH AFRICA/UGANDA: ARV TREATMENT CAN WORK IN POOR COMMUNITIES
Two pilot antiretroviral (ARV) programmes, underway in South Africa and
Uganda,
have demonstrated that AIDS treatment campaigns are possible in poor
communities. What's missing to scale-up these initiatives into national
programmes is funding, and the political will, healthcare workers say.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8730
TANZANIA: MALARIA DRUG CAUGHT UP IN SIDE EFFECT SCARE
Tanzania's new first line drug for treating malaria, Sulphadoxine
Pyrimethamine
(SP), has been embroiled in a high profile media scare over its potential
side
effects.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8767
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6.EDUCATION AND SOCIAL WELFARE
AFRICA: A WORLD FIT FOR CHILDREN
http://allafrica.com/stories/200207080482.html
Eleven years ago, at the World Summit for Children, world leaders made a
joint
commitment and issued an urgent universal appeal to give every child a
better
future. Since then, much progress has been made. However, achievements and
gains have been uneven, and many obstacles remain, particularly in
developing
countries. A brighter future for all has proved elusive, and overall gains
have
fallen short of national obligations and international commitments.
AFRICA: NUMBER OF CHILDREN ORPHANED BY AIDS WILL RISE DRAMATICALLY
http://www.hrea.org/lists/hr-headlines/markup/100702.php
A major international report released at the XIV International AIDS
Conference
in Barcelona, Spain finds that an already grim global orphan crisis is set
to
get much worse as more and more adults with children die from AIDS,
especially
in sub-Saharan Africa. The report, Children on the Brink, calls for action
at
all levels to assist children, families and communities who are affected by
the
unprecedented emergency.
KENYA: 22 000 TEACHERS NEEDED
http://allafrica.com/stories/200207090608.html
Kenya has a shortfall of 22,000 teachers in both primary and secondary
schools.
The shortfall will be reduced through recruitment beginning this month, the
government says.
KENYA: WHERE AIDS ORPHANS SEE PROSTITUTION AS A WAY OUT FOR A LIVING
http://allafrica.com/stories/200207050008.html
Prostitution is not a new trade in Rangwe, South Nyanza, but social workers
are
astounded by its meteoric rise in the height of the Aids pandemic. Nearly
500
orphaned girls in the district have become sex workers. "The epidemic has
left
them fending for themselves," says Ms Nereah Seda, a community worker.
Neglected by relatives, their behaviour is reactive and reckless.
NAMIBIA: PLIGHT OF ORPHANS IN SPOTLIGHT
http://allafrica.com/stories/200207050099.html
"Dumping" orphans into special child-care centres should only be considered
as
a last resort, it was agreed during Namibia's second national conference on
the
plight of orphans, held in Windhoek last week.
WEST AFRICA: COCOA INDUSTRY MOVES AGAINST CHILD LABOUR
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28645
Chocolate-manufacturing companies, NGOs and other stakeholders have set up
an
international foundation to eliminate child labour in West Africa's cocoa
industry.
ZIMBABWE: SCHOOL CLOSED AS ZANU PF MILITANTS BEAT UP TEACHERS FOR SUPPORTING
OPPOSITION
http://allafrica.com/stories/200207100256.html
Mapanzure High School near Masvingo town was on Monday shut down
indefinitely
after some of the 50 teachers at the school were beaten up by suspected
supporters of the ruling Zanu PF party.
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7.WOMEN AND GENDER
AFRICA: ADVANCING WOMEN'S ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS
http://www.whrnet.org/specialfocus.html
This month, our Special Focus is on advancing women's economic, social and
cultural rights. The section covers initiatives to highlight economic,
social
and cultural human rights (ESCRs) in gender-specific forums, as well as
efforts
to include gender perspectives in agendas and forums addressing ESCRs. Over
the
coming weeks, we will provide links to key documents and details of related
projects and upcoming events.
AFRICA: AIDS STALKS WOMEN
http://www.newsday.com/news/opinion/columnists/ny-vpcoc092777962jul09.column
?
coll=ny%2Dopinion%2Dcolumnists
The face of AIDS is female. The international conference on AIDS being held
this week in Barcelona bares the truth. Women - heterosexual women in
sanctioned relationships - are the world's chief victims of AIDS. They are
not
yet a majority of those who suffer from AIDS but they will be, and soon.
Some
44 percent of those who are HIV-positive are now women, according to a
United
Nations report prepared for the conference.
AFRICA: EMPOWERING WOMEN TO PREVENT HIV/AIDS
As long as women were denied basic needs such as access to condoms and power
to
negotiate their sexual relationships, the HIV/AIDS epidemic would continue
to
increase, activists say.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8738
AFRICA: ENDING BIAS KEY TO STOPPING SPREAD OF HIV TO WOMEN
http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/967
Gender inequality is sometimes fatal, as people are learning this week at
the
International AIDS conference in Barcelona. In this, the third decade of the
global AIDS pandemic, stigma against women infected with HIV/AIDS is one of
the
single greatest challenges that face us as we try to slow the spread of this
deadly disease.
GHANA: TWO-DAY WORKSHOP ON THE SITUATION OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN
http://allafrica.com/stories/200207090824.html
The Ministry of Women and Children Affairs yesterday began a two-day
workshop
on the situation of women and children in the country. The theme of the
workshop "Promoting Gender Mainstreaming and Children's Rights Protection in
Ghana" has the objective of creating a good working relationship between the
ministry and the media to help educate the public on the harm of gender
imbalances.
LIBERIA: WOMEN PROTESTERS HOLD 700 OIL WORKERS HOSTAGE
At least 150 women protesters have besieged Chevron-Texaco's main oil export
facility in Nigeria's southern oil region to back demands for jobs for their
children, company officials said on Wednesday.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8822
MALAWI: GIRLS FACE OBSTACLES TO EDUCATION
Girls in Malawi have to overcome a mountain of sometimes insurmountable
obstacles if they hope to complete their education, a new study has found.
The
girls' battle to get an education falls within the shocking statistic that
only
20 percent of Malawi's children complete primary school.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8751
SOUTH AFRICA: RISKING DEATH TO STAY ALIVE
http://www.aids2002.com/ViewArticle.asp?article=/T-
CMS_Content/News/7112002123334AM.xml
A third of all women canvassed at three ante-natal clinics in a study in
Soweto, South Africa, admitted to having had “transactional sex” in return
for
food, clothing, transportation, school fees, cash or gifts for their
children –
and were HIV positive.
SOUTH AFRICA: WOMEN IN NEW APARTHEID LAWSUIT
http://allafrica.com/stories/200207080542.html
Maverick US attorney Ed Fagan and a team of South African lawyers have
lodged a
new class action that categorises women and children as specific
complainants
in a multibillion-rand lawsuit against companies thought to have benefited
during the apartheid era.
UGANDA: POOR REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN IN MANAGEMENT
http://allafrica.com/stories/200207100736.html
Women are still poorly represented in management, a report from the
Federation
of Uganda employers released recently says. The report shows huge
disparities
in gender when it comes to management positions.
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8.REFUGEES AND FORCED MIGRATION
ANGOLA: REFUGEES RETURNING, BUT LITTLE AID AVAILABLE
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28668
"This is my motherland," said Pedro Mtondo, 27. "When I went to Zambia I
went
because of the war and now that I see my country is okay I want to come back
-
so I can do something so they can have a better life here." Between 8,000
and
10,000 former refugees are believed to have returned to Angola since the
signing of a ceasefire between the Angolan government and the UNITA rebels
on 4
April.
BURUNDI-TANZANIA: DWINDLING NUMBERS OF REFUGEES OPTING FOR REPATRIATION
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28698
An increasing number of Burundian refugees in camps in western Tanzania
are "dropping out" of the repatriation process, despite having registered
for
it with the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR).
BURUNDI: FUNDING FOR BURUNDIAN REFUGEES FACES CRISIS IN TANZANIA
http://www.newafrica.com/news/articlepg1.asp?ID=49292&countryid=49
Five camps hosting Burundian refugees in Kibondo, western Tanzania, face a
severe funding crisis, greatly hampering the provision of adequate
assistance,
particularly in education, water and sanitation, a relief organisation told
PANA Monday.
DJIBOUTI: REFUGEES TO START REPATRIATING TO SOMALILAND
Refugees will return from Djibouti to Somaliland on Saturday, the UN refugee
agency UNHCR announced on Wednesday. It said these first voluntary
repatriations were taking place after "long negotiations" between the
Djibouti
and Somaliland authorities. About 14,000 refugees - out of a total of 21,700
-
have registered to return.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8766
ETHIOPIA: DROUGHT LOOMS HIGH IN AFAR AS 500,000 PEOPLE ARE DISPLACED
http://allafrica.com/stories/200207050536.html
About 500,000 people have been displaced in Afar and are migrating to
neighboring regions as an imminent drought is just around the corner due to
the
failure of rains for the past two years.
ETHIOPIA: US DONATES MONEY FOR REFUGEE FEEDING
Refugees in Ethiopia are to benefit from a US $1.7 million donation from the
US
government to help make up food shortages.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8817
KENYA: OPERATIONS IN DADAAB CAMP TO CONTINUE, UNHCR SAYS
The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, has said it will continue to administer to
refugees in Dadaab camp, northeastern Kenya, despite threats by local
politicians who this week accused the agency of ignoring the welfare of
local
communities around camp.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8765
NAMIBIA: HUNDREDS OF NAMIBIAN REFUGEES TO RETURN HOME
http://www.newafrica.com/news/articlepg1.asp?ID=49275&countryid=7
Some 700 Namibian refugees from Botswana's Dukwi refugee camp are set to
return
home in August when the UN High Commissioner for Refugees completes
preparation
for their repatriation.
UGANDA: UGANDA REBELS ATTACK U.N. REFUGEE CAMP, KILL SIX
http://www.africantimes.com/articlepg1.asp?ID=49338
Rebels of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) attacked a United Nations-run
refugee camp in north western Uganda, killing five refugees and a government
soldier, the U.N. said on Tuesday.
WEST AFRICA: UNHCR SEEKS OVER US $10 MILLION FOR REFUGEES FROM LIBERIA
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28701
In response to an outflow of refugees from Liberia into neighbouring
countries,
the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
asked
donors on Friday for US $10.4 million to fund its emergency relief
operations
in the region. The bid for funds "comes amid increasing concern over the
condition of tens of thousands of displaced Liberians and Sierra Leonean
refugees caught up in the conflict", UNHCR spokesman Rod Redmond said in
Geneva. "It also follows the arrival of more than 76,000 fresh Liberian
refugees in neighbouring countries since the beginning of this year - an
exodus
continuing."
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9.RACISM AND XENOPHOBIA
SOUTH AFRICA: SAMWU WORKER KILLED IN RACIST ATTACK
http://southafrica.indymedia.org/
Three workers were knocked down by a car when they were leaving a march,
even
though they were walking on the pavement. Other workers were around and said
that an unidentified white man drove directly at them. One worker has been
killed and the other two are in hospital. The driver tried to speed off but
the
other workers caught his number plate.
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10.ENVIRONMENT
AFRICA: AFRICA NEEDS GREEN GROWTH TO FIGHT POLLUTION, SAYS U.N.
http://enn.com/news/wire-stories/2002/07/07052002/reu_47735.asp
Africans are likely to suffer increasing pollution, ill-health, and loss of
farmland unless the continent adopts "clean" technologies and the world does
more to fight global warming, the United Nations said last Thursday. The
United
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), releasing what it called the most
authoritative assessment of Africa's environment ever produced, said many
African countries were trying hard to protect their farms, coasts, jungles,
and
deserts.
AFRICA: AFRICA WARNED OF LOOMING ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS
http://www.scidev.net/frame3.asp?id=0407200217413649
Africa is likely to face increasing poverty, environmental decline and ill-
health unless urgent action is taken to ensure that development takes
environmental impacts into account, the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP)has warned. Soaring pollution levels, land degradation, droughts and
wildlife losses are among the threats to the continent outlined in the UNEP
report Africa Environment Outlook (AEO). In addition, climate change and the
uncontrolled expansion of cities will have an increasing impact over the
next
three decades.
AFRICA: LINK BETWEEN NORTHERN POLLUTION AND AFRICAN DROUGHT
http://enn.com/news/enn-stories/2002/07/07112002/s_47612.asp
The smokestacks of North American and European factories may have spawned
the
devastating droughts that killed millions of people in Ethiopia and other
parts
of the Sahel region of Africa.
Scientists have been puzzled about the source of the 40-year dry spell,
among
the most severe in recorded history. Now a global climate model developed by
Leon Rotstayn of CSIRO Australia and Ulrike Lohmann of Dalhousie University
in
Canada appears to link the two phenomena.
AFRICA: WORLD SEEN FACING SLUMP AS NATURAL RESOURCES RUN OUT
http://enn.com/news/wire-stories/2002/07/07102002/reu_47786.asp
Humanity is heading for a sharp drop in living standards by the middle of
the
century unless it stops its massive depletion of the Earth's natural
resources,
according to a report issued Tuesday. Titled "Living Planet Report 2002,"
the
study said there was so much pressure on water supplies, forests, land, and
energy sources that within 150 years the planet's riches could be exhausted
and
temperatures pushed inexorably upwards. WWF figures show while rich nations
draw heavily on Earth's resources, people in poor African states eke out an
existence without using all that is available to them within their national
borders.
BURKINA FASO: OPERATION LAUNCHED TO INDUCE RAIN
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28747
Hard hit by insufficient rainfall, Burkina Faso launched on Tuesday
"Operation
Saaga" in which it is using two planes to drop chemicals into the clouds to
induce rain. "Saaga" means rain in local languages.
ETHIOPIA: RARE ETHIOPIAN WOLF AT RISK
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28686
The Ethiopian wolf - one of the rarest animals in the world - is being
threatened by farmers using poisons to protect their livestock, campaigners
told IRIN on Monday. It is the first time that the wolves, listed by the
World
Conservation Union as "critically endangered", have been killed as a result
of
poisoning. Conservationists blame poison for wiping out most other wildlife
in
the country, such as lions.
GAMBIA: CRD FORESTRY PROJECT A DREAM COME TRUE
http://allafrica.com/stories/200207080481.html
The formerly thick forests of The Gambia have been degraded and reduced
during
the last century because of large-scale destruction through bush fire,
exploitation of forestry resources and cultivation. Because of this
development, the government reacted in the early eighties in the western
parts
of the country through the Gambian-German Forestry Project (GGFP) and in
1996 a
forestry project was started.
NIGERIA: 'ECOLOGY WILL WORSEN IN 30 YEARS '
http://allafrica.com/stories/200207100677.html
The ecological situation in Nigeria will make life unbearable for future
generations if an adequate and systematic approach to land degradation is
not
seriously tackled, Governor Umar Musa Yar'Adua of Katsina State said during
the
launching of the state "Operation Keep Katsina Clean."
SOUTH AFRICA: SOUTH AFRICA WAGES WAR ON WATER-SUCKING INVADERS
http://enn.com/news/wire-stories/2002/07/07092002/reu_47763.asp
Armed with machetes and escorted by comrades toting assault rifles, the
group
thrusts into the bush singing and shouting. It could be mistaken for a lynch
mob, but the quarry is actually an invasive plant: the innocuous-looking
prickly pear, which resembles a green cactus.
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11.MEDIA
AFRICA: IFJ MOURNS LOSS OF UNION LEADER
The International Federation of Journalists has expressed sadness at
the "tragic loss" of Angels Banda, President of the Zambian Union of
Journalists, as well as the first President of the Southern Africa
Journalists
Association that was launched last year. Angels Banda was killed on Friday
in a
car accident while attending a union-backed seminar near Lusaka.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8855
BOTSWANA: RADIO STATION, PRESENTER SUED
Popular Gabz FM radio presenter and MISA-Botswana Chairperson Solomon
Monyame
and Gabz FM management have been jointly sued for the sum of Botswana Pula
1.7
million (approx. US$279,330) in damages over announcements broadcast on the
station's breakfast show on 6 June 2002. On 6 June, Monyame announced
between
6:45 and 6:55 a.m. (local time) that he would interview Radio Botswana 2
(RB2)
announcer Gloria Kgosi on allegations that she was harassed by Botsalo
Ntuane,
executive secretary of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), on RB2's
premises, thus delaying the airing of the national news by seven minutes.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8856
CONGO REPUBLIC: SENIOR POLICE OFFICIAL THREATENS JOURNALIST
Colonel Jean François Denguet, Police Services director-general, recently
threatened to kill Radio France Internationale (RFI) and RSF correspondent
Alain Shungu. The incident took place in Brazzaville. The death threat
followed
the publication of an article in which it was reported that the colonel
banned
a meeting that had been organised by opposition leader André Milongo in
Makélélé. In addition, the colonel also threatened to personally contact the
Communications Ministry and see to it that the journalist's accreditation
was
revoked.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8853
ERITREA: LETTER TO PRESIDENT AFEWORKI
International PEN, the world association of writers representing members in
95
countries, is deeply concerned about the continued detention of the
journalists
Yusuf Mohamed Ali, Mattewos Habteab, Dawit Habtemichael, Medhanie Haile,
Temesken Ghebreyesus, Emanuel Asrat, Adowit Isaac, Fesshaye Yohannes, Said
Abdelkader, Selayinghes Beyene, Simret Seyoum and Fitzum Wedi Ade. All the
detentions took place in the aftermath of the closure of the private press
on
18 September 2001. International PEN considers the prolonged detention of
the
journalists without trial to be thoroughly alarming, and is particularly
concerned by the transfer of the nine journalists on hunger strike to
undisclosed locations.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8843
ETHIOPIA: TWO EDITORS RELEASED ON BAIL
Melese Shine, editor-in-chief of the weekly "Ethiop", was released on bail
of
12,000 birr (approx. US$1,440) on 25 June 2002. He had been detained since
19
March when he was charged with publishing and disseminating an article
defaming
the head of government, and publishing an interview with an alleged member
of
an illegal group. Gizaw Taye, the editor-in-chief of the "Lamrot" newspaper,
was also released on bail on 24 June. He had been held since 15 March on
press
charges. It is estimated that there are at least 80 such cases waiting to go
to
trial involving journalists. Lubaba Said, the former editor-in-chief of
the "Tarik" newspaper, continues to serve her one-year sentence handed down
on
3 April for "fabricating news that could have a negative psychological
effect
on members of the armed forces and disturb the minds of the people".
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8852
IFJ OUTLINES CHALLENGE OF GLOBALISATION FOR WORLD SUMMIT ON INFORMATION
The International Federation of Journalists, the world's largest
organisation
of journalists, set out its action plan for the UN World Summit on
Information
Society to take place in Geneva in 2003 and Tunis in 2005, and called for
globalisation to respect social and professional rights of journalists. The
Swiss Federation of Journalists (SFJ), representing the IFJ during the
Preparatory Committee for Civil Society from 1 to 5 July 2002 in Geneva,
introduced the position of journalists during a working session on media
professionals.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8854
LIBERIA: LEADING JOURNALIST FEARED DEAD AMID CRACKDOWN ON MEDIA
Freedom-of-expression organisations have raised concerns over the fate of
Hassan Bility, a prominent Liberian newspaper editor. The journalist is
missing
and feared dead, say the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and
Reporters
Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF), while Human Rights Watch
(HRW) is concerned that he may be at risk of torture and ill-treatment.
Bility,
the editor of the independent weekly "The Analyst," was arrested on 24 June,
together with three other Liberians, on suspicion of operating a rebel
terrorist cell in Monrovia, says HRW.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8842
MALAWI: REGULATORY AUTHORITY BACK-PEDALS ON THREAT TO RADIO STATION
The Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) has back-pedalled on
its
recently issued threat that the Malawi Institute of Journalism radio station
(MIJ FM) risked losing its broadcasting licence for what MACRA described as
anomalies and bias in its reporting.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8844
MAURITANIA: NEWSPAPER CENSORED BY THE AUTHORITIES
The latest issue of the weekly newspaper "La Tribune" has been banned,
apparently because it contained criticism of recent government efforts to
interfere with the election of the president of the national bar
association.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8840
NIGERIA: PANEL BARS JOURNALISTS
Journalists have been barred from the proceedings of the Justice Bolarinwa
Babalakin panel set up by the National Judicial council (NJC), to probe the
bribery allegation leveled by the former Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.
General Ishaya Bamaiyi, and his co-accused against a Lagos High Court Judge,
Justice Augustine Ade-Alabi. It was the second time that journalists would
be
barred from the panel's sitting. Newsmen had earlier on April 1 been asked
out
of the venue of the panel's sitting at Kirikiri prisons, Lagos.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8857
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12.DEVELOPMENT
AFRICA: ENGAGEMENT WITH NEPAD, AU A PRIORITY
Civil society have resolved that continued engagement with the African Union
and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad) must be an “ongoing
priority”. “African unity and development have long been a vision of African
people. African civil society, therefore, resolves to be vigilant in
ensuring
that African leaders remain true to their commitments as enunciated in both
the
Constitutive Act of the AU and the principles of the NEPAD process.” This
was
the conclusion of a meeting of representatives of African civil society
organisations (CSOs), meeting in Durban, South Africa from 1 to 2 July. The
meeting was held to discuss the role of CSOs with respect to the African
Union
(AU) and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8760
AFRICA: THE ECONOMICS OF HIV IN AFRICA
http://www.msf.org/content/page.cfm?articleid=46CF6FAC-D98B-448A-
A63C797C070B88B5
The G8 leaders allocated US$6 billion to Africa, not all of it new, and a
paltry sum compared with the US$40-50 billion annually that the World Bank
estimates is needed. Unfortunately Africa, and hence AIDS, seems to have
dropped down the G8 leaders' list of priorities. The summit chairman, Jean
Chrétien, put fighting terrorism first on his list of achievements of the
summit. This reordering of priorities does not make sense. The scale of the
HIV/AIDS pandemic, and its economic implications, are given in the UNAIDS
document, Report on the global HIV/AIDS epidemic, prepared for the 2002 AIDS
conference taking place in Barcelona, Spain.
MALAWI: IMF BOSS BLAMES WORLD BANK AND EU FOR MALAWI BLUNDER
http://www.jubileeplus.org/worldnews/africa/malawi040702.htm
Ratcheting up the debate over how and why Malawi sold its emergency food
supply, the chief of the IMF has told British parliamentarians that the
fault
lay with the World Bank and the European Union.
MOZAMBIQUE: DEBT RELIEF PROVIDES A GLIMMER OF HOPE
http://allafrica.com/stories/200207080099.html
The government of Mozambique is breathing a little easier these days. In
May,
the Southern African nation was forgiven over $730 million in debt. Britain,
Italy, Germany and oil-producing Opec nations cancelled the sum under the
Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) programme administered by the World
Bank
and the International Monetary Fund.
SOUTH AFRICA: 'DEBATEABLE' ROLE IN WTO EXAMINED
http://www.tni.org/
In the context of widespread criticism of the WTO , South Africa chose to
project itself internationally as the "bridge between the developed and the
developing world". But within South Africa, government spokespersons have
been
proudly proclaiming South Africa's "leadership role" in the WTO "in the best
interests of the developing world". As the evidence in this analysis shows,
it
is highly debateable whether this self proclaimed "leading role" is a
reality
among developing countries.
SOUTH AFRICA: WHEN PRIVATISED WATER BECOMES TOO EXPENSIVE
http://www.corporatewatch.org.uk/news/white_gold.htm
Just down the road from the wealthy Johannesburg suburb of Sandton, home to
the
World Summit on Sustainable Development 2002 venue, a human and
environmental
tragedy is being played out that has nothing to do with sustainability and
everything to do with big business’ push for profits at any cost. Though
just a
few miles from Sandton, Alexandra is not a wealthy suburb. It could fairly
be
called a shanty-town; a settlement of largely self-built homes of poor black
Africans, hardly changed since the apartheid era, where unemployment and
AIDS
are rife. Some of the homes have mains water, but since the city’s water
services were sold off to French-based multinational Suez (formerly Suez
Lyonnaise) the bills have tripled and many people can no longer afford to
keep
the water flowing.
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13.INTERNET AND TECHNOLOGY
HALF THE WORLD
http://www.shirky.com/writings/half_the_world.html
Clay Shirky makes some interesting observations about telecommunications
myths
in the developing world."Something incredibly good is happening in parts of
the
world with dynamic economies, and that is what people concerned with the
digital divide should be thinking about. If the world's poor are to be
served
by better telecommunications infrastructure, there are obvious things to be
done."
KENYA: IT SUMMIT AIMS TO DRIVE TECHNOLOGY
More than 500 IT and telecoms professionals and policy makers from across
the
continent are expected to attend the fourth annual African Computing and
Telecommunications summit.
SOUTH AFRICA: CRAY SUPERCOMPUTER FOR HIV AND GENOME RESEARCH
http://allafrica.com/stories/200207090009.html
The first supercomputer in Africa devoted specifically to research was
officially switched on at the University of the Western Cape on Monday by
Education Minister Kader Asmal.
UGANDAN INTERNET & MOBILE USE SOARS
http://www.nua.com/surveys/?f=VS&art_id=905358141&rel=true
The East African reports that the communications sector in Uganda is growing
rapidly. According to the National Information and Communication Technology
Policy, the number of mobile phone subscribers in Uganda grew from 3,500 in
1996 to the current total of 360,000.
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14.eNEWSLETTERS AND MAILING LISTS
EMAIL SERVICE WITH A FOCUS ON FUNDING
http://www.chapel-york.com
Chapel & York's email-Information Service helps you find the resources you
need
from amongst the vast amounts of information available for charities, non-
profits, & NGOs on-line. The focus is on new funding information, and
international and cross-boarder funding.
POPULATION AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH PORTAL
http://www.developmentgateway.org/pop
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Development Gateway
Foundation have launched the Population and Reproductive Health Internet
Portal, a community-built database of shared population information,
including
data, research, projects, ideas and dialogue. Visitors to the website are
able
to sign up for free membership, which entitles them to receive regular
updates
on new resources that are added.
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15.FUNDRAISING
DONORS AGREE TO FUND IDA PROGRAMME
http://allafrica.com/stories/200207080617.html
Donor countries have agreed on a three-year plan to fund the World Bank's
International Development Association (IDA) programme. According to a World
Bank Group statement, approximately US $23 billion in resources would be
made
available during the three years, of which almost US $13 billion would come
from new contributions from 39 donor countries.
GHANA: US GIVES $185,000 TO FIVE ORGANISATIONS
http://allafrica.com/stories/200207080730.html
The United States Government has given an amount of $185,000 to fund the
activities of five Ghanaian organisations to deal with violence against
women
and children.
OPEC TO DONATE $8.1 MILLION TO 12 AFRICAN NATIONS FOR HIV/AIDS EFFORTS
http://allafrica.com/stories/200207080770.html
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries will give $8.1 million to
12
African nations to fight HIV/AIDS. The money will be awarded to World Health
Organization projects in Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic,
Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Togo, Tanzania, Uganda and
Zambia.
SOUTH AFRICA: HIGH SCHOOL GIVEN A NEW COAT
http://www.dispatch.co.za/2002/07/08/easterncape/COAT.HTM
Volunteers from the Umsobomvu Youth Fund changed the dull face of the
historic
St Matthew's High School last week by giving it a fresh coat of paint as a
symbol of hope. The fund is working with the Eastern Cape Provincial Council
of
Churches on the St Matthew's R40000 project -- its biggest project in the
country.
SOUTHERN AFRICA: DONORS RESPOND TO APPEAL
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?
ReportID=28693&SelectRegion=Southern_Africa&SelectCountry=SOUTHERN_AFRICA
Donors have begun to respond to the World Food Programme's (WFP) massive US
$500 million appeal for the millions in need of food aid in six Southern
African countries. The United Kingdom had donated US $28.1 million, Canada
nearly US $1 million and the Netherlands US $500,000.
ZAMBIA: COPPERBELT INDIAN BUSINESS COMMUNITY DONATES TO THE MMCI
http://www.zana.gov.zm/news/viewnews.cgi?category=7&id=1025963986
The Copperbelt Indian business community has donated medicines worth k10
million and 60 blankets to the Maureen Mwanawasa community initiative
(MMCI).
ZAMBIA: MCCI DONATES TO KABWE GENERAL HOSPITAL
http://www.zana.gov.zm/news/viewnews.cgi?category=7&id=1025110411
The Maureen Mwanawasa community initiative (MMCI) has donated hospital
equipment and accessories worth us$300,000 dollars to Kabwe general
hospital.
The MCCI also donated medicine and mattresses worth K21 million to the
children's ward at Kabwe general hospital.
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16.COURSES, SEMINARS, AND WORKSHOPS
POVERTY ALLEVIATION, EMPLOYMENT PROMOTION AND GENDER EQUALITY
The International Training Centre of the International Labour Organisation
(ILO) based in Turin, Italy in collaboration with the Commission on Gender
Equality (CGE) South Africa is offering an on-line distance learning
programme
of 12-weeks duration. Twenty participants will be registered on the three-
module programme, running from 15 August to 15 November.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8728
SOUTH AFRICA: EXECUTIVE COURSE IN POLICY RESEARCH
http://watt.sn.apc.org/public/sn-announce/msg00310.html
As a public policy researcher or analyst, are you able to describe a problem
meaningfully, eliminate irrelevant material, say it with numbers, and focus
on
the central, critical factors? This course is meant to assist you in
defining
policy problems in a way that eliminates ambiguity.
SOUTH AFRICA: HTML AND WEB PUBLISHING COURSE
http://watt.sn.apc.org/public/sn-announce/msg00313.html
This 2-day course will enable participants to create a basic website,
maintain
their organisations' websites - add content to existing pages, add new
pages,
adapt a site's design, and develop the content and structure of a website.
WOMEN CELEBRATING THE RIGHT TO HEALTHY MINDS, BODIES AND SOULS
African health rights activists and researchers from all sub-regions of the
continent will meet to discuss issues with policy makers and health service
providers -- bringing a forum for debate on some of the most critical issues
of
Gender and Health in Africa between 4 and 7 February, 2003 in Johannesburg,
South Africa.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8810
WORKSHOP ON SCIENCE COMMUNICATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
SciDev.Net is holding a four-day workshop in Entebbe, Uganda between 29
September and 3 October on Science Communication for Sustainable
Development.
It will bring together a group of scientists, public relations officers,
print
and radio/TV journalists along with professionals from academies of science,
government departments, science and technology policy institutions and non-
governmental organisations.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8811
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17.ADVOCACY RESOURCES
SUDAN: DETAINEES SUBJECTED TO TORTURE
The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by the Sudan
Organisation Against Torture (SOAT), a member of the OMCT network, that 35
detainees from the Rizeigat tribe, including three children, were subjected
to
torture and are now awaiting their sentences following an unfair trial in
Darfour Province, Sudan. The OMCT requests that you write to the authorities
in
Sudan protesting the treatment.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8860
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18.JOBS
ADMINISTRATOR / OFFICE MANAGER
MISA
MISA, a media advocacy organisation whose objective is to promote media
freedom, diversity and pluralism is seeking to fill the position of
Administrator/Office Manager.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8741
ETHIOPIA: PROJECT MANAGER
Save The Children Canada
http://www.fpa.org/jobs_contact2423/jobs_contact_show.htm?doc_id=115291
Since 1996, Save the Children Canada and UK have been jointly implementing a
capacity building project with the Disaster Prevention and Preparedness
Commission (DPPC) of the Government of Ethiopia, to strengthen disaster
management capacity. The Project Manager is responsible for overall
leadership
and management of the project, including project design, planning,
implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
MALI: PROGRAMME MANAGER
Islamic Relief
http://www.fpa.org/jobs_contact2423/jobs_contact_show.htm?doc_id=115286
Established in 1984 in the UK, Islamic Relief is an international NGO
seeking
to promote sustainable economic and social development by working with local
communities - regardless of race, religion or gender - through relief and
development activities. We are active in Mali since 1998. Currently, our
activities are being implemented in both development and emergency fields.
We
require an experienced and skilled Programme Manager for our Mali office.
NAIROBI: EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
ACORD
ACORD is looking for a new Executive Director to be responsible for the
strategic leadership and overall organisational management of all areas of
ACORD’s work. S/He will continue the process of change we have been
undergoing.
This involves changing the focus of our programming to working with
communities
and social movements in both the North and South and using advocacy and
research as tools for change. We are relocating the secretariat from the UK
to
Africa by the end of 2004 and increasing the status, skills and
responsibility
of our Programme Managers to strategically manage their programmes.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8745
NAIROBI: PROGRAMMING DIRECTOR
ACORD
We are looking for a dynamic person to manage the delivery of all aspects of
its programming across 18 countries in Africa and through four cross-cutting
thematic programmes and a global programme which gives the overall strategic
framework to our programming.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8746
NIGERIA: PEACE AND JUSTICE PROGRAM OFFICER
Ford Foundation
http://www.fpa.org/jobs_contact2423/jobs_contact_show.htm?doc_id=114852
Working with the representative in Lagos and other Ford Foundation staff,
the
Program Officer will be responsible for the Foundation's West Africa
programming on human rights issues in the region.
SOUTH AFRICA: HELPERS NEEDED FOR WSSD
http://watt.sn.apc.org/public/sn-jobs/msg00215.html
Talent Consortium is looking for helpers to staff exhibition stands at the
upcoming World Summit on Sustainable Development.
SOUTH AFRICA: SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATOR
http://watt.sn.apc.org/public/sn-jobs/msg00216.html
The Electoral Institute of Southern Africa (EISA) is looking for a Systems
Administrator.
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19.BOOKS AND ARTS
NEW WAVE OF AFRICAN FILMS ATTRACTS AUDIENCES IN CANADA
Calgary Africa Film Festival
In June 2002, a small, but well selected festival of African cinema, showed
that the new wave of African filmmaking is yielding excellent quality that
can
attract world audiences. In the days preceding the G8 meeting of the
political
leaders of the world's wealthiest countries, in Kananaskis, Canada, a
festival
of African films & music helped to raise consciousness about issues
concerning
Africa.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8740
THE ASSASSINATION OF LUMUMBA
Ludo Do Witte
http://versobooks.com/books/cdef/de_witte_lumumba.shtml
Patrice Lumumba, first prime minister of the Republic of Congo and a pioneer
of
African unity, was murdered on 17 January 1961. Lumumba was at the centre of
the country’s popular defiance towards the relentless exploitation of its
Belgian coloniser. When independence was finally won in June 1960, his
unscheduled speech at the official ceremonies in Kinshasa, which described
Belgian rule as "a humiliating slavery imposed by brute force," received a
standing ovation and made him a hero to millions. Within months he was
arrested, tortured and executed. This book unravels the appalling mass of
lies
and betrayals that have surrounded accounts of the murder.
THE NO-NONSENSE GUIDE TO FAIR TRADE
David Ransom
http://versobooks.com/books/nopqrs/ransom_nng_fair_trade.shtml
The uproar at the World Trade Organization conference in Seattle focused
attention on the conflict between the mainly western-owned global
corporations
and the poorer nations whose natural resources and cheap manpower sustain
corporate profits, and who are also the unwilling purchasers of overpriced
and
inappropriate goods. In this book David Ransom vividly reveals the realities
of
trade as experienced by coffee-growers in Central America or the workers
making
jeans in Bangladesh sweatshops. He examines the roles played by the WTO,
UNCTAD, ILO, IMF, G7, and other powerful organisations hiding behind bland
initials. Even when their motives are benevolent, he argues, their
activities
are often inadequate and misguided.
THE NO-NONSENSE GUIDE TO GLOBALIZATION
Wayne Ellwood
http://versobooks.com/books/cdef/ellwood_nng_global.shtml
Globalisation: it’s a buzzword you can’t escape. For some it’s the ticket to
a
democratic world of instant communications and global prosperity. For others
it’s a money-mad juggernaut, spinning wildly out of control, threatening
both
cultural and biological diversity. Today the Western consumer model has
seeped
into every corner of the globe while gaps in wealth, food security and
social
provision continue to grow. The No-Nonsense Guide to Globalisation traces
the
journey towards a borderless world. And in the process it shows that the
promise of globalisation is seductive, powerful, and ultimately hollow.
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20.LETTERS AND COMMENTS
ISMAIL OLAWALE
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
Please subscribe me. As an African, I am interested in keeping pace with
events
on the African continent.
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