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Subject: [WASAN] FW: PAMBAZUKA NEWS 71 - THE SOCIAL COSTS OF CORPORATE
HIV/AIDS POLICY
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Subject: PAMBAZUKA NEWS 71 - THE SOCIAL COSTS OF CORPORATE HIV/AIDS POLICY
PAMBAZUKA NEWS 71
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
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1.EDITORIAL
THE SOCIAL COSTS OF CORPORATE HIV/AIDS POLICY
By Patrick Bond
At the same time the Treatment Action Campaign (Tac) and Congress of South
African Trade Unions (Cosatu) were holding a massive people's conference in
Durban to fight HIV/Aids last week, Thabo Mbeki begged for increased
commitments for Africa from G-8 leaders in Kananaskis, Canada.
Included amongst those commitments is the UN Global Fund, which according to
Kofi Annan should logically reach $10 billion annually to meet Third World
demands for inexpensive medicine, more health workers and improved
facilities.
But the Fund has received less than a tenth of that money, after George W.
Bush
denied a congressional allocation of $700 million in May.
Mbeki's search for aid, debt relief and investment resulted in "recycled
peanuts," according to informed commentators. Mbeki and other African
leaders
were reduced to expressing "satisfaction" over their 90-minute appearance
before Bush and his Northern cronies, which is a rhetorical measure of power
imbalances and global inequity.
Mbeki's New Partnership for Africa's Development was bound to attract
scepticism, particularly insofar as its corporate-friendly tone and content
compels venal government elites across the continent to make themselves
attractive for new investment.
Energised activists from the Tac/Cosatu conference will now have to raise
the
opposite question: how Africa-friendly are multinational corporations,
particularly when so many African workers are HIV+, and when the leading
corporations turn their back on anti-retroviral treatments?
Done properly, treatments would potentially transform the disease from
inexorably fatal into a chronic illness such as diabetes, as has happened in
much of the wealthier West.
But thanks to unemployment above 40%--if one counts those who have given up
trying to find a job under prevailing conditions-international and local
firms
are faced with a terrible option: replace sick workers with desperate,
unemployed people instead of providing them treatment.
Perhaps the ethical challenge was expressed most eloquently by financier
George
Soros, who was asked about treating HIV+ South Africans by an SABC
journalist
in April. He answered, `I think to provide treatment to the bulk of the
people
is just not feasible. I think to provide treatment for instance to qualified
workers actually saves money, actually saves money for companies.'
The interviewer responded, `Aren't you uncomfortable to talk in a way that
is a
kind of death sentence to those who we can't afford to treat?' Replied
Soros,
`I think the cost of providing actual treatment to everyone at the
present... I
don't think it's realistic. It's not achievable.'
In a more systematic way, the same conclusion was reached after a year of
study
at Africa's largest company, Anglo American Corporation. Anglo has 160,000
employees, of whom 21% are HIV+. After the pharmaceutical industry withdrew
its
lawsuit against Pretoria's potential use of imported generic drugs in April
2001, the company announced it would provide anti-retroviral medicines to
its
workforce, which meant literally tens of thousands of lives could be saved
in
the short term.
In June 2001, the Financial Times reported that`treatment of
[Anglo's]employees
with anti-retrovirals can be cheaper than the costs incurred by leaving them
untreated.' In August, Anglo's vice president for medicine, Brian Brink,
announced a strategy which 'involved offering wellness programmes, including
access to anti-retroviral treatment.'
According to one press report, `The company believed that the cost of its
programmes would eventually be outweighed by the benefits it received in
gradual gains in productivity, [Brink] concluded. Although it was indeed a
risky strategy, it was the only one Anglo could pursue in the face of such
human suffering.'
Then last October, Anglo simply retracted its promise, once cost-benefit
analysis showed that 146,000 of those workers just weren't worth saving.
According to the FT, Brink `said the company's 14,000 senior staff would
receive anti-retroviral treatment as part of their medical insurance, but
that
the provision of drug treatment for lower income employees was too
expensive.'
Brink explained the criteria for the fatal analysis:
'[Anti-retrovirals]could
save on absenteeism and improved productivity. The saving you achieve can be
substantial, but we really don't know how it will stack up. We feel that the
cost will be greater than the saving.'
His callous feeling became official policy a few months ago. As the Wall
Street
Journal recorded on April 16, `In a controversial move that could have wide
ramifications for how companies in poor countries handle Aids, mining giant
Anglo American PLC has put on hold a feasibility study to provide Aids drugs
to
its African work force, according to people familiar with the situation.
When
it disclosed its plans for the study a year ago, Anglo garnered wide praise
because it was one of the first major corporations to reveal measures aimed
at
treating Aids cases among its rank-and-file African employees.'
A month later, South Africa's most eloquent pro-corporate commentator, Ken
Owen, defended the merits of Anglo's policy in a Business Day column: `I am
sceptical about most doomsday economic scenarios generated by the Aids
epidemic... For the rest of this decade, at least, the lost workers will be
quite readily replaceable from the millions of unemployed, and society will
adjust in a myriad of ways to labour shortages. For example, a million
domestic
workers constitute a reserve pool of labour that can be drawn into
industry.'
Where does this display of corporate arrogance-bordering on culpable
homicide--
leave the treatment-activist movement? Will the April 2001 victory over Big
Pharma and the expected Constitutional Court ruling against Mbeki on access
to
drugs for pregnant HIV-positive women allow HIV/Aids activists to turn, with
their labour and other international solidarity allies, against capital?
The answer may lie in changing the terms of costs and benefits, by making
firms
socially liable-even if merely through old-fashioned protest--for killing
their
workers through malign medical-insurance neglect. With Anglo attempting to
shine at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in August,
opportunities
abound for global humiliation of the genocidal tendencies at these
mega-wealthy
multinational corporations.
(Wits University political economy professor Patrick Bond is editor of
'Fanon's
Warning', a new book critical of Nepad, published by Africa World Press and
the
Alternative Information and Development Centre.)
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2.CONFLICT, EMERGENCIES, AND CRISES
ANGOLA: SURVEY SHOWS SERIOUS MALNUTRITION
http://www.msf.org/countries/page.cfm?articleid=E9FF945A-ECBD-485B-
BB592F2E5526BF22
A nutritional survey done by Epicentre among 15,000 people in Chiteta in
Northern Huambo province of Angola between 10 and 14 June confirms a serious
nutritional crisis. One in six children are malnourished, and malnutrition
is
the main cause of death in the region.
ANGOLA: WFP URGES RAPID RESPONSE TO EXPANDED ANGOLA OPERATION
http://www.wfp.org/index.asp?section=2
With the number of people requiring emergency food aid in post-war Angola
rising dramatically, WFP has made a fresh appeal for assistance to
international donors. The Agency estimates that it will need US$ 241 million
to
feed up to 1.5 million people over the next 18 months - over a
half-a-million
more than the number of current beneficiaries.
DRC: HUMANITARIAN CRISIS ON MINEMBWE/ITOMBWE PLATEAU
A worsening humanitarian crisis is unfolding in the south of South Kivu
Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, as fighting rages between mainly
Rwandan army troops and the dissident Banyamulenge forces of Commandant
Patrick
Masunzu, humanitarian sources told IRIN on Tuesday.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8663
ERITREA-ETHIOPIA: HAGUE MEETING TO ''SET THE PACE'' FOR PEACE PROCESS
Ethiopia and Eritrea are to meet at a key summit which should "set the pace"
for the peace process, the United Nations said last Friday. The two
countries,
which fought a bitter two-year war, are due to meet in The Hague later this
month where the crucial border ruling over their disputed boundary was first
announced.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8590
ETHIOPIA: FOCUS ON LOOMING DROUGHT IN EAST SHEWA
Vultures circle overhead, waiting for new prey. In the blistering 40-degree
heat and bone-dry conditions, it does not take long before another cow
slumps
dying to the ground. This is Lady - a tiny village in eastern Ethiopia and
scene of a looming crisis. In the last 10 months the area has not seen a
drop
of rain. Cattle are dying, and the effects are now starting to hit the
thousands of families in the area.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8652
LIBERIA: FIGHTING HAMPERS AID
http://www.africantimes.com/articlepg1.asp?ID=49090
The United Nations warned on Wednesday that escalating fighting in Liberia
threatened peace in neighboring countries, especially Sierra Leone, and
hindered aid groups trying to help thousands of refugees in the region.
MADAGASCAR: 13 KILLED IN MADAGASCAR
http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.jsp?a=37&o=5445
At least 13 people have been killed in northern Madagascar as troops loyal
to
President Marc Ravalomanana pushed ahead with an offensive into one of the
last
remaining bastions of the country's former ruler, Didier Ratsiraka, a
military
official said.
MADAGASCAR: RATSIRAKA ON HIS WAY OUT, SAY ANALYSTS
Facing imminent military defeat, former Madagascan president Didier
Ratsiraka
on Tuesday called for an internationally guaranteed ceasefire, sparking
speculation that the reign of one of Africa's longest rulers has finally
come
to an end.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8670
SIERRA LEONE: SLOW REINTEGRATION OF EX-COMBATANTS CAUSES CONCERN
Nearly six months after the end of disarmament in Sierra Leone, at least
half
of the ex-combatants demobilised between September 1998 and January 2002 are
yet to be reintegrated, officials in the capital, Freetown, told IRIN. The
reintegration programmes were intended to prepare the 69,463 demobilised ex-
combatants for re-absorption into their communities. However the process has
been slow and ex-combatants were becoming "restless", the officials said
last
Friday.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8589
SOMALIA: HEAVY FIGHTING ERUPTS IN SOMALIA
http://www.africantimes.com/articlepg1.asp?ID=48882
Heavy fighting has flared up between rival militiamen from two clans in and
around the Golol Valley, about 270 kilometers Northeast of the central town
of
Galkaio last Wednesday. This new round of fighting broke out just a day
after
an agreement was reached over conflict between the same two subclans in
Gellinsor village, about 90 kilometers south of Galkaio town.
SOMALIA: OVER 20 KILLED IN FRESH FIGHTING IN BAIDOA
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28644
Fresh fighting erupted in the town of Baidoa on Thursday in which at least
20
people were killed, local sources told IRIN. The fighting between two
factions
of the Rahanweyn Resistance Army (RRA), which controls much of the Bay and
Bakol regions of southwestern Somalia, started at 09:00a.m. local time
(06:00
GMT) "and is still continuing", the sources said.
SUDAN: GROWING PRESSURE FOR HARDER LINE AGAINST KHARTOUM
http://www.fpif.org/commentary/2002/0207sudan.html
A settlement to the 19-year-old war between the predominantly Arab and
Islamist
government in Khartoum and the mostly African, non-Islamist rebels of the
Sudan
People's Liberation Army (SPLA) is unlikely to be achieved any time soon
unless
the United States and Europe exert much stronger pressure urgently,
according
to a new report by an international think tank that specializes in conflict
resolution. In particular, the Brussels-based International Crisis Group
(ICG)
is calling on the U.S. Congress to enact the long-pending Sudan Peace Act
(SPA)
that includes penalties against foreign oil companies--currently from
Canada,
western Europe, China, and Malaysia--that invest in Sudan's booming but
increasingly bloody oil sector.
ZIMBABWE: POLICE TARGET FARMERS
http://www.zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=4662
Four commercial farmers have been formally charged with disobeying a ban on
farming activity on land targeted for redistribution. On Thursday,
Commercial
Farmers Union spokeswoman Jenni Williams confirmed that four farmers had
been
formally charged while another 11 had been asked to report to the police
station.
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3.RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY
AFRICA: AFRICA GETS TOUGH WITH ILLEGITIMATE GOVERNMENTS
http://allafrica.com/stories/200207030017.html
African nations on Tuesday signalled their intention to deal decisively with
illegitimate regimes on the continent by barring Madagascar from the
soon-to-be-
launched African Union (AU). Agreement was also reached on the composition
of
an organ to stem war and conflict in Africa, a top Organisation for African
Unity (OAU) official said in Durban.
CAMEROON: FRAUD CLAIM IN CAMEROON POLL
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_2077000/2077459.stm
The opposition in Cameroon has said that Sunday's parliamentary and
municipal
elections were marred by fraud and should be annulled. The leader of the
opposition Social Democratic Front (SDF), John Fru Ndi, said many voters had
not been given voting cards in time for the poll or had not been registered.
CONGO: CONGOLESE PRESIDENT SATISFIED WITH ELECTORAL PROCESS
http://www.africantimes.com/articlepg1.asp?ID=48940
Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso has expressed his satisfaction with
the "peaceful" manner in which the local government election was
conducted. "All in all the process has been peaceful. There have been some
unfortunate incidents but no violence or disorder. So we have reason to be
happy," Sassou Nguesso told journalists after he had voted in the Ouenze
residential area north of Brazzaville.
GUINEA : LOW TURNOUT IN GUINEA POLL
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_2075000/2075060.stm
People in the Republic of Guinea are voting in parliamentary elections
overshadowed by opposition calls for a boycott. Early estimates suggest
turnout
has been low.
NIGERIA: OGONI GROUP WANTS ACTION ON AFRICAN RIGHTS COMMISSION'S RULING
Minority rights activists in Nigeria have called on the government to act
urgently on a ruling by the African Commission on Human and People's Rights
(ACHPR) that the state perpetrated massive abuses in the southeastern area
of
Ogoniland. The Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) said in a
statement sent to IRIN last Friday that it was seeking an audience with
Justice
Minister Kanu Agabi to obtain the prosecution of those who violated the
rights
of the 500,000-strong Ogoni and compensation for the victims as requested by
ACHPR.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8595
NIGERIA: VIOLENCE MARS RULING PARTY PRIMARIES
Primaries organised by Nigeria’s ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) on
Monday and Tuesday to choose candidates for next month’s local council
elections were marred by factional violence. At least two people died and
dozens of others were injured.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8697
SOUTH AFRICA: WIDER IMPLICATIONS TO SECURING RIGHTS THROUGH THE
CONSTITUTIONAL
COURT
http://www.advocacy.org.za/announce.asp?recnum=117
In years to come, we will reflect on this moment in 2002, and the deeper,
more
subtle ripples that will have been created by the Treatment Action
Campaign's
(TAC) Constitutional Court case, particularly in terms of the greater
realisation of socio-economic and human rights. Why is it that civil society
needs to use such extreme mechanisms to ensure that their message is heard?
Surely we have sought to elect responsive and listening decision-makers who
hear the voices of civil society and ensure that the concerns of the poor
are
at the heart of government policy? What has happened to the more traditional
places for civil society to raise their concerns?
SUDAN: RIGHTS GROUP CONCERNED OVER DEATH SENTENCES IN DARFUR
International human rights groups have expressed concern over what they
describe as a "sharp increase" in death sentences this year in the Darfur
region of western Sudan.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8608
SWAZILAND: UNIONS DEMAND POLITICAL REFORMS
Swazi labour leaders this week aim to draw world attention to their demands
for
political reform in Africa's last absolute monarchy at the International
Confederation of Free Trade Unions meeting in Durban, South Africa.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8671
ZAMBIA: ZAMBIA STEPS UP SECURITY FOLLOWING COUP PLOT
http://www.africantimes.com/articlepg1.asp?ID=48938
The Zambian government said Sunday it has put the armed forces on high alert
following an alleged plot to overthrow it and to assassinate leaders. Home
Affairs Minister Lackson Mapushi told journalists that the country' s police
authorities have set up investigative wings to expedite a probe into the
planned coup.
ZIMBABWE: MDC BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE
A move by Zimbabwe's frustrated Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) to
boycott
parliament could spell disaster for the opposition party, analysts have
warned.
They said parliament was the last remaining platform for the MDC to safely
challenge the government.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8593
ZIMBABWE: REFORMS NEEDED BEFORE ELECTION RE-RUN
It is uncertain what the future holds for Zimbabwe. Although most people
discuss politics more freely than in the past, and whilst a significant
number
of Zimbabweans have expressed concern with the election result, there are no
indications of how and where this discontent will be channelled. There are
adjourned MDC-Zanu-PF talks about a government of national unity, and ‘smart
sanctions’ as issues remain unresolved. However, civil society organisations
are agreed that before a re-run there should be constitutional and electoral
reforms, or at a minimum, pre-conditions conducive for holding a free and
fair
election.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8674
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4.CORRUPTION
KENYA: KANU POLITICIAN AND FORMER CITY BOSS ARRESTED
http://allafrica.com/stories/200206270711.html
Politician Geoffrey Asanyo and former Nairobi Town Clerk Zipporah Wandera
have
been arrested. Officers from the Kenya Anti-Corruption Police Unit
accompanied
by their colleagues from the Nakuru Criminal Investigations Department
seized
Mr Asanyo at his Nakuru office .
KENYA: KENYAN CORRUPTION - THE VIEW FROM THE SLUMS
http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=40136
Bureacrats rarely venture into Kibera, a Nairobi slum of narrow, muddy
alleys.
When they do, David Mutua closes and locks his shoe shop. However, every
week
he has to visit a wholesaler in the city, and when city officials see him
carrying a big bag of shoes, they harangue him until they find some rule he
has
broken, and then demand bribes to let him off. "They never ask for less than
500 shillings ($6)," he laments, "And sometimes as much as 20,000. We try to
avoid them, but sometimes they get you five times in a month. They are bad
people."
MOZAMBIQUE: FOCUS ON CORRUPTION AND DONOR AID
Mozambique should recognise growing corruption and act decisively to restore
transparent governance if it wishes to continue currying favour with donors,
analysts warned on Wednesday.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8698
NIGERIA: 3 HELD OVER $2.5M IN KICKBACKS
http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=40126
The Nigerian police have arrested three senior officials in a central state
over allegations that they demanded some $2.5 million in kickbacks for
awarding
a government contract to a businessman, state-run radio said on Sunday.
NIGERIA: A NATION BEING RIPPED OFF
http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=40147
Shopkeepers hide their savings under mattresses and floorboards. Investors
borrow at 40 percent interest and foreign businessmen buy tattered, smelly
bundles of low-value local currency in hotel parking lots. In oil-rich
Nigeria,
one of Africa's most prosperous yet economically dysfunctional nations, the
simple task of depositing your salary - or taking it out again - can require
hours of patience and a lifetime of negotiating savvy. "Everybody is getting
ripped off, and nobody wants to rock the boat. So they either keep quiet or
just avoid (banks) altogether," said Tony Ede, spokesman for Nigeria's
Central
Bank, the country's banking regulatory authority.
NIGERIA: ALLEGED BRIBERY: INTERNAL AFFAIRS MINISTRY PROBES OFFICIALS
http://allafrica.com/stories/200206300122.html
Following allegations of bribery and corruption against its officials, the
Federal Ministry of Internal Affairs in Kogi State has set up a three-man
committee to investigate the matter.
NIGERIA: MISPLACED PRIORITY HAS DONE MORE HARM THAN CORRUPTION
http://allafrica.com/stories/200207010173.html
Former Chief of General Staff Vice Admiral Mike Akhigbe has said misplaced
priorities in programmes and projects had done more harm to the country than
corruption.
SOUTH AFRICA: ANC ACCUSES IFP OF ABUSING STATE ASSETS
http://allafrica.com/stories/200207030111.html
Another political skirmish between coalition partners governing KwaZuluNatal
has emerged, this time with the African National Congress (ANC) accusing the
Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) of "continued" abuse of government facilities.
The
ANC alleged that the IFP had "for too long" treated the use of government
structures and buildings in the province "as its own personal property".
SOUTH AFRICA: DA PROPOSES BILL TO MONITOR PARTIES' FUNDS
http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=40125
The Democratic Alliance (DA), stung by allegations by German fugitive Jurgen
Harksen that he donated money to the party, has proposed legislation to
regulate political party funding. Harksen claimed he had donated about
R750000
to the DA, allegations which have not yet been validated by forensic
auditors
from Ernst & Young, who have tracked every donation of more than R5000 of
the
14000 donations received at national and provincial level last year.
ZAMBIA: PRESSURE ON FOR ARREST OF CHILUBA
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_2085000/2085840.stm
Pressure is mounting for the government in Zambia to have former President
Frederick Chiluba arrested and prosecuted for corruption. The Oasis Forum, a
body representing religious, legal and civil society organisations, says the
special national assembly convened by the incumbent President, Levy
Mwanawasa,
should lift Mr Chiluba's immunity, which he enjoys as a former head of
state.
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5.HEALTH
AFRICA: AIDS DRUGS SCANDAL: TOLL SOARS
http://www.guardian.co.uk/aids/story/0,7369,748352,00.html
Only 30,000 people out of almost 30 million now living with the death
sentence
of HIV/Aids in sub-Saharan Africa are being given the drugs that keep
infected
men and women alive, well and working in Britain, in spite of the promises
of
help from rich nations over the past two years. As a devastating report from
UNaids on the scale of the epidemic and its human and economic cost was
published this week, it became clear that a vast gulf still exists between
those who will die in the absence of treatment and those whose lives can be
indefinitely prolonged by modern medicine.
AFRICA: INTEGRATION OF STI PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT WITH FAMILY PLANNING
AND
ANTENATAL CARE IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/2807702.html
The high prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and their role
in
HIV transmission have made integrating STI prevention and management into
existing family planning and antenatal care programs a goal in most
resource-
poor countries, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, little is known
about how integrated services can best be configured, and what impact they
have
on prevention of infection and unwanted pregnancy.
AFRICA: NEEDS-BASED RESOURCE ALLOCATION IN HEALTHCARE
http://www.id21.org/health/h1rr1g1.html
A country's policy on healthcare financing can help or hinder access to
services by poor people. How can different approaches to resource allocation
enable poor people to access essential health services? A report from the UK
Department for International Development's Health Systems Resource Centre
presents lessons from Cambodia, South Africa and Uganda.
AFRICA: TRANSLATING HIV/AIDS RESEARCH FINDINGS INTO POLICY
http://heapol.oupjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/17/2/196
There is a pressing need to understand better how to ensure the translation
into policy and practice of important research findings in HIV/AIDS
prevention
and care in countries threatened by fast spreading HIV epidemics. This paper
reviews the findings and implications of a policy analysis case study of an
HIV/AIDS clinical trial that has been successful in influencing HIV
prevention
policy relevant to low-income countries in order to identify illustrative
lessons for HIV/AIDS researchers in the future.
ETHIOPIA: HIV/AIDS RISK AWARENESS ''VERY LOW'', SURVEY FINDS
Most of Ethiopia's 65 million people are at "high risk" from HIV/AIDS, the
world's most far-reaching-ever sexual survey has established. According to
the
study, most Ethiopians still fail to take precautions against contracting
the
disease which is devastating their country.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8602
GAMBIA: TRIAL OF A NEW TREATMENT FOR TRACHOMA
http://www.id21.org/health/h4rb1g5.html
Trachoma is an infectious eye disease that can cause blindness. It effects
an
estimated 150 million people worldwide, mostly in poor rural areas of Africa
and Asia. Existing treatments, including tetracycline eye ointment, are
unsatisfactory. So how can the World Health Organisation achieve its goal of
a
trachoma-free world by 2020?
KENYA: TOOLS TO PREVENT MALARIA EPIDEMICS IN HIGHLAND AFRICA
http://www.id21.org/health/h4hg1g1.html
Insecticide-treated bednets (ITNs) are widely promoted as a malaria
prevention
tool. The role and cost-effectiveness of indoor residual house spraying
(IRS)
for malaria control have received less attention. Research by the Kenya
Medical
Research Institute and other institutions found that IRS might be more
effective and cheaper than ITNs in communities prone to epidemics of
infection.
MALI: IRIN FOCUS ON EFFORTS TO CURB THE VENDING OF MEDICINES
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28550
From painkillers to antibiotics, just about any medicinal drug can be had on
the streets of Mali’s towns and villages. Chances are the vendors know
absolutely nothing about the chemicals from which the pills are made, or
about
potential side effects since none are pharmacists nor do they have any
licenses
to sell drugs. Yet, they and their counterparts elsewhere in West Africa
administer a large percentage - estimates range from 30 to 60 percent - of
the
drugs sold in the subregion.
SOUTH AFRICA: HIV PLAN SAVES LIVES AND CASH
Cosatu And TAC Agree That Supplying Free Antiretrovirals Is
http://www.suntimes.co.za/2002/06/30/news/news13.asp
Cosatu and the Treatment Action Campaign are to table a national HIV/Aids
treatment plan in Nedlac following the first national treatment conference,
which concluded in Durban this week. A key aspect of the plan involves
making
antiretroviral drugs available through the public health system to those
infected with HIV.
SOUTH AFRICA: HIV/AIDS THREATENS SOUTH AFRICA'S FUTURE
The HIV epidemic has created an emergency in SA. This emergency threatens
South
Africa's future by creating more poverty and impacting negatively on the
ability to reconstruct and develop SA to the benefit of all of its people. A
national HIV/AIDS Treatment Plan is needed to combat this emergency. A
treatment plan will strengthen the existing five-year strategic plan, which
concentrates mainly on prevention. These were the conclusions of a Treatment
Action Campaign (TAC) and Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu)
National Treatment Congress held in Durban, South Africa, between 27 and 29
June.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8603
SOUTH AFRICA: LOOKING AHEAD TO AIDS2002
Previous international AIDS gatherings have tended to be "scientific
showcases", but community-based organisations and children's NGOs are hoping
for a higher profile at the 14th International Conference on AIDS to be held
in
Barcelona, Spain next week. "In the past, we felt that the community arm of
the
programme in international conferences had been tacked on as an
afterthought,
but this year looks to be different," Debbie Matthews, programme manager for
the AIDS Foundation of South Africa, told PlusNews on Monday.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8638
ZAMBIA: NEW REPORT SHOWS DECLINE IN HIV/AIDS
Zambia may become the second African country - after Uganda - to reverse a
widespread HIV/AIDS epidemic, a new UNAIDS report said on Tuesday.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8669
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6.EDUCATION AND SOCIAL WELFARE
EAST AFRICA: BID TO HARMONISE EDUCATION SYSTEMS
http://allafrica.com/stories/200207010397.html
Children within the East African Community (EAC) will soon be allowed to
attend
primary schools in any of the three countries without discrimination. The
EAC
assembly nominated MP, Mr Mohamed Zubedi, has said the programme being
handled
by a special committee with members from EAC will be effective in few years'
time. He said the move is aimed at harmonising the education systems among
the
three East African nations.
KENYA: ALARM OVER HIV/AIDS ORPHANS
http://allafrica.com/stories/200207030040.html
Orphans at the Juvenile Remand Home savour a rare meal. An UNAids report
says
15 per cent of Kenya's adult population (about 2.5 million) are living with
Aids. Only South Africa and Nigeria have more infected people. Kenya has the
third highest number of Aids orphans in the world, estimated at 890,000, a
shocking new report by the United Nations says. Only Nigeria with a million
orphans and Ethiopia with 990,000 have more.
KENYA: GOVERNMENT TO RECRUIT 5,000 TEACHERS
http://allafrica.com/stories/200206300026.html
The Government will recruit an additional 5,000 fresh graduates for
secondary
schools by September this year, it has been announced. And nearly 2,500
teachers listed for retirement will be eased out of the profession in the
next
two months, the Teachers' Service Commission said. The Government also told
teachers to seek employment in neighbouring countries where they are in
demand.
KENYA: TEACHER TRAINING IN UNIVERSITIES SET TO CHANGE DRASTICALLY
http://allafrica.com/stories/200207010396.html
The training of teachers in the six public universities could change
drastically if the institutions adopt proposals made by educationists to
review
their curriculum. During the Strengthening of Science and Mathematics in
Secondary Schools (Smasse) conference held in Nairobi last week,
participants
suggested that teaching practice (TP) be extended to cover a full academic
year. This means that undergraduate students in education courses should
take
at least five years unlike the case now where they, like others studying
other
courses, take four years.
SENEGAL: HOPE FOR AFRICAN CHILDREN
http://allafrica.com/stories/200206280357.html
Every time a parent gets ill or dies of HIV/AIDS, children become grossly
vulnerable to hosts of physical, emotional and societal dangers.In the wake
of
today's AIDS crisis in Africa, at least 14 million orphans have been left
grappling with the dangers associated with the disease. That number,
according
to a survey, is expected to double if nothing is done.
SOUTH AFRICA: BREAD AND BLACKBOARDS
http://allafrica.com/stories/200207010279.html
Primary school feeding schemes are intended to give poor children an
incentive
to attend school - and not to compensate for the lack of nutrition at home,
argues Lenore Dunnett, deputy director for the Western Cape's Nutrition
Programme. But for many under-privileged children, the food they receive
through such schemes is all they can expect to get to eat on any given day.
TANZANIA: CHILD WORKERS AT RISK FROM MERCURY
http://allafrica.com/stories/200207020041.html
Ten-year-old Tanzanian children are involved in mining activities including
the
washing of rocks and the collecting and carrying of crushed rock that
exposes
them to serious health risks, according to new research.
UGANDA: MEDIA POOR AT CHILDREN ISSUES
http://allafrica.com/stories/200206290137.html
President Yoweri Museveni's press secretary Mary Karooro Okurut has said the
media is not doing enough to cover children's issues. Okurut made a
passionate
appeal to the media to come out and play a more active role in the fight
against child abuse and neglect.
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7.WOMEN AND GENDER
AFRICA: HIV/AIDS A CATASTROPHE FOR WOMEN
http://allafrica.com/stories/200207030681.html
Women were particularly vulnerable to HIV/AIDS and the pandemic was feasting
on
gender inequality, leading to an "accelerating catastrophe" for women, said
Stephen
Lewis, the Secretary General's UN Envoy on HIV/AIDS in Africa in a
statement.
AFRICA: UN AGENCY LAUNCHES WEBSITE ON NEWS, GENDER ISSUES FOR AFRICAN WOMEN
http://www.acwict.or.ke
African women's voices will now be heard online, thanks to the United
Nations
Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), which has announced the launch of a
website with information on gender issues in the Horn of Africa.
KENYA: KANU TO FINANCE WOMEN ASPIRANTS
http://allafrica.com/stories/200207010052.html
Kanu will give financial backing to its women candidates in the forthcoming
general elections, Secretary General, Raila Odinga, has said. Raila said
Kanu
will give women an equal chance in campaigning for parliamentary and civic
seats.
MALAWI: FIGHTING FOR WOMEN'S RIGHTS IN MALAWI
http://www.ips.org/womenleaders/wom0205b.htm
Coordinator of a women rights group, Seodi White, is a busy lawyer. When she
is
not giving free legal advice to women, she is busy conducting human rights
education programmes for them. White is one of the few female lawyers in
Malawi.
NAMBIA: WOMAN CONSERVATIONIST HONOURED
http://www.panda.org/news/press/news.cfm?id=3007
WWF has recognized the efforts of two outstanding women for their role in
conservation at an awards ceremony held last week in Washington, DC. Sushila
Nepali of Nepal and Patricia Skyer of Namibia were selected to receive this
year's awards for their conservation work in their native countries.
NIGERIA: VOTING POWER RESIDES IN WOMEN, SAYS MINISTER
http://allafrica.com/stories/200206280020.html
With women forming 49.68 per cent of the country's population according to a
1991 census, even though they are still marginalised politically, they
remain
very powerful as they control voting numbers in Nigeria, the Minister of
Women
Affairs and Youth Development, Hajiya Aisha Ismail has said.
SOUTH AFRICA: ABORTION PILL LEGAL BUT STILL A SECRET
http://allafrica.com/stories/200207010278.html
A drug that reduces the trauma and risks of abortion has been available
since
February - but many of the women who need it most are not aware it exists.
Mifepristone, developed in France under the working name RU486, also known
as
the "abortion pill", was registered by the Medicines Control Council last
September, and has been available through private clinics for five months.
SOUTH AFRICA: WOMEN-ONLY TRAIN CARRIAGES
http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.jsp?a=11&o=5481
Education Minister Kader Asmal on Monday called on Transport Minister Dullah
Omar to request train operators to consider restricting the use of some
train
carriages for women only. Asmal asserted that this would help reduce
violence
against girls on trains and reduce the overall levels of gender-based
violence
in society.
UGANDA: WOMEN FARMERS GO HI-TECH
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_2078000/2078444.stm
Ugandan women are becoming better farmers thanks to an interactive CD-Rom.
The
CD gives advice about ways to improve yields from crops and livestock, how
to
market what they produce and helps the women think about new products they
can
make and sell.
ZIMBABWE: REAL LIFE EXPERIENCES OF AIDS
http://www.comminit.com/Commentary/sld-4989.html
This story is part of the SAfAIDS "positive voices" series. The story is
published as related by Tarisai, an HIV positive Zimbabwean woman, to Dr
Sunanda Ray at SAfAIDS. With these stories, SAfAIDS aims to highlight the
real
life experiences of people living positively with HIV.
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8.REFUGEES AND FORCED MIGRATION
AFRICA: UNSAFE HAVEN? THE RISK OF MALARIA IN REFUGEE CAMPS
http://www.id21.org/health/h4mr1g1.html
The number of refugees fleeing conflict to seek shelter in neighbouring
countries peaked at 18.2 million in 1993. A further 24 million were
estimated
to be internally displaced. The risk of malaria is often high among refugees
in
tropical countries. What strategies should be used to protect them?
ANGOLA: INTERNALLY DISPLACED NEED MORE PROTECTION
http://www.hrw.org/press/2002/07/angola0703.htm
The United Nations and the Angolan government are not providing sufficient
protection for hundreds of thousands of people displaced during Angola's
civil
war, Human Rights Watch has said in a briefing paper. Internally displaced
people (IDPs) in Angola continue to face serious security threats, including
harassment by government forces, restrictions on free movement, and possible
forced return to areas where they would be at risk of political persecution
and
human rights abuses, Human Rights Watch said. Hundreds of thousands continue
to
live in poor conditions in government-run camps without access to basic food
or
medical care.
BURUNDI-DRC-TANZANIA: FOCUS ON POSITIVE ASPECTS OF REFUGEE CRISIS
While seen by many as a burden on the country, the refugee crisis and the
subsequent relief and development programmes in western Tanzania have, in
fact,
encouraged investment and opened up an inaccessible and forgotten part of
the
country, government officials and development workers in the region have
said.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8620
BURUNDI-TANZANIA: SPONTANEOUS RETURNS CONTINUE DESPITE SECURITY CONCERNS
Bernard Ndorainywe, 39, is a Burundian who has lived in the Nduta refugee
camp
in western Tanzania since 1996, and he wants to go home. However, as with
many
of the 100,000 refugees in the camps in Kibondo District, his home is in
southern Burundi, where the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR) is not facilitating repatriation.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8621
LIBERIA: PEOPLE KEEP FLEEING TO SIERRA LEONE
The influx into Sierra Leone of people fleeing instability in Liberia has
continued steadily since clashes last week between pro- and anti-government
forces near the western Liberian town of Sinje.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8622
NIGERIA: NON-INDIGENES FLEE TROUBLED AREAS
http://allafrica.com/stories/200207010124.html
Following another round of ethno-religious violence which erupted last week
in
some parts of Plateau State, non-indigenes of the state comprising mostly
Igbos
and Yorubas have continued to leave the worse hit areas in spite of appeals
of
community leaders from those areas.
NIGERIA: SIERRA LEONEAN REFUGEES SIGN UP FOR REPATRIATION
About 300 of the 2,061 Sierra Leonean refugees in Nigeria have opted for
voluntary repatriation and are expected to go home soon, according to a
senior
Nigerian official. Nigeria's Federal Commissioner for Refugees, Professor
Isaac
Gabriel, told a news conference on 21 June that efforts were being made to
help
the refugees go back now that peace had returned to Sierra Leone.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8619
SIERRA LEONE: REFUGEE ARRIVALS STRAIN BORDER COMMUNITIES, USCR SAYS
http://www.refugees.org/news/press_releases/2002/062802.cfm
The arrival of some 8,000 new refugees from Liberia into eastern Sierra
Leone
in recent days has put a potentially dangerous strain on war-damaged Sierra
Leonean villages along the border and threatens to sidetrack efforts to
reintegrate tens of thousands of repatriated Sierra Leonean refugees into
their
home communities, according to an on-the-scene assessment this week by the
U.S.
Committee for Refugees (USCR), the public information program of Immigration
and Refugee Services of America.
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9.RACISM AND XENOPHOBIA
SOUTH AFRICA: PROPERTY WATCHDOG CONDEMNS RACISM
http://allafrica.com/stories/200207030013.html
The national property watchdog, the Estate Agency Affairs Board, has come
out
strongly against racism in the industry, following complaints from estate
agents. CEO Stanley Moshidi said the industry's code of conduct was being
flouted, and incidents of racist behaviour within the workplace were
becoming
more prevalent.
ZIMBABWE: MINISTER ACCUSES WHITE FARMERS OF BEING 'RACIST AND FASCIST'
http://www.online.ie/news/irish_examiner/viewer.adp?article=1773831
Zimbabwe's white farmers have been branded racists and fascists by a
government
minister, urged tough action against those who are defying an order to stop
working their fields. President Robert Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF party said
many
white farmers were ignoring the government order, which took effect earlier
last week.
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10.ENVIRONMENT
BOTSWANA: EU GIVES BOTSWANA 14 MILLION EUROS TO DEVELOP TOURISM
http://www.newafrica.com/news/articlepg1.asp?ID=48924&countryid=7
Botswana has received 14 million Euros in the second phase of a European
Union
funded wildlife conservation and the infrastructural development of game
parks
and reserve initiative. The project, which commences in July, is expected to
strengthen the management of game reserves and support communities engaged
in
natural resource management activities, Botswana's tourism minister,
Pelonomi
Venson said last Saturday during a luncheon for visiting EU MP, Glenys
Kinnock.
ERITREA: CONVERSION TO ECO-FRIENDLY TRADITIONAL STOVES
An innovative scheme to convert 500,000 traditional injera stoves across
Eritrea will cut thousands of tons of carbon emissions each year and help to
conserve the country's precious supply of firewood.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8612
GAMBIA: OUR LIFE DEPENDS ON BIODIVERSITY - LET'S PROTECT IT
http://allafrica.com/stories/200206280271.html
In 1997, The Gambia carried out a biodiversity country study to gather and
analyse biological and socio-economic data as the basis for preparing its
national strategy and action-plan. A national task force was formed
comprising
representatives from the relevant government institutions and NGOs, was
established to provide both policy and technical guidance to a team of
national
consultants contracted from relevant institutions to handle specific
sectoral
and sub-sectoral issues covered in the study. According to the research and
development officer at the Department of Parks and Wildlife Management
(DPWM),
Famara Drammeh, biological resources are vital to humanity's economic and
social development, and as a result, there is a growing recognition that
biological diversity is a global asset of tremendous value to present and
future generations.
KENYA: DESERTIFICATION THREATENING MILLIONS, GOVERNMENT WARNS
The Kenyan government has released a report warning that millions of Kenyans
are increasingly threatened by desertification. In its latest National
Action
Programme on desertification, the environment and natural resources ministry
said the phenomenon had "intensified and spread" in recent years, putting a
severe strain on agriculture in the country.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8651
KENYA: GOVT SUED OVER FOREST EXCISION
http://allafrica.com/stories/200207020306.html
A Kenyan government decision to alter forest boundaries by excising nearly
170,000 acres has been termed unconstitutional. Kenya Forests Working Group,
a
sub-committee of East African Wildlife Society in conjunction with others
believe the Government's action will be detrimental to important catchment
areas and places for protection of diverse flora and fauna.
MALAWI: LONG TERM SOLUTIONS TO FOOD CRISIS
http://allafrica.com/stories/200206280207.html
As this nation of 10 million people faces its most serious food crisis in
recent memory, government officials are encouraging farmers to plant trees
as
part of a long-term effort to improve soil fertility and increase food
supplies.
SENEGAL: EU MUST PREVENT COLLAPSE OF FISH STOCKS
http://panda.org/news/press/news.cfm?id=2995
The WWF is calling on the European Union to work with West African nations
to
avert a potentially catastrophic collapse in fish stocks that provide a
much-
needed source of food and income in countries such as Senegal and
Mauritania.
SOUTHERN AFRICA: FOCUS ON GM FOOD AID
Zambia has joined Zimbabwe in expressing concern over accepting genetically
modified (GM) food aid, while the country struggles to overcome food
shortages
threatening over two million people.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8672
UGANDA: TRENCH PROTECTS WILDLIFE
http://allafrica.com/stories/200207020479.html
There is probably no park where authorities and communities are not at
loggerheads. Wild animals, which raid the villager's crops are always
provoking
conflict. However, Kibaale National Park in Western Uganda has made a giant
leap to overcome the crop raiders.
WAITING TO FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE IS NOT A VIABLE OPTION
http://enn.com/news/enn-stories/2002/07/07022002/s_47610.asp
Scientists and environmental groups often paint grim pictures of a world
with a
substantially altered climate. But the fact is, even if we start reducing
our
emissions today, we can't stop global warming in its tracks because the
warming
has already begun. It will take centuries before some effects, such as sea
level rise, stop entirely. This leads to a common complaint some critics
raise
against the Kyoto Protocol, the only international framework set up to
reduce
the emissions that cause climate change. Alone, it will do little to curb
the
problem, so what's the point?
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11.MEDIA
GHANA: NATIONAL ICT SEMINAR FOR WORKING JOURNALISTS
To ensure that ICTs assume prominence in the mass media, the Ghana Institute
of
Information Technology (GIIT), in association with the International
Institute
of ICT Journalism, with support from the Ghana Journalists Association, is
organizing the first National Information and Communication Technologies
(ICTs)
seminar for Journalists working in Ghana. This landmark event will take
place
on 18th July 2002 at Busy Internet, to be attended by 60 selected members of
the Ghana Journalists Association.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8717
LIBERIA: JOURNALIST ACCUSED OF PLOTTING AGAINST THE PRESIDENT
RSF has expressed serious concern after the arrest of Hassan Bility,
editor-in-
chief of the private weekly "The Analyst". "The newspaper is well known for
its
highly critical attitude towards President Charles Taylor, and we hope that
the
accusation of 'plotting against the President' is not a pretext for
silencing a
journalist who is very critical of those in power," said RSF
Secretary-General
Robert Ménard in a letter to Liberian Information Minister Reginald
Goodridge. "We are concerned that this may be a witch hunt against
journalists
who criticise government policies," he added.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8715
LIBERIA: JOURNALIST, THREE OTHERS ARRESTED
Four people, including a journalist, were arrested on Monday and were being
held incommunicado by security authorities in Liberia on suspicion of
associating with the rebel Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy
(LURD), Amnesty International (AI) reported.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8658
LIBERIA: NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION COMMUNICATION
How Can The Media Make A Difference?
http://allafrica.com/stories/200207020437.html
It is often said that the development of a nation does not solely rely on
infrastructure and basic social services, but also it depends on the
education
of the citizens and their ability to understand the significance of a
literate
society. This belief might be incomplete in the absence of better
communication
for the development and education of a nation state because communication is
a
catalyst in this direction.
NIGERIA: DON CALLS FOR DEREGULATION OF BROADCAST INDUSTRY
http://allafrica.com/stories/200207020012.html
A university don, Prof. Ralph Akinfeleye, in Abuja advocated the total
deregulation of the broadcast industry in Nigeria to allow for media
pluralism.
Akinfeleye said at a national workshop for senior radio journalists
organised
by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) and UN Population Fund that "it is
through
absolute deregulation of the broadcast industry that different shades of
opinion can be freely expressed".
NIGERIA: NBC WARNS ERRANT BROADCASTING STATIONS
As the 2003 national election draws near, the watchdog of the Broadcasting
industry, the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has threatened to
invoke
the law against any broadcasting station that shows any preference or bias
in
reporting activities of politicians and their political parties. NBC wants
broadcasting companies to ensure fairness, equity, accuracy, and objectivity
in
all their reporting, charging them not to allow the power of incumbency of
the
serving political office holders, to influence them into shifting their
loyalty
from the Nigerian people to certain individuals.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8716
TANZANIA: PRESS LOCKED OUT OF CLAIRE SHORT FUNCTION
http://www.nationaudio.com/News/DailyNation/04072002/News/News57.html
Foreign and local journalists in Tanzania were barred from interviewing the
visiting British Secretary of State for International Development, Ms Claire
Short soon after arriving in Dar es Salaam. Short arrived at the Dar es
Salaam
International Airport (DIA) amid tight security and a total media blackout
over
her visit in which airport security officials said they were acting on
orders
from above. Even local members of the press working with the British
Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Reuters, AFP and The EastAfrican did not get
any opportunity to interact with the visitor.
ZIMBABWE: MINISTER WARNS MEDIA
Zimbabwe's Minister of Information and Publicity, Professor Jonathan Moyo,
warned media houses and journalists who refuse to register that the wrath of
the "law" would descend on them. Moyo was quoted in the state controlled
Sunday
paper, The Sunday Mail of 23 June, saying that all media houses have to be
registered.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8656
ZIMBABWE: POLICE REPRESSION HIGHLIGHTS MEDIA POLARITY
The ongoing police repression of opposition MDC activity under the Public
Order
and Security Act continues to highlight the polarity of the media, with the
privately owned press viewing the law and the repression as a paranoid,
unconstitutional government clampdown on Zimbabweans' democratic rights to
their freedom of expression, assembly and association. The government
controlled media continued to reflect the official line, reporting and
justifying the upsurge in violent police activity against perceived
opponents
in the context that government was protecting the public from a
planned "violent" MDC uprising against a legitimate government.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8659
ZIMBABWE: REPORTER EJECTED FROM COURT ROOM
A Daily News reporter, Chris Gande, was ejected from a courtroom during
court
proceedings by a prison official, The Daily News reported on 28 June. Gande,
who is based in the city of Bulawayo, was covering court proceedings in
which
two prison officials are being charged with contempt of court for defying
court
orders to release two prisoners who had been granted bail. A reporter from
the
government-controlled Chronicle was, however, allowed to cover the case.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8657
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12.DEVELOPMENT
AFRICA BETRAYED: THE AID WORKERS' VERDICT
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,745610,00.html
Aid agencies have rounded furiously on the world's richest countries,
describing the G8's much-vaunted rescue plan for Africa as a squandered
opportunity and "recycled peanuts".
Tony Blair hailed the action plan from the west's leading industrial nations
as
a "real significant step forward", but the blueprint was strongly criticised
for failing to provide the Marshall plan for Africa the prime minister
promised
at last year's summit in Genoa.
AFRICA: 'DEVELOPMENT HAS MEANT DEPRIVING POOR PEOPLE OF THEIR RESOURCES'
http://allafrica.com/stories/200206300103.html
Development has too often meant depriving the world's poor of their
resources,
Dr Wolfgang Sachs of Germany's Wuppertal Institute has observed. Launching a
memorandum entitled the Jo-Burg Memo for the coming World Summit for
Sustainable Development (WSSD) slated for Johannesburg in September, Dr
Sachs
called for a redefinition of development that would ensure equitable
distribution of wealth and social justice.
AFRICA: G-8 PLEDGE NOT ENOUGH, CRITICS CHARGE
News that some of the continent's poorest countries will receive up to US $1
billion in additional debt relief won a mixed reaction on Monday, with some
NGOs alleging that the G-8's pledges were "duplicitous" and "old fashioned
".
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8639
AFRICA: POOR RATINGS FOR G8 TEAM LEADERS
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/campaign/africa/teamsheet.html
This was a summit that promised much but failed to rise to expectations. A
team
of strong individuals that should play together well failed to deliver the
goods. Some did better than others, but no team member comes away with much
credit from a summit that leaves Africa still on the sidelines.
AFRICA: TEN STATES STILL OWE THE OAU $36M
http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.jsp?a=37&o=5553
African foreign ministers were on Wednesday ready to begin refining the nuts
and bolts for the launch of the African Union next week amid revelations
that
at least 10 states would be unable to vote at the inaugural summit because
of
debt problems.
DEBT STILL THE LYNCHPIN OF GLOBAL ECONOMIC INJUSTICE
http://www.debtchannel.org/views/opinion/2002-07.shtml
Since the ending of the Jubilee 2000 campaign, activists have been
encouraged
to divert their energies into other campaigns - around trade, aid and Aids.
Western development and finance ministers and IMF staff have breathed a sigh
of
relief, pleased that the "crude analysis" of the debt campaigners has been
replaced by debates about trade. It is of course vital to highlight the
double
standards of western governments; and to pressurise these governments to
reverse trade injustice, increase aid and fight Aids. But it takes a tragedy
like the one unfolding in Malawi to remind us that debt remains the very
lynchpin of global economic injustice.
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13.INTERNET AND TECHNOLOGY
CALL FOR ESSAYS: ICTS AND DEVELOPMENT
Digital Opportunity Channel is currently seeking submissions for publication
on
its new Web site. Coordinated by the Benton Foundation and OneWorld South
Asia,
the channel addresses the use of information and communications technologies
(ICTs) for global development, as well as initiatives around the world
bridging
the digital divide.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8645
Contact: [log in to unmask]
GETTING HELP THAT IS HELPFUL
How To Get The Right Volunteers
http://www.techsoup.org/articlepage.cfm?
ArticleId=398&topicid=7&cg=summit&sg=062602=062602
Organizations that are able to attract and successfully manage volunteers
have
the ability to ramp up their capacity without incurring the cost and
responsibility of staffing for every need.
SWAZILAND'S INTERNET MARKET: SMALL BUT WITH ENORMOUS POTENTIAL
http://www.balancingact-africa.com/news/current1.html
By African standards, Swaziland (with just over a million people) is a tiny
country. However, with 20,000 internet subscribers it has reached a market
size
that is larger than some of its bigger brothers. Terence Sibiya looks at how
the market operates and its future potential.
Contact: [log in to unmask]
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14.eNEWSLETTERS AND MAILING LISTS
AIDS CONFERENCE EMAIL UPDATES
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/aids2002/email
If you are unable to attend the upcoming XIV International AIDS Conference
in
Barcelona, you can sign up to receive a daily email with updates on the
latest
conference coverage provided on kaisernetwork.org
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15.FUNDRAISING
AFRICA: CANADA BOOSTS SUPPORT FOR AFRICAN RESEARCH
http://www.scidev.net/frame3.asp?id=0107200214091239
The Canadian government has announced significant increases in its support
for
a range of research activities in Africa, particular those related to the
search for an effective vaccine against HIV/AIDS, and for agricultural
research. Overall, the country plans to increase its spending on HIV/AIDS in
Africa four-fold. It will also double its support for Africa-related
agricultural research by investing an extra Can$40 million (US$26 million)
over
three years in programmes carried out through the Consultative Group on
International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).
DRC: ADB APPROVES US $800 MILLION IN ARREARS CLEARANCE SCHEME
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28585
The African Development Bank and the African Development Fund jointly
approved
on Wednesday a mechanism designed to help the Democratic Republic of the
Congo
clear arrears of US $800 million owed them. The bank reported that the sum
represented 60 percent of the total arrears the Congo owed both bodies.
ETHIOPIA: US DONATION TO HELP RESTORE RELIGIOUS TEMPLE
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28582
The United States has donated US $25,000 to restore one of Ethiopia’s most
important religious temples. The restoring the sandstone shrine to its
former
glory might lead to a boost in tourism for the area. The pre-Christian
temple,
which dates back to 5th century BC, is now in ruins, but is the only remains
of
the former capital, which is close to Axum – Ethiopia’s holiest city.
MCKNIGHT FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES SECOND QUARTER GRANTS
http://www.fdncenter.org/pnd/news/story.jhtml?id=9400077
McKnight Foundation has awarded 185 grants totaling $26.5 million during the
second quarter, including $12.6 million for children, families, and
communities; $5.8 million for the arts; $4 million for crop research; $3
million for the environment; and $1.1 million for international programs.
OPEC OFFERS $8M IN AIDS GRANT
http://allafrica.com/stories/200207030575.html
Uganda has been selected as one of the 12 countries to benefit from grants
from
the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to fight HIV/AIDS.
SOUTH AFRICA: LOTTO PAYS FOR NORTH WEST SCHOOL
http://www.bday.co.za/bday/content/direct/1,3523,1121647-6078-0,00.html
A North West primary school was given a construction site to rebuild its
school
on Wednesday, at a soil turning ceremony in Letlhabile township near Brits.
Uthingo yielded to the call by former President Nelson Mandela to construct
a
school for the Osaletseng Primary School to the tune of R2.5 million.
SOUTH AFRICA: POVERTY RELIEF ROADSHOW
http://www.dispatch.co.za/2002/07/03/easterncape/FUNDING.HTM
A new pro-active approach to funding poverty relief and community
development
projects will be unveiled by the National Development Agency (NDA) at a
roadshow in Umtata. The roadshow aims to brief local government, NGOs and
community organisations on the NDA's new approach that seeks to pro-actively
fund community projects instead of waiting for applications.
UN SETS ASIDE US $67,600 FOR IKELA RESIDENTS
http://allafrica.com/stories/200207020492.html
The UN has set aside US $67,600 for a two-year project to distribute seeds
directly to 1,800 people, and indirectly to the entire population of the
Ikela
area of the Democratic Republic of the Congo's northern Equateur Province,
after completion of a pilot phase, Noel Tsekouras, an official of the Office
for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told IRIN on Tuesday.
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16.COURSES, SEMINARS, AND WORKSHOPS
CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON NEPAD
A public meeting entitled “CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES on NEPAD - a new
partnership
for Africa's development?” will be held on 8 July from 5:30 to 6.45 at the
School of Oriental and African Studies in London. [near Russell Square, on
Thornhaugh Street, London WC1] Nearest Underground: Goodge Street [ Northern
Line] or Russell Square [Piccadilly Line]. It will take place in the
Assembly
Hall - Room G2 - near the reception in the Main Building of SOAS. Organised
by
the Africa Book Centre with grateful thanks to the African Studies
Association
of the UK, guest speaker will be Patrick Bond, editor of the new book
'FANON'S
WARNING: A Civil Society Reader on the New Partnership for Africa's
Development'
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=8634
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=8702
YOUNG WOMEN’S SYMPOSIUM IN KENYA
The Eastern and Southern African Symposium on Young Women and HIV/AIDS, will
take place in Nairobi, Kenya between 27-29 November. The theme is HIV/AIDS,
Education and Youth.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8703
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17.ADVOCACY RESOURCES
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18.JOBS
EDUCATION PROJECT OFFICER - SOMALIA
Save The Children UK
http://www.fpa.org/jobs_contact2423/jobs_contact_show.htm?doc_id=114131%20
This is a challenging position where the postholder will be responsible for
ensuring the implementation of SC UK's education project in 18 rural schools
in
the Belet Weyne district in Hiran, Somalia. The focus of the project is to
improve the access and quality of primary education for children in rural
Belet
Weyne, and this will be achieved through increasing and providing access to
appropriate, participatory and affordable primary education to boys and
girls
of mixed abilities and social backgrounds.
EMERGENCY & REHABILITATION PROGRAMME CO-ORDINATOR - MALAWI
Concern Universal
http://www.fpa.org/jobs_contact2423/jobs_contact_show.htm?doc_id=114271
CU has designed a multi-strategy Emergency & Rehabilitation Plan (ERP) that
encompasses relief food distribution, supplementary feeding to malnourished
children, winter cropping, basic food security related rehabilitation &
recovery activities, etc. Therefore, this new & challenging Programme Co-
ordinator position has been created to further develop & implement the ERP.
PROJECT MANAGER - UGANDA
http://www.fpa.org/jobs_contact2423/jobs_contact_show.htm?doc_id=114133
Oxfam GB are looking to recruit a Project Manager who will review the
current
public health situation of IDPs & develop a proposal. The proposal is
expected
to address the public health concerns of IDPs as well as build the capacity
of
local and national governments. This programme will fit into the wider
national
level capacity enhancment plan in emergency preparedness & response.
PROVINCIAL COORDINATOR - CONGO
International Rescue Committee
http://www.fpa.org/jobs_contact2423/jobs_contact_show.htm?doc_id=114275
The Provincial Coordinator will oversee the Health Program. This will
include
but is not limited to: Establish and maintain a regular system of project
monitoring and evaluation; Spend time in the field monitoring the
implementation of all projects; Conduct ongoing assessment and evaluation of
program needs and consult with Country Director regarding appropriate
adjustments in program design or implementation strategies; Assist the
Kinshasa
office in strategic planning and program design; Ensure the timely
submission
of technical and activities reports from partners and from field personnel;
Keep accurate and organized records; Oversee management of local staff
including benefits and adherence to the local staff personnel policy manual.
SARC PROGRAM MANAGER - SIERRA LEONE
International Rescue Committee
http://www.fpa.org/jobs_contact2423/jobs_contact_show.htm?doc_id=114297
The International Rescue Committee seeks a SARC Program Manager for its
Sierra
Leone Program. The SARC (Sexual Assault Referral Center) project is an
innovative addition to IRC's SGBV program in Sierra Leone. The purpose of
the
SARC will be to provide consistent, appropriate, timely and accessible
medical
and psychosocial services to survivors and raise awareness of gender based
violence and legislative and community action to combat it.
SENIOR LEGAL OFFICER
Africa International Legal Program Open Society Institute
The Open Society Institute (OSI) is a private operating and grantmaking
foundation that develops and implements a range of programs in civil
society,
education, media, public health and human and women's rights, as well as
social, legal, and economic reform. The Senior Legal Officer will work in
cooperation with the International Legal Program's offices in New York and
Budapest, OSI's national foundation in South Africa (OSF-SA), and its
regional
foundations in Southern and West Africa (OSISA and OSIWA).
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8676
SOUTHERN AFRICA PROGRAMME MANAGER – WINDHOEK
Catholic Institute For International Relations
The postholder will develop and manage CIIR’s Southern Africa programme with
an
operational focus on Namibia and Zimbabwe but with a wider sub-regional
outlook. You will increase the programmes effectiveness and impact through
advocacy and skillsharing in three prioritised areas: HIV/AIDS, Building
Just
Societies and Peace and Conflict. You will work constructively with local
partner organisations and with marginalised groups, commercial farm workers
and
the San people.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8684
UMBRELLA GRANTS MANAGER - CONGO
International Rescue Committee
http://www.fpa.org/jobs_contact2423/jobs_contact_show.htm?doc_id=114146
IRC is currently implementing an umbrella grant project that provides grants
to
local NGOs to implement humanitarian interventions in the sectors of health,
water, sanitation, food security, etc. to meet emergency needs for the
population of South Kivu.
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19.BOOKS AND ARTS
A MONTH AND A DAY
By Ken Saro-Wiwa
http://www.over2u.com/shop/product3.html
In May 1994 after the death of four moderate Ogoni elders, Nigerian
political
activist and writer Ken Saro-Wiwa, together with eight others was arrested
for
their murder. Following the show trial in Nigeria, he and his co-defendants
were found guilty and sentenced to be hanged. Despite massive international
publicity the executions were carried out by the Nigerian government on 10
November. This is the extraordinary and moving account of Ken Saro-Wiwa's
period of detention in 1993.
GIVE AND TAKE: WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH FOREIGN AID
David Sogge
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1842770691/africapolicyinfo/104-41068
25-
9383952
Foreign aid, mostly from industrialized countries to developing countries,
has
been going on for 50 years, and some Third World countries depend on it to a
remarkable extent. Though its purpose is ostensibly benign, as this
introduction to the difficult issues surrounding aid shows, it is the focus
of
considerable controversy. Aid is an issue of great concern, both financially
and morally. This book suggests ways in which aid can be made less of a
problem, and more of a solution.
INTEGRATING STI/HIV PREVENTION INTO FAMILY PLANNING COUNSELLING
How do you deal with the stigma and secrecy surrounding STIs and HIV? Could
you
help people to talk about sexuality without embarrassment or fear? Could you
spot the signs of an abusive relationship? A new guide "Programme Guidance
on
Counselling for STI/HIV Prevention in Sexual and Reproductive Health
Settings"
to be jointly launched by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the
International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) - the world's largest
voluntary organisation working in sexual and reproductive health - answers
these and the many other challenges facing family planning counsellors and
others dealing with STI and HIV in the field.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=8611
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20.LETTERS AND COMMENTS
OPEN LETTER TO MUGABE
http://allafrica.com/stories/200207020453.html
My name is Hanna Bergstrom and I am a member of Amnesty International in
Sweden. I write this letter to express my concern over the continuing
restrictions on freedom of expression in Zimbabwe, in particular the signing
into the law of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
These
restrictions contravene the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights (ICCPR), to which Zimbabwe has acceded, in particular Article 19,
which
guarantees a person's right to freedom of expression and freedom to seek,
receive and impart information.
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