---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Sat, 21 Sep 2002 00:42:17 +0000 From: Charlotte Utting <[log in to unmask]> Reply-To: [log in to unmask] To: [log in to unmask] Subject: [WASAN] FW: PAMBAZUKA NEWS 80 - PERSPECTIVES ON HUMAN RIGHTS ---------- From: [log in to unmask] Reply-To: [log in to unmask] Date: Thu, 19 Sep 2002 22:12:58 -0500 (CDT) To: [log in to unmask] Subject: PAMBAZUKA NEWS 80 - PERSPECTIVES ON HUMAN RIGHTS PAMBAZUKA NEWS 80 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 Issa G. Shivji, Professor Of Law, University Of Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania Human rights are often presented as claims or entitlements. It is also said that rights belong to individuals. Both these ideas arise from a philosophical perspective, which assumes that human beings exist as isolated individuals who make claims or possess entitlements in isolation. An exactly opposite philosophical perspective tells us that human beings are social beings, not individual beings. Society is a web of relations - social, economic, cultural and political - which have been constructed historically as different interests in society interact, clash and contradict and give birth to new sets of relations. Social struggles, therefore, are the base from which social relations develop. […] The modern human rights debate - or discourse - is constructed on the philosophical foundation of the human being as an individual, and not as a social being. This lies at the centre of many of the controversies in human rights discourse. […] The values and principles that underlie the human rights discourse have been constructed historically in the course of social struggles. Therefore, human rights is a contentious discourse in which different, and often contradictory, perspectives representing different interests in national and international society, seek dominance or hegemony. Just as dominant and dominating interests may employ the ideology of human rights to justify and rationalise their dominance, so also the forces that seek to resist dominance may deploy human rights to mobilise their resistance. Human rights, as we know them today, were born in a period of contention. They were born in the context of the Cold War between the socialist and the capitalist system on the one hand, and in the context of the wars of national liberation from imperial/colonial domination, on the other. This context has had a major impact on the debates within, and about, human rights. […] Human Rights as Contentious Discourse The most celebrated document in the history of human rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), was adopted in 1948 when the world had just emerged from one of the most devastating wars. There were only 56 member states of the United Nations with only three from Africa, including apartheid South Africa, which adopted the UDHR. But the world was a long way from recognising the universal human being. More than two-thirds of the world's peoples were colonised and referred to as natives. They were not thought to be human enough to have human rights! President Roosevelt's four freedoms – freedom of speech and expression, freedom to worship 'god' in your own way, freedom from want and freedom from fear (no wars between states) – which are supposed to have provided the building blocks of the UDHR did not include the freedom most central to the colonised peoples: 'freedom from colonial oppression' or the right to national self- determination. […] The human rights ideology was incubated in the crucible of the Cold War (1945- 90) and reflected the political, ideological and military disagreements and struggles underlying it. While the Cold War was cold in Europe, it was very hot in the Third World, Africa included. There was not a single year from 1945 to 1990 when there was not conflict somewhere in the world. […] During much of the Cold War and to this day, the USA presented, and continues to present, itself as the champion of freedom, democracy and individual rights, despite the fact that it was at the same time trampling on the basic rights of Third World peoples - their rights to life and self-determination - as it propelled and fuelled wars and supported dictators. […] The double-standards in human rights discourse, and the unequal power relations which underlie it, is not fully appreciated if human rights are presented as apolitical, asocial and ahistorical values inherent in us all because we are human beings. The setting of human rights standards through international conventions and declarations is itself a very contentious political process which demonstrates the gross inequalities of the world capitalist and imperial system. […] Thus the way human rights are prioritised and categorised is itself open to debate, demonstrating the ideological nature of human rights discourse. Like all ideological discourses, half-truths and untruths are presented as absolute truths and whole truths. We should be wary therefore of a perspective on human rights which does not treat human rights in the context of history and social struggles. Wherever there is oppression and injustice, there is bound to be resistance and struggle. In this process, the oppressors justify and rationalise their oppression in ideologies of domination, just as the oppressed mobilise and articulate their resistance in the ideologies of struggle and resistance. In the present era, as globalisation is touted as the universal human good, we are also witnessing unprecedented inequalities, injustices, oppression, and levels of poverty and deprivation, which make mockery of our basic humanity, let alone human rights. […] What Africa pays in debt-servicing and through loss of terms of trade every year would be more than enough to provide decent health, education and safe drinking water to every man, woman and child on the continent. Meanwhile, for the last 10 to 15 years, Africa has been subjected to unprecedented dictation from the international financial organisations and the so-called donor community. The neo-liberal policies adopted as a result have plunged the continent deeper into poverty with little prospect of improvement as its resources are pillaged by multinational corporations and its politics increasingly entrapped in the game of musical chairs for the minuscule urban elites. […] Human Rights as Resistance - The rights of peoples to self-determination As we saw, the UDHR did not include the right of nations and peoples to self- determination although the declaration was born in the midst of a world in which more than two-thirds of the human race lived under colonial or semi- colonial conditions. […] In the context of the rising national liberation movements and new forms of imperial domination, a number of liberation movements, trade unions and activist intellectuals meeting in Algiers in 1976 adopted the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Peoples, known as the Algiers Declaration. (http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php? id=10104). The Algiers Declaration is a fine example of the reconceptualisation of the rights ideology by civil society to legitimise the struggle of peoples. The Algiers Declaration does not pretend to set any standards nor freeze these standards as enforceable rights of individuals to stabilise the status quo, but rather it consciously sums up people's struggles so as to legitimise them. By further rethinking the right to self-determination and giving the term 'people' a contextual meaning, this right also has the potential to capture the current struggle of the African people for democracy from below and genuine participation in governance. The right to self-determination, it can be argued, includes the right of the people to be consulted on all matters that affect their lives. Just as an individual has a right to be heard before any adverse action is taken against him/her, so the people have a right to be consulted before decisions are made affecting them. […] The right to self-determination has been a major weapon used by various NGOs to argue and articulate the case against the ruinous economic policies the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank have imposed on African and other developing countries. In February 2002, a number of NGOs campaigning against Third World debts convened a People's Tribunal in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil to hear evidence and adjudicate upon the legality and legitimacy of the debts. The 'verdict' (http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php? id=10104) deploys with great effect the language of human rights generally, and particularly the language of the right to self-determination, in order to show that Third World debts are illegitimate and that the people of the South are fully justified in resisting payment of these debts. - Right to Life The right to life is considered a basic right. As a matter of fact, the right of peoples to self-determination and right to life together may be justifiably called the mother of all rights. In the mainstream interpretations, the right to life is given a narrow meaning of the right to existence. Various campaigns against capital punishment and torture have been anchored in this right. But Third World jurists and human rights activists, faced with extreme poverty and inhuman existence in their societies, have imaginatively expanded the meaning of the right to life to include the right to livelihood, right to shelter, right to land and right to food. […] In this way, the language of rights is deployed to articulate the most pressing concerns of the large majority of people while at the same time providing the language of resistance against, and changing of, the existing conditions. It is important, therefore, that activist NGOs and other human rights advocates are conscious of the different perspectives on human rights, so that they know what to promote, in whose interest and in which direction. * See http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php? id=10104 for the Algiers Declaration and the verdict of the People's Tribunal on Debt. *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. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10104 /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 2.CONFLICT, EMERGENCIES, AND CRISES AFRICA: ANGOLA LEADING LANDMINE CASUALTY COUNTRY http://www.icbl.org/lm/2002/ Angola suffered the most landmine casualties in Southern Africa last year, with 660 people - most of them civilians - killed or injured, according to a new report by the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL). The report said more than 34 million stockpiled antipersonnel mines have been destroyed by 61 states, including seven million in the past year. AFRICA: THE NEW HUMANITARIANISM: INCOMPATIBLE WITH ETHICAL ACCOUNTABILITY? http://www.id21.org/society/s9cmd1g1.html A special issue of the Overseas Development Institute’s Disasters journal reports on a conference exploring dilemmas and debates around politics, conditionality and humanitarian aid. Looking at conflicts and relief responses in the Balkans, Great Lakes, Afghanistan and elsewhere, articles chart the problematic consequences of the politicisation of humanitarian aid. BURUNDI: GOVERNMENT INVESTIGATING MASSACRE OF 183 PEOPLE http://allafrica.com/stories/200209190068.html A commission has been established by the Burundi government to investigate the massacre of 183 people on 9 September by unknown gunmen in Itaba Commune, central Gitega Province. BURUNDI: PEACE TALKS TO RESUME ON THURSDAY, SAYS SOUTH AFRICA Negotiations aimed at achieving a ceasefire agreement between the transitional government of Burundi and armed opposition movements will resume in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on Thursday, 19 September, according to a statement issued by the office of South African Deputy President Jacob Zuma on Monday. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10056 CONGO: FOREIGN ARMY LEAVES CONGO DIAMOND TOWN http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2255077.stm Zimbabwean troops defending Democratic Republic of Congo's diamond capital, Mbuji Mayi, are due to return home Friday. A ceremony was held at the airport in the town to mark the imminent departure of the soldiers, which was delayed by a shortage of aircraft. DJIBOUTI: BUSH TAKES HIS 'WAR ON TERROR' TO AFRICA http://www.iol.co.za/index.php? click_id=68&art_id=ct2002091910285946013211&set_id=1 The United States is preparing to take on suspected al-Qaeda members believed to be hiding in Yemen and has sent 800 US troops and an unknown number of special forces operatives to Djibouti, the tiny African nation facing Yemen. DRC: ANNAN RECOMMENDS MONUC HQ IN KISANGANI http://www.un.org/Docs/sc/reports/2002/sgrep02.htm UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has recommended establishing a headquarters for the UN Mission in DRC (MONUC) in Kisangani to enable it to shift "its centre of gravity" to the eastern part of the country. The headquarters would enable it to coordinate MONUC activities in the east and to spearhead disarmament, demobilisation, repatriation, resettlement and reintegration in the region, he said in a report on the mission. DRC: THE BUSINESS OF WAR IN CENTRAL AFRICA Local government administrations installed in occupied provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) by rebel forces backed by Rwanda and Uganda survive through a war economy, with mineral, agriculture and forest resources extracted and sold to multinationals via Rwanda and Uganda, according to a paper on local governance in conflict situations. The result, figures presented by the paper show, has been a trading boom for Rwanda and Uganda since they became involved in the war that has engulfed central Africa. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10113 IVORY COAST: IVORY COAST TROOPS STAGE MUTINY http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-2026881,00.html Heavy gunfire and explosions rattled the commercial capital of Ivory Coast on Thursday as members of the security forces apparently staged a mutiny. Shooting was reported around military bases in three cities in the center and north of the country. LIBERIA: LIBERIA ENDS STATE OF EMERGENCY http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2258602.stm Liberian President Charles Taylor has lifted the state of emergency imposed eight months ago after rebels began threatening the capital, Monrovia. Speaking after the recapture of the north-western town of Bopolu on Friday, Mr Taylor said he had taken the decision because of the reduced danger from rebels. LIBERIA: TAYLOR SAYS NO TO FOREIGN PEACEKEEPERS Liberian President Charles Taylor on Monday reiterated his opposition to calls for an international peacekeeping force to end the violent conflict in his country. "There will be no intervention force in Liberia as long as I am president," news agencies quoted him as saying. "Anybody who sets foot on Liberian soil without the consent of this government must be prepared to fight." Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10079 NIGERIA: NIGERIA URGES U.N. ON ARMS DEAL http://news.yahoo.com/news? tmpl=story2&cid=515&ncid=723&e=1&u=/ap/20020915/ap_on_re_af/un_nigeria Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo urged U.N. members Sunday to seek a legally binding agreement to curb trafficking in small arms, which he said worsens many conflicts in Africa. Many African wars were exacerbated "by the influx of small arms into the continent," he said. RWANDA: KIGALI TO BEGIN DRC PULLOUT ''IN ONE WEEK'' President Paul Kagame of Rwanda announced last Friday that Rwandan troops would begin their pullout from neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) "in approximately one week's time". * Related Links: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/1/hi/world/africa/2262015.stm and http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=29949 Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10055 SOUTHERN AFRICA: FAMINE THREATENS SOUTHERN AFRICA http://www.bread.org/issues/africa/food_crisis_in_southern_africa.html#longt erm To deal with recurring drought and famine in Africa, long-term strategies must be developed to address the fundamental economic and political problems facing these, and other, African countries. It is imperative that significant investments are made by both local governments and foreign donors to strengthen the capacity of the countries to become more agriculturally productive, and for local people and institutions to deal with the effects of droughts and related epidemics, according to a new report. * Related Link: http://www.unfoundation.org/unwire/index.asp SUDAN: SUDAN'S BEST CHANCE FOR PEACE: HOW NOT TO LOSE IT http://www.crisisweb.org/ The first round of the promising peace process mediated by the regional Inter- Governmental Authority for Development (IGAD) produced the breakthrough Machakos Protocol, with provisional agreements on the key issues of a self- determination referendum for the South, and religion and state. However, the government walked out of the second round after losing an important city on the battlefield in early September. IGAD mediators and the observer countries must devise a strategy for reviving the talks and then keeping the parties focused on negotiating a comprehensive solution, says an international think-tank. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 3.RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY CAMEROON: RULING PARTY WINS MAJORITY IN RE-RUN Cameroon's ruling party won 16 out of 17 seats in parliamentary re-elections held on Sunday, after irregularities in the original poll in June, Cameroon Radio and Television reported on Tuesday. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10137 CONGO: FREE ELECTIONS POSSIBLE http://news.yahoo.com/news? tmpl=story2&cid=515&ncid=723&e=2&u=/ap/20020915/ap_on_re_af/un_congo Four years after civil war broke out in Congo, President Joseph Kabila held out the prospect Saturday of national reconciliation and free elections if recent peace deals with Rwanda and Uganda are successful. DRC: KABILA SHOULD PROVE COMMITMENT TO HUMAN RIGHTS President Joseph Kabila of Congo was last week urged by Human Rights Watch to use his visit to the United Nations General Assembly to announce the release of one of the country’s leading human rights defenders. N’sii Luanda Shandwe has been held in Kinshasa for more than four months and is charged with treason and sheltering criminals. He is facing trial before the Military Order Court, and could be sentenced to death if found guilty. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10053 KENYA: ENSURE DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS IN KENYA An organisation called The Kenyan Community Abroad (KCA) has expressed concern about the political climate in Kenya and the conduct of the outgoing president, Daniel arap Moi. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10054 KENYA: ETHNIC VIOLENCE LINKED TO POLITICS http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=29956 Renewed ethnic tensions in the Gucha, Transmara and Migori districts of western Kenya, in which several people have been killed since last week, have been linked to crucial presidential and parliamentary elections expected later this year. MALAWI: DONORS URGE CONSULTATION OVER THIRD TERM Malawi's four major donors have asked that the government of President Bakili Muluzi allow wider consultation before going to parliament with another bill aimed at allowing him to run for a third term. MOZAMBIQUE: PARTIES DISAGREE ON ELECTION COMMITTEE Mozambique's two main political parties have been unable to agree on changes to electoral laws ahead of legislative elections due next year. For over two years a parliamentary ad-hoc commission has worked on the laws, but has been unable to achieve consensus. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10052 NIGERIA: GOVERNMENT CRITICS AT RISK AFTER POLITICAL KILLINGS Critics of the Anambra state government in southeastern Nigeria have been receiving death threats following the assassination of Barnabas Igwe and his wife on September 1, 2002, Human Rights Watch says. "There is strong, credible evidence that Igwe and his wife were targeted for political reasons - because of Igwe's and the NBA's public criticism of the Anambra state government's performance," said Peter Takirambudde, executive director of the Africa Division of Human Rights Watch. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10141 NIGERIA: VOTER REGISTRATION BEGINS IN NIGERIA http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2252846.stm Nigeria has started the massive task of registering voters in preparation for state and national elections but the complaints have also started. Election officials say registration started smoothly at 120,000 centres for a massive 10- day operation to enfranchise the country's 60 million voters. RWANDA: A PRIMARY TARGET ARRESTED News that the genocide suspect, Jean-Baptiste Gatete, has been arrested is cause for a general sigh of relief in Rwanda. The battle for justice for the genocide is still far from over, but the capture of Gatete in the Republic of Congo on 11 September 2002 hit a primary target. For nearly two decades, Gatete has been notorious as a violent extremist in Rwanda, says the organisation African Rights. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10031 ZAMBIA: GOOD AND BAD NEWS FOR ELECTORAL FRAUD RULING http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=29960 There was good and bad news for Zambian opposition parties this week when they asked the Supreme Court to nullify last December's election, which President Levy Mwanawasa officially won by the narrowest of margins. The good news was that the Supreme Court was willing to listen to them. The bad news was that with no time limit, any decision by the judges was likely to take a very long time in coming. ZIMBABWE: LIBYA UPS PRESSURE ON ZIM IN ASSETS-FOR-OIL DEAL http://allafrica.com/stories/200209120584.html As fuel and food queues lengthened on Thursday structural faults in the latest Zimbabwe-Libya $360-million fuel deal were emerging. Despite being granted a pick of the country's choice assets, the Libyan government has reportedly stepped up pressure on Zimbabwe to offer more assets of greater value as guarantee for sustained fuel supplies from the North African country. ZIMBABWE: MUGABE NEGLECTS PLIGHT OF THOUSANDS OF EVICTED FARM WORKERS http://zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=5171 The worst victims of Robert Mugabe's land seizures are not the few thousand white farming families being evicted from their farms. Those suffering the most are the hundreds of thousands of black farm workers who are losing their jobs, being thrown out of their homes, often violently, and who will make up an enormous new landless class, reports The Guardian. ZIMBABWE: RETIRED ZIM JUDGE RELEASED ON BAIL http://www.dispatch.co.za/2002/09/17/foreign/CZIM.HTM A retired high court judge, who clashed with a Zimbabwe government minister two months ago, was released on bail this week after spending three days in a squalid police cell. Magistrate Lillian Kudya granted bail of R1800 to Fergus Blackie, 65, and ordered him to appear again on November 18. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 4.CORRUPTION AFRICA/GLOBAL: NEW INDEX HIGHLIGHTS CORRUPT ELITES http://www.transparency.org/pressreleases_archive/2002/2002.08.28.cpi.en.htm l "Political elites and their cronies continue to take kickbacks at every opportunity. Hand in glove with corrupt business people, they are trapping whole nations in poverty and hampering sustainable development. Corruption is perceived to be dangerously high in poor parts of the world, but also in many countries whose firms invest in developing nations," said Peter Eigen, Chairman of Transparency International, speaking on the launch of the Corruption Perceptions Index 2002 (CPI) in late August. AFRICA: AU LAUNCHES ANTI-CORRUPTION DRIVE The newly-formed African Union (AU) has set out its first ever policy to tackle corruption which, it says, is costing the continent at least US $148 billion a year. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10087 AFRICA: LOW TURNOUT AT ANTI-CORRUPTION SUMMIT CRITICISED http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=29950 Ministers from the African Union (AU) were criticised on Wednesday for failing to take corruption more seriously. Only some 13 ministers attended a summit of 42 African countries aimed at tackling corruption. ANGOLA: WORLD BANK PROMISES AID TO ANGOLA, WARNS ON CORRUPTION http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=45268 The World Bank pledged $120 million Thursday to help Angola rebuild after more than two decades of civil war, but told the authorities they must take measures to dispel suspicion of high-level corruption. GHANA: LAWYERS SPEAK OUT ON CORRUPTION IN THE JUDICIARY http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=45276 The ongoing public hearing about the perceived corruption in the Ghanaian judiciary by the Parliamentary Select Committee on the Judiciary made a stopover in Sekondi-Takoradi last week with shocking revelations by some members of the bar. LESOTHO: CANADIAN ENGINEERING MULTINATIONAL CONVICTED OF BRIBERY IN AFRICA http://www.probeinternational.org/pi/index.cfm?DSP=content&ContentID=5419 In a landmark decision that has sweeping implications for Third World development, engineering multinational Acres International of Oakville, Ontario has been convicted by the Lesotho High Court in southern Africa on two counts of bribing a local official to secure contracts on a multibillion dollar dam scheme. Earlier this year, the recipient of the bribes, Lesotho's Masupha Sole, was also convicted. NIGERIA: SPEAKER HAS CASE TO ANSWER, SAYS ANTI-GRAFT PANEL http://www.thisdayonline.com/news/20020917news01.html The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) says that Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Na'Abba has a case to answer in a corruption petition filed against him. NIGERIA: SQUARING UP TO SOMETHING ROTTEN http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=45263 President Olusegun Obasanjo, who came to office in 1999 after more than 15 years of military rule, has promised to help dispel widely held perceptions of Nigeria as an archetype of unethical business behaviour. Less than a year before he is due to stand for re-election, the country's continued notoriety raises questions about the effectiveness of the president's actions and highlights the manifold and deep-rooted difficulties that confront campaigns for greater public sector and corporate transparency in poor nations. SOUTH AFRICA: PRESS AHEAD OR BACK TO THE START? http://www.bday.co.za/bday/content/direct/1,3523,1177886-6099-0,00.html Two of the three investigations into corruption allegations involving the R335m Komatiland forestry privatisation deal may have been concluded, but the real challenge still lies ahead for government: do they now cancel the deal or move swiftly to conclude it? SWAZILAND: CABINET SHELVES JET PURCHASE Bhekie Matsebula http://www.swazis.org.uk/~sep02/jet.html In a surprise move, the Swaziland Cabinet announced on Thursday (12 September) that the proposed purchase of a private jet for King Mswati III's personal use was being shelved. Instead, Prime Minister Sibusiso Dlamini announced that the government would use chartered planes for the king's overseas trips. Already government auditors have reported a loss of over R4 million in costs involving the hiring of chartered planes by the King when undertaking his trips. SWAZILAND: GOVERNMENT LOOTS STATE FUNDS Bhekie Matsebula http://www.swazis.org.uk/~sep02/loot.html As the political debate heats up over whether Swaziland is a democratic country, the leaders of the tiny southern African kingdom have been accused of being "looters" of state funds by using developmental projects as financial scams. ZAMBIA: CORRUPTION CAMPAIGN USED TO SETTLE OLD SCORES http://allafrica.com/stories/200209120276.html An anti-corruption campaign by Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa has helped transform his image from that of dubious victor of an illegitimate election, to a crusader out to cleanse the country of his predecessor's alleged sleaze. But human rights groups have begun to voice concern that the investigations are increasingly looking like a witch-hunt aimed at settling old political scores. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 5.HEALTH AFRICA/GLOBAL: ASSESSING THE HEALTH OF THE POOR: TOWARDS A PRO-POOR MEASUREMENT STRATEGY http://www.healthsystemsrc.org/ In order to address the needs of the poor it is necessary to measure health behaviours and service uptake of poor people. However very little is known about these outcomes for the poorest of the poor. This is a key argument of an issues paper produced by the DFID Health Systems Resource Centre (HSRC) on behalf of the UK Department for International Development (DFID). The paper aims to review the existing methods and sources available to measure the health problems of the poor, their access to services, spending on health and mortality differentials, in order to advance the debate on how to build a strategy for systematically upgrading the evidence base in health. AFRICA: GUINEA WORM SCOURGE NEARLY ERADICATED http://www.globalhealth.org/news/article/2288 Guinea worm disease, a debilitating water-borne parasitic infection, was once endemic throughout much of Africa. But recent efforts to control the disease have proven so successful that experts now believe it could be eradicated within a decade. AFRICA: INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS LAWS HINDER DRUGS ACCESS http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=13432 Intellectual property rights laws are "holding up access to vital medicines," including drugs to treat HIV/AIDS, in poorer nations, and strategies such as compulsory licensing and differential pricing should be implemented to increase access to medicines in developing nations, according to a report released by the Commission on Intellectual Property Rights. BOTSWANA: DRUGS TREATMENT LURES AIDS PATIENTS FROM SOUTHERN AFRICA http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=13406 HIV-positive individuals from Southern African countries are increasingly travelling to Botswana -- the only nation in the region that provides antiretroviral therapy through its public health service -- in search of treatment, the Financial Times reports. Botswana, which has the world's highest HIV infection rate, with 38.5 percent of people between the ages of 14 and 49 believed to be HIV-positive, began offering treatment this year through a partnership with drug maker Merck and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. KENYA: BILL TO CRIMINALISE AIDS TRANSMISSION http://allafrica.com/stories/200209120133.html A Bill presented to the Kenyan Parliament suggests that those found guilty of causing the transmission of HIV/AIDS should be jailed. The HIV/AIDS Prevention Bill proposes three-year jail terms and will cover not only sexual transmission, but also transmission through contaminated instruments, health care supplies and physical contact. KENYA: KENYAN PRESIDENT APPROVES GENERIC AIDS DRUG BILL http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=13431 Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi has given his approval to the Industrial Property Act, which allows the country to import generic versions of patented antiretroviral drugs, the Kenyan Daily Nation reports. MALAWI: VOLUNTEERS HELPING PEOPLE WITH HIV/AIDS Malawi is reinforcing its image as the "warm heart of Africa" by forming networks of volunteers who provide home-based care (HBC) to the country's HIV/AIDS sufferers. The groups help the sick with bathing and going to the toilet. They fetch water for them and help with some housework and disseminate HIV/AIDS awareness into the communities. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10078 ZIMBABWE: CHOLERA DEATH TOLL RISES TO 19 IN ZIMBABWE http://allafrica.com/stories/200209160841.html Cholera has claimed nine more lives in Zimbabwe's populous Masvingo province, bringing the death toll to 19 since the outbreak was reported last week. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 6.EDUCATION AND SOCIAL WELFARE AFRICA/GLOBAL: INTERSECTING RISKS: HIV/AIDS AND CHILD LABOUR http://www.ilo.org/public/english/standards/decl/publ/papers/risk The spread of HIV/AIDS and inequality go hand in hand, argues a new report from the International Labour Organisation (ILO), with the two negative outcomes of globalisation being hazardous forms of child labour and the risk of HIV/AIDS infection. The ILO report investigates the factors that contribute to child labour as a result of HIV infection. CONGO/DRC: STUDENTS FROM THE TWO CONGOS ALERT EACH OTHER AGAINST HIV/AIDS http://www.undp.org/dpa/index.html Young people in both the Congos are alerting one another about the deadly risks of HIV/AIDS and how to prevent infection in an initiative supported by international and private sector partners. Nearly 250 students and teachers in the Republic of the Congo and from the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo gathered recently at a conference in Brazzaville to expand the project. ETHIOPIA: INNOVATIVE STUDY INTO CAUSES OF CHILD POVERTY Two thousand children in Ethiopia have been selected for a 15-year 'fly-on-the- wall' study, assessing the root causes and long-term consequences of childhood poverty. Experts will monitor some of the country's poorest children from the age of six months until they reach their 15th birthday. The results are expected to form the largest and possibly the most comprehensive study ever on the insidious affects of poverty among children. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10057 GABON: ''MORE EFFORT NEEDED'' ON CHILD TRAFFICKING The government of Gabon has heard that it needs to expand its inter-ministerial commission against child trafficking, reinforce its laws on illegal child immigration and repatriation, and sensitise its security forces in order to minimise the exploitation of children. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10090 SOUTH AFRICA: EMBARRASSING PLIGHT OF CHILDREN IN DETENTION http://allafrica.com/stories/200209161404.html The reality is that children's lives are under threat in prison. The worst cases appear to be those of, what the correctional services department defines as, children awaiting trial. At the end of July this year there were 1803 sentenced prisoners under the age of 18 in custody, with another 2157 who were still awaiting trial. SOUTH AFRICA: GOVT MOBILISES GOODWILL FOR AIDS ORPHANS http://www.health-e.org.za/view.php3?id=20020904 A national hotline has been established to mobilise the community goodwill that exists towards AIDS orphans, according to the Department of Health. At a press briefing in Pretoria, officials from the department’s new Khomanani communication campaign said that a national survey had shown that over 66 percent of South Africans were prepared to help AIDS orphans, but only seven percent were actually doing as most did not know how they could help. SOUTH AFRICA: UN CHILD EXPERT VISITS SOUTHERN AFRICA The UN Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, Juan Miguel Petit, will visit South Africa from 16 to 26 September 2002. The Special Rapporteur intends to use the visit to examine in particular the situation of rape and sexual violence against children, trafficking of children into and through South Africa, and the use of children in prostitution. He will also seek further information about HIV/AIDS in the context of these abuses. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10072 TANZANIA: THE ELDERLY AND AIDS: COPING STRATEGIES AND HEALTH CONSEQUENCES IN RURAL TANZANIA http://www.popcouncil.org/pdfs/wp/160.pdf It is the elderly that suffer from the death of their children as a “significant proportion” of adults suffering AIDS return to their parents’ home shortly before they die. This is according to a survey in north-western Tanzania in 1991- 94 comparing the activities and wellbeing of the elderly in households before and after the death of a prime-aged adult with those of the elderly in households that did not experience the death of an adult. WEST AFRICA: EXPERTS REVIEW PROGRESS ON CHILD RIGHTS West African experts on child rights met government and nongovernmental representatives in Mali on Monday at the start of a three-day technical meeting to review progress in promoting children rights in the Economic Community of West African States. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10091 /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 7.WOMEN AND GENDER AFRICA/GLOBAL: MOULDING ICTS FOR GENDER DEVELOPMENT Four virtual seminars were held between 1 July and 13 September dealing with multiple aspects relating to ICTs and gender empowerment and development. Visit the link below for an extract from the final summary of the virtual seminars. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10067 AFRICA: WOMEN JOURNALISTS LAUNCH AFRICAN NEWS WEBSITE http://www.afrol.com/Categories/Women/msindex.htm Women journalists in Eastern and Central Africa have launched their own news Web site to counter what they see as bias in Western and male-dominated news. The decision to launch a site came after fierce debate about gender sensitivity in the media during a recent East African Media Women's Association (EAMWA) workshop in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital. The web site address is http://www.eamwa.org BURUNDI: WOMEN SATISFIED WITH PROGRESS http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=29822 Burundian women leaders have said they are satisfied with the progress they are making and are looking forward to obtaining more leadership positions in the country's institutions. MALAWI: WOMEN ACTIVISTS TAKE PROPERTY GRABBERS HEAD ON Discrimination Against Women Over Property Rights Is Alarming In Malawi http://allafrica.com/stories/200209160777.html It is widely assumed that women are not necessarily bread winners and are therefore not entitled to inherit property. This has created widespread confrontations. Human rights and non-governmental organisations are now crusading especially for the protection of widows in property rights disputes. NAMIBIA: NAMIBIAN PRESIDENT FORCED TO DROP WOMEN'S QUOTA http://www.afrol.com/Categories/Women/msindex.htm Amid claims of "dictatorial behaviour", as well as unprecedented heckling, Namibian President Sam Nujoma on Sunday dropped plans to nominate 21 women to the Central Committee of the ruling SWAPO party. NIGERIA: WOMEN URGED TO PARTICIPATE MORE IN POLITICS http://allafrica.com/stories/200209160930.html Civil Resources Development and Documentation Centre (CIR-DDOC), an NGO in Abakaliki, has urged women to show more interest in politics to boost female representation in governance. NIGERIA: WOMEN'S GROUPS OPPOSE REPRESSION http://www.civicus.org/main/server_navigation/skeletons/Civicus_01/framework /nav igation.cfm?contentid=195773A4-7ACA-421D-B7C14AF9983F5831 Nigerian women are mad and they're not going to take it any more! A coalition of leading women's groups has issued an 11-point declaration demanding an end to political repression, environmental degradation, and gender-biased persecution based on Islamic laws. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 8.REFUGEES AND FORCED MIGRATION ANGOLA: WESTERN COUNSELLING NOT APPROPRIATE http://www.health-e.org.za/view.php3?id=20020905 Survivors of violence in the developing world are unlikely to respond to western interventions based on individual counselling. This is according to a study conducted in Angola amongst displaced people living in Huila province, the results of which are published in the latest Lancet. BOTSWANA: BASARWA SAID TO BE RETURNING TO OLD HOMES Groups of Botswana's Gana and Gwi Bushmen, also known as the Basarwa, were reported to be returning to their homes in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve in defiance of government attempts at forcing them to settle elsewhere. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10048 BURUNDI-TANZANIA: NEW INFLUX OF BURUNDI REFUGEES Following a recent increase in fighting in Burundi, over 300 refugees have crossed the border into western Tanzania over the last three days, a humanitarian agency told IRIN last Friday. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10049 BURUNDI: "VILLAGISATION" IN CAMPS FOR INTERNALLY DISPLACED http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=29945 A process of "villagisation" is slowly taking place in camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Burundi's central province of Gitega and the northern province of Ngozi, according to humanitarian sources. CAMEROON-NIGERIA: BAKASSI TENSION BEHIND PLANS FOR REFUGEE CENTRE Nigeria plans to set up a refugee centre in the southeastern city of Calabar in expectation that the border dispute with Cameroon might trigger a refugee crisis, a senior official in charge of refugees said on Saturday. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10065 DRC: REBEL GROUP LIMITS ACCESS TO RETURNEES FROM RWANDA The Rwandan-backed rebel group governing much of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is limiting access to refugees in the Masisi region of North Kivu who have been forcibly repatriated from Rwanda, according to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR). Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10085 LIBERIA: WFP CONCERNED OVER LACK OF ACCESS http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=29889 The United Nations' World Food Programme expressed "major concern" last Friday over lack of access to people trapped in areas of conflict or close to military front lines in Liberia. WFP noted that thousands of people had abandoned the town of Tubmanburg and now it had a population of 5,000 to 6,000, compared to between 20,000 and 30,000 before the war. TANZANIA: MORE BURUNDIANS ARRIVE IN TANZANIA; RETURNEE NUMBERS DROP http://www.unhcr.ch/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home More than 1,000 fearful Burundian refugees have fled their tiny central African nation for Tanzania over the last two weeks, sparking fears that the intensifying conflict between Burundian military and rebel forces could drive out larger numbers. ZAMBIA : UNHCR TO REPATRIATE ANGOLAN REFUGEES http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=29961 The office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Zambia expects to repatriate about 40,000 Angolan refugees next year. UNHCR Zambia spokesman Kelvin Shimo told IRIN that the voluntary repatriation was likely to begin when the rainy season ends. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 9.RACISM AND XENOPHOBIA AFRICA: UN'S NEW HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF SAYS TACKLING RACISM, PROTECTING CIVILIANS ARE TOP PRIORITIES The new United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Sergio Vieira de Mello, started his four-year term in Geneva last week, saying that he wanted to focus on the protection of civilian populations in conflict as well as the fight against racism and promotion of women's rights. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10044 SWAZILAND: WHITE MANAGER SUSPENDED Bhekie Matsebula http://www.swazis.org.uk/~sep02/white.html Workers of a large commercial transport company in Swaziland, Cargo Carriers, are on strike demanding the expulsion of a white expatriate manager of the company who assaulted one of their colleagues on Thursday. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 10.ENVIRONMENT AFRICA: STOCKPILES OF PESTICIDES IN AFRICA ARE DANGEROUS, U.N. AGENCY WARNS http://enn.com/news/wire-stories/2002/09/09192002/ap_48474.asp Toxic waste from some 120,000 tons of unused pesticides in Africa is threatening peoples' health and the environment, a U.N. food agency said Wednesday. KENYA: AFRICAN BLOCS DIFFER ON RESUMING IVORY TRADE http://allafrica.com/stories/200209170018.html Kenya's NGO forum, led by the International Fund for Animal Welfare, has called on African Elephant Range States to oppose the reopening of the ivory trade at the 12th Conference of Parties for Convention on the International in Endangered Species in November in Santiago, Chile. KENYA: KENYA ARMS WILDLIFE WARDENS WITH POWERFUL WEAPONS http://ens-news.com/ens/sep2002/2002-09-13-02.asp Kenya has decided to equip its game wardens with new AK-101 and AK-102 Kalashnikov automatic rifles, replacing the old AK-47 and G-3 rifles which had been used by the Kenya Wildlife Service rangers for the past 10 years. SOUTH AFRICA: BLAZING SHIP SPILLS OIL NEAR SOUTH AFRICAN WETLAND http://ens-news.com/ens/sep2002/2002-09-17-04.asp Cracks opened Tuesday in the hull of a burning Italian cargo ship grounded offshore of the Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park on South Africa's east coast. An estimated 450 metric tons of oil have already spilled from the vessel into the waters near the country's first World Heritage Site, but so far the fragile wetland environment has been spared. WEST AFRICA: ELEPHANT DUNG HINTS AT NEW AFRICAN SPECIES http://ens-news.com/ens/sep2002/2002-09-13-06.asp Genetic evidence extracted from elephant dung has revealed that a previously unknown type of elephant is roaming the African forests and plains. Biologists at the University of California, San Diego have used DNA to show that the elephants of west Africa are genetically distinct from the continent's two known elephant types. WEST AFRICA: FOREST LOSS CALLS FOR URGENT ACTION International scientists have called for urgent action to conserve the Guinean forest of West Africa, saying it is one of the world's top five biodiversity hot spots. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10021 /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 11.MEDIA COTE D IVOIRE: ANXIETY AT POLICE RAID ON MEDIA HOUSE A raid by 10 policemen on a publishing house in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, on Monday 9 September was on Thursday condemned by Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF), which described it as "worrying" for press freedom in the West African country. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10024 DRC: UN JOURNALIST ARRESTED BY MLC FOR CHILD SOLDIER REPORT http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=29953 A journalist with the UN peace-building radio network in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been arrested in the northwestern city of Gbadolite by the Mouvement de liberation du Congo (MLC) of Jean-Pierre Bemba. They were angered by a report of Moliba's on the wretched living conditions of thousands of child soldiers serving in the MLC army. ERITREA: GOVERNMENT URGED TO FREE DETAINEES http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=29942 The international human rights organisation, Amnesty International, has called on the Eritrean authorities to immediately release a number of political dissidents and journalists who have been in detention for a year. SOUTH AFRICA: TRAFFIC OFFICER THREATENS TO MAKE JOURNALIST "VANISH" On 19 September 2002, Sina Sebetha, an Edenvale traffic officer in Gauteng province, threatened "Sunday Times" journalist Sabelo Ndlangisa. She told the journalist she would make him "vanish if he did not leave her alone." Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10145 ZIMBABWE: A DAY IN A POLICE CELL Tawanda Majoni a reporter with Zimbabwe's new and fourth daily paper, The Daily Mirror recited to MISA-Zimbabwe in an interview on Sunday 14 September, the story of his arrest on Thursday 12 September and how he suffered in police cells. Majoni is a former police officer and he left the force after studying for a Diploma in Journalism. He was arrested for allegedly writing a false story about the health status of the Police Commissioner Augustine Chihuri. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10025 /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 12.DEVELOPMENT AFRICA/GLOBAL: A NEW DEVELOPMENT PARADIGM http://www.fpif.org/papers/development.html The Washington consensus, with its emphasis on export-led growth, has failed and it is time for a new development policy agenda that focuses on domestic demand-led growth, argues a discussion paper from Foreign Policy in Focus. AFRICA/GLOBAL: BLINDING WITH SCIENCE OR ENCOURAGING DEBATE? HOW WORLD BANK ANALYSIS DETERMINES PRSP POLICIES http://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/topic/adjustment/a30blinding.htm The Poverty Reduction Strategy process, introduced by the World Bank and IMF in 1999, is supposed to ensure that governments and civil society groups take the lead in defining policies that the Bank and Fund should support. But many commentators have complained that macroeconomic policy choices have not been adequately debated and that few countries have deviated from standard options, says a report from the Bretton Woods Project. The report also provides a critical assessment of the current moves to introduce "Poverty and Social Impact Analysis (PSIA)". AFRICA/GLOBAL: COFFEE COMPANIES UNDER FIRE AS MILLIONS FACE RUIN http://www.oxfam.org/eng/pr020918_coffee.htm Millions of people in 45 coffee-growing countries are facing economic ruin due to collapsing world prices, according to Oxfam, who have launched a campaign on the issue. Oxfam says the benefit of aid and debt relief is being severely undermined. For example, Ethiopia’s coffee income dropped by $110m compared to the $58m it is set to save in debt relief this year. AFRICA/GLOBAL: POVERTY REDUCTION PLANS 'UNCONVINCING' http://www.panos.org.uk/briefing/reducing_poverty_front.htm Critics of Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) charge that the whole approach is fundamentally flawed. Three years after the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) introduced their Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS) approach as the latest template for the world's poorest countries to get out of poverty, a new Panos report examines the progress so far and the arguments about whether PRS can succeed. AFRICA: AFRICA ASKS FOR MASS RETALIATION IN TRADE ROWS http://www.globalpolicy.org/socecon/bwi-wto/2002/0911retaliation.htm African countries have asked for poorer states in the World Trade Organization to be given the right to retaliate collectively against rich powers in disputes, trade sources said Wednesday. AFRICA: EMPHASIZE HUMAN RIGHTS UNDER NEPAD http://www.hrw.org/press/2002/09/nepad0916.htm United Nations General Assembly member states should emphasize political reform and respect for human rights over traditional economic development initiatives, Human Rights Watch says. “It is tempting for member states to want to focus on traditional development projects,” said Peter Takirambudde, director of Human Rights Watch’s Africa Division. “Such projects are less controversial and provide measurable results. But, NEPAD’s success hinges upon the political reforms that are more difficult and that need international support. These are the initiatives that can really transform Africa.” AFRICA: INEQUALITY IGNORED FOR TOO LONG IN THE FIGHT AGAINST POVERTY http://www.id21.org/society/s5cgac1g1.html The drive to reduce poverty has stalled in many developing countries. The United Nations’ target – to reduce income-related poverty to 15 percent by 2015 – will probably not be met. This policy brief, reporting the main findings of a UNU/WIDER study on changes in income equality, argues that the slowdown is in part the result of a failure to include inequality within the growth-poverty equation. AFRICA: UN ENDORSES NEW PLAN TO REJUVENATE AFRICA http://www.oneworld.net/ips4/2002/09/17-1.shtml The 190-member U.N. General Assembly formally endorsed Monday the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), the initiative to rebuild and rejuvenate the crisis-stricken and war-ravaged continent. CAMEROON/CHAD: PIPELINE RAGE FAILS TO DETER WORLD BANK http://www.globalpolicy.org/socecon/bwi-wto/wbank/2002/0913cameroon.htm The World Bank has decided that it will continue its support for a controversial project designed to bring oil wealth and development to Cameroon and Chad, two of the world's poorest countries. But on the ground in western Cameroon protests grow about the pipeline that will bring oil from Chad to the coast. Local people argue that the project has failed to bring the social benefits expected. The involvement of the bank, in the face of misgivings expressed by independent inspectors, has raised expectations on issues such as compensation for environmental damage and terms of employment. * Related link: The World Bank's own Inspection Panel has backed many of the complaints by non-governmental organizations about a major oil pipeline in West Africa. See http://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/topic/environment/e3004chadcam.html UGANDA: HITCH IN HIPC DERAILS DEBT SERVICING http://allafrica.com/stories/200209160604.html The International Monetary Fund and World Bank's debt relief initiatives have failed to help Uganda sustainably manage its foreign debt as its creditors outside the European Union declined to agree to relief terms spelt out by the Bretton Woods institutions. Uganda says the debt had instead increased. It is currently estimated at $3.6 billion. ZAMBIA: LOW ECONOMIC GROWTH WORSENS IMPACT OF FOOD CRISIS Ordinary Zambians are battling to cope with the effects of a food security crisis exacerbated by an economic slowdown. Joyce Mwenya is an example of the daily struggle faced by 80 percent of Zambians who live on less than US $1 a day. With a baby strapped to her back, the 33-year-old mother of three sells vegetables at the market in Kanyama, one of Lusaka's poor shanty towns. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10064 /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 13.INTERNET AND TECHNOLOGY COMMUNICATION FOR SOCIAL CHANGE http://www.comminit.com/stcfscindicators/foreward This working paper, Communication for Social Change: An Integrated Model for Measuring the Process and Its Outcomes, takes a big step forward in refining the practice of communication for social change. It is part of a larger strategy to spread communication for social-change thinking and ways of working broadly: to poor communities that have never thought about communication as a tool they can control for improving their lives; within aid and donor organisations that are more comfortable being in control than in sharing control; or within academic institutions that are preparing the next generation of professional communicators. HOW ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTERS CAN HELP CHARITIES http://philanthropy.com/jobs/2002/09/19/20020919-99867.htm Many charities are increasingly turning to e-mailed newsletters to help them reach out to their supporters: to educate them, to spur them to advocacy, and to encourage donations. E-newsletters can also help charities save on printing and mailing costs, compared to print newsletters. PANOS MEDIA FELLOWSHIPS ON ICTS-ENABLED COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES FOR SOCIAL CHANGE Panos sees the need to have an independent account by journalists and development experts who can reflect the range of perspectives among user communities, the rural poor, government officers, development workers, policy makers, and other stakeholders, as to what 'ICTs for development' means in their societies. These views need to frame the debate around ICTs-enabled development discourses. Panos has been commissioning independent journalists for a decade to write Panos Briefings to encourage and support informed debate on various development issues. As part of the Briefings series, Panos plans to commission journalists and development experts from the South to visit telecentres in their regions. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10122 USING E-BUSINESS TO EMPOWER FARMERS IN TANZANIA http://www.iconnect-online.org/base/ic_show_news?id=1844&cat=x In Tanzania, a pioneering project seeks to empower farmers and strengthen rural economies through e-business. The Business Information Services (BIS) Project aims to position itself as a reliable source of information of business value to farmers and small and medium-scale enterprises in the rural areas. The Project intends to harness information and communication technologies (ICTs) to narrow the digital divide between urban and rural areas where for example mobile phones - that people in town take for granted - are scarce or non- existent. WOMEN USING ICTS TO ADVANCE GENDER EQUALITY IN AFRICA The newsletter of the Association for Progressive Communications (APC), Africa Internet Rights ICT Policy Monitor to mobilise African Civil Society for ICT policy for development and social justice (http://africa.rights.apc.org), has created an annotated list of a selection of women's organisations using information and communication technologies (ICTs) as tools to network and share information to advance gender equality in Africa. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10014 /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 14.eNEWSLETTERS AND MAILING LISTS DEBATE - VOICES FROM THE SOUTH AFRICAN LEFT A discussion list arising from the journal of the same name. The list is for anyone "interested in developing critical insights on class composition, struggles and resistance in South Africa in the broader context of globalized capitalism.". "...it is by no means confined to experts on South Africa; it rather aims to locate the contents of 'Debate' in the broader worldwide confrontation against neo-liberalism." To subscribe send an email to [log in to unmask] Leave the Subject line blank. In the Message area put: subscribe debate [your EMail address] Contact: [log in to unmask] NEW AIDS INFORMATION PORTAL DUE FOR LAUNCH http://www.afroaidsinfo.org/ The Medical Research Council (MRC) in collaboration with several partners is in the process of establishing an Internet information portal on HIV/AIDS for Southern Africa. The portal will provide a unique knowledge resource to facilitate collaboration and knowledge sharing among institutions and individuals in the prevention of HIV/AIDS in Southern Africa. 37 AFRICAN MAILING LISTS HOSTED ON KABISSA http://www.kabissa.org/members/bb/viewtopic.php?t=177 Email Mailing Lists are a powerful tool used by non-profit organisations worldwide to promote their work, keep in touch with their networks, collaborate on projects and share information and experiences. Lists are particularly important for the many African organisations that work under conditions where access to the internet is often expensive and intermittent. You are invited to join lists hosted on Kabissa. African organizations that register as Kabissa members are also eligible for setting up their own Mailing Lists on Kabissa. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 15.FUNDRAISING MOZAMBIQUE AND NAMIBIA: CANADA PLEDGES US$ 900,000 FOR VITAL LANDMINE CLEARANCE http://www.africapulse.net/index.php? action=viewarticle&articleid=358&PHPSESSID=5d0101cc7515f47d495d4fff98921fd9 Canada will contribute about US$ 900,000 for vital landmine clearance in Mozambique and to support landmine victims in Namibia. Susan Whelan, Canada's minister for international cooperation, made the announcement in Mozambique during a visit. NIGERIA: WORLD BANK APPROVES $100M FOR UBE http://allafrica.com/stories/200209170247.html The Board of the World Bank has approved a $100 million credit facility for the Universal Basic Education (UBE) programme in Nigeria. The Federal Government is contributing a counterpart fund of $13 million to the project. SOUTH AFRICA: DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT INJECTS R1.5 MILLION FOR HOME OF HOPE http://www.thusanang.org.za/index.php?option=news&task=viewarticle&sid=95 Minister of Social Development, Zola Skweyiya and the executive mayor of Thswane, have launched a centre for abused children in Pretoria. Gauteng MEC for Social Welfare Services, Angie Matshego also attended the event. SOUTH AFRICA: LOTTERIES BOARD HIGHLY CRITICAL OF REPORT http://www.thusanang.org.za/index.php?option=news&task=viewarticle&sid=100 In a recent press statement, the National Lotteries Board responds to the newly released report – “Smoke and Mirrors”- which looks at the National Lottery and the role of the Board. The report was commissioned by the Non Profit Partnership (NPP) and researched by the Centre for Civil Society (CCS). SOUTH AFRICA: LOTTO CONTROVERSY IS SET TO DEEPEN http://www.iol.co.za/index.php? click_id=196&art_id=ct20020914201346472L300623&set_id=1 Questions are being raised over the legality of the process of distribution of lottery funds to charities and good causes. At the same time, the Minister for Social Development, Zola Skweyiya, this week poured cold water on a plan by Uthingo, the company granted a licence to operate the lottery, to introduce daily draws in November. SOUTH AFRICA: MMINO – SOUTH AFRICAN – NORWEGIAN EDUCATION AND MUSIC PROGRAMME CALLS FOR APPLICATIONS http://www.thusanang.org.za/index.php?option=news&task=viewarticle&sid=99 Mmino is a funding programme aimed at supporting the development of music in South Africa. Funding is available for Music and Education Projects. UGANDA: IMF SETS STIFF TERMS FOR NEW AID http://allafrica.com/stories/200209180149.html The International Monetary Fund has set tough conditions for Uganda under a new aid deal approved last week by the fund's board. Among the terms that came with a $17.8m (Shs 32bn) aid support is a requirement that the government submits to the Cabinet a plan to reduce its expenditure by 31 December. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 16.COURSES, SEMINARS, AND WORKSHOPS GENDER EVALUATION METHODOLOGY (GEM) WORKSHOP Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, 23-31st October http://www.apcwomen.org/gem The Gender Evaluation Methodology (GEM) for ICT initiatives and ICT evaluation is an innovative gender analysis tool produced by the APC Women's Networking Support Programme (APC WNSP) for practitioners who share a commitment to gender equality and women's empowerment in ICTs. GEM provides a means for determining whether ICTs are really improving women's lives and gender relations as well as promoting positive change at the individual, institutional, community and broader social levels. Contact: [log in to unmask] HUMAN RIGHTS LITIGATION IN AFRICA 14-16 October 2002 Banjul, The Gambia. http://www.africaninstitute.org The Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa and the International Commission of Jurists will organise a workshop on human rights litigation in Africa. The bilingual (English/French) workshop will address issues critical to human rights litigation at both the national and international levels, such as funding for litigation, locus stand, assessing impartiality of the court and other fair trial issues, press strategies in relation to litigation, and use of international treaties. Contact: [log in to unmask] INTERNATIONAL AIDS CONFERENCE A conference on HIV/AIDS will take place in Gaborone, Botswana, between 12 and 14 November. The conference has been arranged to give you the opportunity to learn from the successes, to engage with the presenters, and to find solutions for your country, in your business and in your organisation. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10026 MEN AGAINST GENDER BASED VIOLENCE CONFERENCE Kenya 10 October 2002 In partnership with the Presbyterian Men Fellowship Kinoo Parish, Kenya and the Coalition on Violence Against Women-Kenya (COVAW-K), FEMNET will conduct a one day conference to sensitise Kenyan male gender activists and advocates in order to create a critical mass of men who support the empowerment of women and principals of gender equality, development and human rights. Participants will be drawn from universities, religious organisations, professional groups and the media. Contact: [log in to unmask] PARTNERSHIP WITH THE MEDIA: A STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS COURSE FOR NGOS IN NORTHERN NIGERIA The Media Resource and Advocacy Centre (MRAC), Lagos Nigeria, announces the final in its series of regional strategic communications training course aimed at equipping NGO activists with skills in health promotion, advocacy and general publicity for development programs and projects. The course will take place between 25-26 May, 2003 in Kaduna, Nigeria. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10051 /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 17.ADVOCACY RESOURCES ACT NOW TO PROTECT THE INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE SYSTEM http://web.amnesty.org/web/icc_petition.nsf/action_english The new system of international justice, which came about with the creation of the International Criminal Court (ICC), is under attack. The USA is trying to ensure that US nationals are exempt from ICC jurisdiction over genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. Join Amnesty International members and sign a petition urging all governments not to enter into the impunity agreements that the US is promoting. NIGERIA: PROTEST STONING SENTENCE http://www.mertonai.org/amina/ Amina Lawal has been sentenced to death by stoning - she is to buried up to her neck in the ground, after which her punishers will surround her and throw rocks at her head until her skull is crushed and she dies a painful and horrible death. She has only thirty days to appeal her trial. Please go to the Amnesty International site, www.mertonai.org/amina/ and sign the letter addressed to the President of Nigeria. It literally takes one minute, and could help to save her life, as well as put an end to this kind of cruel and disgraceful practice. PUSH FOR A BAN ON LAND MINES The Clinton Administration had promised the ratification of the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty by 2006. However, last year the Department of Defense, with input from the State Department and the National Security Council, recommended to President Bush that the US abandon all efforts toward signing the Treaty and banning landmines. Write to US politicians urging them to move forward with the banning of land mines. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10101 SUPPORT OF A GENDER-BALANCED AND SENSITIVE STAFF FOR THE TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION IN SIERRA LEONE http://www.witness.org In the aftermath of the mass atrocities in Sierra Leone, the United Nations has passed a resolution to set up a Special Court for the prosecution of human rights violations, as well as a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). Write to the UN Secretary General, the President and Attorney General of Sierra Leone, and the UN High Commissioner of Human Rights urging them to ensure that the staff of both bodies are gender-balanced and experienced in dealing with cases of sexual violence. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 18.JOBS BUJUMBURA RURALE PROVINCE: DEPUTY DIRECTOR International Rescue Committee http://www.fpa.org/jobs_contact2423/jobs_contact_show.htm?doc_id=121174 IRC activities in Bujumbura Rurale Province cover seven core sites and consist of environmental health (including water and sanitation and hygiene promotion), construction and non-formal education. COTE D'IVOIRE: COUNTRY DIRECTOR American Refugee Committee (ARC) http://www.comminit.com/vacancy972.html Host governments, and international and national organizations; develop new programs; manage security and personnel. Liaise with Headquarters and oversee the establishment and implementation of program objectives, activities, evaluations and assessments. English and French fluency required. ETHIOPIA: COUNTRY DIRECTOR International Rescue Committee http://www.comminit.com/vacancy976.html Responsible for all aspects of donor grants awarded to IRC Ethiopia, which includes initial negotiation and contract compliance. Oversee all human resource, financial and logistical responsibilities. Previous supervisory responsibility of a field office and a staff of over 50 required. GUINEA: PROGRAM OFFICER The IRC http://www.fpa.org/jobs_contact2423/jobs_contact_show.htm?doc_id=121453 The aim of the position is to gain experience in a wide range of field conditions including various aspects of program management and implementation, cultural and field conditions, technical support and activities. KENYA: COUNTRY COORDINATOR University Of Nairobi http://www.comminit.com/vacancy1008.html The Project currently seeks to expand its geographic scope and establish effective HIV programmes through local implementing partners within Kenya. This is a new position. It will be key in ensuring the development, adjustment and implementation of gender-sensitive HIV programmes with local partners. KENYA: TECHNICAL OFFICER, CAPACITY BUILDING University Of Nairobi http://www.comminit.com/vacancy1007.html The Strengthening STD/HIV Control in Kenya Project seeks to reduce the incidence and mitigate the impact of STD/HIV in Kenya. Responsible for the implementation of the capacity building component of the Project. MOZAMBIQUE: COUNTRY DIRECTOR Christian Outreach Relief & Development (CORD) http://www.comminit.com/vacancy978.html Required to manage projects, policy and personnel on a community development programme and health projects. Contact: [log in to unmask] SIERRA LEONE: COUNTRY DIRECTOR American Refugee Committee (ARC) http://www.comminit.com/vacancy971.html Ensure that the program has a well functioning financial/administrative capacity; act in the Country Director's absence as needed and as directed. 3 - 5 years overseas experience in high-level management for at least one NGO, including on the ground experience with programs. SOUTHERN AFRICA: REGIONAL MEDIA AND ADVOCACY COORDINATOR Oxfam GB http://www.fpa.org/jobs_contact2423/jobs_contact_show.htm?doc_id=109132 We are looking for a highly energetic and motivated professional to support the development and delivery of a regional advocacy, campaign and media strategy. The postholder will be based within the Regional Management Centre in Pretoria, South Africa. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 19.BOOKS AND ARTS A GUIDE TO WORLD RESOURCES 2002-2004: DECISIONS FOR THE EARTH: BALANCE, VOICE, AND POWER Carol Rosen, Gregory Mock, Wendy Vanasselt http://pubs.wri.org/pubs_description.cfm?PubID=3764 World Resources 2002-2004 focuses on the importance of good environmental governance. We explore how citizens, government managers, and business owners can foster better environmental decisions -- decisions that meet the needs of both ecosystems and people with equity and balance. BOOK FESTIVAL TO BRING READERS, WRITERS AND BOOKSELLERS CLOSER TOGETHER http://www.africaonline.com/site/Articles/1,10,49200.jsp The Third Arusha Book festival is being held from 16 to 21 September at the Arusha Regional Library premises. The festival, supported by the Book Development Council of Tanzania, is aimed at cultivating the habit of reading books among the youth and public in general. I REFUSE TO DIE Koigi Wa Wamwere http://www.powells.com/subsection/BiographyComingSoon.html I Refuse to Die is political activist Koigi wa Wamwere's account of his life in the human rights movement. In it, he documents the injustices committed under British rule and President Moi's oppressive regime, and he celebrates the Kenyan people's ongoing struggle for survival and human dignity. Born in Nakuru, Kenya, in 1949, wa Wamwere attended Cornell University, where he was inspired by the writings of Martin Luther King Jr. He returned to Kenya to push for change, first as a member of parliament and then as a journalist. Wa Wamwere ran for president in 1997, but his outspoken criticism of Kenya's human rights record incurred the anger of the Kenyan government who imprisoned him four times. Now living in New York, wa Wamwere continues to speak out for democracy in Africa. With 16 pages of black-and-white photographs, this is a moving autobiography by one of Africa's leading human rights advocates. NEW CURRENTS, ANCIENT RIVERS: CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN ARTISTS IN A GENERATION OF CHANGE Jean Kennedy http://www.africancrafts.com/book.php? sid=71494811544154822663697554147407&id=jkennedy Although modern African literature and music have become well known in the West, through the contributions of such famous authors as Chinua Achebe and Bessie Head and such popular musicians as King Sunny Ade and Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the continent's vast body of modern visual arts has been little explored. In New Currents, Ancient Rivers Jean Kennedy surveys African art of the last forty years, offering an expansive perspective on the visual arts of the continent. Just as ancient rivers flow through the modern African landscape, so too do the rituals and traditions of the past run deeply through modern African art. The past is able to coexist in vibrant synthesis with the present largely because of a critical constant in African culture, the acceptance of change. THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE Edited By Veronika Bennholdt-Thomsen, Nicholas Faraclas And Claudia Von Werlhof http://www.zedbooks.demon.co.uk/home.htm In this book a group of distinguished authors explodes the defeatist myth that ‘there is no alternative’ to corporate sponsored globalization. Theoreticians and activists from feminist, environmental, anti-imperialist and anti-racist struggles across five continents report on existing community-based initiatives, and demonstrate how we can all defy the creed of corporate globalization. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 20.LETTERS AND COMMENTS DENNIS BRUTUS 50 Years Is Enough/Jubilee South Africa A further comment anent the great march from Alex to Sandton. The gathering of multiple voices, multiple concerns and multiple demands at Speakers Corner, Sandton, was the new face of the new struggle. It is the face of resistance that will confront the new corporate power which threatens us globally. It comes at the necessary time. European power theorists are discussing worriedly, as they did at a recent meeting during the World Summit, "The future of Multilateralism". But in the U.S. talk of a new and greater unilateralism (under terms as various as "the grand strategy" or "the breakout strategy") which will greatly diminish national sovereignty and give the United States, as the all over-ruling power the right of pre-emptive and preventive strikes anywhere in the world, not merely to terrorist threats but also to any power which might threaten the superiority of the United States. It is for this reason that the new face of resistance comes at a necessary time. DOREEN MUSSON South Africa I loved reading your journal the first time and will enjoy doing so in future. It's excellent reading. MALICK CEESAY Sustainable International Development Program, Heller Graduate School For Social Policy And Management, Brandeis University I would like to thank the fine women and men of Pambazuka, who very skilfully design such a comprehensive newsletter of information on all issues affecting Mother Africa. Your work impacts not only on Africa, but on global issues of immense concerns and shared values, in the interests of mankind. I am a practitioner in International Peace and Conflict Resolution, Electoral Assistance and Democratisation, Humanitarian and Sustainable Development around the world. I salute your commitment and dedication to making humanity and our beautiful planet a much better place in which to live. No doubts, through our individual and collective efforts and endeavours, we can make a difference around the world regardless of geographical location(s). God bless you all and please kindly keep up the wonderful work for the sake of humanity. ORGANIZATIONS URGE INCREASE IN FUNDING FOR GLOBAL HIV/AIDS RESPONSE On behalf of the organizations listed below that support the highest level of funding possible from the U.S. government to address the global HIV/AIDS pandemic, we are writing to urge you to vote YES on the Pelosi amendment to increase funding for the global HIV/AIDS response. Congresswoman Pelosi's amendment would increase funding for the global effort by $400 million - an additional $200 million for the global HIV/AIDS programs at the U.S. Agency for International Development and an additional $200 million for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10017 /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 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. The quality and range of information depends on you. SUBMIT YOUR NEWS If your organisation is a regular provider of information, please ensure that your information is widely read by adding [log in to unmask] to your addressbook and mailing lists. Help us in particular by making sure that sections relevant to your work are well represented. We consider every submission to that address for inclusion. Please attribute original sources by including a website address and/or contact e-mail. SUBSCRIBE The Newsletter comes out weekly and is delivered to subscribers by e-mail. Subscription is free! To subscribe, send an e-mail to <pambazuka-news- [log in to unmask]> with only the word 'subscribe' in the subject or body. WRITE AN EDITORIAL We welcome original editorials. Typically, editorials run 300-500 words and include links and contact details of their authors. Space is available through the website for longer editorials. 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 ---------------------~--> Kwick Pick Portable Lock Pick - Opens Almost Any Lock! Locked out? Try the Kwick Pick. Now you can open car doors, desk drawers, padlocks, and much more! Never get locked out again! http://us.click.yahoo.com/06FT5D/hevEAA/ySSFAA/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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