---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Sun, 29 Sep 2002 17:49:45 +0000 From: Charlotte Utting <[log in to unmask]> Reply-To: [log in to unmask] To: [log in to unmask] Subject: [WASAN] FW: PAMBAZUKA NEWS 81 - PERSPECTIVES ON HUMAN RIGHTS: FURTHERING THE DEBATE ---------- From: [log in to unmask] Reply-To: [log in to unmask] Date: Sat, 28 Sep 2002 13:54:38 -0500 (CDT) To: [log in to unmask] Subject: PAMBAZUKA NEWS 81 - PERSPECTIVES ON HUMAN RIGHTS: FURTHERING THE DEBATE PAMBAZUKA NEWS 81 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 PERSPECTIVES ON HUMAN RIGHTS: FURTHERING THE DEBATE Leslie London, MD Associate Professor, Occupational And Environmental Health Research Unit, Department Of Public Health And Primary Health Care, University Of Cape Town The editorial by Professor Shivji (PAMBAZUKA NEWS Edition 80) captures brilliantly the dilemmas facing proponents of social justice in developing countries seeking to use the discourse of human rights to advance pro-poor policy choices. This is particularly important in the current global world order, where rights arguments are increasingly being used to justify particular sets of policies imposed, or expected of developing country populations. By locating human rights correctly within a political economy and historical context, the nature of rights as products of social construction enable us to better understand how we can better make use of human rights arguments, and how human rights arguments may be used against us. Some comments: 1. By understanding human rights as products of contestation, we recognise the role of human rights as essential to contributing (positively or negatively) to struggles around power. Rights can in practice be deployed as much in defence of privilege and the powerful in society, as they can be to advance the interests of poor and marginalised. Witness the way in which corporates are able to use rights machinery (e.g. Freedom of Information) to silence publication of critical research results, to oppose regulation and to threaten and implement litigation to achieve desirable policy goals. Hence, it is not possible to judge the role of human rights in advancing pro-poor choices and social justice, without referring to the integument in which human rights operate. If human rights mechanisms prioritise the needs of the poor and the marginalised, then rights become powerful mechanisms whereby democracy can be advanced. However, if rights mechanisms operate independent of the power imbalances that exist between and within countries, then rights are easily co- optable in the service of those who already benefit from inequity and imbalances of power. 2. So, how do rights mechanisms put the poor first? Only if civil society is able to mobilise to assert itself in structural and institutional ways. South African civil society, though much weaker now than during the heyday of anti- apartheid resistance, has successfully achieved a set of institutional mechanisms which (we hope) are successful at placing the interests of the poor and marginal first - a Constitutional Court operating within a framework of a Bill of Rights, a Human rights Commission that is attuned to the needs of the poorest sectors of society, etc. 3. From the above, flows the implication that not only are human rights strengthened by an active civil society, but human rights mechanisms need to reinforce the opportunities for organisation and mobilisation in civil society. While the Western preoccupation with "good governance" makes a misnomer of what this role should be, it is at the level of public participation that a human rights culture can be sustainable. The success of a human rights approach should be judged not only on the court decisions, on the policies adopted, on the implementation of pro-poor policies, but also on the capacity of human rights instruments to strengthen the agency of the least powerful in society to act in their own interests, individually and collectively. 4. The above throws up a number of difficult, maybe uneasy contradictions: - How do individual rights and group rights get traded off? It isn't sufficient to argue that they are naturally compatible. - If rights are about power, is there an inherent incompatibility to talk about individual and collective interests under the rubric of "agency of the least powerful in society?" - How can strengthening that agency resolve these possible differences? In the health field EQUINET is increasingly seeking to consider how human rights approaches can help to strengthen pro-equity policies in health. How can we ensure that human rights leads to reduced inequalities? A preliminary look at the area is suggesting that the answers lie in resolving these difficult questions. It is also evident that when different people, agencies or organisations use the notion of human rights, they may be using the term in completely diverse ways: - as a set of standards derived from international human rights law; - as an approach to monitoring and analysing policy with a view to holding governments accountable; - as a lobbying and advocacy tool to mobilise civil society. While the above are all inter-related, they represent different ways of conceptualising and acting, and all can range on the spectrum from the completely ahistorical to the most dialectic of interpretations. What is clear is that in trying to advance our understanding of human rights and the role it plays, we need to critique rights in the context in which they are to be deployed. * For last week's editorial see http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php? issuedate=2002-09-19 *Would you like to respond to this editorial? Send your views to [log in to unmask] and we will publish them in our Letters and Comments section next week. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 2.CONFLICT, EMERGENCIES, AND CRISES ANGOLA: ANGOLAN OFFENSIVE IN CABINDA http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2271768.stm The Angolan army has launched an offensive against separatist rebels who operate in the oil-rich enclave of Cabinda, according to reports from the area. ANGOLA: SITUATION IN REMOTE TOWN DESPERATE http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=30037 Over 100,000 people are in urgent need of assistance in the town of Mavinga, in Angola's remote southern Kuando Kubango province. BURUNDI: ARMY DENIES RESPONSIBILITY FOR GITEGA MASSACRE The Burundi army has denied responsibility for the massacre of over 170 people in central Gitega province, saying it had been "deliberately misquoted". Army spokesman Colonel Augustin Nzabampema told IRIN last Friday rebel fighters were "fully responsible" for the massacre which occurred on 9 September. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10185 DRC: POWER VACUUM FEARS IN DR CONGO http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2278636.stm Warnings are being sounded that the withdrawal of Rwandan, Ugandan and Zimbabwean forces from the Democratic Republic of Congo could leave behind instability and factional conflict. Related Link: http://www.africaonline.com/site/Articles/1,3,49657.jsp IVORY COAST: IVORIAN PARLIAMENTARY SPEAKER WANTS UN, AU TO DISCUSS CRISIS http://www.panapress.com/freenews.asp?code=eng021331&dte=25/09/2002 The President of the Ivorian National Assembly, Mamadou Koulibaly, suggested Tuesday that the government launch a complaint at the UN Security Council and the African Union about what he alleged was a terrorist attack in Cote d'Ivoire involving neighbouring countries. Related Links: Related Links: http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.jsp?a=37&o=9439 and http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=30015 LIBERIA: CALL FOR TIMBER EMBARGO TO END CONFLICT http://www.globalwitness.org/display2.php?id=147 Due to the UN Security Council’s inaction on Liberia, the Liberian timber industry remains a primary source of funding for Liberia’s war machine. Many logging companies continue to be actively engaged in illegal arms imports for the government, committing human rights abuses and destabilising Liberia and the entire West Africa sub-region. A new Global Witness report, titled Logging Off: How the Liberian Timber industry fuels Liberia’s humanitarian disaster and threatens Sierra Leone, exposes the direct links between Liberia’s timber industry and the conflict. RWANDA: POPULATION GROWTH, ENVIRONMENTAL DESTRUCTION, AND GENOCIDE http://www.worldwatch.org/alerts/20020830.1.html In Rwanda in 1994, rapid population growth and extreme environmental degradation were closely linked to the outbreak of genocidal violence, reports James Gasana in an article in the September/October issue of World Watch magazine. Gasana was Rwanda's Minister of Agriculture and Environment in 1990- 92, and Minister of Defense in 1992-93. While serving in the government, he collected statistics, which show that the conflict had much more complex roots than just deep ethnic hatred. SIERRA LEONE: UN FORCE TO STAY IN SIERRA LEONE http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2280793.stm The UN military mission in Sierra Leone will continue for at least another eight months. The Security Council has agreed unanimously to extend the mandate for the forces by six months and has said that measures to reduce the size of the 17,300 member force will begin after eight months. SOUTH AFRICA: SOUTH AFRICA REFUTES CLAIMS ABOUT BURUNDI PEACE TALKS FAILING http://www.panapress.com/freenews.asp?code=eng021501&dte=26/09/2002 The South African government on Thursday denied media reports that the Burundi cease-fire negotiations underway in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, have collapsed. SUDAN-UGANDA: RELATIONS "NOT UNDER THREAT" http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=30105 Bilateral relations between Sudan and Uganda have not been threatened by an incident this week in which Sudanese military planes bombed a Ugandan military detachment in southern Sudan, a Sudanese diplomat has said. SUDAN: SUDAN READY TO RESUME TALKS - WITH CEASEFIRE http://allafrica.com/stories/200209200828.html Sudan Foreign Minister Mustapha Osman Ismail has said that the Khartoum government is committed to the Machakos peace agreement signed in July and will resume participation in talks once there is a ceasefire. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 3.RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY AFRICA: ISLAM, DEMOCRACY, AND PUBLIC OPINION IN AFRICA http://www.afrobarometer.org/abbriefing.html Regardless of religious orientation, an average of more than seven out of ten people in four African countries say they support democracy. Some 71 percent of Muslims and 76 percent of non-Muslims agree that, "democracy is preferable to any other form of government." This is according to a survey completed in four African countries. KENYA: ANTI-MOI ALLIANCE 'TO FORM PARTY' http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2276035.stm A dissenting group within Kenya's ruling party Kanu has threatened to form its own party if open elections are not held to choose the presidential candidate. KENYA: KENYA'S FUTURE: A DISTURBING TREND The Kenyan Community Abroad (KCA) has expressed its "concern and distress" over the disturbing political events taking place in the country. "Officially sanctioned violence seems to have become a standard prelude to our general and presidential elections," the organization said in a statement. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10208 MALAWI: MULUZI SLAMS DONORS OVER THIRD TERM http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=30041 President Bakili Muluzi of Malawi has lashed out at European countries who have called for broad national consultation before the government introduces a constitutional amendment to allow him to run for a third term. "This country is not controlled by donors. Never! You must understand that I am a president of this country. Yes, we are poor. But we want to be poor with our heads up, not with our heads down. And nobody, as long as I'm a president, nobody will control me," Muluzi told a rally. MALAWI: OPPOSITION POLITICIAN ARRESTED OVER THIRD-TERM DISPUTE An opposition leader has been arrested in Malawi, accused of inciting people to demonstrate against President Bakili Muluzi's alleged bid for a third term. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10170 NIGER: HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER SENTENCED TO JAIL The president of Niger's human rights league, Bagnou Bonkoukou, was last Thursday sentenced to a one-year jail term and a 20,000 CFA francs fine (US $30), in a case revolving around last month's mutiny in the country. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10169 NIGERIA: MILLIONS FAIL TO REGISTER http://allafrica.com/stories/200209230545.html Despite a one-day extension of voter registration, reports from across the country at the close, indicated that millions of eligible Nigerians, could still not register. SWAZILAND: KING MSWATI III ANGRY WITH CONSTITUTION DRAFTING Bhekie Matsebula http://www.swazis.org.uk/~sep02/constitution.html A blistering conflict has erupted from within the Swazi royal camp over the inclusion of a clause that recognizes political parties in Swaziland. The dispute has led to the drafting of the national constitution being delayed now by a month. The committee, led by King Mswati's brother, Prince David, is reported to have angered the King by unbanning political parties in the draft constitution. TOGO: PARLIAMENTARY POLLS SET FOR 27 OCTOBER The Togolese government has fixed 27 October as the date for parliamentary elections, following a recommendation by the country's electoral college of seven judges. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10167 WEST AFRICA: 'NIGERIA, GHANA, TOGO WON'T CONDONE ILLEGAL GOVERNMENT' http://allafrica.com/stories/200209240124.html The Federal Government and the governments of Ghana and Togo have reaffirmed their commitment to rejecting any action that would lead to unconstitutional change of government in any part of West Africa. ZAMBIA: CHILUBA SEEKS COURT INTERVENTION http://story.news.yahoo.com/news? tmpl=story&u=/ap/20020922/ap_wo_en_po/zambia_politics_1 Former Zambian President Frederick Chiluba plans to fight allegations he is plotting the removal of the current president in court, aides said Sunday. Chiluba was responding to a letter sent to him and other opposition leaders by President Levy Mwanawasa Saturday which accused them of trying to topple him by misleading the Supreme Court. ZIMBABWE ELECTION SUPPORT NETWORK STATEMENT ON FORTHCOMING LOCAL AUTHORITY ELECTIONS http://www.kubatana.net/html/archive/elec/020919zesn.asp?sector=ELEC Zimbabwe is supposed to be a multi - party democracy where we cherish competition and diversity of views. In an ideal situation we would have wanted to see all political parties conducting free and fair primary elections. This becomes more critical where there are no primary elections and that candidate goes through unopposed. ZIMBABWE: MUGABE ESCAPES NEW SANCTIONS http://zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=5203 A troika of Commonwealth leaders failed here on Monday to agree on how to deal with President Robert Mugabe, saving Zimbabwe from a threat of expulsion from the organization. Despite agreeing that the Zimbabwean leader had done nothing to address Commonwealth concerns that his re-election was undemocratic, the leaders of Australia, Nigeria and South Africa disagreed over new sanctions. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 4.CORRUPTION AFRICA: MINISTERS APPROVE ANTI-CORRUPTION LAWS African Union (AU) ministers meeting in Addis Ababa have backed tough new laws aimed at wiping out corruption that has cost the continent an estimated US $148 billion. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10173 KENYA: GRAFT CONTROL OFFICERS SENT TO MINISTRY http://allafrica.com/stories/200209240304.html Ministry of Roads and Public Works officials are being investigated for corruption. Anti-Corruption Police Unit officers, led by Dr John Orora, are expected to scrutinize the ministry's headquarters for a month. NIGERIA: MOHAMMED ABACHA FREED; SIGNS DEAL TO REFUND $1B LOOT http://allafrica.com/stories/200209240045.html Detained Mohammed Abacha has been freed by President Olusegun Obasanjo. But Abacha will have to restrict his movement within the country and the Abacha family is expected to comply with an agreement to pay over $1 billion to the Federal Government. NIGERIA: VOTE CHAOS ATTACKED http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=50059 A combination of violence, fraud and mismanagement prevented the registration of almost a third of Nigerians who turned out to put their names on the electoral roll this month, the country's Catholic church has claimed. UGANDA: REVENUE AUTHORITY SLAMMED FOR PROMOTING CORRUPT STAFF http://allafrica.com/stories/200209240024.html The commission of inquiry into alleged corruption in the Uganda Revenue Authority has found that corrupt officials are not penalised. "Tolerance of corruption is what has made URA what it is today," an official said. ZIMBABWE: PUBLIC CALLS FOR NATIONAL ANTI-GRAFT AUDIT http://allafrica.com/stories/200209200731.html Concerned at high levels of corruption costing the country millions of dollars and threatening the economy, members of the public have joined civil society's call for a national audit in order to bring perpetrators to book. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 5.HEALTH HORN OF AFRICA: POLIO ALMOST ERADICATED http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=30077 With only two cases of polio paralysis to date this year in Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan, the Horn of Africa is extremely close to being polio-free, the World Health Organisation (WHO said on Wednesday. AFRICA/GLOBAL: PATIENTS OR PROFITS? PROFESSIONAL ETHICS, CO-OPERATION AND COMPETITION http://www.id21.org/health/h2ms1g5.html The concept of 'managed competition' to improve efficiency has been common in health sector reform in wealthy countries. It has also been exported to health systems in the South, involving privatisation and marketisation. Research from the UK Institute of Development Studies questions whether this competitive approach is appropriate in a sector where ethical behaviour, altruism and co- operation are essential for good quality services. AFRICA: AN EPIDEMIC OF WILFUL NEGLECT http://www.msf.org/content/page.cfm?articleid=BA5912FC-050B-4D18- 8C3C3C70150B7DA9 Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has warned that thousands may die of wilful neglect unless a vaccine is made available at an affordable price to the African countries most affected by meningitis. As international experts on meningitis prepare to meet in Burkina Faso next week to discuss strategies to combat the disease, MSF is calling for immediate action by WHO, governments and pharmaceutical companies to avert a potential disaster. AFRICA: MULTINATIONAL BUSINESSES URGED TO FIGHT HIV/AIDS http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=13673 UNAIDS Senior Policy Adviser Dr. Julia Cleves, speaking in London at the Commonwealth Business Forum, urged business leaders to "take a leadership role" in fighting the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa, BBC News reports. Most large businesses "do not regard AIDS as their problem.", she said. SOUTH AFRICA: JOBS, CRIME AND SECURITY MORE IMPORTANT THAN AIDS - SURVEY http://www.idasa.org.za/ Despite the numerous HIV/AIDS deaths and severe levels of illness, very few Southern Africans place the pandemic high on the agenda for government intervention. Job creation, crime, security and economic matters supersede the dire consequences of a largely “invisible killer.” Idasa’s Afro-Barometer project recently under-took public opinion surveys in the region. SOUTH AFRICA: ROLL OUT THE DRUGS http://allafrica.com/stories/200209200705.html The Cabinet's April 17 statement on HIV/Aids policy -- widely hailed as a crucial change of heart -- is looking increasingly threadbare. Was it, as some maintain, merely a tactical manoeuvre to deflect international condemnation in advance of the G8 meeting in Canada due to consider the New Partnership for Africa's Development? SOUTH AFRICA: TAC TO CHALLENGE DRUG PRICES http://www.health-e.org.za/view.php3?id=20020907 AIDS activist group, the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), is squaring up for another challenge to drug companies, this time around high prices being charged for life prolonging anti-retroviral medication. Activists will be joined by the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), the Chemical and Energy Paper, Print, Wood and Allied Workers Union (CEPPAWU), People living with HIV/AIDS and a group of doctors and nurses who work at the coal face of the epidemic. Related Link: http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.jsp?a=59&o=9320 TANZANIA: IMPACT OF MATERNAL SYPHILIS ON PREGNANCY OUTCOMES Research Abstract http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/JID/journal/issues/v186n7/020010/brief/0200 10.a bstract.html Researchers measured the impact of maternal syphilis on pregnancy outcome in the Mwanza Region of Tanzania. Women with high-titer active syphilis were at the greatest risk of having low-birth-weight or preterm live births, compared with women with other serological stages of syphilis. Among unscreened women, 51 percent of stillbirths, 24 percent of preterm live births, and 17 percent of all adverse pregnancy outcomes were attributable to maternal syphilis. THE DISTRIBUTION OF AIDS OVER THE POPULATION IN AFRICA http://www.dial.prd.fr/dial_publications/PDF/Doc_travail/2002-02.pdf The aim of this paper was to model and estimate individual heterogeneity regarding AIDS mortality. Knowledge in this field is indispensable to quantify the economic impact of AIDS and to set up adequate AIDS prevention and therapy policies. UGANDA: PRIVATE PARTS - TREATMENT FOR STIS IN UGANDA'S PRIVATE SECTOR http://www.id21.org/health/h6jw3g8.html Effective treatment of curable sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is one of the few strategies available to reduce the spread of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa. Many people with STIs seek treatment from private practitioners. Why are patients turning to the private sector for help? Do they receive adequate care? UGANDA: SCHOOLS NEED HEALTH EDUCATION http://allafrica.com/stories/200209170403.html Adolescence Reproductive Health Organizations have asked the government to include Adolescence Sexual Reproductive Health (ASRH) programmes in the current schools curriculum to enable the HIV/AIDS message reach all students. ZIMBABWE: GOVERNMENT INTRODUCES NEVIRAPINE http://allafrica.com/stories/200209240094.html About 30 to 35 percent of pregnant mothers in Zimbabwe are HIV-positive and 25 to 35 percent of their infants will be born infected. To curb the ever- increasing infant mortality rate the Government has introduced nevirapine. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 6.EDUCATION AND SOCIAL WELFARE AFRICA/GLOBAL: MUCH TO BE DONE: CAN WATER SUPPLY AND SANITATION TARGETS BE MET? http://www.id21.org/health/s2cWHO1g1.html The 1990 World Summit for Children pledged to provide universal access to safe water by the end of the century. Why then do 2.2 million people still die each year from preventable diseases associated with a lack of safe water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene? AFRICA: EDUCATION FOR ALL - NO MORE BROKEN PROMISES http://www.oxfamamerica.org/news/art3582.html Two years ago wealthy countries promised resources for all developing nations committed to "Education for All." But since then very few resources have been forthcoming, charges an Oxfam International report released in advance of this week's World Bank meeting. BURKINA FASO: FOCUS ON NEW PLAN FOR BASIC EDUCATION http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=30039 Responding to low levels of basic education and a high rate of illiteracy, the West African country of Burkina Faso last week launched a programme to raise school enrolment throughout the country from 40 to 70 percent by 2010. BURUNDI: CHILDREN'S RIGHTS 'MASSIVELY' VIOLATED Amnesty International in Bujumbura has published a new report - Poverty, isolation and ill-treatment: Juvenile Justice in Burundi -which highlights the multiple abuses children are suffering at the hands of the law. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10221 KENYA: KENYAN TEACHERS DOWN CHALK http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/East_Africa/0,1113,2-11-997_1261528,00.h tml Some 240 000 teachers around Kenya went on indefinite strike on Monday over a long-standing pay dispute with the government, which they reproach for not paying a 200 percent hike promised in 1997, their union officials said. LIBERIA: SCF TELLS OF ''MANY CHILDREN, FAMILIES AT RISK'' Large numbers of children are at risk of malnutrition and disease due to lack of access to food, water, sanitation and health services in Liberia, according to a September emergency update by Save the Children Fund (SCF-UK). Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10168 NIGERIA: ANTI-TRAFFICKING CAMPAIGN TARGETS EDO, LAGOS The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has targeted vulnerable youths and their parents through the media, as part of an information campaign against human trafficking. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10177 SUDAN: TORTURE ORGANIZATION EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER VIOLENCE AGAINST GIRLS The World Organization Against Torture (OMCT) has expressed its "grave concern" at the widespread violence against girls in Sudan in the private and community spheres as well as at the hands of state officials. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10188 TANZANIA: LACK OF MOTHERS MILK KILL 4000 BABIES http://www.newafrica.com/news/articlepg1.asp?ID=51339 Between 3000 to 4000 children mostly from developing countries die every day in the world because their mothers are not empowered or supported to breastfeed their babies, a global meeting on Challenges of Breastfeeding in the 21st Century was told in Arusha. ZAMBIA: CLEARING UP CONFUSION: PEER-LED AIDS EDUCATION IN ZAMBIA http://www.id21.org/health/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: AN ERA OF WOMEN LEADERS ENDS AT THE U.N. http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm?aid=1036 The 1990s was a disastrous decade for women, marked by vicious civil wars in which 90 percent of the casualties were civilians. Women were killed, forced to flee their homes, starved, brutalized, enslaved and raped, often in the refugee camps that were expected to shelter them. The women who headed United Nations agencies pushed ameliorating measures that were often unpopular with governments, such as making the "morning after" pill available to refugee women. The 1990s saw a record number of U.N. agencies led by women. But when Mary Robinson stepped down as high commissioner for human rights, the decade of women leaders came to a close. AFRICA/GLOBAL: NEW STUDY SHOWS STRONG LINKS BETWEEN WOMEN’S LIVES, POPULATION, AND THE ENVIRONMENT http://www.planetwire.org/details/3293 Improving the status of women not only betters the lives of billions worldwide, but also creates many social and environmental benefits, reports a new study by the Worldwatch Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based research organization. This review of projects from around the world shows that policies that improve women’s lives can enhance human rights as well as produce a handsome harvest of other effects, such as lower population growth, reduced child mortality, better management of natural resources, and healthier economies. ANGOLA: ANGOLAN WOMEN LEARN CONFLICT RESOLUTION http://allafrica.com/stories/200209240065.html Angolan women politicians, deputies and social organization representatives started Monday a seminar on basic conflict resolution techniques being run by Angolan Women Network. GUINEA: LITERACY PROGRAMME AIMS TO RAISE WOMEN FROM POVERTY Some 30,000 Guinean women are set to benefit from a three-year literacy campaign launched during celebrations to mark Guinean Women's Day on 27 August. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10166 KENYA: NUMBER OF WOMEN CONTESTING SEATS RISES As parties prepare for Kenya's crucial presidential, parliamentary and civil elections, due later this year, where do women - one of Kenya's largest constituencies - feature in the political landscape? This time around, unlike previous elections, the stakes are much higher, and the political game is different. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10180 MOZAMBIQUE: HIGH MATERNAL MORTALITY RATE CRISIS Mozambique's maternal mortality rate stands at an estimated 1,500 out of 100,000 live births, one of the highest rates in the world. Myths, lack of education and trained medical staff, poorly equipped health facilities with no maternity wards, unreliable or no communication and transport, make giving birth a high-risk event. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10175 NIGER: WOMEN DISCUSS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT At least 200 women representatives of Malian non-governmental associations have met to discuss democracy and sustainable development in their country, at a conference that started last Wednesday. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10179 SOUTH AFRICA: SA WOMEN MAKE A PACKET OUT OF PLASTIC http://allafrica.com/stories/200209231164.html Women from an impoverished community in Zululand are being inundated with orders from overseas countries for their fashionable hats and accessories made from discarded plastic shopping bags. UGANDA: TB TREATMENT RESPONSES SIMILAR Research Report http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1471-2466-2-4.pdf Tuberculosis is the leading infectious disease cause of death in women globally. Reports have suggested that responses to tuberculosis may differ between men and women. Researchers investigated gender related differences in the presentation and one year outcomes of HIV-infected adults with initial episodes of pulmonary tuberculosis in Uganda. While differences existed between males and females at presentation, the outcomes at one year after the initiation of tuberculosis treatment were similar in Uganda. ZIMBABWE: REGISTRAR GENERAL HAS NO RIGHT TO DEMAND THAT MARRIED WOMEN GIVE UP THEIR MAIDEN NAME Zimbabwe Women Lawyers Association (ZWLA) http://www.kubatana.net/html/archive/legal/020827zwla.asp?sector=LEGAL We note with concern that a number of women have called our offices to register their displeasure with the practice by the Registrar General requiring them to first change their surnames from their maiden ones to their married ones before they can be issued with birth certificates for their children or new passports. We would like to make it clear that there is no legal basis for this practice. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 8.REFUGEES AND FORCED MIGRATION AFRICA/GLOBAL: 25 MILLION INTERNALLY DISPLACED BY WARS Most of the world's refugees are uprooted by warfare but never cross an international border, says a survey published today. Some 25 million people are now internally displaced due to conflicts that have spread since the Cold War, according to a major new survey. "The 2002 Global IDP Survey confirms two worrying trends: first, that large numbers of innocent civilians are being forced from their homes by increased insecurity in the world; and secondly, that many of these people remain officially neglected by government authorities," said Elisabeth Rasmusson, head of the Global IDP Project. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10218 AFRICA: THE WORLD ISN'T WATCHING http://www.inthesetimes.com/issue/26/23/feature1.shtml The great powers of the West, specifically the United States, need a new policy toward refugees. Although richer countries should acknowledge their moral responsibility for poorer ones, post-September 11 America needs to rethink its attitude toward refugees for more pragmatic reasons as well. ANGOLA: BANK TO SUPPORT RESETTLEMENT OF ONE MILLION PEOPLE http://www.angolapress-angop.ao/noticia-e.asp?ID=136805 The World Bank will assist the Angolan government in the resettlement of 1,500,000 people in their respective areas of origin, the government-owned news agency reports. BOTSWANA: EU ASSISTANCE UNDER FIRE http://www.survival-international.org/bushmannews020920.htm A senior MEP has demanded the European Union reviews its financial assistance to Botswana, in the light of the forced relocation of 'Bushmen' from the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR). Richard Howitt MEP visited the reserve last month and has now tabled a European Parliamentary question saying that the EU must not be complicit in the 'abuse of the Bushmen's human rights'. BURUNDI: REFUGEES ACCUSE ARMY OF BLOCKING ESCAPE TO TANZANIA The Burundian army is reportedly preventing civilians who are fleeing fighting between rebels and government forces from crossing the border into Tanzania, a spokeswoman for the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, told IRIN last Friday. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10174 ERITREA: FOOD RUNNING OUT IN SUDAN REFUGEE CAMPS http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=30056 The UN World Food Programme on Tuesday warned that it is running out of food aid to assist more than 91,000 Eritrean refugees living in camps in Sudan. ETHIOPIA: CAMP WALKOUT BY SUDANESE REFUGEES http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=30020 Thousands of Sudanese refugees staged a mass walkout from an Ethiopian-based refugee camp after learning of a visit by a high-level Khartoum government delegation, humanitarian sources told IRIN on Monday. GHANA: USCR ALERTS HIGH COMMISSIONER LUBBERS TO THE OBSTACLES CONFRONTING UNHCR/GHANA The US Committee for refugees has written to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers to discuss the refugee situation in Ghana and to inform the High Commissioner of the current condition of UNHCR programs and of the formidable challenges before the agency. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10278 MOZAMBIQUE: ZIM FARMERS ARE INVESTORS, NOT REFUGEES http://allafrica.com/stories/200209230537.html Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano has reiterated that the Zimbabwean farmers now working in central Mozambique are investors, not refugees. SUDAN: LACK OF FUNDS COULD FORCE WFP TO SUSPEND ASSISTANCE TO REFUGEES IN SUDAN http://allafrica.com/stories/200209240015.html The UN World Food Programme has warned that it is running out of food aid to assist more than 91,000 Eritrean refugees living in camps in Sudan. The agency has already been forced to cut by almost half the amount of food being distributed, and may have to suspend the operation altogether if donations dry up. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 9.RACISM AND XENOPHOBIA SOUTH AFRICA: OFFICIAL FIRED FOR SLUR http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.jsp?a=11&o=9409 The town treasurer of Maquassi Hills has been fired for referring to the local mayor as a "kaffir burgemeester", municipality manager Ross Motsemme said last Friday. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 10.ENVIRONMENT AFRICA: AFRICA'S DESERTS IN 'SPECTACULAR' RETREAT http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99992811 New research has shown that deserts in Burkino Faso are shrinking, and that dunes are retreating right across the Sahel region on the southern edge of the Sahara desert. AFRICA: POOREST, MOST VULNERABLE COUNTRIES PREPARE FOR CLIMATE CHANGE DISASTERS http://www.undp.org/dpa/index.html With their lands facing the prospect of devastating floods, droughts and other disasters linked to global climate change, participants from 46 of the world's 49 least developed countries met at a workshop last week in Dhaka, Bangladesh, to hone national plans to alleviate such crises and seek international support for these efforts. CAR: MILITIA TO SHOOT BUSH MEAT POACHERS http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=30100 A group of US conservationists has received permission from the government of the Central African Republic (CAR) to organise an anti-poaching militia to patrol 155,000 square km of wilderness in the eastern region of the country, National Geographic Adventure magazine reported on Tuesday. KENYA: POLLUTION A SERIOUS THREAT TO FRESH WATER LAKE, WARN ANALYSTS http://allafrica.com/stories/200209230724.html Lake Naivasha faces extinction due to the diversion of water for irrigation, the government has warned. Nakuru District Commissioner Aggrey Mudinyu has ordered flower growers to install meters to enable the government to monitor their water consumption. RWANDA: WILDLIFE POACHING, AND THE BUSHMEAT AND PET TRADES http://www.newafrica.com/news/articlepg1.asp?ID=51286 Poachers in Rwanda have killed two of the world's last remaining mountain gorillas, a critically endangered species, in an attempt to capture and sell their young, Rwandan wildlife conservation officials said. SOUTH AFRICA: BA-PHALABORWA CAN KEEP GAME RESERVE http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.jsp?a=11&o=9679 The Ba Gashai tribe, part of the bigger Ba-Phalaborwa people, may keep a valuable private game reserve across seven adjoining farms near Phalaborwa in the Limpopo Province, awarded to them as part of government's land restitution programme, the Supreme Court of Appeal ruled on Wednesday. SOUTH AFRICA: WEATHER STALLS JOLLY RUBINO OIL PUMP http://www.bday.co.za/bday/content/direct/1,3523,1185317-6078-0,00.html High swells have continued to frustrate efforts to pump oil from the grounded Jolly Rubino and could delay the process right up to the weekend, salvors Smit Marine reported. The Rubino is grounded near the sensitive St Lucia wetland area. TANZANIA: NEW AGENCY TO MANAGE FORESTS http://www.newafrica.com/news/articlepg1.asp?ID=51300 A new executive agency, which will manage the forest resources in the country on behalf of the government, will be established under the recently launched Tanzania Forest Conservation and Management Project (TFCMP). UGANDA: UGANDA IN JOINT CONTROL OF WILDLIFE http://allafrica.com/stories/200209250521.html Rwanda and the DR Congo will soon have the parks along their common borders controlled under the same management to promote conservation of wildlife, tourism and peace. ZAMBIA: GM ROW MAY HALT FOOD AID http://www.scidev.net/frame3.asp?id=1909200216351912&t=NB&c=1&r=1&posted=19% 20Sep%202002 Food aid for famine-stricken Zambia will come to a halt by early October unless the country lifts its ban on donations of genetically modified (GM) maize, the United Nations' World Food Programme (WFP) announced this week. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 11.MEDIA DRC: UN JOURNALIST FREED A UN journalist arrested a week ago in the northwestern DRC city of Gbadolite by the Mouvement de liberation du Congo (MLC) was released without condition on Saturday, the UN's Radio Okapi announced. Franklin Moliba-Sese, who works for the radio, said he had not been physically harmed, but he was tired from his ordeal. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10186 ERITREA: 18 JOURNALISTS STILL IN JAIL ONE YEAR AFTER BAN ON INDEPENDENT MEDIA On 17 September 2002, RSF called on the international community, especially the United Nations and the European Union, to take sanctions against the rulers of Eritrea to force them to lift their one year-old ban on all privately-owned newspapers and free 18 jailed journalists. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10171 IVORY COAST: CPJ CONCERNED ABOUT JOURNALISTS' SAFETY http://allafrica.com/stories/200209250713.html The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is gravely concerned about the safety of journalists covering the ongoing military crisis in the Ivory Coast. According to several sources in the capital, Abidjan, at least one local journalist was badly beaten by troops loyal to the government of President Laurent Gbagbo, who have been fighting mutinous soldiers variously described as rebels, foreign mercenaries, and "terrorists" by the state media. LIBERIA: BILITY, OTHERS COULD BE RELEASED AS POLITICAL SETTLEMENT http://allafrica.com/stories/200209240270.html There are indications that Journalist Hassan Bility and others being held for their alleged collaboration with dissident activities could be released as part of government proposals for a political settlement to the long running Liberian crisis. SUDAN: MEDIA LAWS FRUSTRATE DRIVES ON AIDS AND GENITAL MUTILATION http://ippfnet.ippf.org/pub/IPPF_News/News_Details.asp?ID=2312 A growing clampdown on the press is affecting public health campaigns in Sudan, just as a breakdown in peace talks dashed hopes of ending one of the world's most intractable civil wars. ZIMBABWE: JOURNALIST SENTENCED TO THREE MONTHS JAIL http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.jsp?a=37&o=9674 Zimbabwe journalist who wrote an article this month claiming the country's police chief was unwell, has been sentenced to three months in jail under the Police Act, his lawyer said on Thursday. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 12.DEVELOPMENT AFRICA/GLOBAL: LATEST HIPC REPORT BRINGS MORE BAD NEWS FOR POOR COUNTRIES http://www.jubileeresearch.org/hipc/hipc_news/latest190902.htm The World Bank and IMF's Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) initiative has a stated aim of providing a 'lasting exit' to the debt problems of the poorest countries - but a new report suggests it is doing anything but. The latest draft 'Status of Implementation Report' for the HIPC initiative, due to be released in time for the 2002 Annual Meetings of the Bank and Fund, shows that of the 19 countries originally expected to reach completion point by the end of this year, at least 11, or 60 percent, will fail to do so and that even according to the narrow definitions of the World Bank and IMF, HIPC only appears to be working for between seven and 10 countries out of the 42 included within the initiative. AFRICA: AFRICA BLASTS SA FOR NEPAD DOMINANCE South Africa And Nigeria Face Rebellion Over Nepad Dominance http://zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=5192 Resentment about South Africa's leading role in the New Partnership for Africa's Development spilt into the open last week when African foreign ministers launched a bitter attack on SA Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini- Zuma. AFRICA: IMF SAYS FAMINE AFRICA'S OBSTACLE http://www.bday.co.za/bday/content/direct/1,3523,1185906-6078-0,00.html African economies are expected to pick up slightly next year after stumbling in 2002 but the continent faces vast challenges including a worsening famine in the south, the IMF reports. AFRICA: NEW START NEEDED ON DEBT CANCELLATION Two years ago this week Secretary General Kofi Annan issued a call for "an independent panel of experts not unduly influenced by creditor interests" to reassess the debt burden of developing countries and the international measures taken to date to deal with them. His report noted that the HIPC (Heavily Indebted Poor Countries) initiative had proved inadequate even for the countries included, and that there were many debt-burdened countries not included in the initiative. As the IMF and the World Bank gather for their annual meeting two years later, the evidence of failure of the creditors' HIPC initiative is even more overwhelming. So is the damage in lost lives and devastated economies caused by the failure to address the issue. The evidence is also clear that when money is saved by debt cancellation, it does go for productive investment in health, education, and other urgent needs. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10253 AFRICA: REPORT DISPUTES VIEW THAT MINING SPURS DEVELOPMENT http://www.oneworld.net/ips4/2002/09/24-1.shtml The World Bank and other international financial institutions (IFIs) should reassess their continued backing for mining projects in poor countries, says a report released Monday by Oxfam America. Contrary to what the report calls "folklore" propagated by the IFIs and the global mining industry, mining never acted as a major spur to development in the United States, Canada, or Australia, the three countries often held up by the IFIs as examples for development that mineral-rich poor countries could follow. AFRICA: WAITING AT THE TAP: DETERIORATING URBAN WATER SUPPLY IN EAST AFRICA http://www.id21.org/urban/S3bjt1g1.html A safe, clean, reliable water supply is the mantra of development agencies. But how reliable are water supply services for poor people in the developing world today? How has domestic water supply changed since the 1960s? This study looks at the long-term trends in access to and use of water. AFRICA: WORLD BANK/IMF TO MEET AMID PROTESTS FROM MANY QUARTERS http://allafrica.com/stories/200209240607.html The World Bank and IMF Annual Meetings that begin in Washington this week, will again take place behind heavy security fences and police lines designed to protect delegates from chanting protestors intent on disrupting their proceedings. But many of the critics are also becoming increasingly adept at pressuring these institutions on the inside, sometimes through member governments who can exert substantial influence on their operations. This year some of the most vocal critics argue that the bank and IMF are doing too little on issues such as debt relief, poverty reduction and education in Africa. DEMANDS OF THE IMF & WORLD BANK 50 Years Is Enough: U.S. Network For Global Economic Justice http://www.50years.org/about/platform.html We call for the immediate suspension of the policies and practices of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Group which have caused widespread poverty, inequality, and suffering among the world’s peoples and damage to the world’s environment. Substantial responsibility for the unjust world economic system lies with those institutions and the World Trade Organization (WTO). We note that these institutions are anti-democratic, controlled by the G-7 governments, and that their policies have benefited international private sector financiers, transnational corporations, and corrupt officials and politicians. SOUTH AFRICA: GOVT, COSATU HEADING FOR SHOWDOWN http://www.sundaytimes.co.za/zones/sundaytimes/newsst/newsst1032593813.asp Sparks are set to fly between the African National Congress (ANC) government and its tripartite alliance partner the Congress of South African Trade Union (Cosatu), if the trade union's planned anti-privatisation strike goes ahead on October 1 and 2. SOUTH AFRICA: “IS THIS MANDELA’S PARK?” COMMUNITY STRUGGLES AND STATE RESPONSE IN POST-APARTHEID SOUTH AFRICA http://www.nu.ac.za/ccs/default.asp?2,40,5,64 There has been a growing corpus of literature tracking the ANC’s adoption of neo-liberal economic policies. However very little has been written on the reaction of communities who face the consequences of this rightward shift that manifests in evictions, electricity and water cut-offs effected at gunpoint under the guise of cost-recovery. Across South Africa community movements have arisen to confront these attacks on the poor. This article focuses on one such movement in Cape Town, the Mandela Park Anti-Eviction Campaign (MPAEC) with particular emphasis on the militant forms of direct action undertaken in defense of “rights” to water, electricity and shelter and the response of the post-apartheid state to these struggles. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 13.INTERNET AND TECHNOLOGY EASY SCIENCE http://www.fest.org.za/easyscience/issue042002.html EasyScience is a popular science magazine aimed at senior primary school children, especially in communities where science teaching has been lacking in the past. This colourful magazine is filled with science material that covers and supplements the school curriculum. GOOGLE NEWS AND THE SLAPPER WORM http://news.google.com/news?q=slapper+worm&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wn Try out Google's funky new News search with this url - it points to a search for news on the Slapper worm which attacks linux systems. If you're running Apache or a linux server on the web, you need the latest on this. KENYA: CYBER-CAFE MARKET OVERCROWDED Balancing Act This Week http://www.balancingact-africa.com/news/current1.html The Kenyan cyber-cafe market is overcrowded. Too many cyber-cafes are chasing customers by offering unsustainable access rates. Last month five cafes closed, one of which operated a major facility. Cafe operators who want to survive are now having to look to providing something other than low price internet access. Russell Southwood spoke to Irene Mkwenda of Nairobi Business Cyber.com about the problems operators face in a tight market. NIGERIANET – CREATING ONLINE PARTNERSHIPS FOR RIGHTS Report Of August 22-September 9 Visit By Tobias Eigen, Kabissa’s Director http://www.kabissa.org/members/bb/viewtopic.php?t=186 Kabissa is a partner in Nigerianet, a bold new initiative to create a presence on the Internet for Rights groups in Nigeria. The project, funded by the European Commission and led by the British Council, will enable donors and groups to share information, build partnerships, and access learning opportunities. Nigerianet will incorporate an online database-driven tool that will for the first time provide direct, easy access to essential information for the Nigerian rights community, including organization profiles, project information, an events calendar, news and learning opportunities. Contact: [log in to unmask] SOUTHERN AFRICA: SOLAR ECLIPSE INFO AND ACTIVITIES http://www.fest.org.za/eclipse.html This web site has information about the solar eclipse on 4 December. The dark of the sun will be experienced by people in northern South Africa, north-wesern Mozambique and southern Zimbabwe. Remember to protect your eyes if you are in the area! WRITING FOR THE WEB - DESIGN AND CONTENT http://macfadden.mit.edu:9500/webgroup/writing/ This style and content guide from MIT Libraries is an easy and beautifully presented read. In applying their guidelines to this site, the authours easily convinced me of the relevance and accuracy of their recommendations. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 14.eNEWSLETTERS AND MAILING LISTS DISCUSSING ICT'S FOR AFRICA In preparation for the Task Force discussion on ICT for development in Africa, to be held on 30 September 2002, an online discussion forum was set up on the theme of "Enhanced participation and mobilized support for ICT-for-development in Africa". The discussion will take place from 18 September through 18 October 2002. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10209 DISCUSSION ON WOMEN'S CONCERNS AROUND NEPAD A discussion forum on Gender and Nepad is currently taking place and will continue for another two weeks. Access background information and details about how to make your voice heard by following the link below. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10217 LINKING SOLIDARITY FORUM http://www.linkingsolidarity.org/forum/ The Linking Solidarity Discussion Forum is designed as an exchange and meeting place for all victims, relatives, individuals or organizations concerned by or acting against enforced or involuntary disappearances world-wide and in particular in Africa. You can post testimonies, messages of solidarity, information and opinions under each of the thematic or geographic headers. You can also react to posted messages. You can subscribe to a specific forum thread. Each entry will be screened by the forum moderator. If you don't want to reveal your identity, post your message under a pseudonym. Your e-mail address will be known only by the moderator. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 15.FUNDRAISING SOUTH AFRICA: ANOTHER DAMNING ARTICLE ABOUT NATIONAL LOTTERIES BOARD http://www.thusanang.org.za/index.php?option=news&task=viewarticle&sid=108 The National Lotteries Distribution Trust Fund is distributing only three cents for every rand that South Africans spend on the Lotto, reports the Sunday Times. It is alleged that the National Lotteries Distribution Fund is also a billion rand behind in payment to charities. SOUTH AFRICA: NATIONAL LOTTERIES BOARD EXTENDS DEADLINES http://www.thusanang.org.za/index.php?option=news&task=viewarticle&sid=101 Insufficient information supplied by applicants has led the National Lotteries Board and the Distribution Agency for Arts, Culture and National Heritage to reject a number of applications submitted during the current funding round. SOUTH AFRICA: THE CENTRE FOR CIVIL SOCIETY RESPONDS TO CRITICISM FROM THE NATIONAL LOTTERIES BOARD The Director of the Centre for Civil Society (CCS) responds to criticism from the National Lotteries Board on the report "Smoke and Mirrors", commissioned by the Non Profit Partnership and researched by the CCS. SOUTH AFRICA: UNSETTLED FATE OF MILLION-DOLLAR GRANT TO FIGHTS AIDS IN SOUTH AFRICA http://www.africapulse.net/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=375 Four months after the Global Fund for HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria granted millions of dollars to the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal, there is still uncertainty over how the government intends to use the money. SOUTHERN AFRICA: USAID SUPPORTS WORLD FOOD PROGRAM'S SOUTHERN AFRICA OPERATION http://allafrica.com/stories/200209250352.html The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced September 23 that it is providing $1 million to the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) to support its regional management and logistics coordination unit in South Africa. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 16.COURSES, SEMINARS, AND WORKSHOPS FELLOWSHIPS FOR THREATENED SCHOLARS The Institute of International Education (IIE), Open Society Institute, and the Scholars at Risk Network announce the autumn application cycle for fellowships from IIE's Scholar Rescue Fund, supporting scholars who are threatened by violations of their fundamental human rights including threats caused by displacement, discrimination, censorship, harassment, intimidation, or violence. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10220 INVITE TO ONLINE LEARNING EXPERTS Technikon Southern Africa (TSA) is a higher education institution that focuses on learning programmes within the Mode 2 knowledge production paradigm. TSA offers its learning through a distance delivery mode, supported by a tutor system in the nine provinces and beyond. We have established a regional Curriculum Project with the aim of developing an online course in outcomes- based/Mode 2 curricula in Higher Education. We would welcome participation from educationists/experts from AU, EU and other countries who have the knowledge and skills in course design and especially, but not exclusively, those with knowledge of online learning and teaching. If you are interested and have the time, please contact Doreen at the email provided below. The deadline for declaration of interest is 31 October 2002. Contact: [log in to unmask] MOBILIZING INFORMATION & COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR NATIONAL RECOVERY 13-14 February 2003, Sierra Leone The main aim of the event is to bring together private sector, government and civil society groups interested in mobilizing ICTs as a tool for development and mapping out a vision and strategy to stimulate growth and development in Sierra Leone. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10196 /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 17.ADVOCACY RESOURCES CALL-IN DAY TO CANCEL THE DEBT http://www.jubileeusa.org/jubilee.cgi?path=/take_action Have you ever wondered how change happens? Ever wonder if you could be a part of something that will improve the lives of billions around the world? It all starts here. You too can become a Jubilee campaigner, raising awareness and taking action to make freedom from debt a reality. STOP THE WAR AGAINST IRAQ As US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair up the rhetoric over an attack on Iraq, so worldwide protest against any military action is growing. In the next week protests are scheduled for London and Washington, while a score of web sites are campaigning against an attack on Iraq. Visit the link below for details of the Washington and London marches and to find out about various forms of online activism. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10239 SUPPORT THE NOMINATION OF WOMEN JUDGES ON THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT One of the first major acts of the Assembly of States Parties of the ICC is to elect the judges, prosecutor and deputy prosecutor. The combined efforts and actions of the international women's human rights movement and other civil society actors are needed during this critical phase to ensure that women are nominated. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10205 /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 18.JOBS CONGO: PROGRAM COORDINATOR International Rescue Committee http://www.theirc.org/index.cfm?section=jobs&number=2002-297 IRC has been operational in Republic of Congo since November 1997. IRC’s current programs include a refugee support project in Betou (northern RoC), which serves the health, water/sanitation, shelter and educational needs of approximately 30,000 refugees from DRC and 800 refugees from CAR. DRC: INTERIM RESEARCHER Human Rights Watch http://www.fpa.org/jobs_contact2423/jobs_contact_show.htm?doc_id=122169 This is an immediate short-term appointment for a period of three to four months to augment the Africa Division's research on DRC while the search for the full-time DRC Researcher is underway (the Interim Researcher hired on this short-term basis may also request consideration as the DRC Researcher). The researcher will be based in one of HRW's offices (New York, Washington DC, London or Brussels) and should be prepared to travel frequently to the region to monitor violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in DRC. RWANDA: HEALTH COORDINATOR International Rescue Committee http://www.theirc.org/index.cfm?section=jobs&number=2002-409 The International Rescue Committee is responsible for overseeing the implementation, monitoring and supervision of the IRC's health/child survival program, which operates in the Kibungo region. SOUTHERN AFRICA: LOGISTICIANS Oxfam http://www.fpa.org/jobs_contact2423/jobs_contact_show.htm?doc_id=122177 Oxfam GB is implementing integrated programmes (food assistance, livelihood support and public health) in response to the food crisis in Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe. To ensure effective and accountable operations, Oxfam requires Logisticians across the region. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 19.BOOKS AND ARTS MEDIA, DEMOCRACY AND RENEWAL IN SOUTHERN AFRICA: NEW APPROACHES TO POLITICAL ECONOMY Keyan Tomaselli & Hopeton Dunn (eds) http://www.iacademicbooks.com/new.htm The first anthology to provide critical perspectives on media structures, ownership, new regulatory regimes, and the way both nations and local communities within them have engaged with globalisation via localised responses in Southern Africa. Studies discuss privatisation, black empowerment, liberalisation, traditional communication, democracy and media freedom, the Kalahari San, identity and new media. NIGERIA: THE STOLEN BILLIONS A. A. Nwankwo http://www.over2u.com/shop/ngrstlnbill.html Corruption and the systematic looting of the state is the focus of this in- depth analysis of Nigeria from 1960 onwards, by one of Nigeria's leading writers on political matters. The author reveals the methodical way in which the state has been plundered over forty years, giving particular attention to General Abacha's regime and personality. The financial scandals of the government of his successor, General Abubakar, are also examined. RAINBOW VICE: THE DRUGS AND SEX INDUSTRIES IN THE NEW SOUTH AFRICA Ted Leggett http://www.zedbooks.demon.co.uk/home.htm The new South Africa is in the grip of unanticipated social changes. Rainbow Vice depicts the fast growing drug culture, tightly linked to the world of commercial sex and in conflict with a profoundly Christian population. Punchy in style and based on several hundred interviews, the author shows how multifarious the drug scene is. REALITY OF AID AFRICA EDITION 2002 AFRODAD http://www.afrodad.org/html/ROA%20Abstract%20Bk.htm This new and first in the series of the AFRODAD Reality of Aid publications, authored by African Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) drawn from Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, Mozambique, Cameroon, Kenya and Uganda, is a classic edition that offers answers to fundamental questions of the whole Aid regime. It gives proposals pointing to a fresh start on aid in terms of what conditions the recipient governments should adopt for such a start. THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF WOMEN Edited By Wolfgang Benedek, Esther M. Kisaakye And Gerd Oberleitner http://www.zedbooks.demon.co.uk/home.htm This book examines the international instruments that deal with the human rights of women and, in addition, the specifically African experience in trying to implement them. Beginning with an analysis of human rights and gender issues generally, standards of equality, the work of the United Nations, and other specialised agencies, the discussion moves on to the European human rights system in comparison with other regional instruments. The book then focuses on the legal and administrative systems in African countries through which standards are implemented nationally and monitored internationally. Specific topics such as female genital mutilation, human rights of women in armed conflict, refugee women as well as women and Islam are discussed. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 20.LETTERS AND COMMENTS MARGARET LEGUM Chairperson, SANE Board Of Trustees Letter to the Governor of the Reserve Bank On behalf of the SA New Economics (SANE) network I wish to express our concern at your decision, together with MPC, to raise the Repo rate again. First, the present macro-economic paradigm puts inflation-targeting above all other considerations, including growth and employment. We do not agree with that paradigm. We think that growth that produces employment should be the overriding consideration, because it is vital for our country. Employment and poverty alleviation will spread our political liberation to the economic sphere and so spread its benefits to the whole of our population. Thus it will begin to address the greatest danger to our political liberation – namely the alienation of poor and low-paid people. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10219 TOR IORAPUU Nigeria As a regular receiver of your newsletter, I find each edition logical, educative and entertaining in some cases. But particularly I want to specifically commend the Pambazuka News 77 edition. The editorial on the article "The Missionary Position: NGOs and Development in Africa" is simply superb. (See http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?issuedate=2002-08-15 for the editorial and full edition.) It encouraged me to download the complete article from the Internet and I must say I am thrilled by the quality of work done. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ THIS NEWSLETTER IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY FAHAMU, KABISSA, AND SANGONET Fahamu - learning for change Unit 14, Standingford House, Cave Street, Oxford OX4 1BA, UK [log in to unmask] http://www.fahamu.org Kabissa - Space for change in Africa 24 Philadelphia Avenue, Takoma Park, MD 20912, USA [log in to unmask] http://www.kabissa.org Southern African Non-Governmental Organisation Network (SANGONeT) P O Box 31 Johannesburg, 2000 South Africa [log in to unmask] http://www.sn.apc.org The Newsletter is an advocacy tool for social justice. The Newsletter is open to any organisation committed to this goal. You can use this Newsletter to tell others about your work, events, publications, and concerns. 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Please inquire to [log in to unmask] FAIR USE This Newsletter is produced under the principles of 'fair use'. We strive to attribute sources by providing direct links to authors and websites. When full text is submitted to us and no website is provided, we make the text available on our website via a "for more information" link. Please contact [log in to unmask] immediately regarding copyright issues. The views expressed in this newsletter, including the signed editorials, do not necessarily represent those of Kabissa, fahamu and SANGONeT. (c) Kabissa, Fahamu and SANGONeT 2001 If you wish to stop receiving the newsletter, unsubscribe immediately by sending a message FROM THE ADDRESS YOU WANT REMOVED to [log in to unmask] Please contact [log in to unmask] should you need further assistance subscribing or unsubscribing. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Sell a Home with Ease! http://us.click.yahoo.com/SrPZMC/kTmEAA/MVfIAA/DKgolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Next WASAN meeting is Wednesday, September 25, 2002. Location: Safeco Jackson Street Center, E Main between 23 & 24, Suite 200, Seattle 7:30 pm Business meeting (everyone is welcome). 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! 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