---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Wed, 07 Aug 2002 15:48:04 -0700 From: charlotte utting <[log in to unmask]> Reply-To: [log in to unmask] ---------- From: [log in to unmask] Reply-To: [log in to unmask] Date: Wed, 07 Aug 2002 12:38:59 -0500 (CDT) To: [log in to unmask] Subject: PAMBAZUKA NEWS 75 - DEEPENING DEMOCRACY AT THE GLOBAL LEVEL (resend) [Note from Kabissa: Due to a technical fault with the Kabissa mail server which was not discovered until Monday, this issue of Pambazuka News was not sent out to mailboxes not hosted on the Kabissa server. Here it is again now. We apologize for the inconvenience. - Tobias Eigen] PAMBAZUKA NEWS 75 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. Environment, 11. Media, 12. Development, 13. Internet and Technology, 14. eNewsletters and Mailing Lists, 15. Fundraising, 16. Courses, Seminars, and Workshops, 17. Advocacy Resources, 18. Jobs, 19. Books and Arts, 20. Letters and Comments If you have e-mail access, you can get web resources listed in this Newsletter by sending a message to [log in to unmask] with the web address (usually starting with http://) in the body of your message. Want to get off our subscriber list? Write to [log in to unmask] and your address will be removed immediately! /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 1.EDITORIAL DEEPENING DEMOCRACY AT THE GLOBAL LEVEL Extracts From Chapter 5 Of The Human Development Report 2002 http://www.undp.org/hdr2002 Although globalization has vastly expanded the demands on global institutions, it has also heightened a crisis of legitimacy and effectiveness. Large parts of the public no longer believe that their interests are represented in institutions such as the IMF, World Bank, UN Security Council and WTO or that the institutions are adequately accountable for what they do. Representation and accountability have always been weak in these multilateral institutions. But today the weaknesses are glaring because the institutions are being called on by their powerful members to intrude much more deeply into areas previously the preserve of national governments especially in developing countries. Over the past two decades these institutions have increasingly prescribed and required structural and institutional reforms. For example, in the 1980s countries that borrowed from the IMF and World Bank were required to meet 6-10 performance criteria and in the 1990s, some 26. Efforts to deepen democracy in international institutions must confront the realities of global power. Powerful countries will inevitably invest more energy and political capital in institutions that enable their power to be exercised. Once they are members of an elite club, countries are reluctant to lose that power or see it diluted by opening to new members. This explains why proposals for reform always encounter stiff resistance. And that is why broad acceptance of the principle of democratization has translated into so little progress at the level of specific proposals. Although developing countries are deeply affected by the decisions of institutions such as the IMF, World Bank and WTO, they have little power in their decision-making. There is an unavoidable democratic deficit in international organizations because people do not get to directly elect (or throw out) their representatives. This would be true even if all member countries of international organizations were flourishing democracies. [...] That said, however, the democratic deficit does not rule out improving the representativity of international organizations. The role of developing country governments in global governance needs to be bolstered through changes in formal representation. This is a necessary (albeit insufficient) condition to redress the existing bias in international organizations. [...] What is needed is to rewrite the way seats and votes are allocated within international organizations, to better recognize the increased stake of developing countries. Their cooperation and commitment to international agreements is vital if any international organization is to succeed in managing globalization. For this reason the old rules about representation are no longer viable or desirable. Put bluntly, the IMF and World Bank will not be able to do their jobs effectively if they remain tied to structures that reflect the balance of power at the end of the Second World War. In the past 55 years their roles and duties have changed beyond recognition, as have the expectations of their vastly increased membership. Nearly half of the voting power in the World Bank and IMF rests in the hands of seven countries (the U.S., Japan, France, U.K.,Saudi Arabia, Germany, and the Russian Federation) . This voting power is exercised in the formal decision- making bodies - the executive boards - of each institution. Equally important are the informal influences and traditions that shape the work of these organizations. These informal processes further weight the scales in favour of industrial countries. For example, the heads of the World Bank and IMF are chosen according to a political convention whereby the United States and Europe nominate their candidate for each, respectively. Other countries and critics rightly brand the process as undemocratic and insufficiently accountable. Yet more profoundly, the institutions are often criticized by academics, industrial country NGOs and developing country analysts for basing their economic advice and policy conditionality on a narrow worldview that reflects the interests of their most powerful members. In particular, they are widely perceived as being overly accountable to their largest shareholder, largely through informal influences such as the location and staffing of the organizations and their susceptibility to pressure on select issues. These concerns about who the IMF and World Bank represent have been heightened as the institutions have begun to prescribe policies over an ever broader range of issues. [...] The new role of the IMF and World Bank highlights the need for deeper participation by their borrowers: developing countries. A primary source of contention relates to the shares of developing and industrial countries in decision-making. Members of the IMF do not have equal voting power. Voting weights are based on two components. Each member has a set of 250 basic votes that come with membership. The second component is determined by economic power. Votes accompany country quotas that reflect the economic strength of countries. Since the formation of the IMF there has been a major imbalance in the evolution of the two sources of voting power. Basic votes have declined dramatically as quotas have increased. The share of basic votes in voting power has declined from 12.4 % to 2.1% . At the same time, an additional 135 countries have become members, including many transition economies. During this period the basic nature of the IMF and World Bank has changed. They were created at the end of the Second World War as institutions of mutual assistance. The IMF would provide resources to any country facing temporary balance of payments difficulties. The World Bank would help channel investment to countries for postwar reconstruction and development. This sense of mutual assistance has changed in the intervening years. Today the IMF and World Bank lend exclusively to developing and emerging economies. Furthermore, their loans are linked to conditions that increasingly impinge on the domestic policies of the state. The result is a new kind of division between creditor countries on one hand, who enjoy increased decision- making power and have used it to expand conditionality, and borrowing countries on the other, who view conditionality as externally imposed. This can be particularly worrisome when there is considerable division of opinion on that policy advice, and when the risks associated with the policy advice are borne almost exclusively by the people of the borrowing country. [...] There is now greater recognition of the need for the World Bank and the IMF to increase the representation of developing countries. They could do so in a number of ways. First, by increasing the proportion of basic votes allocated to each member. [...] Second, by enhancing the voice of developing countries within the institutions. Formally, all members of the IMF and World Bank executive boards are supposed to appoint the institutions presidents. But by convention, Europeans select a candidate for director of IMF and the U. S. government selects the head of the World Bank.[...] A selection committee for such a post would enable broader participation and transparency. Another step would be increasing the number of seats for developing countries on the executive boards. At present executive directors from developing countries represent large constituencies and have minimal input on policy formation. [...] Third, by making the institutions more accountable for their actions, not just to their board members but also to the people affected by their decisions. Governments are held accountable through a variety of social, political and legal institutions. These institutions must also be used to make global financial institutions more accountable. Specifically, this means ensuring transparency and monitoring and evaluating their rules, decisions, policies and actions. [...] To be effective, the results of all of these evaluations must be published, followed up and investigated, and necessary changes undertaken. This is particularly important for large organizations suffering from considerable inertia. Without publication of independent assessments of what organizations are doing, it is not only difficult for the public to judge how well or poorly an organization is undertaking its responsibilities, it is also impossible for outsiders to offer support to insiders who recognize the need for change. By publishing critical reports, institutions can catalyse public attention and external pressure for change, helping to overcome inertia or vested interests within the organization. [...] * For more information and press releases on the Human Development Report, visit Africa Action at http://www.africaaction.org /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 2.CONFLICT, EMERGENCIES, AND CRISES AFRICA: AFRICANS SOLVING AFRICA'S PROBLEMS http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.jsp?a=37&o=6597 Peace efforts in Africa suddenly seem to be making progress, with major breakthroughs toward ending fighting in Congo, Sudan and Burundi in less than week. DRC/RWANDA: KABILA AND KGAME SIGN PEACE DEAL TO END WAR Without rapid progress towards achieving a comprehensive power-sharing agreement that includes Congolese civil society, the climate of mistrust and uncertainty prevailing in the DRC may undercut the political momentum generated by the peace deal Tuesday between the DRC and Rwanda, an NGO grouping has warned. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9303 DRC: ERUPTIONS CONTINUE ON MOUNTS NYAMURAGIRA, NYIRAGONGO Volcanic eruptions and other activity continued last Saturday on mounts Nyamuragira and Nyiragongo, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, but still posed no immediate danger to the nearby city of Goma, Kalendi Sadaka Kavotha, director of the Goma Volcano Observatory, told IRIN. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9216 DRC: POLICE KILL 14 AUTONOMY DEMONSTRATORS IN BAS-CONGO PROVINCE Police in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)last Monday shot dead 14 demonstrators demanding autonomy for Bas-Congo Province, in southwestern DRC, media sources and a civil society group reported. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9214 ERITREA: OVER A MILLION PEOPLE AT RISK One million of Eritrea?s 3.7 million total population were at risk from drought- associated diseases and malnutrition due to a failure of seasonal rains aggravated by the aftermath of the recent war with Ethiopia, the UN and the Eritrean government have warned. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9325 ETHIOPIA: OVER 8 MILLION IN NEED OF FOOD AID The Ethiopian government has warned that over eight million people are in need of food aid after failed rains in the country. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9213 NIGERIA: ATTACK BY ARMED GROUP CLAIMS 15 LIVES IN PLATEAU At least 15 people died when an armed group launched an attack on policemen deployed to trouble spots in Nigeria's central Plateau State, police sources said last Saturday. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9266 NIGERIA: PRESIDENTIAL BODYGUARDS FIRE INTO CROWD http://www.africantimes.com/articlepg1.asp?ID=50304 Soldiers escorting President Olusegun Obasanjo fired into a crowd of protesters Monday in the northern city of Kano. A number of people were wounded and some were feared killed, witnesses said. SOMALIA: FIGHTING CONTINUES IN BAIDOA http://www.africantimes.com/articlepg1.asp?ID=50460 Heavy fighting continued raging on Wednesday for the second consecutive day in Baidoa town between the forces of the president of the southwestern regional government of Somalia and those of his deputy chairmen in the Rahanwein Resistance Army faction. SUDAN: GOVERNMENT DENIES LAUNCHING OFFENSIVE IN OIL REGION http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=29109 The Sudanese government on Wednesday denied claims by southern rebels that government forces had killed more than 1,000 people in a major offensive in south Sudan's main oil region. SUDAN: MIXING OIL AND BLOOD A First-hand Account Of Life And Politics Inside Sudan http://www.amnestyusa.org/amnestynow/sudan.html Diplomatic efforts may help peace to finally gain a toehold in Sudan and offer relief to the country's hapless civilians. Then again, this initiative may be yet another false hope, leaving an interminable war to satisfy its insatiable appetite for victims. UGANDA: BRUTAL REBEL ATTACK IN UGANDA http://www.africantimes.com/articlepg1.asp?ID=50181 Rebels of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) have killed 42 civilians in an attack in northern Uganda, says the Ugandan army. The army said the rebels attacked a village near the northern town of Kitgum last Wednesday and used machetes and clubs to cut and beat their victims to death. WEST AFRICA: ECOWAS SETS UP EARLY WARNING SYSTEM, PLANS MILITARY BASES The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has set up an early- warning satellite-communication system and plans to establish two military bases to facilitate rapid deployment of peacekeeping troops in conflict situations. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9215 WESTERN SAHARA: UN MISSION MANDATE EXTENDED BY SIX MONTHS http://allafrica.com/stories/200208010011.html The Security Council has extended the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (French acronym - MINURSO) for six months ending on 31 January 2003, the Council reported on Tuesday. Armed conflict broke out in 1975 when Morocco annexed Western Sahara, after Spain withdrew from the northwestern African territory. In 1991, both sides signed a ceasefire and allowed the deployment of MINURSO. ZIMBABWE: EMERGENCY FOOD DISPUTE SETTLED http://allafrica.com/stories/200208010010.html The United States and Zimbabwe have reached agreement on supplying emergency food to the famine-stricken southern African nation, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Walter Kansteiner says. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 3.RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY AFRICA: DEMOCRATISATION INITIATIVES IN AFRICA: DONOR-DRIVEN LIBERAL SOCIAL ENGINEERING? http://www.id21.org/society/s8cjh1g1.html As Africa emerges from decades of authoritarian rule, what role should donors play in fostering democracy? Are democratisation programmes working? Are they based on an analysis of how civil society functions in Africa or are donors creating a new elite to promote economic liberalisation and limited forms of procedural democracy? ANGOLA/NIGERIA: U.S. SHOULD SPOTLIGHT ABUSES As Walter Kansteiner, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, traveled to Angola and Nigeria this week, Human Rights Watch urged him not to overlook serious human rights concerns in both countries. Human Rights Watch said that this Africa visit was an opportunity for the Bush administration to integrate human rights into its meetings. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9220 KENYA: SUCCESSION RACE HOTS UP http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2158364.stm Uhuru Kenyatta, who appears to be President Daniel arap Moi's chosen heir, now has three cabinet ministers racing with him to be the ruling party's presidential candidate. Raila Odinga, Katana Ngala and Musalia Mudavadi have said they will fight Mr Kenyatta, son of Kenya's first president, for the Kenya African National Union (Kanu) nomination ahead of the elections due later this year. LIBERIA: LIFE-THREATENING RISKS FOR PRO-DEMOCRACY ACTIVISTS Politically motivated assassinations and violent attacks against pro-democracy individuals went unpunished and led to a culture of impunity under the rule of President Charles Taylor of Liberia, concluded a human rights meeting on the situation in Liberia, held in Accra on 22-23 July. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9367 LIBERIA: MILITARY COURT ORDERS GOVERNMENT TO PRODUCE DETAINEES Liberia's Court Martial Board has ordered the Liberian government to produce by 7 August the ?living bodies? of three men who were arrested a month ago. Several human rights groups, including Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders, had accused the government of violating the men's constitutional rights by refusing to bring them to court. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9219 MALI: LOW TURNOUT FOR MALI'S PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION http://www.africantimes.com/articlepg1.asp?ID=50244 Voting ended on Sunday in the final round of Mali's parliamentary elections, with low turnout to decide most of the seats in the impoverished West African country's assembly. NIGERIA: COURT INVALIDATES ELECTION COMMISSION'S REJECTION OF PARTIES Nigeria's court of appeal last Friday invalidated the grounds on which the country's electoral body denied applications by 27 groups for registration as political parties, IRIN news reports. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9265 RWANDA: JUSTICE OR THERAPY? http://hrw.org/editorials/2002/ictr0724.htm In the debate over justice and reconciliation after the Rwandan genocide, the question has been raised of how best to restore health to a society smashed by devastating violence. One prescription ? substituting therapy for justice ? ventures into dangerous moral territory. SOMALIA: SOMALILAND PARTIES AGREE ON CONDITIONS FOR FAIR POLLS http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=29124 Registered political parties in the self-declared republic of Somaliland have agreed on conditions necessary for holding free and fair elections in the region, IRIN reports. SWAZILAND: REPRESSION IS BEING IGNORED, CLAIMS ACTIVIST http://www.sabcnews.com/africa/southern_africa/0,1009,39608,00.html Repression in Swaziland is being ignored by the international community because of a misguided perception that its people live in traditional peace and harmony, an opposition activist says. "We have not resorted to violence and it would be our choice not to do so," Ignatius Dlamini, the secretary general of the banned Peoples United Democratic Movement (Pudemo), told a seminar at the Institute for Security Studies in Pretoria. ZIMABABWE: MUGABE PARTY DECLARED WINNER OF URBAN ELECTION http://zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=4827 President Robert Mugabe's ruling Zanu PF party was declared the winner last night of controversial mayoral elections in a northern town, in a rare urban victory over the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). The MDC immediately dismissed the result as a result of rigging. ZIMBABWE: FURY AS ZIMBABWE OFFICIAL HELD http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2155353.stm Zimbabwe has denounced the UK authorities after a senior figure in President Mugabe's party was stopped in London for defying an EU travel ban. Joseph Malinga, Deputy Secretary for the disabled in Zanu-PF, was held - along with his wife - on his arrival at London's Gatwick airport by British officials as he attempted to get on a plane to New York. ZIMBABWE: GOVERNMENT DISMISSES SANCTIONS' IMPACT Zimbabwe's Minister of Home Affairs John Nkomo has dismissed the impact of expanded European Union (EU) sanctions on the country's ruling elite, despite five government officials being denied entry to Europe last weekend. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9268 /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 4.CORRUPTION ANGOLA: AS GUERRILLA WAR ENDS, CORRUPTION NOW BLEEDS ANGOLA TO DEATH http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=40620 Whether it is army officers smuggling gems, government officials demanding multi-million-pound bribes for oil contracts or teachers wanting money for exam certificates, millions of pounds are being misappropriated every week. And with more than one million of its 11 million population in need of food aid after the end of decades of civil war, corruption in Angola means yet more human suffering. ETHIOPIA: COMMISSION ASKS TO RETRACT CORRUPTION CHARGES http://allafrica.com/stories/200208010216.html The Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission has asked for charges to be withdrawn against former top government officials and for new charges to be formulated. This after the accused have been detained for 14 months without bail. KENYA: ANTI-CORRUPTION POLICE UNIT STEPS UP WAR ON GRAFT http://allafrica.com/stories/200207280013.html The Anti-Corruption Police Unit has established a secretariat to oversee training of personnel in the fight against the vice. NIGERIA: ELECTORAL COMMISSION PROBES MEMBER OVER GRAFT ALLEGATIONS http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=40630 The anti-corruption war may have been extended to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the commission probes one of its commissioner over an alleged 395m nairas (3.1m dollars) contract scam. NIGERIA: HOUSE WANTS LIST OF BANKS INVOLVED IN FINANCIAL CRIMES http://allafrica.com/stories/200207260154.html The House of Representatives has written to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to furnish it with names of commercial banks in the country involved in financial crimes. NIGERIA: OBASANJO PURSUES CORRUPTION CASE http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/africa/2151324.stm Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has asked his justice minister for an explanation after legal proceedings against a top official accused of corruption were dropped. SOUTH AFRICA: 'EMBARRASSED' WOERFEL SAYS YENGENI ASKED FOR DISCOUNT http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.jsp?a=11&o=6574 Former African National Congress (ANC) chief whip Tony Yengeni asked Michael Woerfel to get him a luxury car at a 50 percent discount, the businessman said last Friday. SOUTH AFRICA: MBEKI COMES OUT AGAINST GREED AND CRIME http://www.bday.co.za/bday/content/direct/1,3523,1138740-6078-0,00.html African National Congress (ANC) president Thabo Mbeki has come out against the concept of treating "avarice as legitimate sin". SOUTH AFRICA: STATE MOVES TO ACT AGAINST PRISON CORRUPTION http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=40641 Moving swiftly on startling evidence of prison corruption and mismanagement heard recently by the Jali Commission of Inquiry, the government has set up a team of investigators which will swing into action to probe the allegations. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 5.HEALTH AFRICA: DENGUE FEVER RISK RAISED BY POOR WATER SUPPLY AND TRASH DISPOSAL http://enn.com/news/wire-stories/2002/07/07302002/ap_47984.asp Bad water supply and trash disposal in fast-growing cities in poor nations is increasing the risk of a potentially fatal mosquito-borne disease, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Monday. BURUNDI: ELEVEN DIE OF SUSPECTED MENINGITIS - UN AGENCY SAYS Since 1 July, 11 of the 21 people in Burundi's Ngozi Province suspected to have contracted meningitis have died - with the first cases occurring in the communes of Kiremba, Mwumba, Busiga, and Ruhoro; the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported last Thursday. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9225 CHAD: CHAD PASSES LAW ON REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH http://www.unfpa.org/modules/dispatch/issues2002/july02/chad.htm The Chadian Parliament has passed a law guaranteeing protection for the reproductive health and rights of its citizens. The new law, adopted on 20 March, draws mainly from a regional document prepared at a meeting of West African parliamentarians in Dakar in 1999. Under the terms of the new law, it would be an offence to engage in any form of sexual violence, including female genital cutting, forced marriage, domestic violence or sexual slavery. CONGO: POLIO VACCINATION CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED AFTER ONE MONTH DELAY After a one-month postponement due to a series of political elections, the Republic of Congo (ROC) launched on Thursday this year's nationwide campaign to vaccinate 682,640 children aged five years and under against polio, with assurances of access to all districts of the troubled Pool region, according to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9227 DRC: UNICEF MOBILISES TO FIGHT CHOLERA IN KATANGA The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has mobilised 10 mt of emergency relief supplies worth US $64,000 to fight a cholera outbreak in Kalemie, in the north of Katanga Province, southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), according to a UNICEF press release issued last Wednesday. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9228 GAMBIA: RELIGIOUS LEADERS FROWN ON POPULATION CHECKS http://allafrica.com/stories/200207260374.html Religious leaders in the country have made denunciations against what they called the indiscriminate application and distribution of contraceptive devices, which are designed to check population growth at the national level. KENYA: MALARIA OUTBREAKS PREDICTED http://allafrica.com/stories/200207310027.html Another malaria outbreak could hit the country by the end of the year, the Ministry of Health has warned. This comes in the wake of predictions that East Africa will experience El Nino. LESOTHO: ALMOST A THIRD OF BASOTHOS HIV POSITIVE http://allafrica.com/stories/200207310007.html Almost a third of Lesotho's population is infected with HIV/Aids, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Maseru announced on Tuesday. The announcement was made during a workshop to determine how best to deal with HIV/Aids in the landlocked country. MALI: UNICEF BEGINS MALI ANTI-TETANUS DRIVE http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2157089.stm The United Nations Children Fund (Unicef) has begun a major campaign to vaccinate thousands of women against tetanus in Mali in an attempt to halt the passing of the disease to newborn babies. Last year tetanus killed 30,000 women in developing countries across the world. SOUTH AFRICA: CALL FOR GOVERNMENT ENDORSEMENT OF AIDS FUNDING TO KWAZULU-NATAL The dispute between the South African government and the Global Fund to Fight Aids over funding to KwaZulu-Natal was an ?unnecessary controversy? that was damaging South Africa's reputation with the Fund and the international community. More importantly, it was causing a delay in the implementation of programmes to prevent further AIDS deaths and new HIV infections. This is according to a statement signed by a host of organisations and individuals, including the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), the South African Medical Association and Anglican Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9368 SOUTH AFRICA: DUAL METHOD USE IN SOUTH AFRICA Research Paper http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/2811902.html Dual method use is featured in South Africa's new reproductive health policies as an important means of family planning as well as of prevention of infection with HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). However, little is known about current levels and predictors of dual method use in South Africa or about interventions that might promote dual protection. SOUTH AFRICA: MBEKI CRITICIZES GLOBAL FUND http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=12559 South African President Thabo Mbeki on Thursday criticized officials in charge of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria for approving a $60 million grant to KwaZulu-Natal province that had not received clearance from the central government, as stipulated in the fund's rules. SOUTHERN AFRICA: MALARIA THREAT ON HEALS OF DROUGHT The coming of the rains in Southern Africa in the next few months will end the region's drought but usher in a new threat - an upsurge in malaria, Africa's number one killer. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9226 TANZANIA: AIDS 'INCITEMENT' SONG BANNED http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2149686.stm Government officials say a controversial song, in the national language Swahili, contains a verse that has been inciting people to go out and catch the disease. Music lovers insist the song was meant to scare people from forced marriages, a practice prevalent among the Wazaramu ethnic group living in Tanzania's coastal region. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 6.EDUCATION AND SOCIAL WELFARE AFRICA: MILLIONS OF AFRICAN CHILDREN ARE OUT OF SCHOOL http://allafrica.com/stories/200207300036.html An estimated 24 million African children are out of school, while of those enrolled, only 61 per cent reach fifth grade, a report by the Forum for African Women Educationists (FAWE) has disclosed. AFRICA: NO QUICK FIX: TACKLING THE AIDS EPIDEMIC THROUGH COMBATING POVERTY http://www.id21.org/society/s5bei1g1.html How is the HIV/AIDS epidemic affecting children and young people? What is being done to address the consequences of the epidemic and what are the possible ways forward? Save the Children UK research suggests that HIV/AIDS is now the greatest threat to child development in many parts of the world and that it is only by combating the root causes of poverty that the HIV/AIDS epidemic can be tackled. BURKINA FASO/NIGER: 500,000 CHILDREN TARGETED IN ANTI-POLIO CAMPAIGN Burkina Faso and Niger are to conduct a joint campaign to vaccinate at least 500,000 children aged 12 months to five years, officials of the World Health Organization (WHO) in the Burkina Faso capital, Ouagadougou, told IRIN. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9267 CAMEROON: IRIN FOCUS ON ABANDONED CHILDREN Most of the children at the Saint Theresa Charity Centre in Ngaoundere, some 622 km north of the Cameroonian capital, Yaounde, were taken there at an early age. "We receive children abandoned in the streets or in garbage dumps as well as newborns who lost their mothers at birth," said Sister Agnes Nana, who was temporarily in charge of the centre when IRIN visited it in late June. "We've received newborns who were still carrying their umbilical cord." Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9229 ETHIOPIA: FOCUS ON PRIMARY EDUCATION http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=29084 In southeastern Ethiopia, a woman like Sedo Osman is a rare sight. She is one of a handful of women teachers striving to get more girls into schools. ETHIOPIA: UNICEF CONCERNED OVER ROUND-UP OF STREET CHILDREN The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) expressed concern last Friday over claims that several hundred homeless children have been rounded up from the streets of the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9231 NIGERIA: HOW STAKEHOLDERS VIEW THE DECLINE OF NIGERIA'S PRIMARY SCHOOLS http://www.id21.org/education/e1pf1g1.html Communities play a vital role in Nigeria's primary schools, helping to build, maintain and run them. But is the 'social capital' of community participation in education being eroded? How far can parents and communities fill the gap when government provision of services is lacking? SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: HIV 'INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT' CAUSE OF CHILD MORTALITY http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=12533 HIV/AIDS is an "increasingly important cause" of mortality in children under five in sub-Saharan Africa, according to an analysis in the 27 July issue of the Lancet. WEST AFRICA: CHILD LABOUR RAMPANT IN COCOA SECTOR, NEW STUDY SAYS http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=29102 Exploitative child labour is still rampant in cocoa-producing communities of West Africa, fresh findings from a joint study by the region's governments, the United States and other stakeholders of the international cocoa industry, show. ZAMBIA: PEER-LED AIDS EDUCATION IN ZAMBIA http://www.id21.org/education/h5psi1g4.html Do African adolescents know enough about AIDS to protect themselves against infection? What is the best way to educate them about the risks of HIV? A report from Population Services International evaluates a peer-led HIV prevention programme in a secondary school in Zambia. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 7.WOMEN AND GENDER AFRICA/GLOBAL: SECURITY COUNCIL URGED TO INCLUDE WOMEN IN PEACEKEEPING Background And Position Paper On Gender Unit At DPKO http://www.peacewomen.org/un/ngo/ngopub/DPKOgenderunit.html In Security Council Resolution 1325, member states urge the incorporation of a gender perspective into peacekeeping operations and urge the Secretary-General to include gender components in field operations. In the same resolution, the Security Council calls on all actors to adopt a gender perspective in peace negotiations and post-conflict reconstruction, and expresses its willingness to ensure that missions take into account gender considerations. AFRICA: VOICES OF THE POOR - CRYING OUT FOR CHANGE http://www.id21.org/society/s5brc1g1.html How do poor people view poverty and wellbeing? What are their problems and priorities? What is their experience of the institutions of states, markets and civil society? How are gender relations faring within poor households and communities? AFRICA: WOMEN MUST BE EQUALS IN AU, SAYS SA PARLIAMENTARY SPEAKER http://allafrica.com/stories/200208010001.html Women were noticeably absent from the structures of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), with virtually no positions of influence within the continental body during its 39-year existence. That is set to change in the OAU's successor, the AU, says Frene Ginwala, South Africa's parliamentary speaker. KENYA: CONTAINING A DEBASING TRADITION http://allafrica.com/stories/200207260316.html Although the government has criminalised female genital mutilation, it must still go the extra mile to eradicate the outdated practice from the 55 districts where it is prevalent. MALAWI: FAMINE, AIDS DEVASTATING MALAWI WOMEN http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/984 Southern Africa's famine is especially devastating for women in Malawi, where widows have no property rights and AIDS leaves grandmothers to care for hungry orphans. NIGERIA: WOMEN END SIEGE OF CHEVRONTEXACO FACILITIES The last of a series of sieges by women protesters on facilities of ChevronTexaco in southeastern Nigeria's Niger Delta has ended following an agreement between representatives of the protesters and the US transnational, company officials said last Friday. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9235 SENEGAL: NATIONAL NETWORK OF RURAL WOMEN IN SENEGAL http://www.enda.sn/pronat This network is an initiative of the Dimitra Project coordination unit in West Africa, which covers seven countries. The network has been established in Senegal with the mission of expanding throughout these various countries. The fields of action of this network range from training and information for women,Äôs associations, to the creation of links between development partners, the development of local knowledge, action to promote solidarity amongst associations, and measures to support income-generation activities. Contact: [log in to unmask] SIERRA LEONE: REFUGEE WOMEN AND THE CHALLENGE OF REINTEGRATION http://www.refugees.org/news/press_releases/2002/071902.cfm During a recent site visit to West Africa, the U.S. Committee for Refugees (USCR) spoke with more than 30 Sierra Leonean women and girls?refugees, internally displaced, and returnees?about their experiences and the reintegration obstacles they face in Sierra Leone. Many of the women and girls had lost spouses, parents, children and other family members in the fighting or had suffered or witnessed atrocities. UGANDA: FAO DENOUNCES THE RESTRICTIONS ON ACCESS TO INFORMATION BY RURAL WOMEN http://www.fao.org/english/newsroom/news/2002/7600-en.html In the context of the Know How Conference 2002 held last week in Kampala, Uganda, on the collection and dissemination of information relevant to women, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has denounced the limited access by rural women to the new information technologies. ZIMBABWE: POSITIVE WOMEN: VOICES & CHOICES Women And AIDS Support Network (WASN) http://www.kubatana.net/html/archive/hivaid/020701wasn.asp?sector=HIVAID The International Community of Women living with HIV/AIDS (ICW) developed a project encouraging HIV positive women to share and document their experiences of living with HIV, particularly in relation to sexual and reproductive health and needs. In Zimbabwe, Positive Women: Voices and Choices has been quite outstanding in its process and outcomes. HIV positive women, from resource-poor mainly rural communities, were elected by their support groups to be trained to collect data and analyse the findings. The process of teamwork gave the women skills and self-confidence and they are now strong advocates from their communities, representing the issues of HIV positive women in many fora and making presentations at high-profile, national and international events. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 8.REFUGEES AND FORCED MIGRATION ANGOLA: HUNGRY UNITA SOLDIERS SURRENDERING IN NAMIBIA Hungry UNITA soldiers and their families who have crossed into Namibia are being transported back across the border to quartering areas in southern Angola by the Namibian Defence Force (NDF), which has only a limited amount of food to spare the former rebels. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9243 ANGOLA: LANDMINES SERIOUS THREAT TO RETURNING IDPS http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=29097 The British-based Mines Advisory Group (MAG) has raised concern over the movement of Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in Angola and their settlement in areas that are ?littered with anti-personnel landmines?. ANGOLA: LARGE NUMBERS OF REFUGEES RETURNING HOME http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=29114 Thousands of Angolans continue to spontaneously return to their homeland following the end of that country's decades-long civil war, said the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). BOTSWANA: KALAHARI RESERVE RESIDENTS APPEAL AGAINST EVICTION Residents of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) have appealed against a government decision to cut basic services to those living in the reserve. Heard on 11 July, the appeal by Roy Sesana and 247 other residents, against a previous High Court ruling against them, was referred back to the High Court in Lobatse. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9277 CONGO: 66 000 DISPLACED IN POOL REGION http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=29085 About 66,000 people are currently displaced in the Pool region, just northwest of Brazzaville, capital of the Republic of Congo, since fighting broke out in late March, the UN country team reported on Monday. DRC: WFP TO PROVIDE FOOD AID FOR 39,000 DISPLACED BY WAR http://www.irinnews.org/print.asp?ReportID=28992 The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) will provide aid to some 39,000 people displaced by war in northwestern Democratic Republic of the Congo. WFP Regional Director for Central Africa Holdbrook Arthur arrived in the Congolese capital, Kinshasa, last Wednesday to meet with government authorities on matters of food security and WFP aid. ETHIOPIA: 225 ERITREANS REPATRIATED FROM ETHIOPIA http://www.africantimes.com/articlepg1.asp?ID=50369 A total of 225 Eritreans left Ethiopia Tuesday for home under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), said the ICRC in a press release. ETHIOPIA: GOVT ORDERS EVACUATION OF CAMPS NEAR ADDIS ABABA Dotted around the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, there are at least 14 camps for internally displaced people (IDPs). They house more than 17,000 people, and disease is rife.Now, however, the government wants them to move on. Already the police and local authorities have cleared three camps. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9280 LIBERIA: OVER 90,000 IDPS NOW DEPEND ON WFP AID Some 93,000 people displaced by fighting in Liberia now depend on supplies provided by the World Food Programme (WFP), according to the UN agency, which said some 43,000 of the beneficiaries were living in camps near the capital, Monrovia. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9241 UGANDA: 2,000 CONGOLESE FLEE INTO UGANDA http://www.newvision.co.ug/detail.php?story=47250 AN estimated 2,000 DR Congolese refugees have fled Bundibugyo district following ethnic clashes between Hema and Lendu in Ituri region, reports The New Vision newspaper. ZIMBABWE: CHARITY WARNS OF STARVATION http://www.zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=4831 Save the Children, the UK-based international aid agency, on Monday warned of mass migration of starving people from Zimbabwe to neighbouring South Africa within the next three months. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 9.RACISM AND XENOPHOBIA /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 10.ENVIRONMENT AFRICA/GLOBAL: POLITICAL CLIMATE COOLS FOR FIGHT ON GLOBAL WARMING http://enn.com/news/wire-stories/2002/07/07312002/reu_47992.asp The world woke up to global warming at the 1992 Rio Earth summit, but 10 years on, what some consider the planet's biggest environmental danger has fallen off the agenda of a major follow-up conference. Next month's summit of world leaders in Johannesburg will focus on poverty, not pollution ? a worry for some environmentalists who say the poor will suffer first if climate change is not stopped. AFRICA: NINE AFRICAN NATIONS WANT TO SELL IVORY STOCKS http://ens-news.com/ens/jul2002/2002-07-29-19.asp#anchor3 The number of southern and east African countries that could seek approval to sell their ivory stocks from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) meeting in November has risen to nine. Five nations had announced their intention to sell ivory earlier this year in advance of the CITES meeting in November. AFRICA: RESTORING ECOLOGICAL HEALTH AND ENHANCING ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY http://www.earthisland.org/ggn/communitysolutions2.html With cut-and-run industrial logging now running roughshod across the world's last remaining rainforests, old-growth stands, and other intact forest ecosystems - along with the many indigenous peoples and communities that depend upon them - the need to shift to sustainable ways of relating to forests has never been more urgent. AFRICA: UN PROJECT DOCUMENTS EROSION ON AFRICA?S COASTLINES http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=4318&Cr=Africa&Cr1=coasts With the coastline in parts of Africa receding rapidly, a new United Nations project aims to call attention to the problem and foster dialogue on solutions, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) reports. DRC: VOLCANIC ASH THREATENS ANIMALS A large plume of ash over Mount Nyimuragira, which erupted last Thursday, poses no immediate danger to man, but may hurt animals in the Masisi area, west of the volcano, Dario Tedesco, the resident volcanologist of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said on Sunday. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9248 NAMIBIA: CHEETAH TAKES CENTRE STAGE http://www.namibian.com.na/ Namibia's fight to conserve its endangered Cheetah population has been boosted by support from internationally acclaimed conservationist, Kuki Gallman. The Italian-born poet, conservationist and founder of the Gallman Memorial Foundation (GMF) pledged botanical expertise to help protect the cheetah during a gala dinner and auction in Windhoek aimed at raising N$100 000 for the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF). SOUTH AFRICA: BETTER FARMING TECHNIQUES? ALTERNATIVES TO EXTENSION IN SOUTH AFRICA http://www.id21.org/society/s2bjr1g1.html How can farmers improve their soil fertility management strategies? Does extension work aid this process and help address problems faced by smallholders? Are alternative approaches providing effective advisory services to resource-poor farmers with a focus on inclusion and willing participation needed? UGANDA: $2M FOR GORILLA SECTOR http://www.newafrica.com/news/articlepg1.asp?ID=50364&countryid=52 Uganda's world famous rare mountain gorilla tourism has received a US$2 million (sh3.6billion) boost from the USA for the conservation of the endangered primates in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Mgahinga National Parks in southwestern Uganda. ZAMBIA: ZAMBIA TO ACCEPT U.S. TRANSGENIC FOOD AID http://ens-news.com/ens/jul2002/2002-07-29-01.asp Zambia is expected to import genetically modified maize (corn) from the United States to feed its 2.3 million starving citizens, according to the Biotechnology Trust of Africa, a regional charitable trust. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 11.MEDIA ALGERIA: TV PRESENTER MURDERED Reporters Without Borders says it is shocked at the murder on 26 July of Algerian TV presenter Mourad Belkacem and called on the authorities to investigate at once the circumstances and motives for the killing. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9313 GAMBIA: CONGOLESE CORRESPONDENT ARRESTED On 29 July, RSF called for the immediate and unconditional release of journalist Guy-Patrick Massoloka, a Banjul-based correspondent for the Pan African News Agency (PANA) of Congolese nationality. Massoloka was arrested by National Intelligence Agency officials on 19 July and is still being held without charge. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9312 KENYA: CENSORSHIP, JAIL AND STATE CONTROLS http://www.indexonline.org/news/20020727_kenya.shtml Kenya aims to follow Zimbabwe's example with the introduction of its new media law and stiff controls on the political opposition. Journalists and rights activists alike are equally worried. NIGERIA: GOVERNOR'S AGENTS TERRORISE JOURNALISTS Happenings in the present and recent past in Enugu State Of Nigeria have shown the hostility of the incumbent governor, Chimaroke Nnamani, towards fair and objective news reporting by journalists posted to his state. His reactions have been characterised by assault and deportation of journalists from his state. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9334 RWANDA: THREE JOURNALISTS SENTENCED TO "PREVENTATIVE DETENTION" On 23 July, Robert Sebufirira, Elly MacDowell Kalisa, and Emmanuel Munyaneza, all journalists with the independent weekly "Umuseso", were sentenced to 30 days of "preventative detention" by a court in Rwanda's capital, Kigali. They are currently in the city's central prison. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9311 /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 12.DEVELOPMENT POPULATION AND POVERTY: NEW VIEWS ON AN OLD PROBLEM http://www.agi-usa.org/pubs/journals/2804102.pdf Family planning alone will not necessarily reduce poverty in developing countries, but neither will many of the present models of economic development. On the other hand, a slower rate of population growth, combined with sound and equitable economic development and the reduction of gender inequality, appears increasingly likely to achieve that goal. RETHINKING RURAL DEVELOPMENT: WHAT STRATEGIC CHANGES ARE NEEDED? http://www.id21.org/society/s1cca1g1.html Rural development should be central to poverty reduction. Three quarters of the 1.2 billion people surviving on less than one dollar a day live and work in rural areas. Rural people are twice as likely as their urban counterparts to be poor. However, rural development faces a loss of confidence: funding has been falling, and governments and donors are scrambling to rethink policy. What new directions should rural development policy take? THE WORLD BANK AND PRIVATISATION: A FLAWED DEVELOPMENT TOOL? http://www.id21.org/society/s7bkb1g1.html Does privatisation effectively encourage development and reduce poverty? Should the World Bank's approach to privatisation be re-examined? Research by the University of Greenwich analyses the fundamental areas of privatisation policy and practice, focusing in particular on Africa, where the World Bank has keenly supported privatisation in many countries. NIGERIA: COUNTRY STRUGGLES UNDER WEIGHT OF FOREIGN DEBT http://search.ft.com/search/article.html?id=020726002019 International campaigners have joined the government in asking why Nigeria is ineligible for debt reduction under the heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) programme set up in 1996 by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank and extended three years later. Nigeria is excluded even though its per capita income levels and ratio of debt to gross national product are comparable with those of the 42 countries included in the HIPC initiative, which covers every other state in mainland west Africa south of the Sahara. SOUTH AFRICA: PROTESTORS AGAINST ELECTRICITY DISCONNECTIONS FACE COURT http://www.resist.org.uk/reports/background/soweto.html Township dwellers in South Africa are fighting for basic services, such as water and electricity. On 9 June, Soweto residents marched to the home of the Mayor of Greater Johannesburg, Amos Masondo. Their organisation, Soweto Electricity Crisis Committee (SECC), led by Trevor Ngwame, had been set up several weeks before. SECC reports that twenty thousand more houses are being disconnected from electricity in Soweto every month. ZAMBIA: STRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENT, RURAL LIVELIHOODS AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT Journal Article http://taylorandfrancis.metapress.com/link.asp?id=PURJ2DRJ7M111RUE This presents, in concise form, some of the main findings of the Zambian component of a study carried out in four African countries between 1997 and 2000. A political economy approach is used to examine the interaction between segments of government, donors, the private sector, and rural communities, both historically and in recent times. It is found that the structural adjustment framework adopted in 1989 has modified the interplay of forces contending for control over natural resources, but not to the benefit of rural communities and the poor in general. Some recommendations are advanced for policy review, changes in administration, and legislative change. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 13.INTERNET AND TECHNOLOGY AFRICA: COMPUTERS IN SCHOOLS: AN UNAFFORDABLE LUXURY? http://www.id21.org/education/e4ac2g1.html Is there a role for computers in secondary education in the South? While most schools in the world still lack electricity and phone connections, should pedagogy precede technology? What are the costs of ICT provision? What should schools and education planners consider before trying to join the e-revolution? FREE HACKER SOFTWARE CALLED HUMAN RIGHTS WEAPON Free Speech Tool http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/18602.html Hacktivismo (http://hacktivismo.com), purported human rights hacker group, have released a free steganography program which allows activists to exchange banned content over the Internet. This article contains links to the software and various articles about it. ICTS IN AFRICA - PART 2 From The Communication Initiative This is the second in a planned double issue collaboration focusing on Information & Communication Technologies (ICTs) in Africa. The first installment included just some of the all-embracing, bilateral and multilateral Africa initiatives, and some of the policy frameworks developed on a country level. This issue focuses on some of the regional, community, issue-specific and "on-the-ground" ICT initiatives and resources in Africa. We have found such a wealth of resources, we will be publishing a third installment later. It will focus on youth/child initiatives, radio/internet initiatives and information, bulletins and journals, prizes and additional resources and portals. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9230 Contact: [log in to unmask] /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 14.eNEWSLETTERS AND MAILING LISTS ICT NEWS UPDATES http://www.ugabytesinitiative.org UgaBYTES ICT news updates is a monthly, electronic newsletter produced by The UgaBYTES Initiative. The newsletter brings to the fore opportunities and challenges facing ICTs in rural areas, especially in Africa. The newsletter is intended for practitioners of ICTs for rural development, organizations working for and on behalf of rural communities and ICTs. To subscribe to the UgaBYTES ICT news updates please send a mail to [log in to unmask] and in the subject line include ?subscribe?. NEW LISTSERVER FOR WORLD SUMMIT http://www.sdissues.net The Sustainable Development Issues Network (SDIN) is a coalition of nongovernmental issue-based caucuses and networks established during the year before the World Summit on Sustainable Development. The purpose of the coalition is to provide mutual support and exchange of information among NGO caucuses and networks promoting sustainable development. We would like to announce and invite you to join a new listserver (http://sdissues.net/sdin/discuss.aspx) hosted by SDIN to encourage substantive discussion and dialogue on the important issues and strategies of concern in the World Summit on Sustainable Development. In the remaining weeks before the Summit there are many topics and questions of concern to participants and observers that will need to be addressed by NGOs. WORLD SUMMIT LISTSERVERS WSSD listservers carrying information about the Summit include: *http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/csdlistserver.htm - UN Summit Secretariat listserver; *http://iisd.ca/enb/2002summit-l.asp - International Institute for Sustainable Development's 2002 Summit list; *http://www.worldsummit2002.org/ - Heinrich Boell's WSSD newsletter; *http://lists.healthdev.net/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?join=earthsummit2002 - Stakeholder Forum's EarthSummit2002 list; *http://earthsummit.open.ac.uk - Earth Summit for All features discussions on education for sustainable development. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 15.FUNDRAISING BURKINA FASO : EU TO FUND WATER PROGRAM IN SEMI-ARID COUNTRY http://allafrica.com/stories/200207250611.html The EU has agreed to provide Burkina Faso with 16 million euro (US $15.9 million) for water management activities aimed at reducing rural poverty, and to support the private sector. BURKINA FASO: EU TO FUND WATER PROGRAM IN SEMI-ARID COUNTRY The EU has agreed to provide Burkina Faso with 16 million euro (US $15.9 million) for water management activities aimed at reducing rural poverty, and to support the private sector. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9371 BURUNDI: WORLD BANK SIGNS $36 MILLION DEAL TO FIGHT HIV/AIDS Burundi and the World Bank signed a US $36-million agreement last Thursday to support a multisectoral project to combat HIV/AIDS in the war-torn country. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9372 CONGO: US TO SUPPORT HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION FOR INDIGENOUS POPULATIONS A US$24 000 programme to educate indigenous populations in several regions of the Republic of Congo on their basic human rights will begin in August. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9369 ETHIOPIA: IRISH AID TO TACKLE DROUGHT http://allafrica.com/stories/200207250166.html Ireland has pledged Euros 250,000 to tackle drought in eastern Ethiopia, the Irish embassy in Addis Ababa said. The money will be used to help Kereyou pastoralists whose livelihoods are in danger from the lack of rain. The funding is part of Ireland's Euros 3.69 million Africa-wide programme to tackle emergencies across the continent. GHANA : GHANA TO GET 60 MILLION DOLLARS FROM SPAIN http://allafrica.com/stories/200207290919.html The government of Spain is to provide Ghana with 60 million dollars for the execution of projects of high priority in the country. Mr. Amponsah-Bediako said the two governments have already signed a framework agreement and the money would be used to undertake a number of projects to improve the welfare of the people. MADAGASCAR: DONORS PLEDGE US $2 BILLION IN AID In a show of support for the country's new administration, international donors at the weekend pledged US $2.3 billion in aid to Madagascar over four years. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9370 MADAGASCAR: DONORS PLEDGE US $2 BILLION IN AID http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp? ReportID=29068&SelectRegion=Southern_Africa&SelectCountry=MADAGASCAR In a show of support for the country's new administration, international donors at the weekend pledged US $2.3 billion in aid to Madagascar over four years. RWANDA: GLOBAL FUND GIVE US $14 MILLION TO FIGHT HIV/AIDS http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28983 Rwanda is to receive a US $14-million grant from the Global Fund for HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Health Minister Ezechias Rwabuhihi said. Under the proposal Rwanda submitted to the fund, the government would use the money to expand health services to all the country's districts, the radio reported. Specifically, it reported, the services would include treatment of selected opportunistic infections associated with HIV/AIDS, and the programme to prevent mother-to-child transmission of the virus. SOUTH AFRICA : TAPPING LOCAL RESOURCES http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.jsp?a=67&o=6615 NGOs can be sustained by mobilising funds from their communities, thereby reducing dependence on donor and foundation grants -- if the Ashoka Citizen Base Initiative (CBI) is anything to go by. This strategic shift for organisational sustainability was displayed earlier this week when Ashoka presented five South African organisations with R250 000 in prize money for demonstrating their ability in tapping resources from the communities they serve. SOUTH AFRICA: GERMANY GIVES R125M TO SA HOUSING http://www.bday.co.za/bday/content/direct/1,3523,1141414-6078-0,00.html The German government has allocated another R125-million to a South African fund which loans money to poor people living in rural areas to build houses. The Rural Housing Loan Fund (RHLF) has improved the living conditions of 200,000 people by lending money to over 34,000 households. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 16.COURSES, SEMINARS, AND WORKSHOPS AFRICAN WOMEN PUBLIC SERVICE FELLOWSHIP NOMINATION The Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University has announced, as part of their international initiative, the creation of the African Women Public Service Fellowship. The fellowship was established to expand the opportunity for African women to prepare for public service in their home countries. The fellowship awards for these programs will support tuition, housing, travel to and from the United States, and a small stipend to cover books and miscellaneous expenses. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9264 PRIVACY, OPEN SOCIETY & THE CHALLENGE OF SEPTEMBER 11TH Preliminary Annoucement A one-day public conference organized by Privacy International and the Electronic Privacy Information Center will take place at The Old Theatre, London School of Economics, on 6 September to discuss the future for civil liberties and open society in the aftermath of September 11. The conference will bring together key figures from throughout the world to discuss developments in privacy and surveillance, free speech and censorship, national security, international government co-operation, freedom of information, law enforcement capability, financial privacy, identity and tracking systems and the role of civil society. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9292 THE FORD FOUNDATION INTERNATIONAL FELLOWSHIPS PROGRAM The Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program (IFP) provides opportunities for advanced study to exceptional individuals who will use this education to become leaders in their respective fields, furthering development in their own countries and greater economic and social justice worldwide. The International Fellowships Program provides support for up to three years of formal graduate-level study leading to a masters or doctoral degree. Fellows are selected from countries in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and Russia, where the Ford Foundation maintains active overseas programs. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9294 THE UNITED NATIONS AND THE PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN POST-CONFLICT SITUATIONS A conference on the United Nations and the protection of human rights in post- conflict situations will be held at the Human Rights Law Centre at the University of Nottingham in the UK on 12 and 13 September. The conference will consider the UN and human rights protection in post-conflict situations. As the largest provider, as well as the organisation that, to a large degree, has the responsibility for setting the standards in this area, a critical evaluation of the UN's involvement should be a significant contribution to the development of best practice in this area. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9293 TRAINING COURSE IN CONSULTANCY SKILLS IN INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION IN HEALTH The Training Course in Consultancy Skills in International Cooperation in Health ? taking place between 18 November and 6 December in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania -intends to improve knowledge and skills in planning, writing, editing as well as how to assess the quality of consultancy reports in the field of international public health. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9296 TRAINING SENIOR MANAGERS FROM DEVELOPING COUNTRIES Galillee College, the leading management institute in Israel training senior managers from developing countries, is offering tuition scholarships to attend the Environmental Management Program, scheduled for October 9 - 28, 2002. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9295 /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 17.ADVOCACY RESOURCES CAMPAIGN FOR AIDS FUNDS http://www.actsa.org/HIV/action_intro.htm The international campaign to improve access to treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS has seen some recent successes. But the battle is not yet won. The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has joined Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA) in a new campaign phase to lobby the British government to secure more assistance in the battle against AIDS through the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which was set up in 2001. Join the campaign and write to Clare Short, the Secretary of State for International Development. SILENCED VOICES: CHEIKH KONE Cheikh Kone, a journalist from the Ivory Coast, is one victim among many languishing in Australia's detention camps. His detention without charge or trial, with no accusation even that he has committed any crime at all, is now entering its twenty-first month. Armed robbers and those guilty of violent crimes often fare better. Please write letters to the Australian authorities politely asking that Cheikh Kone be released from detention and that he be given adequate legal representation. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9273 STOP WORLDBANK FOREST DESTRUCTION The World Bank has released its long awaited draft policy on forests. The proposed policy threatens most of the world's remaining forests with environmentally damaging industrial forest management financed by taxpayers through the World Bank. It is inappropriate for the World Bank to subsidize rainforest destruction. Please tell them so by registering your concern. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9274 US NGOS ASK: "WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT THE US?" Groups Encouraged To Sign NGO Statement For World Summit On Sustainable Development US NGOs, citizen and public interest groups are asking for your signature to a statement addressing critical priorities and concerns about the positions and actions of the U.S. government at the upcoming World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa this month. Originally produced and delivered at a press conference last month in Bali, Indonesia at the final preparatory meeting for the Summit, the statement responds to the question asked throughout the two weeks of the meeting: "What are we going to do about the United States?" Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9272 /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 18.JOBS BURUNDI: ASSISTANT COUNTRY DIRECTOR Search For Common Ground We are seeking an Assistant Country Director, to be based in Bujumbura, Burundi. Reporting to the Country Director, and working closely with the project managers, he/she will help develop and execute the strategy of the Search for Common Ground in Burundi program, being responsible particularly for the day to day management of the branch offices and for the overall operations management of the Bujumbura center. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9291 DRC: CHILD PROTECTION ADVISER United Nations Organization Mission In The Democratic Republic Of The Congo The CPA should enable the SRSG to ensure that the rights, protection and well- being of all children are a priority throughout the peacekeeping process, the consolidation of peace and the re-building of the war-affected country. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9315 DRC: SENIOR DEMOBILIZATION OFFICER United Nations Organization Mission In The Democratic Republic Of The Congo Under the supervision of the Disarmament, Demobilization, Repatriation, Resettlement and Reintegration (DDRRR) Coordinator, the incumbent will coordinate with other agencies, governmental and non-governmental organizations, on the elaboration of durable solutions for these groups and to involve the specialized agencies and other potential partners in planning for DDRRR, and especially the durable solutions, and to ensure that this is incorporated into the agencies wider plans and programs. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9316 EAST AFRICA: PROGRAMME DEVELOPMENT OFFICER Intermediate Technology Development Group-Eastern Africa (ITDG-EA) ITDG-EA would like to appoint a qualified individual to assist the Fundraising and Marketing Manager in fundraising and media relations for all its projects. This involves offering cross-programme support in fundraising, quality assurance, social science and project design and development. The post is initially for six months with the possibility of an extension. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=9284 ERITREA: COUNTRY DIRECTOR CARE International USA http://www.fpa.org/jobs_contact2423/jobs_contact_show.htm?doc_id=116790 Reporting to the Regional Director the Country Director (CD) is responsible for providing overall leadership of CARE International's relief and development programs in the assigned country. MALI: FIELD REPRESENTATIVE The Carter Center http://www.fpa.org/jobs_contact2423/jobs_contact_show.htm?doc_id=116503 The Carter Center is seeking to hire a temporary Field Representative in Mali to help the Center assess programming prospects in the area of development planning and cooperation. RWANDA: HIV/AIDS PROGRAMME OFFICER World Vision International http://www.fpa.org/jobs_contact2423/jobs_contact_show.htm?doc_id=116527 Working in collaboration with Burundi, E-DRC and Rwanda country programme directors, you will facilitate the development of HIV/AIDS initiatives. SIERRA LEONE: PROGRAM DIRECTOR International Catholic Migration Commission http://www.fpa.org/jobs_contact2423/jobs_contact_show.htm?doc_id=116606 The Program Director will be responsible for developing and coordinating programs for community services to Liberian refugees and rehabilitation/reintegration programs for returning Sierra Leonean refugees and IDPs to the eastern districts of the country. SOUTH AFRICA: REGIONAL EMERGENCIES COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER Save The Children http://www.fpa.org/jobs_contact2423/jobs_contact_show.htm?doc_id=116500 Working in our Southern Africa Regional Office your remit will be to ensure that the organisation is prepared to respond effectively to an increase in media and international interest to the current crisis in Southern Africa. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 19.BOOKS AND ARTS BOTSWANA: THE KHOE AND SAN. AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY. VOL.1 Shelagh Willet & Stella Monageng Et.al http://www.africanbookscollective.com/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_New_Titles_5 8.ht ml#994 Compiled by the University of Botswana which houses a unique collection of contemporary published and unpublished written material on the indigenous minority of Southern Africa, The aim was to make this literature available in one collection, and thus promote research on, with, and by, this minority. The volume lists over a thousand bibliographic entries covering the social sciences, languages and history, as well as publications from national and regional San organisations. Short abstracts of each entry are linked to a list of keywords and authors. FROM LEOPOLD TO KABILA: A PEOPLE'S HISTORY Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja http://www.palgrave-usa.com/catalogue/catalogue.asp?Title_Id=1-84277-052-7 As this book shows, the People of the Congo have suffered throughout the past century from a particularly brutal experience of colonial rule, and a series of post-independence political conflicts. But as this insightful political history of the Congolese democratic movement of the 20th century decisively makes clear, its people have not taken these multiple oppressions lying down. Instead, they have struggled both to establish democratic institutions at home and to free themselves from exploitations abroad. FROM RIO TO JOHANNESBURG: THE GLOBALIZATION DECADE Kenny Bruno And Joshua Karliner http://www.corpwatch.org/campaigns/PCD.jsp?articleid=3190 A new book, Earthsummit.biz, describes the growing role of corporations in global decision making in the ten years between the Rio Earth Summit and the upcoming Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development. INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS Special Issue On Africa http://www.riia.org/riia/index.html This special issue of International Affairs (Vol 38 No 3, July 2002) includes: * Patrick Chabal - The quest for good government and development in Africa: is NEPAD the answer? * Alex de Waal - What's new in NEPAD? * Simon Maxwell and Karin Christiansen - Negotiation as simultaneous equation: building a new partnership with Africa. * Mahmood Mamdani - African states, citizenship and war: a case-study. * Larry Swatuk - The new water architecture in southern Africa: reflections on current trends in the light of Rio+10. * Nana Poku - Poverty, debt and Africa's HIV/AIDS crisis. * Ian Taylor and Paul Williams - The limits of engagement: British foreign policy and the crisis in Zimbabwe. * Firoze Manji and Carl O'Coill - The missionary position: NGOs and development in Africa. SOUTH AFRICA: NEW CHILDREN'S BOOK EXPLAINS SCIENCE OF AIDS FOR SOUTH AFRICAN KIDS http://www.africantimes.com/articlepg1.asp?ID=50233 A green pock-faced monster with red eyes and fangs is depicted as the HIV virus in a new children's book that seeks to explain the science of AIDS to South African children. UNITING A DIVIDED CITY: GOVERNANCE AND SOCIAL EXCLUSION IN JOHANNESBURG Jo Beall, Owen Crankshaw And Susan Powell http://www.earthscan.co.uk/asp/bookdetails.asp?key=3742 For those attending the World Summit on Sustainable Development or planning any sort of visit to Johannesburg, South Africa, this book will make interesting reading. Johannesburg has become the imagined spectre of our urban future - catastrophic urban explosion, social fracture, environmental degradation, escalating crime and violence, and rampant consumerism alongside grinding poverty. WE ARE THE POORS Ashwin Desai http://www.monthlyreview.org/wearethepoors.htm We Are the Poors follows the growth of the most unexpected of community movements, beginning in one township of Durban, linking up with community and labor struggles in other parts of the country, and coming together in massive anti-government protests at the time of the UN World Conference Against Racism in 2001. It describes from the inside how the downtrodden regain their dignity and create hope for a better future in the face of a neoliberal onslaught, and shows the human faces of the struggle against the corporate model of globalization in a Third World country. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 20.LETTERS AND COMMENTS ANNA NSUBUGA AMANITARE I have recommended that other colleagues subscribe as I find the information you send very useful and enlightening. 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