---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Mon, 22 Apr 2002 17:04:50 -0700 From: charlotte utting <[log in to unmask]> Reply-To: [log in to unmask] To: [log in to unmask] Subject: [WASAN] FW: WEST AFRICA NEWSLETTER, Vol.2, No.3, April 19,2002 ---------- From: [log in to unmask] Reply-To: [log in to unmask] Date: Mon, 22 Apr 2002 08:59:48 -0500 (CDT) To: [log in to unmask] Subject: RE: WEST AFRICA NEWSLETTER, Vol.2, No.3, April 19,2002 International Center and Liberia Institute of Journalism WEST AFRICA NEWSLETTER Reporting on Human Rights, Democracy & Development Vol. 2 No. 3 April 19, 2002 Please send this newsletter to anyone who is interested!!! CONTENTS 1. EDITOR’S COMMENTS 2. RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY 3. REFUGEES 4. HEALTH/ ENVIRONMENT 5. DEVELOPMENT 6. MEDIA/TECHNOLOGY 7. GRANTS 8. ELECTIONS/WEST AFRICA 9. WORLD BANK PIPELINE 10. ANNOUNCEMENTS 11. ECOWAS NEWS 12. ABOUT US XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 1. EDITOR’S COMMENTS http://www.lij.kabissa.org It is hard to believe that the United States who champions Human Rights World wide is the same United States who is abusing the Rights of non-citizens since the 9-11 attack. “A New York-based human rights body has expressed concern over the large number of detainees in the United States of America following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Executive director of Lawyers Committee for Human Rights (LCHR) Mr. Michael Posner termed the situation a crisis, which needed urgent attention. He said non-citizens were being detained in different places without access to lawyers.” Writes Caroline Mango of the East African Standard in Nairobi, Kenya. We do agree that the act that was committed on 9-11-01, was barbaric, an act of terrorism and cowardice on the part of the perpetrators. Without a shadow of a doubt they should be brought to justice, but for the United States to detained non-citizens and denied them access to lawyers, not even releasing the names and numbers of detainees on security grounds would seem that the United States is a coward as well. One of the aims of the terrorists I am sure is to have the US run scare and abusing the rights of non-citizens is a telling time that Uncle Sam is running scare. This reminds me of the early forties when Pearl Harbor was bombed by the Japanese and many Japanese-Americans were detained and had to languished in jails. The same trend is taking place and in the end the US will have to pay reparations to the victims or their descendants. This sends a bad message for human rights advocates/activists world over and a good message for dictators’ world over to justify their inhumane actions. We pray that the United States government will move swiftly and don’t give the dictators a room to justify their actions. Mr. Bush let freedom ring, let justice and fair play be the hallmark. United States is seen World over as a double dealer when it is not in her interest the rule is thrown out of the window. That’s the terrorists’ argument. Don’t let them have the day. 2. RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY Banjul: Female Genital Mutilation Increases Infections, Researchers Say http://allafrica.com/stories/200204200003.html Women who have undergone female genital mutilation in The Gambia have a higher prevalence of bacterial and viral infections, a recent study of 1348 women aged 15-54 years found. GUINEA-BISSAU: State, interest groups, civil society pursue dialogue http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp? ReportID=27377&SelectRegion=West_Africa&SelectCountry=GUINEA-BISSAU ABIDJAN, 19 Apr 2002 (IRIN) - Representatives of the state, opposition parties and civil society called this week for the creation of conflict-prevention and resolution mechanisms in Guinea-Bissau. NIGERIA: HRW writes to President Obasanjo over massacres http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp? ReportID=27375&SelectRegion=West_Africa&SelectCountry=NIGERIA ABIDJAN, 19 Apr 2002 (IRIN) - The global rights watchdog, Human Rights Watch (HRW), has written to Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo over the massacre of civilians by the military in October 2001. The letter was in response to Obasanjo's recent dismissal of an earlier report by the rights group. LIBERIA: Taylor taking advantage of state of emergency, says Amnesty http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp? ReportID=27187&SelectRegion=West_Africa&SelectCountry=LIBERIA ABIDJAN, 9 Apr 2002 (IRIN) - President Charles Taylor has taken advantage of a state of emergency to curtail the rights of Liberians, ranging from the right to life to the right of freedom of expression, Amnesty International (AI) said on Tuesday. 3. REFUGEES GLOBAL: IDP agreement "a very positive step forward" http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp? ReportID=27383&SelectRegion=Global&SelectCountry=GLOBAL NEW YORK, 19 Apr 2002 (IRIN) - The United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator, Kenzo Oshima, and the Representative of the Secretary-General on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), Francis Deng, on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding in New York to improve UN efforts to respond to the severe crisis of internal displacement around the world, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported on Thursday. SIERRA LEONE: Most chiefdoms now safe for resettlement http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp? ReportID=27356&SelectRegion=West_Africa&SelectCountry=SIERRA_LEONE ABIDJAN, 18 Apr 2002 (IRIN) - Most of the 150 chiefdoms in Sierra Leone have now been declared safe for resettlement by internally displaced persons (IDPs) with the exception of 11 in the former rebel-held eastern district of Kailahun, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), reported on Tuesday. MANO RIVER UNION: IDP unit to assess regional situation http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=27283&SelectRegion=West_Africa ABIDJAN, 15 Apr 2002 (IRIN) - The United Nation's Internally Displaced Persons Unit (IDP Unit) will begin a 10-day mission on Tuesday to assess the situation of IDPs living in the Mano River countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. 4. HEALTH/ ENVIRONMENT GLOBAL: MSF publishes humanitarian law guide http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=27303&SelectRegion=Global NEW YORK, 16 Apr 2002 (IRIN) - Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has assisted in the publication of a guide to humanitarian law which aims to explain the rights of victims and humanitarian organizations in times of conflict, tension and crisis. GLOBAL: Polio eradication effort continues http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=27306&SelectRegion=Global ABIDJAN, 16 Apr 2002 (IRIN) - Polio cases worldwide dropped from 350,000 to 537 between 1988 and 2000 but despite their success, global efforts to eradicate the disease could still be affected by conflicts, the World Health Organisation reported on Tuesday. BURKINA FASO: Red Cross appeals for funds to fight meningitis http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp? ReportID=27374&SelectRegion=West_Africa&SelectCountry=BURKINA_FASO ABIDJAN, 19 Apr 2002 (IRIN) - The International Federation of the Red Cross is appealing for US $59,000 to help counter the further spread of meningitis in Burkina Faso, where the disease has killed 1,056 people this year and infected nearly 8,500. WEST AND CENTRAL AFRICA: Regional meeting to help AIDS-orphans http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp? ReportID=27277&SelectRegion=West_Africa&SelectCountry=WEST%20AND%20CENTRAL% 20AFRICA ABIDJAN, 15 Apr 2002 (IRIN) - The weeklong technical workshop attended by 22 countries that ended on Friday in Cote d'Ivoire underscored a high level awakening by West and Central Africa to the plight of the HIV/AIDS pandemic on children. 5. DEVELOPMENT NIGERIA: More than one billion 'Abacha' dollars to be returned http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp? ReportID=27376&SelectRegion=West_Africa&SelectCountry=NIGERIA ABIDJAN, 19 Apr 2002 (IRIN) - Nigeria is to receive more than US $1 billion in an out-of-court settlement of a case against relatives and associates of its former president, the late Sani Abacha, the Swiss Federal Office of Justice (FOJ) reported on Wednesday, in Geneva. US $535 million is to be sent back from Switzerland while the rest will come from other countries. 6. MEDIA/TECHNOLOGY GPU to Challenge Media Commission Bill http://allafrica.com/stories/200204190368.html PK Jarju Banjul The external affairs secretary of The Gambia Press Union Ebrima Sillah has vowed that the Union would challenge the proposed National Media Commission Bill should the National Assembly enact it the way it was drafted. 7. ELECTIONS/WEST AFRICA CAMEROON: Municipal and legislative elections set for June http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp? ReportID=27381&SelectRegion=West_Africa&SelectCountry=CAMEROON YAOUNDE, 19 Apr 2002 (IRIN) - Long-delayed municipal elections will now be held on 23 June in Cameroon, along with legislative polls, Minister of State Marafa Hamidou Yaya, secretary general of the Presidential Office, announced on Thursday in a news release. SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE: President calls for ban on vote buying http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp? ReportID=27372&SelectRegion=West_Africa&SelectCountry=SAO_TOME_AND_PRINCIPE ABIDJAN, 19 Apr 2002 (IRIN) - Sao Tome and Principe's president has urged parliament to introduce laws against vote buying, which he said was rampant during a legislative election held in March, the Portuguese news agency, Lusa, reported. 8. GRANTS International Postdoctoral Research Training Fellowships Offered Pan American Fellowships at The National Institute of Health Post-doctoral training in Biomedical, Clinical, Epidemiological and Behavioral Sciences Information on the rationale, objectives, activities, eligibility requirements, and how to apply, at: http://www.paho.org/English/HDP/HDR/fogarty.htm Dateline: 31 July, 2002 The Pan American Health Organization / World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) invite researchers from Latin America and the Caribbean to apply for one-year post-doctoral training in the intramural laboratories and / or offices of the NIH. This initiative is aimed at training researchers, with the ultimate goal of building research capacity in priority areas impacting upon public-health issues in the Region 9. WORLD BANK PIPELINE Burkina Faso: World Bank and IMF Support Additional Debt Relief Under Enhanced HIPC Initiative http://lnweb18.worldbank.org/news/pressrelease.nsf/92203140240d75178525678c0 0585 fc3/6b834179b3fd616b85256b990077a8a7?OpenDocument WASHINGTON, April 12, 2002 -- The World Bank's International Development Association (IDA) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreed this week that Burkina Faso has taken the steps necessary to reach its completion point under the enhanced framework of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative. Burkina Faso becomes the fifth country to reach this point, joining Bolivia, Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda. 1 Debt relief under the enhanced HIPC Initiative from all of Burkina Faso's creditors amounts to US$195 million in net present value (NPV) terms. This comes in addition to US$229 million in NPV terms the country received when it reached its completion point under the original HIPC framework in July 2000. Although this relief cuts its debt stock by nearly 50 percent, exogenous factors have adversely affected Burkina Faso's export performance and capacity, raising the NPV of debt to export ratio at completion point substantially above the 150 percent target set out under the enhanced HIPC framework. Despite prudent policy responses, Burkina Faso would not be able to exit from external debt rescheduling, a key objective of the HIPC Initiative. Countries Off Track On Reaching Poverty Goals World Bank urges action by both rich and poor countries http://www.worldbank.org/data/ April 20, 2002—Despite progress in recent years, both poor and rich countries need to do much more if the international community is to meet its commitment of halving global poverty in all the world's regions by 2015, says a new World Bank report, World Development Indicators 2002. At the United Nations International Conference on Financing for Development in Monterrey, Mexico, world leaders confirmed their support for the goals of the UN Millennium Declaration, which call for reducing world poverty in all its forms. Current estimates say that brisk economic growth in China and India will enable the world to reach the overall goal of halving global poverty by 2015. But the data in the new study–which covers all eight of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)–say progress is uneven and that too many regions and countries are falling far short of the goals. . 10. ANNOUNCEMENTS World Bank Meetings: What's in it for the World's Poorest? http:// www.africacncl.org WHAT: Working dinner to focus on economic integration among eight of West Africa's poorest countries that together make up the West Africa Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU). WAEMU countries are Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo. WAEMU encompasses 72 million people in one of Africa's most dynamic common markets. WHERE: The Army and Navy Club, Main Ballroom, 2nd Floor, Washington, D.C. WHEN: Tuesday, April 23, 2002, 7:00 p.m. SPEAKERS: N'Guessan Affi, Prime Minister of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire Moussa Touré, President of the WAEMU Commission Rosa Whitaker, Assistant United States Trade Representative for Africa* (Invited) James Harmon, Chairman, the Corporate Council on Africa Also present will be the finance ministers from WAEMU-member countries and a delegation of senior WAEMU officials, in addition to U.S. government and American private sector representatives. MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES: Members of the media may cover the dinner event. Media must RSVP no later than COB, Monday, April 22, and should arrive no later than 6:45 p.m. to register for coverage and set-up. Anti-Slavery's trafficking campaign is now in full swing and there are lots of ways you can take action and get more involved. Sign up to stop trafficking! Please sign the online petition on our website http://www.antislavery.org/homepage/campaign/petition.htm 11. ECOWAS NEWS EXPERTS MEET TO ADOPT ECOWAS POLICY ON GENDER MAINSTREAMING http://www.ecowas.int/ A four-day technical meeting to synthesis ideas and recommendations from participants towards enriching a gender mainstreaming policy document for ECOWAS will begin on Monday, 25th March, 2002 at the ECOWAS Secretariat, Abuja. 12. ABOUT US The WEST AFRICA NEWSLETTER (WAN), is published online by the Liberia Institute of Journalism (LIJ), at the Corner of Broad and Johnson Streets, in Monrovia, Liberia, located in the Koushouk Building, Suite # 2, Telephone number: 231-226- 888- 229-014. This project is funded by the International Center, 731-8th Street S.E., Washington, D.C. WAN is distributed free of charge. We do accept articles, announcements, press releases and information for publication. Please send them to the Editor Vinnie Hodges, [log in to unmask] You can SUBSCRIBE OR UNSUBSCRIBE by going to our website: http://www.lij.kabissa.org --- WestAfrica-Newsletter is hosted on Kabissa - Space for change in Africa To post, write to: [log in to unmask] Website: http://www.kabissa.org/lij ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Buy Stock for $4 and no minimums. FREE Money 2002. http://us.click.yahoo.com/k6cvND/n97DAA/ySSFAA/DKgolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Next WASAN meeting is Wednesday, April 24, 2002. Location: Safeco Jackson Street Center, 306 23rd Ave. S @ S. Main St, Suite 200, Seattle (enter parking lot off of S. Main, between 23rd and 24th) 7:00 PM WASAN business meeting 7:30 PM PROGRAM: "Kenya: Development Challenges and Successes form the Grassroots" with Wriko Waita. A free event. We usually meet the fourth Wednesday of the month. For a calendar of local Africa events see http://www.ibike.org/africamatters/calendar.htm . To post a message: [log in to unmask] To subscribe send a message to [log in to unmask] To unsubscribe send a message to [log in to unmask] . All past postings are archived at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wa-afr-network Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~