Back Issues

Selected headlines from Pambazuka News 167

2004-07-29

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/highlights/23554

* SMS FOR WOMEN’S RIGHTS: Use your mobile phone to sign the petition in support of the ratification of the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa. Send a message to: +27832933934, with the word ‘petition’ and your name in the message. You will only be charged the cost set by your network provider for sending an international SMS. More information http://www.pambazuka.org/petition/smssocial.php

* Comment and Analysis: Taking control of Africa’s resources
* Pan-African Postcard: Gluttons who vomit on shoes and the mental revolution
* Conflicts and Emergencies: Peace is in the stomach
* Human Rights: Zimbabwe rights groups must not be banned, says Amnesty
* Refugees and Forced Migration: Human trafficking in Africa
* Women and Gender: Remittances and economic development
* Development: Rich countries threaten world trade talks
* Corruption: World Bank debars Lesotho corruption company
* HIV/AIDS: Big Pharma – part of the problem or the solution?
* Fundraising and Useful Resources: International Activist Award

Oil and corporate recklessness in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region

Joel Bisina

2004-07-29

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/features/23546

Nigeria is Africa's largest and most complex country, with a population of 120 million people from over 250 tribes. The vast, swampy terrain of the Niger Delta region supports almost 20 million people, many of them in isolated communities only accessible by boat. The Niger Delta serves as the economic nerve center of the Nigeria Federation with its vast oil deposits. Presently, crude oil accounts for about 85% of the nation's revenue. Oil from the Niger Delta accounts for 20% of oil supply to the US, and has become increasingly important from a strategic perspective as conflicts continue in the Middle East.

However, this “blessing” has become a curse for the people of the Niger Delta. They have suffered environmental devastation, economic poverty, and constant conflict. To make matters even worse, political considerations and greed on the part of a corrupt government have kept many of the earnings from these vast reserves from returning to the Niger Delta to help restore the region.

Since the discovery of oil and the production in commercial quantities in 1958, the people of the Niger Delta have known no peace. Today, violent inter tribal and inter communal conflicts, arms proliferation, ethnic militias and illegal bunkering (theft of crude oil directly from pipelines) have become synonymous with the region.

Economic activities related to oil and gas has placed the government's security emphasis on the need to produce oil and gas most effectively and efficiently. This type of security consideration ignores the impact on other environmental and human resources such as waters, forests, fish and the climate of the area. The youth of the region, a vibrant and energetic generation who should be supporting the productivity and the future of this area, are instead being continuously cut down by bullets from security operatives under the guise of the war on terrorism. Communities are razed and extra-judicial killings are the order of the day.

From the days of the hanging of playwright and prominent environmental rights activist Ken Saro Wiwa and nine other Ogoni individuals by the then military regime of General Sani Abacha, to the Odi holocaust and the burning and destruction of Awor and Fenegbene by the present Obasanjo administration, the story has been the same.

When oil production activities are intensified or activated in a very dedicated manner, riverbank erosion results, gas flares occur frequently, forests are cut down, rivers and streams are dredged, turned into canals or blocked and then polluted. Farms and sacred lands are not spared either; they may be acquired for oil and gas development or polluted, as production gets under way. Anything that is seen to obstruct or have the semblance of serving as obstruction to the free flow of oil is uprooted and destroyed, whether it is a human being, a community or a stream.

Compounding the plight of the people of the Niger Delta is the issue of environmental pollution. Oil production and dredging have caused acid rain, fouled the air and the water, and caused widespread and dramatic erosion. Whole communities have watched their lands erode away. Fishing and farming, the traditional occupations of these people, is no longer viable. This situation has caused poverty, hunger and desperation among these peoples, who are struggling to eke out a living.

The issue of ownership rights is key. Federal laws automatically transfer title to any land where oil is found to the federal government without adequate compensation to the landowners. This gives the federal government the right to enter into an unholy alliance with multi national oil companies in the name of joint venture operations at the exclusion of the people. The result is that the federal government and the multinational oil corporations share the resulting revenue on a ratio of 60:40 percent with nothing left for the landowners. In addition, oil spills and other ongoing problems caused by the oil production are not attended to, so the area is left in much worse shape than before the oil reserves were found.

Underlying this complex and fraudulent economic arrangement is the issue of ethnicity and tribalism. There are 250 ethnic nationalities in Nigeria, with the Yorubas, Igbos and the Hausa/Fulani of the west, southeast and the north comprising the majority tribes. The minorities of the Ijaws, Itsekiris and other nationalities inhabit the oil rich Niger Delta region, which is swampy deltaic terrain, and is completely cut off from development, modern industries and social infrastructure. Educational opportunities are limited, and the closest health care facility is about three hours by speedboat.

Because the government tends to be populated by people who originated from the majority tribes which do not happen to be located in the delta, they have created a formula for sharing the revenues from oil production that favors other regions, further increasing the poverty in the delta and creating anger and conflict between the delta tribes themselves. Trust amongst the tribes has been eroded, while hatred and suspicion have grown, as they are made to believe that they are enemies to one and another by the divide and rule and divide and exploit attitude of an insincere national government and its dubious multi national collaborators.

The combination of these factors creates a potential powder keg. Because Nigeria is the largest nation in Africa and considered the leader in political and economic issues, any eruption could have a deeply destabilizing effect on both the continent and the global community. By providing the world a more complete understanding of the real story behind the impact of the oil discovery and production during the last 45 years in Nigeria, perhaps we can find the resources to address these issues before a major eruption occurs.

* Joel Bisina is a peace activist and founder/Regional Director of the Niger Delta Professionals for Development (NIDPRODEV) a non-profit organization working on the communal and inter tribal conflicts in the oil rich Niger Delta Region of Nigeria.

* Please send comments to editor@pambazuka.org

Taking control of Africa’s resources

Eno Anwana

2004-07-29

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/comment/23512

From the slave trade era of the 15th century to the crude oil era of the 20th century, Nigeria's natural resource history has been fraught by a systemic cartel of merchants whose primary agenda was in the amount of natural resources they could garner from the country. In their exploitative ventures they raided whole communities, introduced internecine wars and conflicts, and ignited a raging fire of habitat degradation and fragmentation.

Historical records tell of the fact that the plundering of African natural resources fuelled the industrial revolution of Europe. Energy demands in the 20th century brought on the search for crude oil wells worldwide and Nigeria was not left out. From 1956, when the first oil well was successfully drilled in Nigeria, scrambling for Nigeria's resources by the Europeans took on a new dimension.

The oil boom era of the 1970s saw the downward plunge of the agricultural sector. There was a complete paradigm shift from the nation's then agrarian culture to an oil driven culture, moving ultimately from renewable natural resources to un-renewable resource trade. From the 70s through to the early 80s we witnessed a drastic drop in local food production. Importation rates of foods and finished products increased dramatically and our foreign debt escalated rapidly, bringing the economy to a crisis. During this period, from 1958 to 1983, we recorded $101 billion in estimated oil revenue earnings.

A plethora of environmental problems exist as a result of the oil trade. Communities where certain resources are harvested - in particular oil and gas - bear the impact of exploration and exploitation, while gains are shared to other areas that contribute next to nothing to national oil revenues.

In addition oil communities are impoverished and lack basic social infrastructures and amenities. One region in Nigeria which has borne the brunt of natural resource exploitation is the Niger Delta. This region played a key role in the country's economy in pre-colonial and colonial times and still maintains a primary position in present crude oil trade.

The Niger Delta: The Battlefield For Resource Control

The Niger Delta has featured in global discourse as a region plagued by non-violent demonstrations, violent protests and intra communal wars over resource control. The source and underlying causes of agitation in this region must be clearly understood by the global community in evolving effectual management strategies.

Agitations within this region take root from early colonial trade relations with the British incursion into the area. They made treaties with vulnerable communities, plundered resource capital and introduced a subservient cultural pattern. Communities only benefited by giving-up their farmlands in exchange for ridiculous gifts. In those days, resistance came through such visionary leaders like King Jaja of Opobo and Nana Olomu. These leaders, as recorded by Nigerian historians, led their people in the struggle to rescue their natural economy from the greedy control of the British who had devised a “divide and rule” machinery of control over the people.

Control over the natural resource capital of the Niger Delta people is mirrored presently by the operations of the oil multinational companies, who defraud whole communities of their livelihood sources, paying ridiculous monetary compensation in exchange for a devastated coastal ecosystem.

The oil companies make up the largest industry in the Niger Delta region. Despite this, unemployment levels are still high, especially in the rural areas where oil and gas reserves exist. In this region exist oil well reserves (17.9 billion barrels) and gas wells (3.4 trillion m3), contributing about 80% of federal government revenue.

Despite this vast coastal wealth, GNP per capita is below the national average of US$280. Pollution of coastal corridors and wetlands is a recurrent disaster. Gas flaring has become a notorious pollutant of the local communities of the Delta. Oil spills and gas flaring have destroyed whole fishing communities, reducing needed fishery resources, terrestrial vegetations and compromising the health of local people in and around oil installations.

Nigeria's resource base includes a vast network of rivers, floodplains and a rich rainforest network, with vast deposits of minerals. However about 95% of natural forest cover has been lost to deforestation, leaving 5% contained in the Southeast region. While dams upstream are a constant headache and threat to the rich coastal biodiversity, deforestation ravages the teeming rainforest ecosystem.

The Nigerian Government And The Challenge Of Sustainability

In a country where agriculture accounts for about 40% of GDP and oil production and exports (exporting over 2 million barrels/day) ranks 6th world wide, government's management structure and environmental action plan is essential to maintain balance and reduce abuse. The question here is what has been the role of the Nigerian government in the management of its natural resources?

To attempt an answer, one can say that even though the legal framework and institutional structure for natural resource management is firmly established, it still lacks the strength and drive which natural resource management deserves.

Government response to environmental problems and the nagging problem of unsustainable resource exploitation has been rather slow. Compromises in deals with multinational companies have crippled the implementation of “goodwill” national policies and laws. The management structure at best is fragmentary, and there exists similar government agencies carrying out the same functions, often times leading to conflict between government agencies and stakeholders.

A satisfactory environmental condition would mean developmental projects and resource utilization meet with clearly stated developmental benchmarks, whose implementation is sustainable. For projects to be considered sustainable as contained in Agenda 21 of the Rio declaration three key aspects of development must be integrated into project planning and implementation: economic growth, social equity and ecological integrity.

Historical trends in the Delta have shown that industrial activities in the Delta have negated this all-embracing principle, in the scramble for resources. Indigenous people, their laws and customs have often been sidetracked. Sustainability must therefore be redefined in this region and companies' licenses to operate must be revoked when found guilty. The country does not lack policies and laws, but the gap is in its implementation and policing of resource utilization.

Resource depletion has far reaching multiplier effects and its importance is underscored by communal agitations and high national poverty statistics. It is instructive to evolve stringent measures to “checkmate” the eclipse of our collapsing life support systems. We can't afford to put new wine into old wine skin.

The issue of local content has to do with the active participation of the local indigenous people in decision-making processes. Local people are the best managers, they have over the years evolved methods and approaches in natural resource management that have preserved certain classes of biodiversity and we need to learn from them.

For sustainability, they must be integrated in all developmental issues, especially those that impact on their existence. In ensuring active participation of local stakeholders in project management and development, ideals of Community Based Resource Management (CBRM) can be adopted. A case is in promoting indigenous protected areas. In the Southeast region several lakes and forests exist, designated by local nomenclature as sacred areas. Indigenous laws and customs have protected biodiversity in these areas over the years and we can start by integrating and institutionalizing these areas into our system of protected parks or areas.

True federalism and sustainability can only be obtained by ensuring that the needs and aspirations of local communities are first considered before economic gains. Trade-offs are necessary to maintain equilibrium in developmental conceptualization, and in respect of sustainable development, social equity cannot be overruled, but rather sustained.

Africa and the Way Forward

The New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) could through its review mechanism ensure that African countries comply strictly on the issue of indigenous active participation in decision processes. But the question we must ask is: how sincere are participating African countries on moving the ideology of NEPAD forward? Can NEPAD be a panacea to our dependency on western donors, who dictate the tune of our development? Or would we be strong enough as a people to wield the weapon of resource control and management by Africans to the hungry western world?

We must evolve strategic alliances with other African nations to find long lasting solutions for the management of Africa's vast bank of natural resources. The question of capacity building then arises. Capacity building in natural resource management would mean a network of indigenous people who are able to exchange needed information and technology without barriers. In addition would be the function of resource tracking: we must insist on predetermined certification of forest and coastal land goods and services, which could serve as a monitoring device for products obtained from these ecosystems.

My concluding thought on sustainable natural resource utilization and development in Nigeria and Africa as a whole, is in our corporate realization that for us as Africans, our greatest weaponry against the incursion of the developed economics is our bank of natural resource capital.

It's time we as a race refuse the lies of the western world and shun greed and mismanagement of both human and natural resources. We must encourage all Africans to imbibe the culture of proper management of our contested heritage. This must be clearly understood and articulated by the current crop of leaders as they promote the African Union through its NEPAD initiative.

* Eno Deborah Anwana’s major interest is the sustainable management of Africa's vast wealth of natural resources by Africans. Since 2002 Anwana has worked in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria on a MacArthur funded project focusing on the wise use of natural resources and sustainable development. Anwana is affiliated with Nigerian's foremost environmental NGO called The Nigerian Conservation Foundation, a membership based NGO.

* Please send comments to editor@pambazuka.org

Gluttons who vomit on shoes and the mental revolution

Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem

2004-07-29

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/panafrican/23449

Mr. Edward Clay, the British High Commissioner to the Republic of Kenya threw both pairs of his hands and feet into a serious controversy with the Kenyan government last week. In a memorable choice of words he blasted unnamed government officials for being corrupt and behaving "like gluttons" and "vomiting on the shoes" of foreign donors.

The truth is that there are many Africans in different countries who will recognise those graphic words and apply them to their countries. So if the diplomat had spoken true words why the furore? Is it because the truth hurts?

Many people including government ministers will admit privately that he was right but are angry that he spoke out. It is not in the nature and business of diplomats to be so blunt. After all it is said that a diplomat 'is someone sent abroad to lie on behalf of his country'. It should have been added too that the same person is not expected to be openly truthful to his hosts and is expected to be awfully nice to them at all times.

That is the code that Edward Clay had broken. The responses in Kenya depended on whether you are a supporter or opponent of the faltering NARC government of Kenya. There are many of us who are neither in both camps but are still caught in a dilemma as to how to respond to the Clay bluntness.
Only 18 months ago President Mwai Kibaki led the overarching multi party alliance to an unprecedented victory over KANU. It was a silent revolution that was welcomed and celebrated across Africa, promising people's power and peaceful democratic changes as opposed to violent military ones. Kenya showed itself able and willing to follow the democratic path and we were all thrilled. But in just under two years the illusions are clearing. It was an unrealistic, even if unavoidable, mass expectation that the new government will quickly transform Kenya from the corrupt and authoritarian KANU power structure it inherited.

However, ordinary Kenyans, while giving NARC the benefit of the doubt, had a right to expect some light at the end of the dark tunnel. This was not to be. They are harvesting more pain and misery from their would be liberators. The uneasy alliance is unravelling and bursting at the alter of ethno-regional politics and unbridled ambition on the part of the hydra headed leadership of the coalition.

The promised transparency, accountability and clean government have given room to KANU-type corrupt business as usual. Maybe this is not surprising given the solid KANU history of most of the leaders themselves. What can one expect from KANU refugees?

The ordinary people that were inspired to hope for a different Kenya now despair at the politicians who seem to care little about the country but a lot about their bank balances. Many of them went for the treasury like hungry lions in reckless abandon.

Things are so bad that many people are beginning to miss former president Moi and KANU. At least they are devils they knew for four decades and were predictable. The new hungry lot cannot just be second-guessed! The paralysed and paralysing leadership of the gerontocratic President Kibaki does not help the situation. Zimbabwe and Kenya's presidencies are unique on this continent. Between the President and his deputy there are probably more than 150 years! Are these the people to inspire the future: tired old men who are tiring the country!

So why are people complaining about Edward Clay for daring to say in public what many know to be true and opposition parties and CSO activists have been saying about the Kibaki leadership?

For someone who takes special delight in being irreverent to those in officialdom my instinct is with Clay. Yet I am still troubled by the politics of the bluntness. The man has a right to say whatever he wants to say without being hounded for it, whether he is a diplomat or not. The world can do with more outspoken ambassadors and other diplomats. We are surely tired of people just wearing suits whatever the climate and saying sweet nothings in the name of diplomacy.

But my problem with Clay and all the aspiring Clayites of Western diplomacy in Africa is the selective nature of their bravery and courage. They seem able to say and do things in Africa and other poorer countries that they wouldn’t dare to say in the West or North America. In fact, many of them behave in Africa like latter day colonial governors and bureaucrats. They have views on everything and our spineless media collude in their delusions of grandeur by giving all their whims and caprices saturation coverage. How many times has one seen lead stories on African televisions and other media of Western Ambassadors 'donating' ordinary footballs to one hapless school or the other? That is news! Many of them deliberately cultivate the image of being 'the opposition' to the government hosting them.

But more importantly I will accept the opinionated interference of Western diplomats in Africa if and when African diplomats in Europe or America are also able to do the same about the countries they are sent to. How would the British take it if an African Diplomat to the court of St James were to express his or her view publicly on the various failings of the hypocritical Blair regime? Can you imagine an African diplomat in Washington just repeating some of the more moderate stupidities that daily emanate from Bush's white house?

The fault is not that of Western leaders or their diplomats but our own colonial mentality that makes us accept from Westerners what we cannot take from our own compatriots and fellow Africans. We need a mental revolution, 'by any means necessary', as Malcom X would have said.

* Dr Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem is General-Secretary of the Pan African Movement, Kampala (Uganda) and Co-Director of Justice Africa (Tajudeen28@yahoo.com or Tajudeen@padeap.net)

* Please send comments to editor@pambazuka.org

African mobile phone users rally for women's rights

“Text Now 4 Women’s Rights”

2004-07-29

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/advocacy/23557

Contrary to the opinion that Africa has yet to take advantage of the information technology explosion, a growing constituency of mobile phone users in Africa is being mobilised to send text messages in support of a petition for women's rights in Africa. Mobile phone users across the world can now send SMS's (Short Message Service/ text messages) from their mobile phones to sign an online petition in support of a campaign urging African governments to ratify the African Union's Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa. “To our knowledge, this is the first time that SMS technologies will have been used on a mass scale on the African continent in support of human rights,” said Firoze Manji, Director of Fahamu, a human rights organisation that developed the technique. “The facility enables those with poor or non-existent internet access to sign the online petition and takes advantage of the fact that there are about eight times more mobile phone users compared to email users in Africa.”
>>>>> Use your mobile phone to sign the petition in support of the ratification of the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa. Send a message to: +27832933934, with the word ‘petition’ and your name in the message. You will only be charged the cost set by your network provider for sending an international SMS.
AFRICA MOBILE PHONE USERS RALLY FOR WOMEN’S RIGHTS
“Text Now 4 Women’s Rights”

Press Release
Fahamu
www.fahamu.org

29 July 2004

Contrary to the opinion that Africa has yet to take advantage of the information technology explosion, a growing constituency of mobile phone users in Africa is being mobilised to send text messages in support of a petition for women’s rights in Africa. Mobile phone users across the world can now send SMS’s (Short Message Service/ text messages) from their mobile phones to sign an online petition in support of a campaign urging African governments to ratify the African Union’s Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa.

“To our knowledge, this is the first time that SMS technologies will have been used on a mass scale on the African continent in support of human rights,” said Firoze Manji, Director of Fahamu, a human rights organisation that developed the technique. “The facility enables those with poor or non-existent internet access to sign the online petition and takes advantage of the fact that there are about eight times more mobile phone users compared to email users in Africa.”
Initial testing of the SMS function indicates that it will be possible for mobile phone users to send SMS’s from many countries and mobile phone networks in Africa. “We cannot be certain that people in every country will be able to use this facility, but we think most should be able to," said Manji.
The Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa was adopted by the African Union on 11 July 2003 but has not yet entered into force because only three countries (Comoros, Libya and Rwanda) out of a required 15 have ratified it to date. The Protocol covers a broad range of human rights issues and is a comprehensive legal framework that African women can use to exercise their rights. A coalition of human rights groups, spearheaded by women’s rights organizations Equality Now and FEMNET, together with Oxfam, CREDO for Freedom of Expression and Associated Rights and Fahamu, has developed a campaign to promote the ratification and popularization of the Protocol, which includes a petition addressed to African leaders. “Once it enters into force the Protocol will be a powerful new tool to achieve equal rights for women in Africa. It could well serve as a model for the rest of the world,” said Faiza Jama Mohamed, Africa Regional Director of Equality Now.
But African countries have been slow to follow through. Echoing concerns about the lack of political will on the part of African countries to push forward with ratification, Mary Wandia of FEMNET noted, “Until it comes into force, the rights granted to women in the Protocol will simply remain hypothetical and the strenuous lobbying efforts undertaken by civil society groups to ensure that the Protocol reflects a comprehensive list of rights for women will all be wasted.”
“African leaders need to wake up to the fact that women constitute half of Africa’s population of roughly 800 million. To indefinitely delay the institutionalization of women’s rights is tantamount to indefinitely delaying the development of the African continent,” emphasized Rotimi Sankore, Coordinator of CREDO for Freedom of Expression and Associated Rights.


In the light of the UK Treasury announcement that UK aid is set to increase by UK£1 billion from next year, this technology could further assist to ensure that African people can influence the way that these funds will be spent in Africa. “The use of such mass based technology is going to be critical in getting people’s voices heard in the 2005 G8 meetings to be chaired by Britain’s Tony Blair,” said Irungu Houghton, Oxfam’s Pan Africa Policy Advisor.

Africa currently has 52 million mobile phone users and figures indicate that the continent has caught on to the global SMS fad, with 450 million SMS messages sent in December 2002, compared to 350 million for December 2001, nearly a 30% increase in one year. As one of the fastest growing mobile phone markets, Africa is set to reach 67 million mobile phone users by the end of 2004.

Commenting on why IDRC had supported this initiative, Sandy Campbell said, "Fahamu's strategy with SMS marries advocacy with the technology people actually have, not the technology we hope they have."

Notes for editors:
1. Those wishing to SMS their support for the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa can do so by sending an SMS to +27-832-933934, with the word ‘petition’ and their name in their message. Senders will be charged the cost set by their network for sending an international SMS. People wishing to subscribe to free SMS alerts can sign up at www.pambazuka.org The campaign will run until December.
2. The online petition can be signed at: http://www.pambazuka.org/petition
3. Fahamu developed the technology enabling people to sign the online petition using mobile phones with the support of the Canadian development agency, IDRC, and Oxfam GB.

CONTACT DETAILS:
Firoze Manji Tel: +44-(0)-7980-985-997 firoze@fahamu.org
Patrick Burnett Tel: +27 –21-788-3607 Patrick@fahamu.org.za
Faiza Jama Mohamed Tel. +254-722-805539 fmohamed@equalitynow.org
Mary Wandia Tel. +254-733-860036 wandia@femnet.or.ke
Rotimi Sankore Tel: + 44 207 7875501 media@credonet.org

FAHAMU: Unit 14, Standingford House, Cave Street, Oxford OX4 1BA
Fahamu SA Trust: PO Box 70740, Overport, Durban, KwaZulu Natal 4067, South Africa

[ENDS]

LES UTILISATEURS DES TELEPHONES CELLULAIRES SE RALLIENT POUR LES DROITS DE LA FEMME
“Envoyez un SMS pour les droits des femmes”

Communiqué de Presse
Fahamu
www.fahamu.org

29 Juillet 2004

Contrairement à l’opinion que l’Afrique n’a pas encore profité de l’explosion de la technologie de l’informatique, un groupe croissant d’utilisateurs de la téléphonie cellulaire se mobilise pour envoyer des messages en soutien d’une pétition pour les droits de la femme en Afrique. Les utilisateurs de cellulaires à travers le monde peuvent maintenant envoyer des SMS’s (Short Message Service – Service des Messages à Textes Courts) depuis leur cellulaire pour signer une pétition en ligne en soutien d’un campagne pour presser les gouvernements africains à ratifier le Protocole de l'Union africaine sur les Droits de la Femme en Afrique.

« A notre connaissance, c’est la première fois que les technologies SMS auront été utilisées à grande échelle sur le continent Africain en soutien de droits de la personne, » a dit Firoze Manji, Directeur de Fahamu, un organisme des droits de l’homme qui a développé la technique. «Le service permet à ceux dont l’accès à l’internet est faible ou non existant à signer la pétition en ligne et profite du fait qu’il y environ huit fois plus d’utilisateurs de cellulaires par rapport aux utilisateurs d’émail en Afrique. »
Les premiers essaies de la fonction SMS constate qu’il sera possible aux utilisateurs de cellulaires d’envoyer des SMSs depuis beaucoup de pays et de réseaux téléphoniques en Afrique. « Nous ne pouvons pas être certain que les personnes dans chaque pays pourrons utiliser ce service, mais nous pensons que la plupart devrait pouvoir le faire, » a dit Manji.
Le Protocole sur les Droits de la Femme fût adopté par l’Union africaine le 11 Juillet 2003 mais n’est pas encore entré en vigueur parce que seulement trois pays (les Comores, la Libye et le Ruanda), sur les 15 requis l’ont ratifié à ce jour. Le Protocole couvre un éventail très large de problèmes concernant les droits de la personne et représente un cadre légal que les femmes Africaines peuvent utiliser pour faire valoir leurs droits. Une coalition de groupes travaillant sur les droits de l’homme, avec en tête les organismes des droits de la femme Equality Now et FEMNET, ensemble avec Oxfam, Credo for Freedom of Expression and Associated Rights et Fahamu, a développé un campagne pour promouvoir la ratification et la popularisation du Protocole, qui comprend une pétition adressée aux chefs d’état Africains. « Une fois qu’il entre en vigueur le Protocole sera un outil puissant pour atteindre les droits égaux pour les femmes en Afrique. Il pourrait bien servir de model pour le reste du monde, » a dit Faiza Jama Mohamed, Directeur Régionale d’ Equality Now.
Mais les pays d’Afrique sont à la traîne de poursuivre le Protocol jusqu’au but. Faisant écho des soucis sur la manque de volonté politique de la part des pays Africains d’avancer vers la ratification, Mary Wandia de FEMNET a noté, « Tant qu’il n’est pas entré en vigueur le Protocole restera simplement du rhétorique et les efforts ardus de lobby entrepris par les groupes de la société civils pour assurer que le Protocole reflète une liste complète des droits de la femme auront été gaspillés. »
“Les dirigeants Africains se doivent de reconnaître que les femmes constituent la moitié de la population d’Afrique d’environ 800 million. Le fait de mettre en retard l’institutionnalisation des droits de la femme sera l’équivalent au retard du développement du continent d’Afrique, » a insisté Rotimi Sankore Coordinateur de CREDO for Freedom of Expression and Associated Rights.

En vue de l’annonce venant de la trésorerie de la GB que l’aide de la GB sera prête à être augmentée par 1 billion £GB à partir de l’année prochaine, cette technologie pourrait aider à assurer que le peuple Africain puissent exercer une influence sur la façon dont ces fonds seront utilisés en Afrique. « L’utilisation d’une telle technologie sera critique pour faire entendre les voix du peuple dans les prochaines réunions du G8 qui seront présidées par Tony Blair de la Grande Bretagne, » a dit Irungu Houghton, Conseillère de la Politique Pan Afrique d’Oxfam.

A présent, l’Afrique compte 52 million d’utilisateurs de cellulaires et les chiffres nous montrent que le continent s’est bien pris à la mode Globale des SMS avec 450 million de messages SMS envoyés en décembre, 2002, à comparer avec 350 million pour décembre 2001, une augmentation de presque 30% en un an. En tant qu’un des marchés de la téléphonie cellulaire le plus grandissant, l’Afrique atteindra 67 millions d’abonnés cellulaires à la fin de l’année 2004.

Dans un commentaire sur le pourquoi cette initiative avait été soutenue par IDRC, Sandy Campbell a dit, « La stratégie de SMS de Fahamu réunit la plaidoirie avec la technologie à leur disposition, pas la technologie que nous espérons existe. »

Notes pour les éditeurs:
1. Ceux qui souhaitent envoyer leur soutien pour le Protocole sur les Droits de la Femme peuvent le faire en envoyant un SMS à +27-832-933934, avec le mot « pétition » et leur nom dans le message. Les expéditeurs seront facturés le coût d’envoie d’un SMS international selon les tarifs de leur réseau. Ceux qui souhaite s’abonner à des alertes SMS gratuits peuvent s’inscrire à www.pambazuka.org La campagne est ouvert jusqu’en décembre.
2. La pétition en-ligne peut être signée à : http://www.pambazuka.org/petition
3. Fahamu a développé la technologie qui donne la possibilité aux personnes de signer une pétition en utilisant un cellulaire avec le support de l’agence de développement du Canada, de l’IDRC et Oxfam GB.

PERSONNES A CONTACTER:
Firoze Manji Tel: +44-(0)-7980-985-997 firoze@fahamu.org
Patrick Burnett Tel: +27 –21-788-3607 Patrick@fahamu.org.za
Faiza Jama Mohamed Tel. +254-722-805539 fmohamed@equalitynow.org
Mary Wandia Tel. +254-733-860036 wandia@femnet.or.ke


FAHAMU: Unit 14, Standingford House, Cave Street, Oxford OX4 1BA
Fahamu SA Trust: PO Box 70740, Overport, Durban, KwaZulu Natal 4067, South Africa
[FIN]

Global: Call for Participation in 'Right to Communicate Campaign'

2004-07-29

http://tinyurl.com/5kpm8

The Communication Rights in the Information Society has called for support to its campaign for democratising media, disseminating knowledge, ensuring civil rights in the information society and making ICTs affordable. For more information on the campaign click on the URL provided.

High Time

Hannah Forster, The Gambia

2004-07-29

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/letters/23518

The respect and observance of the rights of women is key to the development of Africa. The Protocol does make some progressive provisions and together the men and women of Africa will take the bold step forward. It is high time we own and implement the Protocol but not before States ratify. As partners in development we urge States to ratify as soon as possible to confirm their commitment to the cause for the development of Africa.

* Sign the petition for the ratification of the Protocol on the Rights of Women online at http://www.pambazuka.org/petition or through your mobile phone by sending a text message to +27832933934 with the word 'petition' and your name in the message.

Lighting one candle

Dr. Prithi, Lesotho

2004-07-29

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/letters/23517

I really would love to be part of your forum to interact and exchange ideas. I am passionately involved in youth/public health related issues. My wife & I are engaged in a project that selected youth from 10 villages to undergo comprehensive training in farming, life skills, leadership skills etc for 6 months. The trainees will be given certificates. They in turn will organize and lead clubs in their own villages. They will focus on small scale business, farming etc.

We trust that this cycle will impact the other villages to mobilize the youth by imparting proactive thinking skills. The project focuses on challenging the trainees to move away from the reactive thinking paradigm to a proactive, creative paradigm. We believe that "It is better to light one candle than cursing the darkness” - a Chinese proverb. We will make things happen by lighting that "one" candle of hope in spite of all the negative thinking which often cripples people more than the HIV/AIDS crisis these days.

No lip service

Hilda Mawanda, Kenya

2004-07-29

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/letters/23520

Governments should sign this protocol as a show of their solid commitment to promote women’s human rights and not plain lip service!

* Sign the petition for the ratification of the Protocol on the Rights of Women online at http://www.pambazuka.org/petition or through your mobile phone by sending a text message to +27832933934 with the word 'petition' and your name in the message.

United to protect women's rights

Dina Badri, Sudan

2004-07-29

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/letters/23519

We must work hard and be united to support and protect the rights of the African woman.

* Sign the petition for the ratification of the Protocol on the Rights of Women online at http://www.pambazuka.org/petition or through your mobile phone by sending a text message to +27832933934 with the word 'petition' and your name in the message.

Aifo looks for socially conscious artists from Africa for shows in Italy

2004-07-29

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/books/23452

AIFO is a grassroots organisation with 45 groups spread all over Italy and has decided to focus on issues linked to Africa in 2005. As part of the initiatives, it is planned to organise a tourneé of a small group of 4-5 persons from Africa involved in theater/music/dance shows to be organised with different AIFO groups during the second half of January 2005 in different Italian cities. Groups linked with NGOs involved in health care and human right issues in Africa, groups with disabled persons and groups with women will be given preference. AIFO will cover all expenses for air-travel and stay of the group in Italy for this period. An additional contribution for the activities of the NGO is also possible. It is an opportunity for groups involved in such activities to showcase their work and get wider publicity in Europe. Groups from French or Portuguese speaking Africa are equally welcome to apply. Interested organisations please send a brief write up about the group, possibly with one or two pictures to Dr Sunil Deepak at sunil.deepak@aifo.it before 5 September 2004. Information about AIFO at http://www.aifo.it/languages/english/homeenglish.htm

Angola: The Anatomy of an Oil State

2004-07-29

http://www.indiana.edu/~iupress/books/0-253-34446-8.shtml

"Tony Hodges's book is the first analytically to link together the various economic and political strands that must be examined in order to provide a plausible account of Angola's post-colonial tragedy." - Patrick Chabal, International Affairs.

Development Policy Management Forum (DPMF) Occasional Papers

Development Policy Management Forum (DPMF)

2004-07-29

http://www.africanbookscollective.com/acatalog/pol_index.html

There are twelve papers in this series available as a set. The papers, by distinguished African scholars, address current issues and debates on governance, civil society and globalisation. The contributors include Abdalla Bujra, Ali Mazrui and Subhash Narula.

Human Rights and Development

Peter Uvin

2004-07-29

http://www.kpbooks.com/details.asp?title=Human+Rights+and+Development

In Human Rights and Development, award-winning author Peter Uvin extends the examination of development aid and human rights violations that he presented in his book on the Rwandan genocide, Aiding Violence. Whereas that book is diagnostic, Human Rights and Development is prescriptive - a response to requests from development and human rights organizations to help them effect strategies for reducing conflict and improving human rights outcomes.

Never Been at Home

Zazah Khuzwayo

2004-07-29

http://www.newafricabooks.co.za/books_detail.asp?ID=275

Written with energy and honesty, this powerful, thought–provoking memoir describes a life dominated by an abusive father, and explores some of the African traditional customs that are still expected of women today. Set in the province of KwazuluNatal, South Africa, Zazah Khuzwayo tells of the frustrations of growing up with a loving, intelligent but uneducated mother. Zazah paints a picture of a difficult and painful life, but at the same time it is inspiring to watch how she develops a fighting spirit and learns to stand up to her father.

Review of African Political Economy

Volume 31 Number 100/June 2004

2004-07-29

http://journalsonline.tandf.co.uk.

This issue includes:
* Two cheers? South African democracy's first decade by Morris Szeftel
* A Political economy of land reform in South Africa by Ruth Hall
* Women's human rights & the feminisation of poverty in South Africa by Kristina Bentley
* The arms deal scandal by Terry Crawford-Browne.

Africa/Global: Remittances and economic development

2004-07-29

http://www.un-instraw.org/en/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=595&Itemid=108

In the last few years, the number of women who independently migrate as main economic providers has increased. Consequently, their contribution to their country’s and their family's economic development has increased with the sending of remittances. The majority of studies and programmes on remittances have ignored the gender dimension. Furthermore, data related to the sending, receiving and use of the remittances is seldom disaggregated by sex. Remittances are much more than sums of money sent from one person to another. They reflect an intricate combination of dynamics that interact at individual, social, economic and political levels. Click on the link to read more on the web page of the United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women.

Africa: Contribute to an alternative report on resolution 1325

2004-07-29

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/wgender/23489

October 2004 will mark the fourth anniversary of the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security. To mark the occasion, the United Nations Secretary-General will publish a report on the progress and challenges in the implementation of the resolution since 2000. The report will not formally seek the input of civil society for the formulation of his report. However, the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security is seeking assistance in creating a civil society alternative report, entitled 'Four Years On: Advancing Women, Peace and Security'. For more information click on the link below.
CONTRIBUTE TO A CIVIL SOCIETY ALTERNATIVE REPORT ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF RESOLUTION 1325

QUESTIONNAIRE ON WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY
UNSC RESOLUTION 1325: FOUR YEARS ON


27 July 2004

Dear Friends,

October 2004 will mark the fourth anniversary of the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security.

To mark the occasion, the United Nations Secretary-General will publish a report on the progress and challenges in the implementation of the resolution since 2000. As the Secretary-General’s report will focus on governmental and UN efforts to implement the resolution, he has asked for input from governments and UN entities.

The Secretary-General will not formally seek the input of civil society for the formulation of his report. The NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security believes, however, that civil society input is crucial to fully assess governmental and UN work towards the implementation of Resolution 1325. Furthermore, as civil society organizations, networks and groups were important actors in the creation and adoption of the resolution, they are also important in its implementation.

We seek your assistance in creating a civil society alternative report, entitled Four Years On: Advancing Women, Peace and Security, to the UN Secretary-General’s report. We expect that the alternative report will:

- Examine the implementation of Resolution 1325 since its adoption in 2000, and women, peace and security issues more broadly.

- Provide an opportunity for women and men, boys and girls working on women, peace, and security related issues to share their experiences with each other.

- Highlight gaps and challenges in the UN and government’s implementation of Resolution 1325.

- Serve as a tool for advocacy and moving forward on women, peace and security issues.

In this questionnaire we ask you to describe your work on women, peace and security issues. We also ask for your opinion on your government’s and the UN’s commitment to Resolution 1325 and to women, peace and security issues. The final report will include profiles, stories and case-studies compiled from the information given in this questionnaire, as well as from existing information from such sources as publications, statements and press releases.

The questionnaire is currently available in English, French and Spanish. As it is critical to disseminate the questionnaire as broadly as possible, we would greatly appreciate assistance with translations. If you are able to translate the questionnaire into any other languages, please let us know and we will post the translated versions on our website. Please distribute the questionnaire to partners, network members and colleagues working on these issues.

We ask that you return your questionnaire on or before 1 September 2004 or as soon as possible after this date. Please send it to the Working Group electronically: info@peacewomen.org, by fax: +1 212 286 8211, or by mail to the following address:

NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security
c/o Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom
777 UN Plaza, Sixth Floor
New York, New York 10017 USA

To complete the questionnaire on-line in English, go to: http://www.peacewomen.org/un/4thAnniversary/QuesEnglish.html



To complete the questionnaire on-line in French or Spanish, go to: http://www.peacewomen.org/un/4thAnniversary/4thAnniversaryindex.html


If you have any questions, or suggestions, please contact us by email at info@peacewomen.org or by telephone at +1 212 682 1265. The final report will be available in English on our website and in hard copy form upon request.

We look forward to your participation and assistance in bringing the voice of civil society organizations, networks and groups working on women, peace and security issues to the debate on the implementation of Resolution 1325.

In peace,



The NGO Working Group on Women, peace and Security, New York

Lesotho: HIV Rampant Among Lesotho's Women

2004-07-29

http://www.unwire.org/UNWire/20040721/449_26068.asp

Unemployment, low wages and sexual discrimination in the tiny kingdom of Lesotho have fueled an HIV infection rate of 50 percent among young women, the New York Times reports. Half of women aged 15 to 24 are infected with the virus, compared to 25 percent of men in the same age group. Overall, Lesotho's HIV prevalence among adults is 28 percent, higher than that of South Africa, which entirely surrounds it.

Morocco/Nigeria: Leadership workshops create hope for change

2004-07-29

http://www.learningpartnership.org/events/enews/2004/04julissue8/04julissue8.phtml#workshops

Approximately 65 women participated in two leadership training workshops conducted by Women's Learning Partnership for Rights, Development, and Peace (WLP) Moroccan partner, L’Association Démocratique des Femmes du Maroc (ADFM) in Taza and Ouarzazat. In the remote northeastern town of Taza, twenty-five women and five men participated in the training workshop, the majority of whom were representatives of organizations involved with economic development, social services, education, poverty eradication, women’s rights advocacy, and improving women’s health.

South Africa: Campaign for same sex marriage

2004-07-29

http://www.ilga.org/news_results.asp?LanguageID=1&FileID=248&ZoneID=2&FileCategory=1

The Lesbian and Gay Equality Project (“the Equality Project”) announced earlier this month that it and eighteen other applicants have filed an application in the Johannesburg High Court challenging the laws that prevent two people of the same sex from entering into a legally recognised marriage. In effect, these laws prohibit lesbian and gay people from exercising the fundamental human right of the freedom to determine a spouse of choice.

Southern Africa: Women still marginalised

2004-07-29

http://www.peacewomen.org/news/International/July04/still.html

Women are still marginalised by men in national decision-making bodies, participants to the 6th Annual General Conference of the SADC Electoral Commission Forum heard. Presenting a paper entitled "Elections, Democracy and National Development: A Gender Perspective", Dr Amy Tsanga, a senior law lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe's East and Southern Africa Women's Studies Centre, said the participation by men and women in national decision-making bodies was skewed in favour of men.

Uganda: Gender Inequality Affects Economy

2004-07-29

http://allafrica.com/stories/200407270050.html

Members of the African Development Bank (ADB) group have agreed to pursue gender equality as a development issue because continuing inequality between men and women is proving a high cost to the development of the African continent. The bank said poverty on the continent is increasingly taking on a female characteristic, a phenomenon that has been termed as the feminisation of poverty.

Africa: Human rights and water

2004-07-29

http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC14116

Any long-term and sustainable approach to advancing a right to water cannot be divorced from the wider origin of freshwater, and from the important role that healthy ecosystems play in ensuring adequate quality and quantity of freshwater for basic human needs. The term 'right to water' therefore does not only refer to the rights of people but also to the needs of the environment with regard to river basins, lakes, aquifers, oceans and ecosystems surrounding watercourses. This is one of the conclusions of an IUCN Environmental Law Programme (ELP) and World Conservation Union paper which looked at the contribution that a human right to water could make to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

DRC: International Criminal Court launches first investigation

2004-07-29

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=42403

Investigators from the International Criminal Court have arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo to begin their first probe into allegations of serious violations of international law in the country over the last two years, UN spokeswoman Marie Okabe said on Tuesday. The investigators are expected to hold closed door meetings with representatives of the Congolese government, civil society, as well as international organisations, she told reporters in New York.

Liberia: Promoting Human Rights Professionalism in the Liberian Police Force

2004-07-29

http://www.newtactics.org/main.php/PromotingHumanRightsProfessionalismintheLiberianPoliceForce

As dictated by canons of police ethics, which instruct officers to respect the constitutional rights of all people to liberty, equality, and justice, law enforcement officers are supposed to be the leading human rights protectors and promoters everywhere in the world. Unfortunately, due to lack of training and discipline, poor leadership, and political manipulation, law enforcement personnel often engage in unprofessional conduct that leads to abuses of human rights.

Rwanda: Kanyarukiga Pleads Not Guilty to Genocide Before UN Tribunal

2004-07-29

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=11441&Cr=rwanda&Cr1=

In his first appearance before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, Gaspard Kanyarukiga has entered a plea of not guilty. Amongst other allegations, the 59 year old, arrested last Friday in South Africa, is said to have supervised the massacre of some 2,000 Tutsi civilians taking shelter in Nyange church in 1994 by transporting police and members of the Interahamwe militia to the scene. In total he faces four charges: genocide, complicity in genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide and extermination as a crime against humanity. A date for Kanyarukiga's trial is yet to be fixed.

Sierra Leone: Sierra Leoneans Testify About War Crimes At U.N.-Backed Court

2004-07-29

http://www.unwire.org/News/328_426_26104.asp

Chilling testimony has been heard over the past two weeks from victims of Sierra Leone's brutal decade-long civil war that ended in 2002, and for the first time on Tuesday, the U.N.-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone heard from the rebels who killed and mutilated thousands of their countrymen. One former rebel said he was age 12 and fetching water when rebels abducted him in 1998, then trained him to shoot an AK-47 and smoke marijuana and forced him to rape a 15-year-old girl. He was reluctant, but his commander threatened to kill him unless he raped her, so he did. "My heart was so mixed up, doing this evil act that he introduced me to," the boy, now 17, told the court.

Somalia: Proposed government must respect human rights, says Amnesty

2004-07-29

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=42404

Somalia's proposed transitional government must be committed to respecting human rights, ending abuses and bringing to book perpetrators of past crimes in a country wracked by factional warfare for more than a decade, Amnesty International (AI) said on Wednesday. The human rights watchdog's appeal came as the Somali National Reconciliation Conference drew close to creating a transitional federal government that is expected to end 13 years of anarchy and violence that have plagued Somalia since the collapse of the regime of former president Mohamed Siyad Barre in 1991.

Zimbabwe: 'Human Rights Groups Must Not Be Banned', Amnesty

2004-07-29

http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAFR460212004

Amnesty International has expressed grave concerns at reports that the Zimbabwe government plans to ban international human rights groups as well as the foreign funding of local organisations promoting rights in the country. "These reports indicate that as with other legislation introduced in the past two years, the government will use this new bill to silence critical voices and further restrict the right to freedom of expression. It is a clear attempt by the government to suppress dissenting views as parliamentary elections scheduled for March 2005 draw closer," Amnesty International said.

Africa/Italy: Handling of Cap Anamur asylum claims was flawed, says UNHCR

2004-07-29

http://tinyurl.com/5cv2u

The UN refugee agency has criticised the handling of the Cap Anamur boat incident that has led to the expulsion of a group of asylum seekers from Italy and underlined the need for better burden-sharing in the European Union. The controversy surrounds a group of 37 people who were rescued from the southern Mediterranean by the German non-governmental organisation vessel, Cap Anamur, in late June.

Africa: Human trafficking

2004-07-29

http://www.uct.ac.za/generic.php?m=/news/emp/index.php

Forty-five of Africa's 54 countries are involved in human trafficking and South Africa is a major receiving and transit destination, says Merab Kambamu Kiremire, a recent associate at the African Gender Institute. The trend has been researched in a report she is compiling on gender-based violence, prostitution and trafficking in Zambia, one she hopes will reveal the plight of the continent's most vulnerable people: young women and children. Alarmingly, children are being trafficked not only for prostitution and labour, but also for their organs and skin, the latter used in witchcraft and for making magic charms.

Burundi: UN food agency assists war-affected civilians, despite insecurity

2004-07-29

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=42345

Despite continuing insecurity in Burundi's western province of Bujumbura Rural, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) continues to deliver food aid to thousands of people affected by the country's long-running civil war, the agency reported on Friday. WFP said it had resumed food distributions on Monday in the most troubled commune of Kabezi in Bujumbura Rural, south of the capital, Bujumbura.

Chad: Two Sudanese refugees killed in refugee camp

2004-07-29

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=42361&SelectRegion=West_Africa&SelectCountry=CHAD

Two Sudanese refugees were killed in Farchana Camp, eastern Chad, after Chadian government forces entered the camp to search for weapons following a riot on the 13 July, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) announced in a statement. The statement confirmed that the body of a man and a woman had been taken from the camp, though it was not clear whether the two were killed during the intervention by the Chadian forces.

DRC: 20,000 fleeing fighting in east in ‘critical humanitarian state’ - UN

2004-07-29

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=11458&Cr=DRC&Cr1=

Nearly 20,000 people are in a "critical humanitarian state" in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) after fleeing renewed fighting between central government forces and dissident troops around Lake Kivu, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Some 15,000 people have taken refuge along the banks of Lake Kivu, after fleeing the fighting between the DRC's armed forces (FARDC) and dissident leader Gen. Laurent Nkunda. Nearly 5,000 others fled to the High Plateaux region south-west of Minova following abuses by soldiers and armed groups in the Kalehe area.

Guinea: Returnees caught between conflicts

2004-07-29

http://www.idpproject.org/weekly_news/weekly_news.htm#2

Guineans who have returned home from neighbouring Côte d’Ivoire because of instability there are facing further hardship in the border regions of Guinea Forestière and Haute Guinea. They are one of several "forgotten vulnerable groups" in this area, along with other displaced people and host communities, according to the UN’s mid-year review of the 2004 consolidated appeals process (CAP) for Guinea. The returnees face similar problems to refugees in Guinea, but enjoy much less support, says UN OCHA. Humanitarian assistance has been sporadic and very limited.

Liberia/Guinea: Refugees criss-cross a fluid and volatile border

2004-07-29

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=42331

Tens of thousands of Liberians who have registered as refugees in neighbouring Guinea are crossing the border to trade their food rations and prepare their eventual return before returning to their camps for the next handout, aid workers said. Aid workers admit that this unofficial flow of food across the border is probably helping to keep thousands of needy people fed in outlying districts of war-ravaged Liberia, where rebel gunmen still control the border. Recent attempts to clamp down on wandering Liberian refugees by counting the population that is actually resident in four official refugee camps in Guinea's southeastern Forest Region have sparked violence.

Rwanda/South Africa: Cooperation on immigration, refugee and nationality issues

2004-07-29

http://allafrica.com/stories/200407261534.html

Senior officials from South Africa and Rwanda were due for diplomatic talks in Pretoria this week, centering around co-operation on immigration, refugee and nationality issues. The talks, to be led by South African Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma and her Rwandan counterpart Charles Murigande, are expected to also touch on human trafficking, establishment and the use of movement control systems and management of data.

Zambia: Is all hope lost for 'Internal Refugees'?

2004-07-29

http://www.times.co.zm/news/viewnews.cgi?category=8&id=1090639175

Headlines like 'Three hundred Zambians displaced, over 10 families left homeless and 40 families seeking shelter' are a regular feature in the Zambian media. Countless people have over the years been left out in the cold without a place to call their home -- sometimes due to natural disasters while at other times by authorities that exercise their rights, especially in cases where there have been malpractices in the allocation of land. Such type of people end up relocating to other places in search of a "resting place". And they are commonly referred to as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

Angola: Talks on election date to resume

2004-07-29

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=42369

Opposition parties in Angola were preparing to resume talks with the government on holding the country's first post-war general election. The main opposition, UNITA, on Monday said the party was awaiting a response to a letter written to the ruling MPLA last Thursday, calling on the authorities to "speed up" preparation for the poll.

Botswana: Presidential Intervention Helped Prevent Strike

2004-07-29

http://www.sabcnews.com/africa/southern_africa/0,2172,84423,00.html

A last minute intervention by Festus Mogae, the Botswana President, has averted a strike by the country's diamond mineworkers. On Friday last week, 6,000 mineworkers threatened to down tools after union leadership and management of Botswana's two biggest diamond mines failed to reach an agreement on a pay increase. If the action had gone ahead, it was projected that it would cost the country about R40 million a day.

Cote D'Ivoire: Can Accra 3 End The 'No War No Peace' Paralysis?

2004-07-29

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=42397

In the presence of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and other African leaders, Cote d'Ivoire's president, opposition and rebels will sit down today in the Ghanaian capital Accra to try to break a political deadlock and end what Ivorians call "no war, no peace". But ahead of the talks, billed by President Laurent Gbagbo as "the last meeting", the rival factions are maintaining their respective positions. Gbagbo's ruling party says the starting point is for rebels to disarm and the rebels are calling for parliament to first pass political reforms.

Niger: Presidential parties come out on top

2004-07-29

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=86&art_id=qw1091033281536B252

The three parties that back Niger's president on Wednesday won local elections, taking 62 percent of the 3 747 municipal seats in the West African state, the electoral commission said. Voters in Niger went to the polls on Saturday in a poll seen as an important step in paving the way to democracy in one of the world's poorest countries.

Southern Africa: SADC to adopt guidelines for fair elections

2004-07-29

http://www.sarpn.org.za/newsflash.php#1722

Southern African foreign and defence ministers have approved draft principles to try to ensure free and fair elections in the region at a two-day meeting in Sun City which ended on Friday. The Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections will be forwarded to Southern African Development Community (SADC) leaders for adoption at their summit next month.

Zambia: Mwanawasa exempts civic coalition from registration

2004-07-29

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=42395

In an effort to ease tensions between the government and civil society, Zambia's President Levy Mwanawasa this week exempted an influential coalition of civic and religious groups from having to register. Last month the Forum, an umbrella group comprising the Law Association of Zambia, the Roman Catholic Church and several women's organisation, among others, refused to register with the registrar of societies, arguing that by law "loose alliances" were not required to register and, since its member organisations were all registered, there was no need for it to enlist as a separate entity.

Zimbabwe: Calls for a New Voters' Roll

2004-07-29

http://www.zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=9752

Civil society groups and the opposition in Zimbabwe are calling for a fresh voter registration process to create a new and reliable voters' roll. The move follows last week's announcement by the Chairman of the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN), Reginald Matchaba-Hove, that it 'was impossible, even under new electoral laws, to hold a truly free and fair election next year because of the serious defects in the present voters' register'.

Zimbabwe: Conditions Necessary for a Free and Fair Election

2004-07-29

http://www.ukzn.ac.za/ccs/default.asp?2,40,5,446

The objective reality in Zimbabwe does not meet the minimum conditions for any election to be considered free and fair. For elections to be said to be free and fair, the pre-election, election, and post election periods must be characterized by the opening up of democratic space, respect of human rights, and the protection of fundamental civil and political rights of all citizens. There can be no free and fair elections where people are forced to vote, denied voting or are systematically denied the vital information to enable them to make an informed political decision, concludes this article on the website of the Centre for Civil Society, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Equatorial Guinea: Legal Action Against President

2004-07-29

http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=24729

The Spanish NGO, Equatorial Guinea Solidarity Forum (FSGE) announced this week that it is to lodge a lawsuit in the Spanish courts calling for the investigation of bank accounts in the name of Equatorial Guinea's President. The move follows the US Senate's report last week which found around $700m in the Washington-based Riggs bank in accounts under the names of Obiang, his family and associates.

Kenya: 'No Scared Cows in Graft Fight' - Kibaki

2004-07-29

http://www.tikenya.org/viewnews.asp?ID=385

President Kibaki announced on Monday that his government would not protect anybody found guilty of corruption. But he emphasised that the fight against the vice must not be out of hearsay. "The institutions of government responsible for fighting corruption are investigating the alleged corruption, and anyone who has evidence is encouraged to forward the evidence to enable us to facilitate and conclude the investigations," he said. The President said he was aware of his obligations, and would not waver on his crusade against graft.

Kenya: New Graft Committee Hit By Lack of Finances

2004-07-29

http://www.eastandard.net/headlines/new27070412.htm

Operations of the National Anti-Corruption Steering Committee launched by President Mwai Kibaki last week have not taken off due to a lack of budgetary allocation. Twice in the last week, scheduled meetings for the committee members have been postponed at the last minute, both times via SMS. The committee has now delayed the next meeting till August 11th.

Lesotho: World Bank Finally Debars Company Convicted of Bribery

2004-07-29

http://www.irn.org/programs/lesotho/index.asp?id=071904.acresdebarred.html

The World Bank has finally debarred Acres International, nearly two years after it was found guilty by a Lesotho court of corruption on Africa's largest dam project. Reacting to the move, Korinna Horta of the US-based group Environmental Defence said, "This long overdue action on Acres is very much welcome, and hopefully signals a more forceful World Bank approach to corruption on its projects. But the fact that a court case in Lesotho was decisive in the limited debarment of Acres appears to be a case of the tail wagging the dog. It remains to be seen if this will lead to more systemic changes in how the Bank approaches corruption."

Malawi: Former Ministers to Face Multi-Million Corruption Charges

2004-07-29

http://www.businessreport.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=2161334

Several ministers under Malawi's former president, Bakili Muluzi are to face charges connected with the embezzlement of some $92 million from the state, the Chief Prosecutor, Ishmael Wadi, said on Friday. Making his announcement, he remarked, “I am sad to report to the entire nation and the donor community that 10 billion kwacha were lost through fraud and corruption involving some former cabinet ministers”. The World Bank has said that high-level graft had worsened in the past five years and had “significantly slowed down economic growth.”

Mauritania: Cabinet Reshuffle Following President's Anti-corruption Pledge

2004-07-29

http://admin.corisweb.org/index.php?fuseaction=news.view&id=114525&src=dcn

Mauritania's government named nine new ministers on Sunday in the first Cabinet reshuffle since President Sid'Ahmed Ould Taya was re-elected last year. No reason was given for the reshuffle, but it comes a week after the President publicly vowed to fight corruption. Five of the outgoing ministers were accused in February of skimming 325 million ouguiyas ($1.25m) from an aid project distributing food donated by the UN World Food Program, the US and other international donors.

South Africa: Top Prosecutor to Quit After Row

2004-07-29

http://admin.corisweb.org/index.php?fuseaction=news.view&id=114533&src=dcn

South Africa's top prosecutor, Bulelani Ngcuka, has asked to resign after his corruption allegations against powerful Deputy President Jacob Zuma sparked a damaging political row within the ruling African National Congress. Ngcuka heads South Africa's Scorpions Unit, which last year investigated Zuma on suspicion of soliciting bribes from a French firm in exchange for contracts in a multi-billion dollar government arms deal. Zuma has denied any wrong-doing and will not be standing trial. In October, Zuma's financial advisor, Schabir Shaik, is to face trial on similar charges.

South Africa: Yengeni's Appeal Postponed Indefinitely

2004-07-29

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=qw1090832041671B263

An appeal by former African National Congress chief whip, Tony Yengeni, against what he considers to be a 'harsh and severe' four-year jail sentence for fraud was postponed indefinitely on Monday. Yengeni was sentenced in March 2003 after pleading guilty to defrauding parliament by failing to disclose a near 50% discount he received on a luxury 4X4 Mercedes-Benz. He was acquitted of related corruption charges under a plea agreement with the state.

Africa/Global: Alternative approaches needed to international development

2004-07-29

http://www.choike.org/nuevo_eng/informes/2035.html

It is clear that current trade rules and trade policies -whether established or imposed by intergovernmental organizations or powerful Governments - are an obstacle to fair and sustainable development and must be made subservient to those rights - individual and collective -which the peoples of the world have established in the United Nations during the last century. In other words, alternative approaches and paradigms to the management of trade - national, regional and international - are essential, argues this article on the Choike website.

Africa/Global: The danger of Bilateral Trade Treaties

2004-07-29

http://www.globalpolicy.org/globaliz/econ/2003/0714rta.htm

Pascal Lamy, the European commissioner for trade, recently wrote that "half the world's economists" were opposed to the epidemic of bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs). The fact of the matter is that nearly all scholars of international economics today are fiercely sceptical, even hostile to such agreements. By contrast, politicians everywhere have succumbed to a mania that originated in Europe. Unfortunately, the economists are right. The politicians' lemming-like rush into bilateral agreements poses a deadly threat to the multilateral trading system, argues this article.

Africa/Global: The MDG's and defining poverty

2004-07-29

http://www.id21.org/society/s5bcl1g1.html

Although poverty reduction is the central objective of the Millennium Development Goals, there is little agreement over the definition of poverty. Different methods of defining poverty identify different people as 'poor' and have different implications for policy. New research argues that poverty reduction strategies need to be clearer and more transparent in defining poverty, and more multidimensional in measurement and targeting.

Africa/Global: U.N. to Put Global Taxes Centre Stage

2004-07-29

http://www.ipsnews.net/interna.asp?idnews=24555

Despite strong reservations by the United States, Japan and Germany over proposed new global taxes, the United Nations is set to take centre-stage in the longstanding controversy over new sources of innovative funding for the world's poorer nations. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has warned that unless current development assistance is doubled to 100 billion dollars annually, the world's 132 developing nations will fail to meet their Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Africa/Global: World Bank challenged: Are the poor really helped?

2004-07-29

http://www.ibrd.org/

Wealthy nations and international organizations, including the World Bank, spend more than $55 billion annually to better the lot of the world's 2.7 billion poor people. Yet they have scant evidence that the myriad projects they finance have made any real difference, many economists say, reports The New York Times. That important fact has left some critics of the World Bank, the largest financier of antipoverty programs in developing countries, dissatisfied, and they have begun throwing down an essential challenge.

Africa: Rich country self-interest threatens to stall world trade talks

2004-07-29

http://www.oxfam.org/eng/pr040722_wto_trade_talks.htm

The consistent failure of rich countries to fulfil their promises is threatening to undermine world trade talks and perpetuate inequality and poverty, warned international agency Oxfam in a report released this week. With less than a week to go before the World Trade Organisation (WTO) meets in Geneva to negotiate reform proposals, Oxfam is accusing rich countries of neglecting developing country needs and imperilling the entire Doha Development Round. According to Oxfam’s report, 'One Minute to Midnight', the draft negotiating text released earlier this week by the WTO shows evidence of considerable rich-country influence and does not adequately address key areas of interest for developing countries, like export dumping and market access. Because of this imbalance, the talks next week may fail, which would have dire consequences for the future of multilateralism and global poverty reduction.

Africa/Global: Is Big Pharma Part of the Problem or Part of the Solution?

2004-07-29

http://www.tni.org/archives/bello/pharma.htm

The scale of HIV infection is such that all actors - government, business, civil society, the medical community - need to be drawn into one massive coordinated effort of life-preserving. In this context, are the big pharmaceutical companies part of the solution or part of the problem, asks Walden Bello from Focus on the Global South in a speech delivered at the debate on patents, drug development, and HIV/AIDS at the XV International AIDS Conference in Bangkok. Big Pharma are less concerned about saving lives and much more concerned about protecting its patents, he says and suggests a new research and development framework, based on a people-oriented approach to patents, maybe coordinated by the UN, in which there is room for participation by many other actors, including governments, government institutes, and civil society organisations.

Africa/Global: UN expert panel on water and sanitation opens

2004-07-29

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=11436&Cr=water&Cr1=

With 10,000 deaths worldwide every day caused by the absence of clean water or decent sanitation, Secretary-General Kofi Annan has told an inaugural meeting of a United Nations panel of experts on the issue that they must mobilize funds and raise public awareness to improve the basic living conditions of millions of people. Currently, one person in six drinks unclean water and one person in three does not have access to proper sanitation.

Botswana: AIDS Drug Program Lacks Capacity

2004-07-29

http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=24973

Botswana's antiretroviral drug program lacks the capacity to meet the country's "ever worsening, perpetual, insatiable demand," Ernest Darkoh, operations manager for the country's drug program, said at a U.N. fact-finding conference on Monday, Reuters reports. "We do not have the staff to deal with it ... [t]he critically ill and dying clog the system," Darkoh said.

Burundi: Ailing health care system gets boost for UN agencies

2004-07-29

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=42386

In a bid to encourage refugees and other war victims to repatriate voluntarily and reintegrate into Burundian life, UN agencies are turning their attention to improving the low level of social services, particularly with health care. Three UN agencies and the Burundi government jointly signed a memorandum last week to provide equipment and essential medicine as well as to rehabilitate health centres ruined by 10 years of political crisis and war.

Ethiopia: $7 million needed to avert malaria epidemic

2004-07-29

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=11477&Cr=ethiopia&Cr1=

With a potentially devastating malaria epidemic threatening to break out in Ethiopia, United Nations agencies are working with the country's Government to raise nearly $7 million to purchase new medicines needed to treat the disease. The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) are supporting the Addis Ababa authorities in attempting to rapidly mobilize the funds to supply a newer treatment known as Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy (ACT) because of increased resistance to drugs now in use.

Guinea-Bissau: Government launches first big push against AIDS

2004-07-29

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=42380

The government of Guinea-Bissau is launching its first big push against HIV/AIDS with the help of a US$19 million aid package from the World Bank and the Global Fund against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Health Minister Odete Costa Semedo said. The money pledged recently by these two donors will be used to help fund a three-year strategic plan to control AIDS, she told IRIN.

Nigeria: Nigeria to make cheap Aids drugs

2004-07-29

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3931655.stm

Nigeria is to get its first plant for manufacturing anti-retroviral drugs for people living with HIV and Aids. The plant is expected to bring cheaper medication for the millions of Nigerians afflicted by the disease. It is wholly owned by a group of Nigerians living in the US who answered an appeal by President Olusegun Obasanjo for investment from expats.

Nigeria: School Urged to Re-admit Student Living with Virus

2004-07-29

http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=24761

The debate around a journalism school in Lagos, which has withdrawn the admission letter of a new student, after learning that he is living with HIV, doesn’t seem to go away. Adegboye Ibikunle’s dismissal by the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ) has sparked protests by civil societies who have demanded that the college takes him back immediately.

South Africa: South African Health Review 2003/04 released

2004-07-29

http://www.hst.org.za/news/20040430

The health of the nation is characterised by a quadruple burden of disease, with the impact of HIV/AIDS adding to the combination of a high injury burden, conditions related to underdevelopment and chronic diseases. Per capita spending at district level on Primary Health Care (PHC) ranges from R389 in richer districts to R42 in the poorest districts, meaning that many districts are simply not able to afford the PHC package estimated at approximately R220 per capita. Although spending on health in the public sector in 2005/6 is projected to increase by R 8.7 billion in real terms over a decade, much of the funding has been absorbed by HIV/AIDS, medical inflation and relatively higher salaries which has resulted in real expenditure per capita stagnating. These are some of the findings contained in the 9th South African Health Review (SAHR).

South Africa: Tribunal to Reopen Glaxo Pricing Case

2004-07-29

http://allafrica.com/stories/200407270379.html

The Competition Tribunal is set to reopen an investigation into the pricing practices of pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline, after announcing that it had agreed to hear the AIDS Healthcare Foundation's (AHF's) complaint against the company over its AIDS drugs prices. Glaxo is the world's largest manufacturer of AIDS drugs, with patents on three of the most widely used antiretroviral medicines

Southern Africa: New programmes tackle AIDS

2004-07-29

http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=24785

Southern Africa is responding to its AIDS pandemic with new programmes that promoters say must be as adaptable as the HIV virus itself. "Just as HIV mutates, frustrating efforts to come up with a vaccine, so do our prevention, mitigation and treatment efforts have to be flexible and innovative. We are not yet crippled by this crisis," said Sylvia Kunene, a counsellor with a voluntary testing centre in Nelspruit, South Africa.

Uganda: Measles Has Dropped By 84%, Says WHO

2004-07-29

http://allafrica.com/stories/200407261277.html

The incidence of measles among children in Uganda has fallen by over 84%, a World Health Organisation (WHO) report has revealed. The drop is mainly attributed to the massive nationwide immunisation conducted last year, a press release from the WHO office in Kampala said on Wednesday. It says from January to March this year, a cumulative total of 1,606 suspected cases (of measles) were reported from all health centres and hospitals countrywide, showing a significant decline from 10,329 reported in the same time period of 2003."

Zimbabwe: Global Fund Rejects Zimbabwe's Grant Application

2004-07-29

http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=24996

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in its fourth round of grants has rejected Zimbabwe's application for $218 million in funding for its HIV/AIDS program, Zimbabwe's Standard reports. The denial of funding puts plans to scale up the country's antiretroviral drug program in "disarray," according to the Standard.

Zimbabwe: Water cuts raise spectre of disease outbreaks

2004-07-29

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=42409

Residents of Zimbabwe's capital, Harare, have been forced to use river water because of ongoing breaks in the purified water supply, raising concern over possible outbreaks of waterborne diseases. Like many other urban residents, it's a daily routine for 12-year-old Stella Chiyangwa to walk six kilometres to a river to fetch water for household use - she now lives a life not much different from that of her counterparts in remote rural areas.

Africa/Global: Assessing global aid flows to education

2004-07-29

http://www.id21.org/education/e1efa1g3.html

Total aid flows to education have declined at the beginning of the present decade. The current level of US$1.5 billion of support to basic education is still far short of the roughly US$7 billion per year required to meet the universal primary education (UPE) and gender goals. How should governments and the international community translate their commitments into real resources?

Africa: Schools must be 'gender responsive'

2004-07-29

http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC15278

Schools and other institutions should be made more responsive to women, including ensuring that schools transform rather than reproduce prejudice and discrimination. This is according to the summary report of an e-discussion among NGOs and civil society groups about the interim report on achieving the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of universal primary education, which was prepared in early 2004 by the Millennium Project Task Force on Education and Gender Equality.

Kenya: Lecturers demand elections

2004-07-29

http://allafrica.com/stories/200407261518.html

Lecturers at Moi University want the Government to order fresh elections for the Senate and faculty deans. The lecturers sought the intervention of the Ministry of Education, saying their calls to the university's administration to call the elections had failed. "The senate should have been dissolved by now and elections held for members as well as deans of all 160 faculties," they said. They claimed the elections have not been held for the past 20 years and those holding the posts of deans were appointees of the Vice-Chancellor.

Namibia: Dramatic Changes in Namibia’s Classrooms

2004-07-29

http://www.aed.org/Education/International/namibiaed.cfm

In the past 14 years Namibia’s education system has undergone a transformation so sweeping that it could be described as extraordinary. Since gaining independence from South Africa in 1990, this young nation in Southwestern Africa has gone from an apartheid educational model that served only the privileged few - and even those students were racially segregated - to a structure that welcomes all children into integrated classrooms.

Togo: Assigno's Story

2004-07-29

http://www.netaid.org/projects/project_story.pt?article_id=550&project_id=10225

12-year-old Assigno lives in the village of Vo Asso Kedji. She has never seen her parents. Some have told her that they are dead; according to others, they are living in Côte D'Ivoire, over 700 kilometres away. Because of her family's poverty, and the fact that she has to help take care of her three sisters, Assigno could not afford the formal government schools.

Africa/Sudan: Bosnia, Rwanda, Liberia and now Darfur, time for a U.N. force

2004-07-29

http://yellowtimes.org/article.php?sid=2017&mode=thread&order=0

The end of the 2nd world war brought on the end of the era of European colonialism, ushering in a fresh breeze of freedom to billions. There were high hopes that the people who had chafed under the yoke of racism would not let racism or other prejudices stand in the way of emancipation of toiling and suffering fellow humans. Throughout human history racial and color prejudice has proven to be a more potent evil than any other prejudice.

Zimbabwe/Africa: Zim and the victim condition

2004-07-29

http://www.zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=9750

"The danger with race as a definitive prism is that one becomes primarily and even wholly fixated on remnants of racism to the exclusion of all else. In the case of Zimbabwe, it is to the exclusion of the indignity visited upon fellow blacks which, were it being done by whites, we should certainly be up in arms over. We have internalised race and racism, something that Fanon predicted, just as he predicted that the consolidation of urban middle-class interest could see black leaders become as abusive of their citizens as the colonialists were."

Africa/Global: Whale hunt ban remains

2004-07-29

http://www.enn.com/news/2004-07-23/s_26131.asp

The International Whaling Commission's annual meeting closed last Thursday with a small but significant victory for countries that want to maintain a ban on commercial whaling well into the future. During the closing moments of the four-day meeting, the IWC put the brakes on what had seemed unstoppable momentum to set a deadline of June 2005 for agreeing new whaling rules which could spell the end to the 18-year-old ban.

Africa: Malaria experts abuzz on global warming fears

2004-07-29

http://www.enn.com/news/2004-07-28/s_26247.asp

U.N. reports say rising temperatures linked to human burning of fossil fuels are likely to widen malaria's range in the tropics because mosquitoes and the parasite they pass on when sucking human blood thrive best in hot, wet climates. But some insect experts swat those reports as simplistic.

Africa: Women and the environment

2004-07-29

http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC14851

It is important to consider the needs, roles and skills of women in efforts to protect the environment, both in order to recognise the potential negative impacts of gender-blind policies on the livelihoods of women, and also because of the many ways that drawing on women's abilities and knowledge can increase the effectiveness of programmes. This is according to a paper by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) that calls for action, implementation, and for empowerment and encouragement of women's leadership.

DRC: Lost forests; lost livelihoods

2004-07-29

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/environment/23469

Together with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the World Bank is supporting the development of comprehensive new forestry laws in the Congo, as well as the 'zoning' of the country's entire forest area which would imply the logging of some 60 million hectares of tropical forest. According to the Bank's own estimates, as many as 35 million of the Congo's 50 million people depend on the forests for their very survival. All those people could see their livelihood undermined at the best, or even destroyed.
SOURCE:

W R M B U L L E T I N 84
July 2004 - English edition
WORLD RAINFOREST MOVEMENT
MOVIMIENTO MUNDIAL POR LOS BOSQUES

International Secretariat
Maldonado 1858; Montevideo, Uruguay
E-Mail: wrm@wrm.org.uy
Web page: http://www.wrm.org.uy
Editor: Ricardo Carrere


Congo, Democratic Republic: Pygmies stand up to World Bank logging
development

Together with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO),
the World Bank is supporting the development of comprehensive new forestry
laws in the Congo, as well as the 'zoning' of the country's entire forest
area which would imply the logging of some 60 million hectares of tropical
forest. More than 100 environment, development and human rights groups had
challenged in February of this year those projects (see WRM Bulletin Nº
80).

This process has been debated for some time. In February and March 2003 we
had already published evidence disseminated by activist Karl Ammann, who
disclosed how an Aide Memoire of the World Bank was actually the World
Bank's advise on how to reactivate the forestry sector (see WRM Bulletins
Nº 67 and 68) in order for the DRC to become the first timber producer in
Africa. The World Bank has been thus laying the grounds for the
development of industrial logging in the country.

However, this wouldn't go without impacts. According to the Bank's own
estimates, as many as 35 million of the Congo's 50 million people depend
on the forests for their very survival. All those people could see their
livelihood undermined at the best, or even destroyed.

On last July 8, one of the potentially most affected groups --the 'Pygmy'
peoples-- put their case directly to World Bank President James Wolfensohn
requesting him to halt plans that could unleash a wave of destruction on
the rainforests where they live. This action took place during a video
conference organised by the Rainforest Foundation UK, which is also
challenging the Bank's plans for a massive increase in industrial logging
in the Congo.

This wouldn't be the first case for the World Bank disrupting the life of
'Pygmies': in Cameroon, the Bagyeli --one of the many different 'Pygmy'
peoples-- are threatened by a World Bank-sponsored oil pipeline which is
to be built through their land. The 'Pygmy' are forest dwellers, and know
the forest, its plants and its animals intimately. They live by hunting
animals such as antelopes, pigs and monkeys, fishing, and gathering honey,
wild yams, berries and other plants. They are seeing their rainforest
homes threatened by logging, and are being driven out by settlers. In some
places they have been evicted and their land has been designated as
national parks.

"You must not forget that the lives of indigenous peoples depend on the
forest," Adolphine Muley of the Congolese Union of Indigenous Women (UEFA)
told the World Bank President. "For a 'Pygmy' to talk of forest
exploitation is to talk of reinforcing misery and poverty. You must put
strategies in place so that the 'Pygmy' peoples are not damaged by the
system that you are developing."

Article based on information from: "Congo 'Pygmies' meet with World Bank
President", Press Release of the Rainforest Foundation, 8 July 2004,
www.rainforestfoundation.org.uk, sent by Simon Counsell, E-mail:
SimonC@rainforestuk.com ; "Tribes & People Groups. Pygmies", The Africa
Guide, http://www.africaguide.com/culture/tribes/pygmies.htm
************************************************************

Ghana: Government declares recycling war on plastic waste

2004-07-29

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=42308

This month the Ghanaian government launched a US$1.5 million war on the 270 tonnes of plastic waste generated each day by the capital's three million inhabitants. Officials estimate that plastic water sachets account for about 85 percent of that refuse.

Namibia: Households benefit from community based natural resource management

2004-07-29

http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC15157

Community-based natural resource management is an important strategy to conserve and sustainably use biodiversity and wildlife in Namibia, according to this World Bank paper. The authors examine the extent to which conservancies have been successful in meeting their primary goal of improving the lives of rural households. The results suggest that community conservancies have a positive impact on household welfare.

South Africa: Potato trials cause anger

2004-07-29

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=14&art_id=vn20040728024147366C551621

South Africa has expanded its experiments with genetically modified potatoes, which will soon be grown in field trials at six secret locations around the country. Anti-GM groups are angry that the field trials are being expanded, as they say the earlier trials were flawed.

Botswana: God-given lands

2004-07-29

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=84&art_id=qw1090935541625B325

A San Bushman who defied a state order to move out of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve told the Botswana High Court on Tuesday that the land had been given to him by God. The Botswana High Court is hearing a case brought by 243 San Bushmen challenging their relocation from the game reserve, one of the world's largest sanctuaries and an area which has been their home for thousands of years.

Kenya: The Battle of the Rift Valley

2004-07-29

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/africa/story.jsp?story=544690

A special report by the UK Newspaper, The Independent, this week highlighted the potential legal confrontation between the descendents of Kenya's colonial families and the nomadic Masai tribe over the incompatibility of ecotourism and the Masai's right to graze freely. The area relies on tourism for 70% of its income, but a prolonged drought in Laikipia has raised emotions even higher. Furthermore, the paper reports that the matter will come to a head on 15th August when the Masai will claim that a 100-year old land lease signed by their chief, Olonana Ole Mbatiany, and Sir Donald Stewart of the British East Africa protectorate, will expire. If the land does not revert to the Masai, they plan to take their case to the International Court of Justice.

Sierra Leone/Guinea: 5 Years on, Guinea Still Occupies Sierra Leone's Territory

2004-07-29

http://tinyurl.com/6l9ft

Angry Sierra Leoneans are demanding that their government ask Guinea to withdraw its troops from territory which they occupied five years ago. Speaking about the matter, the spokesperson for Sierra Leone's President said, "The Guineans have no stated aim to occupy any inch of Sierra Leonean territory. The matter of Yenga is being negotiated at the highest political level. And I can assure you that it will be resolved soon."

South Africa: Tough draft charter raises rural eyebrows

2004-07-29

http://www.sarpn.org.za/newsflash.php#1724

Government has unveiled a draft agricultural charter setting out tough empowerment targets including 35% black ownership of agriculture-based companies by 2014. The draft charter also said that 50% of agricultural land, including that held by the state, should be available to black farmers by 2014. The 50% requirement increases government's earlier target of 30% by adding another 20% of prime farmland that must be leased to black people.

Africa/Global: Report On Obstacles to Free Flow of Information on Web

2004-07-29

http://www.rsf.fr/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=432

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has published its 2004 report on obstacles to the free flow of information on the Web. The French organisation has noted that government attitudes towards the Internet have become more rigid both in countries where the media is muzzled but, in a new development, in countries with a strong democratic tradition. The report makes mention of a number of sub-Saharan countries where there are obstacles to digital freedom and in particular to Zimbabwe, one of the few African countries to have passed legislation specifically regulating online activities.

Africa: HIV and the media

2004-07-29

http://www.indexonline.org/news/20040709_international.shtml

It is widely acknowledged that the media has a crucial role to play in the battle against AIDS. But how exactly do we go about doing this? Panos Features editor Dipankar de Sarkar argues that journalists and editors must seize ownership of the 'AIDS story', and approach it with greater professionalism by highlighting the voices of those who are affected.

Africa: Tools and resources for health journalists

2004-07-29

http://www.datelinehealth-africa.net/betav1.0/resources/journalist_educator.asp

This is designed as a one-stop compendium of tools and resources for Health Reporters, Writers and Educators in and out of Africa desiring to source credible and reliable background information and data about health and development issues in Africa for purposes of research, report writing, teaching and/or training.

Ethiopia: Concerns over press law

2004-07-29

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/media/23473

In a letter to the Ethiopian government six free expression organisations (ARTICLE 19, Media Institute of Southern Africa, Media Foundation of West Africa, Media Rights Agenda, the Committee to Protect Journalists and the International Federation of Journalists) reiterated their concerns over the recent draft Proclamation to Provide for the Freedom of the Press (Draft Proclamation) in Ethiopia. “The Draft Proclamation in its present form contains some improvements on previous drafts, but there are still some serious problems with the law, including: restriction on who may practice journalism; government-controlled licensing and registration systems; and harsh sanctions for violations of the law, including up to five years imprisonment.”
Press Release on the Draft Proclamation to Provide for the Freedom of the Press in Ethiopia


22nd July 04





In a letter to the Ethiopian government six (6) free expression organisations (ARTICLE 19, Media Institute of Southern Africa, Media Foundation of West Africa, Media Rights Agenda, the Committee to Protect Journalists and the International Federation of Journalists) reiterate their concerns over the recent draft Proclamation to Provide for the Freedom of the Press (Draft Proclamation) in Ethiopia.



The Draft Proclamation in its present form contains some improvements on previous drafts, but there are still some serious problems with the law, including: restriction on who may practice journalism; government-controlled licensing and registration systems; and harsh sanctions for violations of the law, including up to five years imprisonment.

Other areas of concern include: excessively broad exceptions to the right to access information held by public authorities; the granting of a right to reply that undermines the principle of editorial independence; the establishment of a government-controlled Press Council with powers to prepare and enforce a Code of Ethics; and powers vested in the courts to engage in prior-censorship.

The letter:



- Welcomes the initiative of the Ethiopian government to consult some media stakeholders on the draft Proclamation and urges it to ensure that in practice the process is truly inclusive and democratic.



- Calls on the Ethiopian government to ensure that the ongoing national consultation on the draft Proclamation takes into consideration the concerns and recommendations of international, regional and national free expression organisations.

- Further urges the Ethiopian government to amend the draft Proclamation to address these concerns and to bring it into line with the highest international standards on free expression.


Ends


1. For further information

Contact:



Fatou Jagne, ARTICLE 19 Africa Programme Officer

fatou@article19.org, Tel: +44 2072789292/ +44 2072391192

or

Luckson Chipare,

Director Media Institute of Southern Africa director@misa.org, Tel: +264 61 232975



Julia Crawford

Africa Programme Coordinator

The Committee to Protect Journalists

Tel+ 212-465-9344 x112

jcrawford@cpj.org

www.cpj.org



For an analysis of the Draft Proclamation visit link:

http://www.article19.org/docimages/1817.doc



More on Ethiopia visit:

www.article19.org

www.misa.org

www.ifex.org

www.cpj.org

www.ifj.org

www.mediarightsagenda.org

www.mfwa@africaonline.com.gh

Nigeria: Journalist assaulted, another abducted and tortured

2004-07-29

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/media/23474

On 21 July 2004, Uja Emmanuel, a correspondent for "The Sun" newspaper in Makurdi, the capital of Benue state, in north central Nigeria, was assaulted and his camera and tape recorder were destroyed by police officers. Emmanuel was assaulted when he went to investigate the alleged abduction of journalist Johnson Babajide and his subsequent detention by police. Babajide, a "Nigerian Tribune" newspaper correspondent, was alleged to have been abducted earlier in the day by individuals believed to be acting on orders of the state government.
IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
_________________________________________________________________

ACTION ALERT - NIGERIA

23 July 2004

Journalist assaulted, another abducted and tortured

SOURCE: Media Rights Agenda (MRA), Lagos

(MRA/IFEX) - On 21 July 2004, Uja Emmanuel, a correspondent for "The Sun"
newspaper in Makurdi, the capital of Benue state, in north central Nigeria, was
assaulted and his camera and tape recorder were destroyed by police officers
acting on orders of the assistant commissioner of police (ACP), H.C. Ugwu.

Emmanuel was assaulted when he went to the Benue state police headquarters,
along with other correspondents, to investigate the alleged abduction of
journalist Johnson Babajide and his subsequent detention by police.

Babajide, a "Nigerian Tribune" newspaper correspondent, was alleged to have been
abducted earlier in the day by individuals believed to be acting on orders of
the state government and was reportedly severely beaten by thugs said to have
been hired by the People's Democratic Party (PDP).

Emmanuel was at the police headquarters to investigate Babajide's case when he
was confronted by Ugwu. The ACP accused Emmanuel of writing reports on the
crisis in Kwande, a local council in Benue state, and of having insinuated that
the police state commissioner was not doing enough to control the crisis.

Ugwu reportedly ordered his men to "deal" with Emmanuel. They seized his camera
and tape recorder, both worth approximately N60,000 (approx. US$460), and
smashed them. The infuriated police officer also reportedly ordered his men to
beat up the reporter as a deterrent to others.

Babajide was released later the same day and narrated his ordeal to journalists
at the Benue state police headquarters, where he had been detained. He alleged
that Tahav Agerzua, the governor's chief press secretary, came to his house on
the morning of 21 July, at about 6:30 a.m. (local time), with over 20 thugs.
Babajide, soaked in his own blood, wept as he narrated how Agerzua and the thugs
forcefully carried him away.

"They took me to the government house, in Makurdi, where I was asked to wait and
see the governor," Babajide said.

According to Babajide, while waiting for the governor, he was tortured and
subsequently dragged to the police headquarters. He said the governor's special
adviser on security, Colonel Edwin Jando (retired), told him that they were
acting on orders of the Benue state governor.

Although no official reason was given for Babajide's abduction, there are
indications that the incident may have been connected to a news report published
in "The Sunday Tribune" about an alleged attack on Governor George Akume's house
in his hometown, Gboko. In the article, Babajide reported on a shootout at the
governor's house between armed militia involved in the Kwande crisis and
government security personnel.

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Send appeals to authorities:
- asking them to investigate the attacks on Emmanuel and Babajide
- urging them to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice
- calling on them to replace Emmanuel's damaged camera and tape recorder
- asking them to ensure that both journalists receive treatment in hospital

APPEALS TO:

His Excellency Chief George Akume
Benue State Governor
Government House
Kwararafa Quarters
Makurdi, Benue State
Nigeria

Johnson Uzuegbunam
Benue State Commissioner of Police
Ogiri Oko Road
Makurdi, Benue State
Nigeria

Please copy appeals to the source if possible.

For further information, contact Ayode Longe, Media Rights Agenda, 10 Agboola
Aina Street, off Amore Street, Ikeja, P.O. Box 52113, Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria,
tel: +234 1 493 6033, fax: +234 1 493 0831, e-mail: pubs@mediarightsagenda.org,
Internet: http://www.internews.org/mra

The information contained in this action alert is the sole responsibility of
MRA. In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit MRA.
_________________________________________________________________
DISTRIBUTED BY THE INTERNATIONAL FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
EXCHANGE (IFEX) CLEARING HOUSE
489 College Street, Suite 403, Toronto (ON) M6G 1A5 CANADA
tel: +1 416 515 9622 fax: +1 416 515 7879
alerts e-mail: alerts@ifex.org general e-mail: ifex@ifex.org
Internet site: http://www.ifex.org/
_________________________________________________________________

Senegal: Journalist freed from prison, criminal charges remain

2004-07-29

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/media/23475

Madiambal Diagne, publication director of the independent Senegalese daily Le Quotidien, was granted a provisional release on July 26 after being held for more than two weeks in prison. Diagne was jailed on July 9 in connection with articles published in Le Quotidien about alleged fraud in the customs service and alleged government interference in the judiciary. The criminal charges against him remain: publishing secret documents; publishing false information; and committing acts likely to cause public unrest.
IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
_________________________________________________________________

PRESS RELEASE/UPDATE - SENEGAL

27 July 2004

Journalist freed from prison, criminal charges remain

SOURCE: Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), New York

**Updates IFEX alert of 12 July 2004**

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a CPJ press release:

SENEGAL: Journalist freed from prison, criminal charges remain

New York, July 27, 2004-Madiambal Diagne, publication director of the
independent Senegalese daily Le Quotidien, was granted a provisional release
yesterday afternoon after being held for more than two weeks in prison.

Diagne was jailed on July 9 in connection with articles published in Le
Quotidien about alleged fraud in the customs service and alleged government
interference in the judiciary. The criminal charges against him remain:
publishing secret documents; publishing false information; and committing acts
likely to cause public unrest.

According to Diagne's lawyer, Boucounta Diallo, the journalist faces several
years in prison if convicted. Diagne's defense has filed a motion requesting
that the charges against him be dismissed.

Diagne's imprisonment has sparked widespread condemnation and protests from
journalists' associations and civil society groups in Senegal and neighboring
countries. In an interview with Radio France Internationale following his
release, Diagne said, "If my arrest has enabled the Senegalese government to
become aware of the need to amend the criminal code, I am really glad to be the
cause."

"Madiambal Diagne's imprisonment highlights the urgent need for President
Abdoulaye Wade to uphold his stated commitment to press freedom, and to push for
the removal of all criminal penalties for press offenses from Senegalese law,"
said Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) Executive Director Ann Cooper.

For more information about Madiambal Diagne's imprisonment, see CPJ's July 12
alert: http://www.cpj.org/news/2004/Senegal12july04na.html

CPJ is a New York-based, independent, nonprofit organization that works to
safeguard press freedom worldwide. For more information about press conditions
in Senegal, visit http://www.cpj.org

For further information, contact Africa Program Coordinator Julia Crawford or
Alex Arieff at CPJ, 330 Seventh Ave., New York, NY 10001, U.S.A., tel: +1 212
465 1004, fax: +1 212 465 9568, e-mail: africaprogram@cpj.org, Internet:
http://www.cpj.org/

The information contained in this press release/update is the sole
responsibility of CPJ. In citing this material for broadcast or publication,
please credit CPJ.
_________________________________________________________________
DISTRIBUTED BY THE INTERNATIONAL FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
EXCHANGE (IFEX) CLEARING HOUSE
489 College Street, Suite 403,Toronto (ON) M6G 1A5 CANADA
tel: +1 416 515 9622 fax: +1 416 515 7879
alerts e-mail: alerts@ifex.org general e-mail: ifex@ifex.org
Internet site: http://www.ifex.org/
_________________________________________________________________

Zambia: Zambia launches media council

2004-07-29

http://www.journalism.co.za/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1608

The Media Council of Zambia (MECOZ), a self-regulatory media council, was officially launched at a press briefing held at the Pamodzi Hotel in Lusaka, according to the Media Institute of Southern Africa (Misa). MECOZ, which is the brainchild of the Misa's Zambia Chapter and the Press Association of Zambia (PAZA), has taken almost four years to be established.

Zimbabwe: Online newspaper launched

2004-07-29

http://www.journalism.co.za/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1620

Zimbabwean journalists have teamed up to publish a new daily online newspaper: "Zim Online - An independent news service from Zimbabwe", according to a media release. The service will be distributed via the internet (www.zimonline.co.za) and start operating from 7 July 2004. Zim Online aims to help fill the vast information vacuum left by the banning of independent newspapers and the expulsion of all foreign correspondents from Zimbabwe.

Africa: Responses by faith-based organizations to orphans and vulnerable children: preliminary study of six countries in Africa

2004-07-29

http://www.eldis.org/cf/search/disp/DocDisplay.cfm?Doc=DOC15339&Resource=f1children

This study, published by UNICEF and the World Conference of Religions for Peace, draws attention to the roles of faith-based responses to HIV/AIDS in the six African countries it surveyed (Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland and Uganda). The study argues that, despite some negative perceptions of their role and impact, faith-based organisations (FBOs) are among the most viable institutions at both local and national levels and have developed experience in addressing the multidimensional impact of AIDS and its particular impact on children.

Malawi: Child labour in the tea sector - a pilot study

2004-07-29

http://www.eldis.org/cf/search/disp/DocDisplay.cfm?Doc=DOC14815&Resource=f1children

This report sets out to gain an overview of existing knowledge of child labour practices in the Malawi tea sector and to explore the needs and priorities for further research. The findings of the paper include:
* There is clear evidence that child labour does exist in the tea sector in Malawi, contrary to the opinion of the Tea Association of Malawi and the most dominant tea sector owner in Malawi.
* The problem of child labour should not be isolated from other general problems facing workers in the tea industry, namely, the very poor working conditions.

Mali/Senegal: Mali Signs Agreement With Senegal To Curb Child Trafficking

2004-07-29

http://www.unwire.org/UNWire/20040723/449_26148.asp

Mali has signed its third agreement with a neighboring country to fight child trafficking, which UNICEF says occurs in 89 percent of African countries. Senegal joined Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso as signatories to the agreement, which mandates an annual survey of child trafficking to make sure children sent over their borders are kept safe.

Namibia: Fighting child abuse through drama

2004-07-29

http://allafrica.com/stories/200407261230.html

Despite the increase in awareness of women and children's rights, many cases of abuse remain unreported to the authorities. And concerned with the situation, Lifeline/Childline, which implements other programmes, such as counselling and hotline services, has identified the need for a child-focused programme. Through the programme, the organisation uses educational drama for young children as a means of interacting with primary school learners, informing them about sexual assault and building skills to address it.

Swaziland: Children tell their stories at a unique conference

2004-07-29

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=42367

Faced with a growing population of orphaned and vulnerable children, Swaziland's policymakers have turned to the children themselves to assess their needs at a conference outside the central commercial town of Manzini. "I am happy they are asking me about my life, because it is hard, and I think they should do more for orphans," said Sifiso Nhleko, a form three student from Siteki in the eastern Lubombo district near the Mozambique border. Nhleko, who has hereditary dwarfism, is a resourceful teenager who crafted his own crutch when he grew weary of hobbling about on an iron rod he discovered beneath a bridge - "a carpenter gave me wood and screws and he showed me how to make a crutch," he said.

Zimbabwe: Reform of birth registration law urged

2004-07-29

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=42338

Child rights campaigners are looking to amend current Zimbabwean legislation to make birth registration easier, as nearly a third of all children do not possess a birth certificate, restricting their access to public services. Zimbabwe has ratified the Convention of the African Child, which emphases a child's right to a name and nationality, and makes registration immediately after birth compulsory. But neither the Zimbabwean constitution nor the Births and Deaths Registration (BDR) Act expressly state that a child has the right to be registered.

GhanaFest 2004 To Be Beamed Live

2004-07-29

http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/diaspora/artikel.php?ID=62567

Ghanaweb have announced that they will be broadcasting Ghanafest 2004 live on the Internet on July 31st. The festival is the largest African cultural event in North America and is being held in Washington Park, Chicago.

Race for Sanctions: African-Americans Against Apartheid, 1946-1994

2004-07-29

http://allafrica.com/stories/200407270364.html

Race for Sanctions is the story of the successful attempt by African Americans to influence U.S. policy toward South Africa. It reviews the first efforts to impose sanctions against apartheid in 1946, and follows the black organizations and movements fighting apartheid in the United States through to the 1994 elections in South Africa.

US: Fourth Annual Health Fair, Philadelphia

2004-07-29

http://www.transafricaforum.org/communityevents.html

On Sunday, August 15th, the African and Haitian Communities will hold their Fourth Annual Health Fair at Clark Park in West Philadelphia. The event is supported by the Philadelphia Health Department and the Coalition of African Communities and among the organisations providing information during the fair are the American Red Cross and the University of Pennsylvania's Dental School. For more information please contact the Outreach Co-ordinator, Tiguida Kaba.

US: New Radio Show For The Diaspora

2004-07-29

http://www.wpfw.org/schedule.html

A new progressive weekly radio magazine that showcases the resources of the African Continent and its Diaspora has been launched in Washington DC by WPFW 89.3 FM Pacifica Radio. The show is on air each Sunday from 9 till 10pm and seeks to 'provide resources for putting ideas into action and to encourage participation in the progressive development of Africa.'

Africa: Peace is in the stomach

2004-07-29

http://www.wider.unu.edu/conference/conference-2004-1/conference%202004-1-papers/Moradi-1905.pdf

While much attention has been given to the impact of greed for resources as a motivation for civil wars, a more important cause of conflicts has been the failure of African governments to implement effective policies in favour of a secure and sufficient food supply for their people, according to a recent paper. The implication of this finding is that Africa continues to face the risk of civil wars which are in part triggered by poor food supply.

Africa: UN should support action on conflicts, Human Rights Watch says

2004-07-29

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/conflict/23521

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan should bolster initiatives by African leaders meeting in Accra to address the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region as well as the crisis in Cote d'Ivoire, Human Rights Watch said. "Kofi Annan needs to help accelerate African efforts to end these conflicts," said Peter Takirambudde, executive director of Human Rights Watch's Africa Division. "Both the U.N. and African leaders need to consider sanctions against those who undermine peace agreements."
* Talks on three conflicts
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3935117.stm
U.N.: Support African Action on Conflicts
Accra Summit Needs to Take Concrete Steps on Crises in Cote d'Ivoire,
Darfur

(New York, July 29, 2004) - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan should
bolster initiatives by African leaders meeting today in Accra to address the
conflict in Sudan's Darfur region as well as the crisis in Cote d'Ivoire,
Human Rights Watch said today.

"Kofi Annan needs to help accelerate African efforts to end these
conflicts," said Peter Takirambudde, executive director of Human Rights
Watch's Africa Division. "Both the U.N. and African leaders need to
consider sanctions against those who undermine peace agreements."

The head of the African Union (AU), Nigerian President Olusegun
Obasanjo, is chairing a special summit of African leaders in the Ghanaian
capital to focus attention on the conflict in Darfur in Sudan and the
ongoing crisis in Cote d'Ivoire, both of which are characterized by serious
violations of human rights and humanitarian law.

"President Obasanjo should use this opportunity to press regional leaders
for support on the African Union's new initiatives on security and peace-
building," said Takirambudde.

In Darfur, Human Rights Watch has documented crimes against humanity
and "ethnic cleansing" and reported on the Sudanese government's
support for the Janjaweed militias that carry out atrocities against civilians
in joint operations with government forces. In Cote d'Ivoire, human rights
abuses have also become rampant as political unrest followed a civil war
in 2002-2003 between the government and northern-based rebels, which
came in the wake of the 1999 military coup. Violence towards civilians
based on their ethnicity, nationality or political affiliations continues to
occur in a climate of impunity.

"The crisis in Cote d'Ivoire threatens regional stability, and so does the
conflict in Darfur," said Takirambudde. "The Accra Summit needs to
deliver on the African Union's recent pledges to ensure peace and security
for African communities."

Obasanjo, as president of the African Union, should urge regional leaders
to boost the AU ceasefire monitoring mission in Darfur by providing more
military observers and strengthening it through a mandate that includes the
protection of civilians, as the AU Peace and Security Council noted in a
communiqué on July 27.

As the U.N. Security Council debates a resolution on Darfur, Annan
should support measures to strengthen the AU mission through a stronger
mandate under Chapter VII of the U.N. Charter that would allow the
mission to protect civilians and provide it with adequate resources.

Human Rights Watch urged Annan and Obasanjo to call for measures that
would establish an international commission of inquiry on Darfur under a
U.N. Security Council mandate. The commission would investigate abuses
committed by all parties to the conflict and make recommendations on
how to bring the perpetrators to justice.

At the Accra Summit, the U.N. secretary-general and Nigerian president
will also address the crisis in Cote d'Ivoire and the stalled peace process in
that country. Both leaders should strongly condemn the violations of
international human rights and humanitarian law and call on the Ivorian
government and rebel forces to end all ongoing abuses.

The West African leaders meeting in Accra should insist that the Ivorian
government disarm and disband "parallel forces" and other pro-
government militias. The government should also take concrete steps to
properly investigate and hold accountable those responsible for serious
human rights violations in the Cote d'Ivoire crisis.

In particular, Obasanjo should insist that governments in West Africa fully
comply with the moratorium on the small arms trade to Cote d'Ivoire,
imposed by the Economic Community of West African States
(ECOWAS). The process of granting exemptions to this moratorium
should be made fully transparent and public.

-----------
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To make a contribution, please visit http://hrw.org/donations/

Burundi: Tutsis boycott Burundi talks

2004-07-29

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3929519.stm

Six of Burundi's pro-Tutsi parties have walked out of a meeting with chief peace mediator, South Africa's Deputy President Jacob Zuma. Mr Zuma was in Burundi to brief parties about a draft power-sharing agreement reached last week in South Africa. The proposal suggests the national assembly and government be composed of 60% ethnic Hutus and 40% Tutsis.

DRC: Security Council Extends arms embargo

2004-07-29

http://www.unwire.org/News/328_426_26269.asp

The Security Council has renewed for a second year an arms embargo on all the parties to the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and also extended the term of a panel of experts monitoring compliance with the embargo. Resolution 1552, adopted unanimously, says the parties to the Congolese conflict have failed to comply with the embargo, and therefore the sanctions, originally imposed in Resolution 1493 last July, would be extended until July next year.

Great Lakes: Focus on sexual misconduct by UN personnel

2004-07-29

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=42343

When reports of sexual abuses by UN personnel in West Africa emerged in 2002, Secretary-General Kofi Annan stated a clear policy of zero-tolerance of sexual misconduct by staff. However, allegations of sexual misconduct and gender-based violence by peacekeepers have since been reported in several operations, including Kosovo and, more recently, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Recent press reports have alleged that the UN’s internal watchdog, the Office of Internal and Oversight Services (OIOS), has opened an investigation into up to 68 allegations of sexual misconduct by peacekeepers of the UN Mission in the DRC (MONUC).

Liberia: Where are the weapons? Is disarmament really working?

2004-07-29

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=42416

The United Nations has poured 15,000 peacekeepers into Liberia and more than 54,000 former combatants have been disarmed, but UN officials admit that not everyone is handing in a weapon and vast tracts of the West African country remain inaccessible to UN patrols. Officially the news is very upbeat. According to figures collated by the UN Mission in Liberia, (UNMIL), 54,525 combatants had been disarmed by 12 July. However, only 17,906 weapons were collected from them- an average of one rifle, rocket launcher, pistol or mortar round for every three fighters.

Sudan: A Call for Sudan

2004-07-29

http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=2&ItemID=5874

Scanning through the mainstream press and digesting the fairly erratic and mostly insipid news on the continuing murders in Sudan, one is gripped by the horrible thought that maybe it is true that nobody cares. After all Bush and his cronies - who were so quick to ignore the United Nations in their dealings with Iraq - now seem only too content to evoke the selfsame authority in order to legitimise their policy of enforced abandonment in regard to Sudan. This selective disengagement seems to prove well enough that the people of Sudan are today’s “unworthy victims,” begins this article on www.zmag.org

Sudan: Western Countries Move Toward Sanctions

2004-07-29

http://us.oneworld.net/article/view/90716/1/

Amid continuing reports of attacks by Arab militias against black Africans in the western province of Darfur in Sudan, the United States and its main allies in Europe are urgently pressing the UN Security Council to impose sanctions against militia leaders and their government supporters. On Monday, the 25 foreign ministers of the European Union indicated they were ready to sign on to a draft resolution submitted by the United States last week that would impose diplomatic and financial sanctions against the targets unless Khartoum acted immediately to stop the militias whose raiding has killed as many as 50,000 people over the past 18 months and forced more than one million more to flee for their lives.
* US congress declares Sudan genocide
http://www.unwire.org/News/328_426_26141.asp

Global: UN Uses Satellites & Internet in Battle Against Hunger

2004-07-29

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=11419&Cr=hunger&Cr1=

United Nations agencies have developed a new Internet-based system to provide vital agricultural information to decision-makers in developing countries in a bid to fight hunger and rural poverty. The GeoNetwork's InterMap viewer allows users to overlay maps from multiple servers and create composite maps on themes such as soil quality, vegetation, population density and marketing access. The new technology is already deployed in Mozambique, Senegal, South Africa and Uganda.

Kenya: ICT Policy Set to Change, Minister

2004-07-29

http://www.apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=22398

Kenya's new Minister of Information and Communication, Hon. Raphael Tuju, has announced his support for the liberalisation and advancement of ICT policy in Kenya. Speaking after a week-long ICT policy advocacy workshop in Nairobi the minister noted that "In Kenya, I do realise that we have problems with our telephony connectivity and the snail’s pace in connectivity, as well as the high costs of international calls". The workshop, organised by the Association for Progressive Communications, brought together a range of stakeholders from a total of eight African countries.

Nigeria: Minister Decries Africa's IT Status

2004-07-29

http://allafrica.com/stories/200407270702.html

The Nigerian Minister of State for Education, Hajia Bintu Ibrahim Musa, has expressed worry that African countries are lagging behind in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) when compared to other continents of the world. She said unless the continent addressed this issue, its drive towards the attainment of Education for All (EFA) and the Millennium Development goals in Education will remain unrealistic.

End Violence Against Women E-Newsletter

2004-07-29

http://www.endvaw.org/join.htm

End Violence against Women is an online resource that includes:
* a database of documents, reports, journal articles, training materials, posters, pamphlets and other resources related to violence against women.
* links to the latest news & events related to violence against women.
* an electronic newsletter, which is mailed out to members once or twice each month.

New service from Plusnews

2004-07-29

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/enewsl/23454

PlusNews has launched a new service, "Hayden's Diary", a personal account of living with HIV by journalist Hayden Horner. Each week Hayden explores - with courage and feeling - his experiences as a young HIV-positive South African, in the hope that his frankness will encourage others to speak openly about the disease. The journal is not an emailed service but is available on the website http://www.plusnews.org/HDiaryEntry.asp

DFID Extends Deadline For Civil Society Challenge Fund Applications

2004-07-29

http://www.bond.org.uk

The UK Department for International Development has extended the deadline for full Civil Society Challenge Fund applications until 31st October. The move comes as a result of DFID's decision to reassess the scope of the fund with a view to widening its remit to include innovative service delivery programmes.

Gates Award for Global Health: Call for Nominations

2004-07-29

http://globalhealth.org/view_top.php3?id=237

The Gates Award is an annual award established by the Bill & Malinda Gates Foundation to recognise an organisation that has made a major and lasting contribution to the field of global health. Nominations for the 2005 award are now being called for and any organisation from any country that has substantively improved the health and the lives of people may be nominated. The deadline for submission is 31st October 2004.

International activist award

2004-07-29

http://www.gleitsman.org

The Gleitsman Foundation was established in 1989 with the goal of inspiring greater grass-roots activism by recognizing the exceptional achievements of people who have initiated social change. They are seeking those individuals whose energy and courage have inspired others to join with them in confronting and challenging injustices.

What Has Research Done For Fundraising Recently?

2004-07-29

http://www.fundraising.co.uk/events.php?id=626&rtype=event

Professor Adrian Sargeant's inaugural lecture at the University of the West of England will explore the latest research to be conducted on fundraising. It will showcase the material and suggest how fundraisers can use this knowledge to improve their professional practice. The event is on the 16th September 2004 and is organised by the Institute of Fundraising.

2nd Africa-Europe Training Course for Youth Organisations

2004-07-29

http://www.nscentre.org

This will be the second edition of this training course after a very encouraging first experience in April 2002 in Tarrafal, Cabo Verde. The course will enable key youth multipliers in Africa and in Europe to share strategies to increase co-operation in youth work and to strengthen youth participation in civil society.
2ND AFRICA-EUROPE
TRAINING COURSE
FOR YOUTH ORGANISATIONS

A Training course on
Youth participation for Poverty Reduction


AT THE 5TH UNIVERSITY ON YOUTH AND DEVELOPMENT


8-15 October 2004, Mollina, Spain


SUMMARY OF THE COURSE

This will be the second edition of this training Course after a very encouraging first experience in April 2002 in Tarrafal, Cabo Verde. The 2nd Euro- African Training Course for Youth Organisations will enable key youth multipliers in Africa and in Europe to share strategies to increase co-operation in youth work and to strengthen youth participation in civil society. The course will focus on capacity building for key multipliers in national youth structures, in particular in the design, implementation and evaluation of youth-led poverty reduction strategies.

In this course participants will acquire knowledge and skills to develop the capacity of their organisations as civil society, non-state actors in the development process. Participants will learn of differing models of capacity-building, initiatives in the field of youth participation in poverty-reduction strategies; they will also learn of new models being developed in different African and European contexts.

The week-long course is designed using a process of mutual learning, the participants' experiences being the starting point of the training process. Active participation and in-depth reflection are key methodologies used in the course – as methodologies that have proven successful in similar courses previously. Participants will compare their approaches to youth work and youth participation, engaging in the implementation and evaluation of the programme with the team of trainers.

The course will also provide an excellent space for networking and finding partners; this dimension will be most strongly encouraged by the team of trainers. As a result of the course, an experimental project in best practice in youth participation in poverty reduction will be identified, implemented and jointly monitored by the participants.

BACKGROUND

There has been growing recognition in the last decade of the need for civil society involvement in development processes. More recently, there is a clearer understanding that civil society is diverse, and that capacity building with particular sectors of civil society is required in order for these sectors to fully shape, participate in, and benefit from the development process. Nowhere is this clearer than with the youth sectors in both European and African countries.

The North-South Centre has been taking and active part in increasing the role and the capacity of civil society and its recognition in Euro-African Co-operation. Moreover it has been following closely the most relevant international processes and fora that are developing strategies in this direction. This has been the case of the Copenhagen Process and more recently of the European Social Development Conference. The Centre has equally paid particular attention to the different Intergovernmental Euro-African co-operation processes such as the Lomé Conventions, the ACP-EU Agreement from Cotonou and the Grand Bay Declaration at African level, and has been involved in putting forward a common vision of promoting Euro-African civil society partnership and strengthening the role of the non State actors.

The North-South Centre, in the frame of the 2000 Euro-African Summit in Cairo, initiated and convened the Africa-Europe Civil Society Forum, which allowed representatives from African and European NGOs communities to express their main concerns and to address recommendations to the Heads of State and Government during the Summit. These recommendations opened long-term perspectives, allowing the main objective of the Forum to be achieved: to formulate an agenda and an action plan for the reinforcement of the Civil Society in Africa and its consolidation in the context of a Euro-African partnership.

Strengthening civil society’s ability to organise and take action, in particular in connection with decentralised co-operation; supporting and promoting civil society action to prevent conflict and ensure respect for the rule of law and good governance; organising effective efforts to combat poverty with a view to promoting social welfare.


THE ROLE OF THE NORTH-SOUTH CENTRE

The North-South Centre has continued his engagement in promoting multilateral cooperation between Europe and African not only at the Intergovernmental level but also by encouraging and supporting the cooperation of Civil Society in Africa and in Europe. It has been strongly involved in the NEPAD process, particularly by encouraging the full participation of Civil Society.

In this comprehensive framework programme a number of initiatives are foreseen which also include a strong youth dimension. The Final Declaration of the Civil Forum stated “We recognise that Youth organisations have a strong role to play in the creation of peaceful and democratic societies where good governance exists. Therefore we are committed to supporting the creation of youth oriented programmes within programmes of the EU, African Union and through bilateral co-operation of their member states. These will allow youth organisations to build up training exchanges and development projects in Africa and Europe. We recommend the creation of a space to promote and foster permanent and stable co-operation and partnership between youth organisations of both regions so as to identify new partners, promote relevant actions and activities and build our capacities. We support the proposal articulated by Youth organisations of African and European youth societies for the creation of an Africa Europe Youth Forum which will mobilise the key youth actors in the two regions and develop their long term strategy and commitment”

The North-South Centre is organising this training course to ensure a platform for capacity building of youth leaders and youth workers in the specific frame of the Africa Europe Co-operation, to enhance youth organisations role as non-state actors in the development process.

The North-South Centre partners, and more particularly the Youth Organisations active in North–South Co-operation, engaged and with interest in the Euro African co-operation, have identified and requested the experience of the North-South Centre as fundamental to ensure the richness and outreach of this type of projects. Due to extensive network of working relations with youth organisations in both regions, but also because of its unique quadrilogue working structure, the Centre is well placed to provide a clear added value to such a project, furthermore the first edition of the Euro-African Training Course in 2002 was a very successful process that strongly encouraged the North-South Centre to organise a second edition of this course.

The North-South Centre has identified youth and its organisations as a priority target for its activities, in doing so the Centre also includes youth organisations in its statutory bodies and engages in a co-management of its youth programme with the regional youth platforms. The North-South Centre aims at raising awareness and increase solidarity among young people by promoting and facilitating their active participation in the field of Global Interdependence and Solidarity. It also works towards the implementation of policy to include youth perspectives in all development policy of the national states, as well as to strengthen youth participation in all programmes and policies relating to Global Interdependence and North-South Dialogue. The Centre strives to support and enhance capacity building for youth organisations in North-South Dialogue and development education at national and regional level.

This project would be a natural progression of the training programme for youth organisations of the North- South Centre developed over the past 12 years. Such training programme includes an annual training course for Youth Organisations in North-South Co-operation, an Africa Europe Training Course for Youth Organisations, the Partnership on Euro-Mediterranean youth co-operation in the field of training, a Euro-Asian Training Course and the University on Youth and Development. The North-South Centre is also developing a specialised pool of trainers in North-South Youth Work with trainers and experts from the different regions, experienced in different themes, methods and dimensions of North-South training. This pool of trainers will assist in the development of the course.





AIM OF THE COURSE

The training course aims to strength the role of youth organisations as civil society actors and youth ability to organise and take action, in particular in connection with decentralised co-operation on poverty eradication and Social cohesion and to identify educational principles to promote global citizenship of young people in Europe and Africa.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

The concrete objectives of the training are to enable participants:
v to strengthen individual and organisational capacities for youth participation in development;
v to increase skills and understanding regarding youth participation and leadership;
v to acquire know-how on concepts and challenges of youth work, youth policies and institutions in the two regions;
v to reflect upon topics of importance to strengthen active citizenship (e.g. culture and identity, human rights, democracy, participation, exclusion and integration), development, education, globalisation;
v to co-operate in a network with other participants and their projects;
v to create operational tools and act as multipliers by passing on the training and knowledge acquired;
v to gain an understanding about the needs and possibilities for co-operation and dialogue between the societies in Europe and Africa;
v to live through an intercultural experience with the opportunity to develop expertise and know-how on intercultural learning in the specific Euro-African context;
v to identify, plan, and, after the course, monitor and evaluate a pilot project.


METHODOLOGY OF THE TRAINING

The course is designed as a process of mutual learning, with the participants' experiences and realities as the starting point of the training process. Active participation and in-depth reflection are the keys to the success of this course. Participants will compare their approaches to youth work and participate in the implementation and evaluation of the programme with the team of trainers.

The training methodology is based on a number of successful experiences of training for youth workers and youth leaders developed by the North-South Centre and the Directorate of youth and Sport of the Council of Europe as for example: 10 years of North-South Training Courses for Youth Organisations, The University on Youth and Development, the Euro-Mediterranean Youth Training Programme and over the 3 decades of Youth Work Training of the Directorate of Youth and Sport of the Council of Europe. The North-South Centre, together with its partners, has developed and tested training methods and tools for this type of activities; it also benefited from the knowledge of some of the best trainers and youth workers in the field of co-operation. The team of experienced trainers from Africa and Europe will be responsible to further design and implement the methodology of the course.

Invited guests and experts will provide proposals for reflection in a process based on non-formal education and participant-centred methodologies. Thus, the course will be also a mutual learning situation, where participants can compare their approaches and concerns in a dialogical intercultural approach and environment. The use of experiential methods and workshops will strengthen the practical side of the course.

The course is a week-long training Programme using a variety of educational methodologies such as: thematic, methodological and political inputs and discussions, new technologies, guides and reference documents, simulation exercises, groups dynamics, interactive role plays, examples of good practices, etc.

Educational team of the course

The educational team for this course is composed by 4 trainers with relevant experience in youth work and Euro African co-operation, two of the trainers are African and the other two European. The trainers have specific and complementary experience and will be recruited specifically to further design and implement this course. It should be expected that the trainers’ team also reflect gender balance and the cultural, political and geographical diversity of the regions.

Working languages

The different sessions of the Course will be in English and French, candidates are requested to indicate all their working languages and language level in the application form and should be fluent at least in one of the two languages.

Expected results

· Build the capacity of multipliers in youth organisations in Europe and Africa with the necessary skills to develop and run Africa Europe co-operation programmes, notably those aiming at poverty reduction;
· An informal network of youth leaders and organisations with interest in developing Africa Europe co-operation and actively committed to the strengthening of Civil Society;
· A series of co-operation and exchange programmes between youth organisations in Europe and in Africa;
· An increase in understanding and dialogue between young people, and their organisations, in European and African countries.
· An increase in the understanding of the cultural, social, economical and political context of the Africa Europe Relations

Profile of Participants

The participants in this course are representatives of youth organisations in Europe, and Africa. For the European participants the course is open for residents of all member-states of the Council of Europe. National and international youth organisations will be invited to propose candidates for this course, using the resources of contact mailing lists of the North-South Centre and partner organisations.

Approximately fifty percent of the participants in this course will come from youth organisations in Europe; the other fifty percent will come from youth organisations in Africa. Gender balance will be ensured in the selection process of the participants, as well as the balance between the type and/or nature of organisations.

Concerning participants and their profile:
· should be a key multiplier playing an active role within a youth organisation, network or service at local, national or regional level, and plan to continue this work in the near future;
· the course should have up to 30 Participants;
· seeking gender balance;
· diverse social and geographical background (including disadvantaged and minority groups);
· aged between 18 and 30;
· have already some qualification or experience in terms of training and project work;
· be committed to attend the full duration of the course and be supported by a youth organisation or service;
· be able to present the context of their work, their way of tackling problems, the challenges they meet and identify;
· be in a position to act as multipliers or trainers within their organisation or service;
· be able to work and communicate in English and/or French.

LLM in Human Rights Specialising in Reproductive and Sexual Rights

2004-07-29

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/courses/23514

The Centre for Human Rights Studies in the Faculty of Law, University of the Free State, South Africa, invites applications for admission to study for a Masters Degree (LLM) in Human Rights specialising in Reproductive and Sexual Rights. The LLM in Human Rights specialising in Reproductive and Sexual Rights is the first of its kind on the African continent. It will be launched for the first time in 2005. It is an international programme that is aimed at equipping committed lawyers from the African continent with academic and practical skills for securing the realisation of reproductive and sexual rights at a domestic as well as an international level.
LLM in Human Rights Specialising in Reproductive and Sexual Rights

The Centre for Human Rights Studies in the Faculty of Law, University of the Free State, South Africa, invites applications for admission to study for a Masters Degree (LLM) in Human Rights specialising in Reproductive and Sexual Rights.

The LLM in Human Rights specialising in Reproductive and Sexual Rights is the first of its kind on the African continent. It will be launched for the first time in 2005. It is an international programme that is aimed at equipping committed lawyers from the African continent with academic and practical skills for securing the realisation of reproductive and sexual rights at a domestic as well as an international level.

The course is full-time and is presented over one academic year (February to November). It has the following four components:

§ Module 1: Introduction to reproductive and sexual health
§ Module 2: Linking human rights principles with reproductive and sexual health
§ Module 3: Selected reproductive and sexual health rights issues
§ Dissertation: 15 000-word dissertation on a domestic/regional reproductive and sexual health rights topic

Instruction is through weekly seminars with a distinct emphasis on learner participation. The lecturers that lead seminars are drawn from the University of the Free State as well as from other universities in South Africa and beyond. The medium of class instruction is English.

Admission is on a competitive basis. Bursaries are available for limited number of students from East Africa, Southern Africa and West Africa that are committed to returning to their countries upon completing the course.

Applicants must already be in possession of a first degree in Law (LLB or equivalent). Applications must be accompanied by the following documents:

1. Curriculum Vitae (including full contact details)
2. Certified copy of first degree in Law
3. Transcript of first degree in Law indicating all course taken and marks obtained
4. A letter indicating your financial position and why you need financial assistance
5. Two letters of recommendation
6. A one-page letter indicating why you wish to do the course


Applications and enquires should be directed to:

Ms Hanlie Erasmus
Faculty of Law
University of the Free State
Room CRS 30
Nelson Mandela Drive
Bloemfontein 9300
SOUTH AFRICA
Tel: +27 +51 + 4012451
Fax: +27 +51 + 4480381
E-mail: Erasmush.rd@mail.uovs.ac.za

Deadline for applications:
The closing date for application is 15 September of every year.

The Use of the New Information and Communication Technology for Women Media Professionals in Africa

2004-07-29

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/courses/23451

Association FEMINIAA and RNTC will organise a three-day workshop on 'The Use of the New Information and Communication Technology for Women Media Professionals in Africa'. The workshop will take place in Yaoundé, Cameroon. From 16th until 18th August 2004, 25 representatives of African women media organisations will come together to participate in the workshop.
Workshop Announcement:

Association FEMINIAA and RNTC will organise a three-day workshop
on 'The Use of the New Information and Communication Technology
for Women Media Professionals in Africa'. The workshop will take
place in Yaoundé, Cameroon. From 16th until 18th August 2004, 25
representatives of African women media organisations will come
together to participate in the workshop.
Together they will explore the possibilities, limitations, opportunities and
challenges of the new electronic media - in particular the Internet - to
support an African women media professionals network.

FEMINIAA is a Pan African network of women media professionals,
based in Cameroon. They work for the promotion and the defence of the
interests of the African women.

RNTC is a centre of excellence in media and development, attached to
the international broadcaster Radio Netherlands. RNTC provides
courses and gives advice to media organisations in developing countries.

Project Officer Radio Nederland Training Centre
P.O.Box 303, 1200 AH Hilversum
The Netherlands
Tel: +31 (0) 35 6724 534
Fax: +31 (0) 35 6724 532

DRC: Programme Coordinator

Concern Worldwide

2004-07-29

http://www.oneworld.net/job/view/9916

Concern Worldwide are seeking applications for the post of Programme Coordinator in their DRC team. You will be responsible for leading the research and development of the HIV/AIDS and education programmes and for providing support to the Field Officer in managing and Developing the food security and nutrition projects.

Ethiopia: Programme Manager

VSO

2004-07-29

http://www.vso.org.uk/hr/overseas_pm_ethiopia.htm

The Programme Manager will be responsible for the development of VSO's programmes in the areas of participation and governance and for seeking suitable partner organisations. Successful applicants will be experienced in overseas development work and have strong communication and networking skills.

Mozambique: Programme Director

Save the Children, UK

2004-07-29

http://jobsearch.savethechildren.org.uk/viewvacancies.cfm?ID=74706

The post holder will be responsible for the management and strategic planning of SCUK's programme in Mozambique and for representing the organisation at a senior level to a range of stakeholders including government, partners and bilateral agencies.

Sierra Leone: Health Coordinator

International Resuce Committee

2004-07-29

http://www.theirc.org/jobs/index.cfm/number/2004-434

The post holder will be responsible for overseeing all of IRC's health programs in Sierra Leone and for representing the organisation to other health sector agencies, including the Ministry of Health and District Medical Officers. Applicants will be health professionals with a strong public health background. They should have at least two years experience in implementing and managing health programs in conflict/post conflict situations.

Sudan: Emergency Relief Coordinator

CARE International

2004-07-29

http://www.careinternational.org.uk/about/vacancies/sudan_recruitment.htm#erc

Responsibilities of the post holder will include working with CARE staff to manage commodities being received and distributed and to co-ordinate activities with other agencies, NGOs and government bodies engaged in emergency relief activities. The successful applicant will have 3-5 years humanitarian aid experience and at least 5 years of commodity management experience at all levels.

Sudan: Food Security Specialist

Oxfam UK

2004-07-29

http://www.i-grasp.com/fe/tpl_oxfam.asp?s=DmOlRWtGeVHmJjVeb&jobid=16411,2372145433&key=2002647&c=342556628748&pagestamp=sewctekhbufdeaisrs

A food security specialist is required to provide additional technical capacity to ensure delivery of quality humanitarian programming and to provide support to the implementation of Oxfam's food distribution system. The successful applicant will hold an appropriate technical degree (eg: nutrition) and have proven practical experience of food security analysis and programming.

Fahamu