Back Issues

After 11 September: Towards a new multilateralism?

Bretton Woods Project

2001-11-08

http://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/topic/reform/2501.html

The implications for the World Bank and IMF of the 11 September atrocities and their aftermath are as yet uncertain. Will this new political and diplomatic context improve the prospects for international cooperation and multilateralism? Or will it mean that the US seeks to exert tighter control on institutions with financial and policy-making clout?

Wars raise important questions of institutional structure within and between nations. Many comparisons have been made with Pearl Harbour, which triggered US participation in World War II, overcoming isolationist tendencies. One week after Pearl Harbour, the US Treasury Secretary ordered his chief economic advisor to prepare a paper setting out the case for a "stabilization fund" and a "bank for reconstruction and development"--the proposals which were to yield the Bretton Woods agreement establishing the World Bank and IMF.

Since 11 September we have seen a similarly dramatic shift in US approach. TIME magazine (15/10/01) commented: "an Administration that just a month or two ago emphatically believed in going in alone--walking away from treaties, pushing its missile defence scheme no matter who said what--has thrown open its arms to embrace the pleasures of multilateralism." US subscriptions to the UN have been paid, more aid finance has been promised and positive noises made about international cooperation in general. This is long overdue and warmly welcomed.

However it may come with more strings attached. Just as the original plans for the World Bank and IMF were watered down to meet US interests and concerns, the new multilateralism sparked by 11 September may well be expedient and unbalanced. UK consultancy company Oxford Analytica warned that the "shift in American foreign policy priorities brought on by the recent attacks could presage a return to development assistance motivated by ideological and geopolitical considerations".

NGOs have long argued that the World Bank and IMF are politically captured by the powerful governments which have the strongest representation on their Boards and that they are ideological, not pragmatic, in their approach to policy-making. This situation may soon get worse, however. The US government has removed aid sanctions on Pakistan and helped facilitate favourable debt treatment and speedy new IMF financing. The Bank has reportedly started examining possible projects in Uzbekistan, should the US suggest that these supporters need to be rewarded.

There have clearly long been constraints on the supposedly objective, technical criteria the Bank uses for aid allocation, but may now become more blatant. The 50 Years is Enough! campaign commented: "This use of the international financial institutions as instruments of the US political agenda has been going on for decades. But since the end of the Cold War there has been a reluctance to acknowledge the fact publicly, which has itself acted as a valuable restraint on the US government's inclination to use the institutions to serve its own narrow purposes."

Andrew Rogerson, a Bank representative in Brussels, denied this. He said "the Bank is not facing pressure from member governments to take decisions based on geopolitics". He emphasised that the Bank is looking to take action to support countries negatively affected by the current economic downturn and refugee crisis in Afghanistan's neighbours. It is also planning post-war reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan.

These issues will be discussed at the rescheduled World Bank/IMF annual meeting on 17-18 November in Ottowa, Canada. Also on the agenda will be terrorist financing and measures to boost the global economy.

As well as continuing to monitor the World Bank and IMF, campaigners will closely watch the new trade talks, the UN Financing for Development summit, the Earth Summit II, and other processes see whether there are signs of a new, more positive multilateralism. In October Pakistani civil society organisations demanded "a more egalitarian political order based on principles of democracy and justice". This, they said, is "a pre-requisite for curbing or eliminating terrorism with international dimensions and origins".

Community Technology Centers Accelerator

2001-11-08

http://www.itresourcecenter.org/serv/ctcaccelerator.html

The Information Technology Resource Center in Chicago continues to innovate.
They have just announced the CTC Accelerator to help the rapid formation of
Community Technology Centers.

Golden Munyaka

2001-11-08

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/letters/4034

Nidhi Tandon

Director, Networked Intelligence for Development

2001-11-08

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/letters/4035

Yuyo Nachali-Kambikambi

Info. Consultant-SAHRINGON

2001-11-08

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/letters/4033

Citizenship Today:

Global Perspectives and Practices

2001-11-08

http://www.ceip.org/files/Publications/CitizenshipToday.asp

T. Alexander Aleinikoff and Douglas Klusmeyer, editors.
The forms, policies, and practices of citizenship are changing rapidly around the globe, and the meaning of these changes is the subject of deep dispute. Citizenship Today brings together leading experts in their field to define the core issues at stake in the citizenship debates.

Eco-Economy: Building an Economy for the Earth

Lester R. Brown

2001-11-08

http://www.earth-policy.org/Books/index.htm

In 1543, Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus challenged the view that the Sun revolved around the earth, arguing instead that the earth revolved around the Sun. His paper led to a revolution in thinking-to a new worldview. Eco-Economy discusses the need today for a similar shift in our worldview. The issue now is whether the environment is part of the economy or the economy is part of the environment. Brown argues the latter, pointing out that treating the environment as part of the economy has produced an economy that is destroying its natural support systems. Download Eco-Economy for free. (Requires Adobe Acrobat).

Fighting Patriarchies and Poverty:

Women and Power

2001-11-08

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/books/3945

J. Townsend, E. Zapata, J. Rowlands, P. Alberti, M. Mercado. Reviewed by Bipasha Baruah. The authors of this book pursue a new definition of empowerment through a re-
evaluation and deconstruction of the concept of power. They shed light upon how rural Mexican women negotiate power in their day-to-day lives. By documenting their challenges, opportunities and accomplishments, the authors demonstrate how poor women in developing countries are exploring new social, economic and political powers and transforming their lives in the process. Zed Books Limited, London (UK) and New York (USA). 1999.
Fighting Patriarchies and Poverty: Women and Power. J. Townsend, E.
Zapata, J. Rowlands, P. Alberti, M. Mercado. Zed Books Limited, London (UK)
and New York (USA). 1999. 200pp.

Reviewed by Bipasha Baruah

The authors of this book pursue a new definition of empowerment through a
re-
evaluation and deconstruction of the concept of power. They shed light upon
how rural Mexican women negotiate power in their day-to-day lives. By
documenting their challenges, opportunities and accomplishments, the authors
demonstrate how poor women in developing countries are exploring new social,
economic and political powers and transforming their lives in the process.
They stress that in some cases Southern women have won smaller, albeit more
meaningful victories, than their Northern counterparts.

The book begins with an exploration of self-empowerment illustrated from the
talk of Mexican rural women and Mexican academics on issues of power. The
authors also elaborate upon their own understanding of self-empowerment with
evidence from many countries. The authors go on to tell of the context in
which poor women in developing countries are facing new dimensions of
poverty
and reducing social services but also discovering new opportunities to work
in groups that sometimes take them beyond the struggle to earn money to
empowering themselves in a much more inclusive manner. The authors operate
from a much wider definition of power than many other writers and structure
the book around this understanding. While many contemporary authors define
empowerment merely as negotiating higher decision-making powers or as "power
over" other people, the authors of this book work towards a much more
comprehensive understanding of the term. They explore power from many
different perspectives including "power within" which transforms a woman
through the development of self-confidence, self-esteem, a sense of agency
and a sense of self within a wider context and "power with" which emphasizes
the power of collaboration or the capacity to achieve with others what one
could not achieve alone. The authors also describe power as the "power to
do"
which rural women express in terms of action: the power to learn and revel
in
new skills, in getting organized, designing projects, training others,
achieving change and learning to value their own work.

This book also examines the new scale and role of organizations in most
societies, from women's groups through social movements to non-governmental
or non-profit organizations. In Mexico, as in much of the rest of the world,
the state has withdrawn from many activities and areas that it previously
took responsibility for and thousands of organizations have sprouted to fill
this void and to assume new roles and responsibilities. The authors attempt
to understand the role and agency of new social movements and discover how
such groups can support women striving to empower themselves. While these
are
important questions, I would have also liked to know whether the authors
believe that civil society organizations are increasingly compensating for
the state's inefficiency, apathy and corruption in many countries. If so, I
would have liked the authors to address, even briefly, the ethical dilemmas
of allowing elected governments to fail their constituencies and renege on
election promises. The book concludes by asking how power can be put back
into empowerment. It presents different perspectives on empowerment,
including those of the World Bank, IMF, politicians, mega-corporations and
civil society organizations, but concludes with the reassertion that the
actors themselves, in this case poor women, must be central to the process
of
self-empowerment.

One of the most striking features of this book is the strong and certain
assertion that poor people need fundamental changes in power relations at
all
levels from local to the global. The authors stress that poor women also
need
a transformation of structures that hold them down. For development to be
truly empowering, poor women need changes in law, property rights and other
institutions that perpetuate men's control over them as much as they need
education, skills and credit. Through a rich interplay of theory and praxis,
the authors clearly articulate that world poverty will not be reduced unless
power and self-empowerment are at the head of the agenda.

Through their elaborate discussion of the importance of organization and
solidarity, the authors stress the importance of women's agency not only in
organizational activity but also in politics at all levels. They elaborate
that it is not enough for women to join in projects when they are restricted

by the state, by society, by economic, cultural and ethnic structures.
The "power with" which they develop in political struggle is determined by
the extent to which women's power goes beyond the project. The authors also
explore the controversial issue of outsiders and self-empowerment by
describing how academics and advisers can bring different, outsider
perspectives and sometimes experience to organizations and groups. They
stress that this can help, not through their being "right" but through
bringing new insights that may help the group see and tackle problems
differently.

I found the authors' assertion that feminist concepts of empowerment have
more to do with the transformation of the individual and society than
control
to be a cause for celebration. I was very inspired by one of the common
threads that ran through the fabric of the different authors' work: the
confirmation that dignity does not disappear even on the edge of poverty,
and
that dignity, imagination and determination are vital for women's self-
empowerment. I would recommend this book to development professionals,
activists, journalists, students and women's studies enthusiasts. It is also
an excellent basic text for theories of development and empowerment within
the WID and GAD frameworks.


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HIV/AIDS Billboard/Portfolio

2001-11-08

http://www.ahr.org.za

Artists for Human Rights are pleased to announce that the HIV/AIDS Billboard/Portfolio has now been completed and are being prepared for the
exhibition program. This program is being launched on World AIDS Day,1st Dec 2001, at the Durban Art Gallery and the National Art Gallery, Cape Town. Further exhibitions will be held in South Africa, Botswana and Scotland with an exhibition at the Palais des Nation, Geneve, on the 8th July 2002. If interested in hosting the above exhibition please contact Artists for Human Rights.

Apart from being endorsed by a number of leaders and concerned individuals
and organisations in the field of HIV/AIDS, this program has also received
the Medaille d'Excellence from Fetexcel as part of the UN/NGO coalition for
HIV/AIDS Media, as well as the Durban Mayor's Award for Achievement and the
Technikon Natal Research Award.
For further information on this program as well as Artists for Human Rights
previous initiatives please access www.ahr.org.za or contact us.
Attached Billboard by artist Sipho Mdanda.
Jan Jordaan
AHR
Project Convener.

Identity Mania

Fundamentalism and the Politicization of Cultural Differences

2001-11-08

http://www.zedbooks.demon.co.uk/home.htm

Thomas Meyer
A critically important question confronts many countries in the post-Cold War epoch: are culturally determined political conflicts inevitable? While acknowledging people's need for identity, and that different cultures necessarily produce differentiated identities, Professor Meyer argues that difference only leads to intolerance and violence when politically ambitious leaderships exploit it. Fundamentalism is therefore essentially a political phenomenon that has occured in all civilizations, particularly in contemporary Europe and North America. In the present age of globalization, Meyer suggests that social crisis grows out of an exclusionary dynamic that marginalizes growing numbers of people. PbISBN 1 84277 063 2.

Images of the World: Globalisation and Cultural Diversity

2001-11-08

http://www.comminit.com/Materials/sld-3025.html

"The world is undergoing a global struggle between diversity and uniformity, cultural liberalism and fundamentalism, democracy and totalitarianism. A struggle about which aspects of each culture can and should be saved, and what aspects may be abandoned to make room for something new and enriching. The articles in this anthology approach these questions from different angles. This book is an edited selection of the dialogue that took place during Images of the World - a festival held in Copenhagen, Arhus, Odense, Aalborg and a number of small towns in Denmark during the months of August and September 2000.

Tanzania: Community Based Drama

2001-11-08

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/books/3947

Two short community based plays were designed to sensitise the Barbaig community (a nomadic ethnic group in northern Tanzania) on the negative impact of female circumcision (FGM), domestic violence and the importance of sending girls to school. A 3 week creative session was held among The Friedrich Ebert Foundation, the Department of Fine & Performing Arts at the University of Dar es Salaam, along with HAWOCODE (Hanang Women's Counseling & Development Association) to produce the plays. The plays were performed and then discussed with the community. Key question asked after the performance: What positive alternative can be suggested to this cultural activity (FGM) rather than simply telling them it is bad and should be stopped? Contact Dr. Augustin Hatar.
Source: The Communication Initiative
http://www.comminit.com

The Institute of Equity, Ecology, Humor and Art

2001-11-08

http://www.ieeha.org/

The Institute of Equity, Ecology, Humor and Art creates innovative multimedia materials such as websites, video, computer games, music and educational material to promote social justice and environmental equity.

The Paradox of Africa's Poverty:

The Role of Indigenous Knowledge, Traditional Practices and Local Institutions

2001-11-08

http://www.comminit.com/Materials/sld-3196.html

The Case of Ethiopia by Tirfe Mammo
In this study, the author focuses on Ethiopia as a case study, to argue that the root cause of Africa's poverty lies in the neglect of the indigenous knowledge, traditional practices and local institutions of the continent's peoples. He further contends that this has been brought about either by external factors or set in by endogenous forces. To provide a remedy to the problem, the scholar proposes the putting in place of mechanisms through which the efforts of ordinary peoples and governments are combined to address the problem from its root causes.

‘BREAK THE SILENCE’:

A Unique Project in the fight against AIDS

2001-11-08

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/books/3964

Among the visual arts, a considerable number of exhibitions dealing with the Aids crisis have been mounted in recent years, most particularly co-inciding with the HIV/Aids conference 2000, hosted in Durban. But despite efforts at reaching out, museums and galleries continue to attract only a small, art-interested sector of the South African population, and often not those most at risk of infection.
Artists for Human Rights

‘BREAK THE SILENCE’: A UNIQUE PRINT PORTFOLIO/ BILLBOARD PROJECT IN THE FIGHT AGAINST AIDS

Introduction
“Never before in human history has a virus bonded so dramatically with creative initiative”, quipped Alex Sudheim in his article on the Aids print portfolio project published in the Mail&Guardian last year (Sudheim 2000). With varying degrees of success, song, dance, drama, film, art and literature have been engaged to get the HIV/Aids message across in South Africa, elaborates Sudheim. Among the visual arts, a considerable number of exhibitions dealing with the Aids crisis have been mounted in recent years, most particularly co-inciding with the HIV/Aids conference 2000, hosted in Durban . But despite efforts at reaching out, museums and galleries continue to attract only a small, art-interested sector of the South African population, and often not those most at risk of infection.

The print portfolio/ billboard project ‘Break the Silence’ , on the other hand, is unique in its aims at reaching a very different audience without relinquishing its claim to being ‘art’. The project involves the compilation of a portfolio of prints created by a diverse range of artists from all over South Africa and some international printmakers. All print images are intended to be immensely enlarged and mounted onto strategically placed billboards as funding becomes available. While there is no real precedent for the portfolio/billboards project, there is perhaps a distant cousin: It is the genre of HIV/Aids community murals which have proliferated tremendously during the past five years . Both community murals and the portfolio-based billboards intend to make art socially relevant, take it out of the elitist gallery (or portfolio) context into the streets and make it accessible to large masses of people. Both are furthermore highly public, large scale, community-oriented and educative media of visual communication. This article aims to contextualise the portfolio/ billboard project in relation to HIV/Aids murals and, by providing an analysis of its most prominent images, raise some issues about visualising Aids and using art to convey educational messages.

Murals and billboards - the issue of site specificity
The first community murals with an HIV/Aids message began to appear about ten years ago, but they have only started flourishing since the mid 1990s, especially with the Department of Health sponsored ‘Seven Cities’ and ‘Beyond Awareness’ campaigns. These two campaigns have resulted in an amazing variety of wall paintings, among them some of the country’s largest and most creative. Examples include a gigantic mural in Port Elizabeth entitled ‘Aids - the new struggle’ (1996) or the technically well-executed, colourful mural on the University of Durban-Westville campus (1999). The HIV/Aids print portfolio/ billboard project, on the other hand, is a much more recent initiative, which has emerged out of a tradition of print portfolio projects aimed at addressing issues of human rights. In line with this tradition, ‘Break the Silence’ aims at raising HIV/Aids awareness in general, but specifically intends to address the serious issues of stigmatisation and discrimination against those infected.


The main difference between community murals and billboards in general lies in their site specificity or contextuality. The imagery of a community mural, being confined to a specific site, is usually informed by the surrounding context: Theme, style and details of the imagery are usually developed by community artists, sometimes in consultation with community leaders, to determine which visual language and imagery is most successful in ‘reaching’ the local community, perhaps taking into account culturally specific aesthetic sensibilities and preferences. By incorporating references to recognisable landmarks of the city, for instance, (as seen in the example of the Beyond Awareness mural in Grahamstown), the mural emphasises the local relevance of a global problem and attracts the audience by virtue of the recognition factor, encouraging them to identify with the human actors portrayed in the mural.

Billboards, on the other hand, can be mass-produced and set up anywhere in the country, theoretically requiring a more neutral, transplantable, universally comprehensible message and visual language. Some of the print portfolio artists seem to have taken this into account. Kim Berman, for instance, represents a solid wall, scrawled upon which, graffiti-like, are the words ‘Break the Silence’, thus literally expressing the theme of the project and symbolically communicating the message. International artists, Carmen Perrin from Bolivia and Amira Wasfy from Egypt, on the other hand, who may not be very familiar with the specific context and cultural sensibilities of South African communities, have chosen a completely abstract visual language. While Wasfy relies on an expressive use of colour and line, meant to symbolize natural forms such as rocks and animal prints, but also the Aids virus (Wasfy 2000), Perrin has produced a most unusual print of scattered, barely visible ring patterns on white paper, each pierced by actual steel pins. Like Wasfy’s, Perrin’s work is ambiguous and contradictory: The clusters of rings recall cells caught in the process of growth or disintegration, while the pins likewise connote contradictory notions of pain and destruction, but also of mending and healing. Enlarging this print to billboard size without loosing its sense of tactility will represent a considerable challenge.

Works like these are essentially products of ‘fine art’ - autonomous and thriving on ambiguity. By refusing to be propagandistic their effectivity as a means of communication to large, poorly educated audiences with little or no training in visual art appreciation, can be argued to be problematic. On the other hand, these images, through their very ‘difference’, may encourage people to stop and look, rather than merely glance in passing. These works do not intend to ram home a point and thus present a message that is threatened to drown in the sea of commercial billboard advertisements which has become the reality of the urban environment. They want to be understood as art works, employing a visual language that aims at engaging people, appealing to the spectator to take a closer look, linger and reflect, discover and personally interpret its message.


Examples of this kind include the visually striking print by Deryck Healey (U.K.), entitled ‘Think first’. Healey has created a multilayered work consisting of an x-ray of a skull on blue ground, overlaid with a highly abbreviated sketch recalling an embryo. Both images allude to stages of human life beyond the here and now: the one associated with death, the other with life; the one with the past, the other with the future; the one with sadness, the other with joy. These binary opposites are powerfully re-enforced through the use of colour: the striking blue of the background, representing hope and vitality, juxtaposed with the alarming red dot, which could be read as the oversized eye of the embryo, but simulatenously a fatal wound, a bleading hole in the centre of the skull.

What makes the comparison between murals and the prints-based billboards interesting, however, is that the lines of difference between the two genres are hardly clear cut. Murals are often dismissed as unsophisticated ‘community art’, but some mural artists, too, have attempted to employ a more conceptually based mode of expression, which communicates through metaphor, symbol or allusion rather than textual messages and literally interpreted images. A relatively early HIV/Aids mural at a taxi rank in Durban (Seven Cities campaign, 1995), for example, features an interesting iconographic invention of a ‘Mermaid condom’, which on one level gives the representation of the protective implement a humorous slant and makes its public display more acceptable to sensitive viewers who, at that time, were not yet used to the present ubiquity of condoms. On another level, the visual allusion to mermaids, this alluring, yet unobtainable/ inaccessible creature, carries connotations of sexual desire and abstention, pleasure and protection.

Likewise, in terms of site specificity, the difference between murals and portfolio-based billboards is often blurred. Some print portfolio artists, particulary black artists, most of whom emerging from a community arts background, have not at all attempted to develop a universal, transferable visual language. Rather, their images appear to be addressed at very specific audiences, probably in anticipation of the billboard’s most likely locations in townships, thereby giving the billboard a sense of contextuality. Some of these images are closely related in content and style to mural imagery. In fact, in the case of Stembiso Sibisi’s image, for example, the print is directly derived from an earlier mural composition that the artist painted at Umlazi Station in 1998.

Conveying the message
A look at the print portfolio as a whole reveals an amazing stylistic variety, ranging from very descriptive or narrative approaches, to propagandistic, poster-like versions, to metaphorical or ambiguous expressions and even (as mentioned above) entirely non-objective compositions. Not surprisingly, most academically trained white artists, as well as most international artists, tend to employ a more conceptual approach, while most black South African artists’ prints are more literal in nature and rely on a (more or less successfully mastered) realistic style. This parallels the majority of art production in South Africa in general and is a result of the country’s legacy of racially divided art education and availability of opportunities.


A similar variety is evident with regard to the manner in which the content of the message ‘Break the Silence’ has been expressed. Few artists felt compelled to represent a subject directly related to the theme, which was intended to address issues of discrimination and stigmatisation. It seems that most artists interpreted the brief more broadly, representing what they personally felt important about the disease, whether it be the various ways of contracting the virus, the options for prevention, the problem of discrimination, the experience of living with HIV or full-blown Aids, the tragedy of death, or the need for upliftment and compassion.

Following a popular strategy of HIV/Aids community murals, a number of artists draw explicit or implicit parallels between South Africa’s past (successfully completed) struggle for political freedom and the new struggle against Aids. Dominic Thorburn (2000) explains in his statement that “South Africa is again in a ‘State of Emergency’ - it has a new ‘struggle’ of immense proportions”. Similarly, Judith Mason (2000) explains: “During the anti-apartheid struggle we identified the enemy, confronted it and prevailed against it. We need to do the same today or another generation will be needlessly lost.” One example of how this message is expressed in visual terms is Diane Victor’s composition, which strongly recalls Paul Stopforth’s famous icon of ‘resistance art’. Instead of Steve Biko it is now the dead body of an anonymous young man, another victim senselessly killed by the disease, who lies spread out on the floor of a non-descript room. A closer look at this complex print reveals an embossed coffin around the corpse and an embossed “ethereal alter image, which counts the daily toll” (Victor 2000) in the upper left corner. A vicious dog, a bitch, somewhat reminiscent of David Koloane’s township beast in ‘The Moon and Dog’ (1996), seems to symbolize the killer disease. But the bitch is powerfully restrained through a muzzle, visually echoeing the use of a condom, thus indicating that the disease can be controlled, or metaphorically, the beast can be tamed. Victor (2000), in her artist’s statement, offers a different interpretation, referring to the dog as information and truth, which is being muzzled and concealed, thereby providing an ideal breeding ground for misinformation and superstition. This is another indication of the ambiguity inherent in the print images, which allows for multiple readings and encourages personal interpretation.

In a similar vein, Yusuf Arakkal from India has focussed on the victim, here a middle aged man in a grim room. Two spiky lines reminiscent of barbed wire are stretched across the print, implying that the man is imprisoned or outcast. Sharply outlined against the dark background, he is dressed in a simple white suit, recalling a prisoner’s uniform, but simultaneously carrying connotations of innocence following Goya’s well-known precendent The Third of May, 1808 (1814). But the intersecting barbed wire installation also forms a cross, providing religious associations, which combined with the sprouting young plant and the incribed words spelling out the title of the work, ‘Hope is what we live for’, sets a positive tone for the fight against the disease.


In keeping with the tradition of billboard advertisment with its mixture of image and text, some artists play with words and textual messages as integral parts of their visual compositions. Tinus Boshoff’s unusual, colourfully patterned print is focused on vague human shapes, drawn in thick black outline and filled with colourful patterns that, in their cultural specificity, subtly alluding to South Africa’s different racial population groups. Boshoff seems to explore the meaning of Aids, not in medical, but social terms, and express a warning as indicated in his title ‘Adjust Irresponsible behaviour or Destroy Society’. He overlays his human element with textual messages, strings of words, dictionary-like, which appear to spell out in a variety of ways the meaning of the acronym ‘Aids’, for instance, ‘abundance/ injustice/ denial/ self’ or ‘absorbed/ inflicted/ decay/ satisfy’. Many of these terms again evoke memories of the injustices of South Africa’s Apartheid past. According to the artist’s statement (Boshoff 2000), this print deals with various aspects of promiscuity and condemns sexually reckless behaviour, which is expressed by the careless mood of the four dancing figures.

Another compelling image is the one created by Sue Williamson, a work which, according to the artist (Williamson 2000), should not so much be seen as an art work than as documentation. Williamson has interviewed HIV-positive women and then worked with a graffiti artist to put up thought-provoking quotes by these women on selected walls in the townships. Her laser print for the portfolio shows a photograph of one of these women, Busi, juxtaposed with a photograph of her words painted on the wall, which reads ‘It should be taken as a crime if someone doesn’t wear a condom and makes you go to bed.’ Such statements, recalling the publicly displayed ‘truisms’of American artist Jenny Holzer, are intended to command attention and raise consciousness. However, their strong reliance on written text, furthermore presented in English language, excludes large sectors of the population. For the billboard display of this work it will be of crucial importance to choose a site in an appropriate context.

Deterrent imagery versus upliftment
HIV/Aids is a dreadful, fatal disease and one of the first basic decisions for any artist dealing with this topic is whether to use ‘deterrant’ imagery that aims to induce a change of behaviour by showing the shocking reality of suffering and dying from Aids, or to use a positive, uplifting approach, that focuses on living with Aids. Among HIV/Aids murals, only very few examples make use of the shock strategy; most resort to uplifting imagery that appeals for compassion and assistance, stressing that anybody could be the next victim. All murals painted as part of the Seven Cities and Beyond Awareness campaigns are confined to the use of positive imagery after a principle decision to this effect had been taken by the organisational team, which included the Department of Health as a sponsor. The rationale behind this decision was that shock tactics are counter-productive in their attempt to effect a change in people’s behaviour, because a mural showing an abhorrent scene will be rejected by the target community. This decision was also in line with the prevalent view that community murals by definition are supposed to have an uplifting function and contribute to the beautification of their environment.

The committee members of the print portfolio refrained from giving any directive as to the interpretation of the theme, taking for granted the autonomy of art and rejecting artistic censorship. However, it seems that a focus on positive or celebratory images was expected, indicated by a special note in the artist’s agreement, which reads: “As the theme embodies a certain sense of celebration, the use of colour is advised” (Artists for Human Rights 2000). Amira Wasfy’s abstract composition in muted colours with the textual message ‘Viva’, Osiah Masekoameng’s image centred upon the white candle as a symbol of life and hope, and Kanuge John Bosco’s fabric print of African drummers, are among those that could be argued to meet these expectations most directly.


Many artists, however, seem to have interpreted the theme ‘Break the Silence’ to mean that the terrifying reality of HIV/Aids must be brought into the light. Perhaps the most drastic image is the black and white lino cut by Vukile Teyise from the Eastern Cape. A gigantic skeleton, prominently displaying the sign ‘Aids kills’ and recalling medieval representations of the Apocalypse, sweeps through the streets of this typical South African town with its urban colonial structures on the right and squalid shacks on left. In its path the skeleton encounters anonymous crowds of people, some of whom may be warned, others already doomed. In a similar vein, Nhlanhla Xaba’s obscure image is focused on a funeral procession set in gloomy landscape, although his statement elaborates on the importance of education (Xaba 2000).

Even the most negative and deterrent images usually contain at least a small message of
hope or deliverance. For for Xaba, many other artists see the salvation in education. Stembiso Sibisi’s black and white linocut mentioned above, shows high school pupils in a classroom being educated by a nurse, who has brought along a box of condoms. Gabisela Nkosi’s print features a rural village surrounded by graveyards. A nurse, equipped with free condoms, is paired off with a traditional elder who addresses the chief of this community, many members of which are already visibly affected by the disease. Showing the reality of death and disease is thus balanced off with the central issue of prevention through education and condom use, but all this with the consent and co-operation of the traditional leadership. More obliquely is the education aspect conveyed in the work of Penny George from Bloemfontein, the background layer of which consists of detailed instructions for fitting a condom adapted from a standard condom packet.

A different approach is pursued by Mduduzi Xakaza, who couches the basic theme - danger and hope, death and salvation - in religious terms. His colourful screen print represents an emaciated young man, visibly stricken with the disease, being comforted by Jesus Christ, represented as a black man. Xakaza acknowledges that stigmatisation of and discrimination against those infected and dying from Aids is a rampant and serious problem, which cannot be rooted out overnight (Xakaza 2001). In the meantime, the victims can rest assured that Jesus Christ is there for them, perhaps the only one who truly cares and accepts them as they are. They are doomed to die, but they can die with hope.

It is interesting to note that almost all black South African artists have chosen a realistic style and narrative format that includes explicit references to death and suffering and it is mostly these images that have thus far been enlarged and mounted onto billboards. It seems that these artists are inspired by their personal experience of living in or interfacing with communities in which dying from Aids has become a daily reality. They also know that members of black working class communities, largely uneducated and inexperienced in visual art appreciation, respond most strongly to figurative compositions in a realistic style, which they can relate to and engage with.

Other approaches

Almost all HIV/Aids murals try to convey a clearly comprehensible safe sex message by advocating the use of condoms and furthermore emphasise the display of the red ribbon as the internationally recognised symbol of HIV/Aids. Perhaps the only print that compares with this ‘propagandistic’ aspect of the murals and clearly aims to convey an unmistakable, easily comprehensible message, is the poster-style print of Daniel A.Ohene-Adu from Ghana, which seems to have been influenced by the strong local Ghanaian tradition of vernacular sign-writing. His image shows a schematically rendered couple surrounded by flames of both love and hell as the mixture of framing hearts and skulls seems to indicate. His commanding textual message ‘HIV/Aids is deadly - use a condom’ is backed up with the prominent depiction of the life-saving implement. In similarly unmistaken terms his statement, submitted in the form of a poem, speaks of HIV/Aids as a murderer eating away mankind and the necessity to use bold images and language to root it out completely (Ohene-Adu 2000).

Most print portfolio artists, however, do not feel compelled to represent the red ribbon symbol or ram home an unmistakable point. Instead, they tend to focus on giving a very personal interpretation of what they personally consider most important about the issue. Durban artist, Trevor Makhoba, for instance, produced an image that recalls the open mouth of a shark, with its dense rows of teeth represented through the repetitive use of the letters HIV an AIDS. The reprimanding tone of his words at the bottom of the print, ‘It gives sufficeint (sic) time for repentance’ and the work’s title ‘God his people’ introduces a religious and moralising slant and finds parallels in many of his works that criticise or satirise sexually immoral behaviour.

A number of other artists, too, hint at prostitution or the violation of moral behavioural codes as the root of the HIV/Aids problem: The work by Alex Flett from Scotland, for instance, is a loose adaptation of Picasso’s renowned icon of prostitutes in a brothel, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907). Namibian artist, Joseph Madisia, has created a composition brimming with detail, but again implicating prostitution in the spread of the disease with his shadowy figures lurking around the corner from the alluring prostitute, passing freshly dug graves.

Conclusion

Like its predecessors, the Images of Human Rights portfolio and the International Portfolio representing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, ‘Break the Silence’ is meant to be educative, highly public and community oriented on the one hand, and of high artistic standard and creative value on the other. It thus occupies an ambiguous position within the productions of the South African art world, which - despites efforts to the contrary - is still largely devided along the lines of ‘high art’ and ‘low art’. The intended transferal onto billboards not only brings art into communities, as murals do, but also aligns them with the realm of advertisment, just as murals are often associated with advertisment. This competition with the seductive visual language of advertisments, professionally designed by specialised agencies based on complex market research and audience analysis, is an important factor that must be taken into account and that will invariably impact on the print portfolio images when they have actually been mounted onto billboards. While most images look stunning in their current form as prints, it remains to be seen how successful they will be (both aesthetically and in terms of their intended function), when displayed on billboards. Based on the few images that have already been mounted, observation and anecdotal evidence suggests a very positive reception, but it can be suggested, that not all prints will be equally suitable for use as billboards.



References

Artists for Human Rights (2000). Artist’s agreement for ‘Break the Silence’ print portfolio.
Boshoff, T. (2000). Artist’s statement. ‘Break the Silence’ print portfolio.
Marschall, S (2001). ‘Conveying the Safe Sex Message: Aids Awareness Murals in the 1990s’. New Contree, forthcoming.
Mason, J. (2000). Artist’s statement. ‘Break the Silence’ print portfolio.
Ohene-Adu, D. (2000). Artist’s statement. ‘Break the Silence’ print portfolio.
Sibisi, S. (2001). Personal communication. Durban.
Sudheim, A. (2000). ‘Reality hits the road’. Mail & Guardian. Sept.8-14.
Swaleh, A. (2001). Personal communication. Durban.
Thorburn, D. (2000). Artist’s statement. ‘Break the Silence’ print portfolio.
Victor, D. (2000). Artist’s statement. ‘Break the Silence’ print portfolio.
Wasfy, A. (2000). Artist’s statement. ‘Break the Silence’ print portfolio.
Williamson, S. (2000). Artist’s statement. ‘Break the Silence’ print portfolio.
Xaba, N. (2000). Artist’s statement. ‘Break the Silence’ print portfolio.
Xakaza, M. (2001). Personal telephonic communication. Durban - Pietermaritzburg.



Notes

.Exhibitions and art events associated with this conference included the Aids Memorial Quilt; ‘Pandemic Patient’, a sculptural installation by South African artist, Fiona Kirkwood; ‘Postcards from the Edge’, works by children affected by HIV/Aids, held at the Durban Art Gallery; and ‘Bodies of Resistance’, a visual art exhibition at the NSA Gallery.
. The project was initiated by Artists for Human Rights (specifically Jan Jordaans from Technikon Natal) in Durban. Major sponsors of the project are the Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology (DACST) and the National Arts Council (NAC). The Department of Health has sponsored the enlargement for billboards and is currently being approached for more funding.
. Currently only five images have been enlarged and placed on billboards, most of them in the vicinity of Durban. These include Sthembiso Sibisi’s image on a billboard at Vouyiswamatolo

ABAFAZI-WOMEN OF COLOR CAUCUS STUDENT ESSAY AWARDS

2001-11-08

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/wgender/3940

The purpose of the ABAFAZI Women of Color Caucus Student Essay Awards is to discover, encourage, and promote the intellectual development of emerging Black women scholars who engage in critical theoretical discussions and/or analyses about feminist/ womanist issues concerning women of color. Scholarly essays may be on any subject relevant to Black girls' or Black women's issues and/or experiences in the United States or throughout the Diaspora.
ABAFAZI-WOMEN OF COLOR CAUCUS STUDENT ESSAY AWARDS
The purpose of the ABAFAZI-Women of Color Caucus Student Essay Awards is to
discover, encourage, and promote the intellectual development of emerging
Black women scholars who engage in critical theoretical discussions and/or
analyses about feminist/ womanist issues concerning women of color.
Scholarly essays may be on any subject relevant to Black girls' or
Black women's issues and/or experiences in the United States or throughout
the Diaspora. Info: Della Scott, Editor, ABAFAZI, Simmons College, 300
Fenway, Boston, MA 02115-5898.

WOMEN OF COLOR CAUCUS ESSAY AWARDS 2002
Similar writing award as above for one Latina, one Asian/Asian-American,
and one Native American undergraduate or graduate student scholar of
Latina, Native American and Asian descent. Students are required to submit
scholarly essays that focus on (inter) national perspectives concerning
critical theoretical discussions and/or analyses regarding issues relevant
to Native American, Latina and/or Asian women. Info: Pat Washington,
Department of Women's Studies, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile
Drive, San Diego, CA 92182-8138; washing3@mail.sdsu.edu

WOMEN OF COLOR CAUCUS- PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION AND DEVELOPMENT ESSAY AWARD
2002
One writing award for an undergraduate or graduate student of any ancestry
whose scholarly essay submission focuses on (inter) national perspectives
concerning critical theoretical discussions and/or analyses regarding
issues relevant to women and girls of African, Native American, Latina
and/or Asian descent. Info: Pat Washington, Department of Women's Studies,
San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA 92182-8138
washing3@mail.sdsu.edu

DEADLINE: February 1, 2002
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University of Minnesota
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AFRICA: the role of women in conflict and peace

IRIN interview with Angela King

2001-11-08

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/wgender/3972

Angela King is the UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women. In an interview with IRIN, King discussed the role of women in conflict, peace and security. While acknowledging that women are frequently the victims of conflict, King argued that women are playing an increasingly important
part in its resolution in their roles as peace negotiators and peacekeepers.
U N I T E D N A T I O N S
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN)

AFRICA: IRIN interview on the role of women in conflict and peace and
security

ABIDJAN, 31 October (IRIN) - Angela King is the UN Secretary-General's
Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women. In an interview
with IRIN, King discussed the role of women in conflict, peace and
security. While acknowledging that women are frequently the victims of
conflict, King argued that women are playing an increasingly important
part in its resolution in their roles as peace negotiators and
peacekeepers.

QUESTION: How does the impact of armed conflict on women differ from its
impact on men ?

ANSWER: With the changing nature of warfare we have found that the victims
now are not just other soldiers or military targets but that the majority
tend to be women and children. For example, during ethnic cleansing in
Rwanda and the Balkans, women were targeted as a means of humiliating a
particular ethnic group through rape, forced marriages and genocide.
HIV/AIDS is also a big problem because there is usually no condom use or
anything like that when you are raped. In the overall population more
women are now getting HIV/AIDS than men.

Q: Does your office focus on the role of women as combatants ?

A: We do, but there's not always a whole lot of information. We do know
that women are combatants in a number of countries in Africa. But what we
are finding is that in many of the cases where there is resettlement and
training the women combatants get left out so part of what UN Security
Resolution 1325 [on women, peace and security] is saying is that we have
to look at all of these areas as they regard women. Don't just create
reintegration programmes for the men. So to a certain extent this had been
neglected but it is now being addressed.

Q: Is the UN system taking special needs of displaced and refugee women
into account in its programming?

A: No, it is not happening in a perfect way but I would say that the UN
system is very much aware that women's needs are different to those of
men. I went to an Afghan refugee camp in Peshawar in Pakistan and found
that the same traditions that were carried out in Afghanistan were
translated to the camp. Women had to wear burkas and other traditional
attitudes were maintained. UNHCR has become much more aware and they now
have a gender policy because they do know that particularly younger women
and girls can suffer rape in the camps as well as other violations. In one
instance there was a case of Rwandan refugee women who had not been raped
and in a single night some of the older women performed female genital
mutilation on over one hundred of these girls thinking that if they were
raped they would at least have had the culturally designed ritual. So the
UN is becoming more aware that it has to safeguard against such
occurrences and a set of guidelines has been put out by an inter-agency
committee which has been quite successful in setting policy.

Q: What about role of women as peacemakers ?

A: Women have traditionally been looked at as victims but the new thinking
is the role that women can play as peacekeepers, in peace accords and the
rebuilding of society. There is more and more empirical evidence to show
that women do have a role to play. So far none of the literature I have
read or even my own personal experience has said that women are better
peacemakers than men but there have been certain instances where they have
been very effective...women tend to listen more so they tend to be more
open to the other side's point of view. They also seem to be better at
transmitting messages of peace. If a peace accord has been signed, women
seem to be good at convincing their spouses and the community that it
should be carried out. They also seem to be better at traditional means of
negotiation that might work in a community. They are less hierarchical
than men. If there is an attempt at a meeting which doesn't come off they
tend to go for a second time whereas men tend to be more offended.

In Somalia it was the women who brought the clan leaders together for the
first time. They were sort of left out of the peace accord so they formed
themselves into what they called the womens' clan or the sisters' clan.
And they were able to influence the peace accords. More recently there has
been a very interesting initiative called the Mano River Union project
whereby women from Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia actually persuaded the
presidents of Guinea and Liberia to meet. And [Guinean] President Conte
acknowledged this publicly. In the case of Liberia, and to a certain
extent Sierra Leone, it was the mothers who got together and went to the
bush to persuade the young child soldiers to lay down their arms. During
the negotiation of the Burundi peace accord a group of women went to see
Mr Mandela [chief mediator of the talks] and said you need to have certain
issues included and they got at least half of their demands into the final
version.

Q: What does the UN do to support these groups ?

A: Many of these groups would happen anyway because women are good at
groups and most of them have been involved in civil society. Very often
what happens is that there is a ceasefire and the women are forgotten or
pushed out of these active decision-making roles. What has happened in a
number of cases, partly because of the UN presence and the philosophy of
democracy and so on, is that there has been a transformation where the
women do continue to have a say. In South Africa more than a third of the
cabinet is now women. During the UN Observer Mission in South Africa [
headed by Angela King ] the UN pushed for women to be part of the peace
committees and fostered this feeling among women of all parties to get
together. They certainly used this very effectively to get at least three
women on the constitutional negotiating committee.

Q: In October 2000 the UN Security Council adopted a landmark resolution
on women, peace and security. How has this helped to promote the role of
women in such situations ?

A: This was the first time in 55 years that the Security Council had
introduced a debate about women and, of course, they made the point of
talking about women as victims and the need for better humanitarian law
and so on, but the main thrust was that women and civil society
organisations should be fully involved in the peacekeeping process. Part
of our role is to enhance the capacity of women who are already on the
ground working. In June we had a workshop in [Ethiopian capital] Addis
Ababa in collaboration with the Economic Commission of Africa and the OAU
[Organisation of African Unity] to determine how to enhance the existing
roles of women and see how they could be supportive to peacekeeping
missions. For example, it would be very useful to have some of these women
as resource people for initial assessment missions. Recently the Security
Council has started to meet women's groups. They did so in Kosovo and they
did so when they went to the [Democratic Republic of] Congo and this will
become routine.

I have also been asked by the Secretary-General to coordinate the
preparation of a study on the impact of armed conflict on women and
children and also to look at the role of women in peace processes and
peace-building. So it is really a very comprehensive study and we are
hoping that out of this there will be a report to the Security Council
which will not just give the facts as they are but act as a blueprint and
give some guidance to the Council.

UNIFEM [the UN Development Fund for Women] is also looking at its the
effectiveness of its own activities around peacekeeping missions. Their
findings will provide valuable input on the operational aspects of the
report to be submitted to the Security Council. DPKO [UN peacekeeping
department] is also trying to develop manuals for codes of conduct for
peacekeepers and we are also trying to develop these networks so that if,
for example, the Security Council is going somewhere we can tap into them
on their behalf.





[ENDS]

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AMANITARE

African Partnership for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights of Women and Girls

2001-11-08

http://www.wougnet.org/Links/rightslinks.html#AMANITARE

AMANITARE - the African Partnership for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights of Women and Girls - was launched in Uganda in 2000, and is coordinated by RAINBO. AMANITARE's goal is to build an influential social movement to institutionalize the recognition of African women's and girls' sexual and reproductive health rights as fundamental to their civil and human rights. AMANITARE is organized into three action groups, each coordinated by an African NGO: Advocating for Freedom from Gender-Based Violence; Integrating Sexual and Reproductive Rights into Health Services; and Reaching-Out to New Generations.

CAN MALE GENDER TRAINERS TIP THE BALANCE?

2001-11-08

http://www2.womensnet.org.za/news/show.cfm?news_id=752

Gender training is central to gender and development (GAD) work in East Africa and Kenya. How vital are gender trainers in transforming the attitudes of men resistant to gender quality?

International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF)

2001-11-08

http://www.wougnet.org/links.html#IWMF

The IWMF was launched in 1990 with the mission to strengthen the role of women in the news media around the world, based on the belief that no press is truly free unless women share an equal voice. IWMF is involved in three areas: Raising Awareness; Building Networks; and Creating Opportunities.

MANY FACES OF GENDER INEQUALITY

2001-11-08

http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl1822/18220040.htm

Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen's work on gender inequality is of seminal importance. His work on the theory of the household represents the household not as an undifferentiated unit, but as a unit of cooperation as well as of inequality and internal discrimination. Along with his academic collaborator Jean Drze, Professor Sen proposed and popularised the concept of "missing women" - estimated to exceed 100 million round the world - which has given us a new way of understanding and mapping the problem.

Mauritius: SOS Femmes Conference

2001-11-08

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/wgender/3954

A conference will be held in Mauritius on the 26th and 27th of November 2001 to launch a network on violence against women and girls within the SADC countries, including Madagascar and the Seychelles. It will take place during the 16 days of activism Against Gender Violence Campaign. On 25th of November, a radio talk will also be made concerning the history and aims of the 16 days of activism against gender violence.
Conference held in Mauritius by SOS Femmes





Sir/Madam,


A conference will be held in Mauritius on the 26th and 27th of November 2001, having as main purpose the launching of a network on violence against women and girls regrouping the SADC countries, including Madagascar and Seychelles.. It will also be during the 16 days of activism against Gender Violence Campaign. On 25th of November, a radio talk will be made concerning the history and aims of the 16 days of activism against gender violence.Here are some information about the conference. There will be 25 delegates from SADC countries, including Madagascar. A regional journalist from Zimbabwe and the local press will cover the event. A play about gender and women's empowerment "Secrets of the Owl", will also de performed on this occasion. Here are some more information concerning the conference. Could you please include this in your newsletter?. Thank You.

Rationale for the Network

African women and girls are victims of various forms of gender-based as well as structural and religious forms of violence. However, for social, religious, traditional and political reasons, this violence has remained hidden and is largely, viewed as a private matter. It is only recently that African women's groups have taken up the issue and are, with great difficulty, making the problem visible. Their struggle against violence towards women is pitted not only against violent men, but a whole complex and entrenched system where religious and traditional values and beliefs condone if not promote violence against women. Moreover, the state institutions in our part of the world do not often take actions or adapt programs to promote women’s rights. Their commitment tends to restrict itself to signing some international treaties… to appear progressive, we would say. Patriarchal and anti-women values remain largely unchallenged!

S.O.S Femmes has, by a very aggressive campaign and lobbying, supported by the media and a very large number of women, over the past eight years, finally been able to obtain the enactment of the Protection from Domestic Violence Act. It is a good piece of legislation for the protection of victims of domestic violence but there is a presently strong so-called pro-family lobby to amend, if not abrogate the law. Once again, it shows how our struggle is always an uphill process-a few steps forward---few steps backwards…

There are only a few battered women's shelters in Africa.Women's security and right to protection and to life are thus pertinent and urgent issues for the African women's movement.

There is also the additional problem of lack of research and data on the issue of violence against women and girls, within the continent. Although there are a few women's umbrella organizations in Africa, S.O.S Femmes believes that they are organized around so many different issues that they cannot develop a sustained and coherent policy against violence against women. The complexity of violence demands a distinct approach, at various levels-theory, provision of services and politically. It has to be analyzed as a distinct and separate issue and its connections with or implications for other issues, such as poverty, housing, family ideology and politics, the legal process, etc. need to be understood, explained, challenged whenever necessary.

On the other hand, as the regional organizations, such as the Southern African Development Community, the Organization of African Unity (OAU) are slowly taking up the issue of violence against women, we need to organize and develop a common platform of demands for implementation by these organizations and plan our lobbying strategies to achieve our aims more effectively.





AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE NETWORK


To plan and coordinate actions for the elimination of violence against women and girls.
To undertake research and compile information on the various forms of violence against women and girls.
To hold regional conferences, seminars, training programs.
To undertake campaigns in the media and by other means, to raise awareness of the problem as it affects African women and girls.
To lobby national governments and regional organizations for the enactment of laws and the adoption of best practices for the promotion of women's human rights and the criminalization of violence against women and its elimination within families and societies.
To campaign against all literary, artistic, or any other cultural form which encourage or promote violence against women and children.
To publish or contribute towards the publication of books, reports, newspapers on gender issues.
To coordinate campaigns at regional and international levels on violence against women and girls.
To prepare regional reports for the Special Rapporteur on violence against women.
To advocate for a fund, for the African continent, for research on and provision of services for victims and their children.
To set up a pool of experts, academics, journalists, and activists who have knowledge and/or experience on violence against women and children.
To undertake such other cognate duties as may be necessary for the promotion of the aims and objectives of the network.



Sincerely
Cherieanne SAVRIMUTHU-CARTA
Coordinator

Peace Women Launched

2001-11-08

http://www.peacewomen.org/

Peacewomen is a new website and a project of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom's United Nations Office in New York. The project seeks to nurture communication among a diversity of women's organisations by providing an accessible and accurate information exchange between peace women around the world and the UN system.
newly launched
website www.peacewomen.org, a project of the Women's International
League for Peace and Freedom's United Nations Office in New York.
The project seeks to nurture communication among a diversity of
women's organisations by providing an accessible and accurate
information exchange between peace women around the world and the UN
system. PeaceWomen.org includes a comprehensive database of contact
information for women's organisations working for peace and justice,
governmental machineries, United Nations offices in the field, and
Permanent Missions to the UN; a news and information service; women's
campaigns; bibliographies, articles, reports, statements and
declarations, and tools for organisational building; accessible
information on the basics of the United Nations and related agencies,
as well as updates on what the UN system is doing on women, peace,
and security. The project prioritizes conflict zones; therefore,
much of the information featured pertains to Africa.

Prize for Women's Creativity in Rural Life

Call for Nominations

2001-11-08

http://www.wougnet.org/projectnews.html#WWSF2002

Awarded since 1995 by the Women's World Summit Foundation (WWSF) - an international NGO for the empowerment of women and children - the Prize ($500 each) annually honours women and women's groups exhibiting exceptional creativity, courage and commitment in improving the quality of life in rural communities. Deadline for nominations is March 2002.

SENEGAL: WOMEN USE IT TO FIGHT FOR EQUALITY

2001-11-08

http://www.mg.co.za/mg/za/archive/2001nov/features/06nov-senegal.html

More and more Senegalese women are using the New Information and Communication Technologies to fight for equal rights and gender equality.

South Africa: Rape of baby

COSATU Statement

2001-11-08

http://www.cosatu.org.za/press/latest.html

It is with shock and disgust that we read to learn about the rape of a nine-month-old baby by six adult men ranging from 24-66 years old. This unfortunately is not an isolated case. The recent spate of incidents of violence against women and children where rape and gang rape and sexual abuse by neighbors, teachers, parents, grand-fathers, uncles, partners etc is escalating. This is despite attempts to raise awareness and legislative measures put in place to stop violence against women and children. Any form of violence is internationally recognized as a major human rights violation and results in physical, emotional and psychological harm.
Rape of baby


----------------------------------------

Press statement issued by the Congress of South African Trade Unions.

To receive future press statements go to
http://gate.cosatu.org.za/mailman/listinfo/press

----------------------------------------

It is with shock and disgust that we read to learn about
the rape of a nine-month-old baby by six adult men
ranging from 24-66 years old. This unfortunately is not
an isolated case. The recent spate of incidents of
violence against women and children where rape and
gang rape and sexual abuse by neighbors, teachers,
parents, grand-fathers, uncles, partners etc is
escalating. This is despite attempts to raise
awareness and legislative measures put in place to
stop violence against women and children. Any form
of violence is internationally recognized as a major
human rights violation and results in physical,
emotional and psychological harm.
No culture, provocation, neglect or mental condition
can be used to justify this perverse behavior.
Violence against women and children have
permeated all layers and spheres of our society to an
extent that there is no place to hide. The recent spate
of incidents of rape, gang rape and abuse in the
home, school even in the pre-schools confirms this.
One would expect that a child be in a safe environment
at home where, if any act of negligence was
discovered, it would be dealt with appropriately
rather than take advantage of it.
Such shocking incidents signify the extent of the moral
decay of our society and the lack of respect for human
rights and dignity. They also show the extent to which
we must vigorously engage in a concerted effort as
workers, employers, youth, NGO’s and as social
workers and teachers and parents in particular with
community interventions and strategies to supplement
legislative measures and the justice system in order to
curb and eliminate this scourge from our society.
We call upon community organizations such as the
local civic structures, Gender Machinery and all
progressive forces in Northern Cape in particular to
take up this matter by ensuring that our presence is felt
in court cases in support of the legal system to ensure
that justice is served to uproot this scourge.
As COSATU, given our role in society and our
commitment to protect the most vulnerable sectors of
our society, therefore feel urged to pronounce
ourselves and can not rest while women and children
are denied their right to freedom and protection.
We cannot emphasize enough the need to join forces
and work towards the eradication of violence against
women and children and promotion of human rights.
We should join and support community intervention
and media strategies to ensure that we permeate and
reach all levels of our society in terms of education
and awareness raising, creating a free and conducive
environment and breaking the silence and on this
matter.





Patrick Craven and Moloto Mothapo
Acting COSATU Spokespersons

patrick@cosatu.org.za
082-821-7456
339-4911

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The future of men and their health

Are men in danger of extinction?

2001-11-08

http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/323/7320/1013

Despite having had most of the social determinants of health in their favour, men have higher mortality rates for all 15 leading causes of death and a life expectancy about seven years shorter than women's. Men's reluctance to embrace preventive strategies has also contributed to the spread of AIDS, particularly in Africa, and to an alarming rise in infections among young men, including other sexually transmitted diseases. Furthermore, there is a sustained increase in psychosocial disorders in men, including alcohol and substance abuse, mid-life crisis, depression, and domestic violence. Men's increasing aggression and autoaggression remain an unsolved health and societal problem. As you read this, over 30 wars and conflicts rage around the world, mostly created, maintained, and aggravated by men.

Uganda Media Women's Association:

Mama FM

2001-11-08

http://www.wougnet.org/Profiles/umwa.html#MamaFM

On August 24, 2001, UMWA launched a new community radio station that will be a forum for debating gender issues. The station, 101.7 Mama FM, will cover women's issues as well as news of importance to other marginalized groups.

Burundi changes 'an opportunity for human rights'

2001-11-08

http://www.web.amnesty.org/web/news.nsf/WebAll/ADCE49477834D24180256AF60054CACF?OpenDocument

Human rights must be top of the agenda of the new transitional government in Burundi, said Amnesty International.

BURUNDI: Transitional government''s cabinet

2001-11-08

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/rights/3976

Following is President Pierre Buyuoya's 26-member cabinet for the first half of a three-year transitional government inaugurated on Thursday.
U N I T E D N A T I O N S
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN)

BURUNDI: Transitional government''s cabinet

NAIROBI, 1 November (IRIN) - Following is President Pierre Buyuoya's
26-member cabinet for the fist half of a three-year transitional
government inaugurated on Thursday. Under a deal cut to end the eight-year
civil war largely between the ruling Tutsi minority and the majority Hutu
opposition, Buyoya, a Tutsi, will head the new power-sharing
administration as its president for the next 18 months. During this period
Domitien Ndayizeye will serve as vice-president. Both men will reverse
roles for the second 18-month period.

The cabinet named on Tuesday contains 20 new faces, PANA reported.
President:
Pierre Buyoya (UPRONA)
Vice-President:
Domitien Ndayizeye (FRODEBU)
Foreign Affairs & Cooperation:
Therence Sinunguruza - ex-Justice Minister - (URPONA)
Interior & National Security:
Salvator Ntihabose - ex-Agriculture & Livestock Minister - (FRODEBU)
Justice: Fulgence Dwima Bakana - new - (FRODEBU)
National Defence:
Maj-Gen Cyrille Ndayirukiye - re-appointed - (UPRONA)
Planning, Development and Reconstruction:
Andre Nkundikije - new - (AV-Intwari)
Local Development:
Casimir Ngendanganya - new - (PALIPEHUTU)
Reintegration:
Francoise Ngendahayo - new - (IKINZO)
Peace mobilisation & National Reconciliation:
Luc Rukingama - ex-Communications - (UPRONA)
Country Planning, Environment and Tourism:
Gaetan Nikobamye - new - (PL)
Agriculture & Livestock:
Pierre Ndikumagenge - new - (UPRONA)
Craft Industry, Professional Training & Adults Literacy:
Godefroy Hakizimana - new - (PSD)
Employment and Social Security:
Dismas Nditabiriye - new - (RADDES)
Public Service:
Festus Ntanyungu - new - (CNDD)
Finance:
Edouard Kadigiri - new - (ABASA)
Governance & Privatisation:
Didace Kiganahe - new - (FRODEBU)
Commerce and Industry:
Charles Karikurubu - new - (FRODEBU)
National Education:
Prosper Mpawenayo - reappointed - (FRODEBU)
Welfare and Women's promotion:
Marie Goreth Nduwimana - new - (PP)
Youth, Sports & Culture:
Barnabe Muteragiranwa - new - (RBP)
Public Health:
Jean Kamana - new - (FRODEBU)
Communication & government spokesman:
Albert Mbonerane - new - (CNDD)
Public works and Equipment:
Baltazar Bigirimana - new - (RPB)
Transport & Telecommunications:
Severin Ndikumugongo - new - (PP)
Energy and Mining:
Mathias Hitimana - new - (PRP)
Institutional Reforms/Parliamentary Realtions:
Alphonse Barancira - new - (ANADDE)
Minister of State in charge of HIV/AIDS Control:
Genevieve Sindabizera. (PIT)

ABASA - Allliance Burundo-Africaine pour le Salut (Tutsi)
ANADDE - Alliance nationale pour le droit et le developpment economique -
(Tutsi)
AV-Intwari - Alliances des vaillants(Tutsi)
CNDD - Conseil national pour la defense de la democratie (ex-Hutu rebels)
FRODEBU - Front pour la democratie au Buundi
INKINZO - Le Bouclier - The shield of freedom of speech. (Tutsi)
PALIPEHUTU - Parti pour la liberation du peuple Hutu (ex-Hutu)
PIT - Parti independent des travailleurs (Tutsi)
PL - Parti liberal
PP - Parti du peuple (Hutu)
PSD - Parti pour la socio-democratie
PRP - Parti pour la reconciliation du peuple (Tutsi)
RADDES - Rassemblement pour la democratie, le developpement economique et
social (Tutsi)
RPB - Rassemblement pour le peuple du Burundi (Hutu)
UPRONA - L'Union pour le progres national (mostly Tutsi)

[Sources: AFP, IRIN, PANA]


[ENDS]

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Copyright (c) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2001

DRC: Reports of Torture Throughout the Country - UN

2001-11-08

http://allafrica.com/stories/200111050408.html

The ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has had "a major impact on the human rights situation in the country", with torture reported in government- as well as rebel- held areas, says, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson in a report.

Kenya: Moi's inclusive electoral game

2001-11-08

http://www.africaanalysis.com/039.html

With less than 13 months to go, President Daniel arap Moi's categorical announcement that he will stand down in 2002 finally clears the way for a raft of hopeful successors. But he is wary of pointing out the likely victor as it would reduce his twilight months to a lame duck presidency.

Kenya: Prisoners Charged and Released

2001-11-08

http://www.omct.org

The 66 remaining detainees of the Release Political Prisoners party were released on 26 October, 2001 from the Kamiti and Lang'ata prisons on the orders of the High Court on the bail of 30,000 Kenyan shillings. The 71 people arrested have been charged of "unlawful assembly", and the next court hearing is set between November 5-7, 2001.
Case 241001.1
Follow-up of the Case KEN 241001
Release


The International Secretariat of OMCT has received new
information concerning the following situation in Kenya.


New Information

According to the information received, the 66 remaining
detainees of the Release Political Prisoners party were released
on 26 October, 2001 from the Kamiti and Lang'ata prisons on
the orders of the High Court on the bail of 30,000 Kenyan
shillings. The women were detained at Lang'ata Prison and were
released without problems at 7.30pm. The males, detained at
the Kamiti prison, encountered difficulties when prison
authorities tried to delay their release and harassed their
supporters who were waiting outside.

The whole 71 people arrested have been charged of "unlawful
assembly", and the next court hearing is set between November
5-7, 2001.

The International Secretariat of the OMCT welcomes this
release and urges the Kenyan authorities to guarantee that the 71
political activists are provided with a fair trial.


Brief reminder of the situation

71 members of the Release Political Prisoners (RPP) pressure
group and their friends – comprising 66 men and 5 women - had
been arrested as they were celebrating the so-called Mau Mau
Day on October 20th 2001, being held to honour freedom
fighters. The celebration was being held at the RPP’s
compound. The police reportedly stormed into the compound
and threw tear-gas grenades at the assembled crowd. They also
reportedly assaulted a number of persons while they were
arresting them.

According to the information received, these persons are being
detained at the Kamiti and the Lang’ata prisons, having been
accused of holding an unlawful assembly. Organisations and
individuals who attempted to visit the detainees were refused
access to them. Bail has been set at Kenyan Shillings 50,000,
which is a sum that most of the detainees, who are mainly
peasants, students or the unemployed, cannot afford. On
October 23rd, 2001, the Defence appealed to Chief Magistrate
Boaz Olao to reduce the high level of the bail, but he has
reportedly decided to delay announcing his ruling until Friday,
October 26th. This will have meant that the afore-mentioned
persons will have been detained arbitrarily for seven days, in
conditions under which OMCT fears that they may be being
subjected to ill-treatment or torture.

Only five of the detainees have been able to gather the sum
required to post bail. They are: Prof. Kivutha Kibwana (the
National Convention Executive Council Co-convenor), Kibe
Mungai (lawyer), Njoroge Wanguti (Chairman of RPP), Orina
Nyamwamu (RPP Secretary General) and Tirop Kitur (RPP
founding member).

Action requested

Please write to the authorities in Kenya urging them to:


i. put an immediate end to the persecution and harassment
of the Release Political Prisoners pressure group;
ii. guarantee the respect of human rights and the
fundamental freedoms throughout the country in
accordance with national laws and international human
rights standards.

Addresses

· H. E. Daniel. T. Arap Moi, Office of the President
P.O. Box 30510, 00100 Nairobi GPO
Tél 00254-2-22 74 11, Fax 00254-2-21 01 50

· Office of the Vice President
P.O. Box 30520, 00100 Nairobi GPO
Tél 00254-2-22 84 11, Fax 00254-2-21 44 57

· Amos Wako, Attorney General's Chambers
P.O. Box 40112, 00100 Nairobi GPO
Tél 00254-2-22 74 61, Fax 00254-2-31 51 05

· Judicial Department & High Court of Kenya
P.O. Box 30041, 00100 Nairobi GPO
Tél 00254-2-22 12 21, Fax 00254-2-33 34 49, E-
mail hck-lib@nbnet.co.ke

Please also write to the embassies of Kenya in your respective
country.

Geneva, November 5, 2001

Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of
this appeal in your reply.


Organisation Mondiale Contre la Torture (OMCT)
World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)
Organización Mundial Contra la Tortura (OMCT)
8 rue du Vieux-Billard
Case postale 21
CH-1211 Geneve 8
Suisse/Switzerland
Tel. : 0041 22 809 49 39
Fax : 0041 22 809 49 29
E-mail : omct@omct.org
http://www.omct.org

MALAWI: "Young democrats" implicated in intimidation

2001-11-08

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=12905&SelectRegion=Southern_Africa&SelectCountry=MALAWI

Ruling United Democratic Front's (UDF) party activists, the so-called "young democrats", have become embroiled once again in allegations of intimidation and violence.

Mozambique: Renamo Assaults Journalists and Citizens

2001-11-08

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/rights/3939

A cameraman with the Mozambican Television (TVM), Jose Arlindo, was seriously beaten up by armed security of the main opposition party in Mozambique, the Resistencia National Mocambicana (Renamo), in the northern city of Nampula on Thursday, November 1. Renamo was holding its IV Congress. One policeman and two unidentified civilians were also beaten up and three others were taken captive.
**We apologise for any cross-posting**

To: IFEX Auto List (other news of interest)
From: Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI), fxi@fxi.org.za
Subject: Weekly Report
Date: Friday, November 02, 2001

Cameraman assaulted, threatened, civilians beaten up, captured

A cameraman with the Mozambican Television (TVM), Jose Arlindo, was
seriously beaten up by armed security of the main opposition party in
Mozambique, the Resistencia National Mocambicana (Renamo), in the northern
city of Nampula on Thursday, November 1. Renamo was holding its IV Congress.

One policeman and two unidentified civilians were also beaten up and three
others were taken captive. According to MISA sources in Mozambique Renamo is
still holding the hostages.

According to MISA sources in Mozambique this happened when a group of
ex-Renamo guerrillas were holding a "peaceful" demonstration in front of the
congress venue.

Renamo's parliamentary chief, Ossufo Quitine, who was on the scene at the
time, prohibited the TVM cameraman from taking photographs. Jose Arlindo
disregarded the order and was summarily beaten up by the Renamo armed
security at the instruction of Quitine. The security officers also attempted
to confiscate the camera.

Speaking to "Noticias" newspaper Quitine accused the broadcaster and the
Mozambican Police of organising the demonstration. He could however not
produce evidence to substantiate his claim.

Speaking to "Noticias" the chief editor of TVM, Simao Anguilaze, said his
institution would use the "formal mechanisms of protest against this
aggression".

Meanwhile the Mozambican Journalists Union (SNJ) issued a statement
condemning the aggression of the TVM cameraman. It also condemned threats of
aggression against another cameraman of the Portuguese Radio Television
(RDP) who was photographing the Renamo leader's private security as they
were beating up demonstrators in front of the congress venue.

"Renamo's attitude and its members show once more that they want to silence
the truth and disregard the right of the citizens to be informed. This is
the right of each citizen (to be informed) as stipulated in the country's
constitution. "We will continue to fight for fair information in Mozambique"
the SNJ statement read.

Meanwhile, Renamo leader Afonso Dhlakama said he would investigate the
reasons behind the attitude of his private security. He said that
journalists must freely do their job even in war situations or other
conflicts.

NIGERIA: Government condemns army massacre in Benue

2001-11-08

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=12658&SelectRegion=West_Africa&SelectCountry=NIGERIA

Nigeria’s Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has described as reprehensible the massacre of scores of civilians and the sacking of their villages by soldiers in central region Benue State.

Nigeria: Hold Military to Account

Bush Meeting with Obasanjo Should Address Killings

2001-11-08

http://www.hrw.org/africa/index.php

Human Rights Watch urged Bush to raise concerns about the recent massacre by soldiers in Benue State, Central Nigeria at his meeting with President Obasanjo on 2 November to discuss anti-terrorism measures.
Nigeria: Hold Military to Account
Bush Meeting with Obasanjo Should Address Killings

(New York, November 1, 2001) -- In advance of Nigerian President
Olusegun Obasanjo's meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush, Human
Rights Watch urged Bush to raise concerns about the recent massacre by
soldiers in Benue State, Central Nigeria. President
Obasanjo is due to meet separately with President Bush and Secretary of
State Colin Powell on Friday, November 2 to discuss anti-terrorism
measures.

“The anti-terrorism agenda must not prevent President Bush from
condemning human rights violations
by the Nigerian security forces,” said Peter Takirambudde, executive
director of Human Rights Watch’s Africa division. “Failure to raise
these concerns just days after the
Nigerian army killed unarmed civilians and destroyed homes and
property would send a dangerous signal about U.S. commitment to human
rights in Nigeria.”

Human Rights Watch issued a statement on October 25 condemning the
actions of the Nigerian military in Benue State. The soldiers were
apparently acting in revenge for the earlier killing of 19 soldiers
attributed to an armed group. Initial figures indicated that at least
100 people had been killed in the military reprisal that began on
October 22, but on the basis of information received since then, Human
Rights Watch believes that the real civilian toll is likely to be
significantly higher. The situation in the area remains critical, with
tens of thousands of people displaced by the violence.

President Obasanjo has thus far failed to condemn the army's actions.
“We deplore the absence of any recognition on the part of the government
of the gravity of what happened in Benue,” said Takirambudde. “If the
U.S. Government considers Nigeria to be a close ally, it has a
responsibility to condemn these atrocities and urge President Obasanjo
to investigate the events and bring those responsible to justice.”

For more information on Nigeria, please see:

Nigeria: Soldiers Massacre Civilians in Revenge Attack in Benue State
(HRW Press Release, October 25, 2001) at
http://www.hrw.org/press/2001/10/nigeria1025.htm

Nigeria: Key Human Rights Watch Documents at
http://www.hrw.org/africa/index.php

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Rwanda: Church Helped Mastermind Genocide, Says Expert

2001-11-08

http://allafrica.com/stories/200111060395.html

The church in Rwanda was only next to the government in the preparation and execution of the 1994 genocide, an expert witness has told the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).

SHOULD THE KENYAN CONSTITUTION ALLOW FOR DUAL CITIZENSHIP?

Results of an opinion polls of kenyans in the uk

2001-11-08

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/rights/3980

This report presents an analysis of an opinion poll conducted to establish the views of Kenyans living in the UK, regarding whether or not they would like the Kenyan Constitution currently under review to provide for dual citizenship.
SHOULD THE KENYAN CONSTITUTION ALLOW FOR DUAL CITIZENSHIP?
RESULTS OF AN OPINION POLL OF KENYANS IN THE UK

Prof. Ezekiel Obado, Ben Osuga M Sc., Joshua Odongo M Sc. and Tom Ojwang M Sc
October 2001

Executive Summary
This report presents a summary of an opinion poll, which set out to answer the question:
“Should the Kenya constitution allow for dual citizenship?”
The respondents were given three options to choose from, which were: YES, NO and NOT SURE.
Out of a total of 982 people responding, 962 (98%) answered YES and. 20 (2%) answered NOT SURE. No one answered NO.
With the overwhelming support for dual citizenship by Kenyans living in the United Kingdom, the authors therefore recommend to the Chair of the Constitution of Kenya Review Commission to incorporate the findings of this study in the New Kenyan Constitution.
The Context
Trans-border capital mobility, which has come about as a result of globalisation, has eroded government sovereignty, particularly in the post cold war era. Globalisation offers a wide range of opportunities for individuals and nation states to share knowledge, skills and resources. History does show that those countries that have open door policy on migration have benefited tremendously in all aspects of human development. In the Bretton Woods era, governments controlled capital movement, and so, at least in the case of rich countries with large domestic markets, set the terms on which companies could do business in their countries. Now, Transnational corporations (TNCs) set the terms on which they are willing to be there. In effect, real sovereignty belongs more and more to global capital, especially global finance which operates in a substantially unified global market.

A quick analysis of sources of income by developing countries such as those in Sub-Saharan Africa would show remittances from nationals in the Diaspora compares favourably with other foreign income earners, such as, in the case of Kenya, tourism, coffee export, etc, if not better. Indeed, some countries in West Africa have already conducted such analyses and found that their citizens in the Diaspora are a very significant, if not indeed, the leading source of foreign income.


It is therefore imperative that with this in mind, it is in each country’s best interest to review their constitutions to ensure that they facilitate rather than impede free settlement of their citizens, in order to maximise these benefits for the good of their countries.

The authors see the constitutional review process, currently underway in Kenya, as a unique and timely opportunity for all Kenyans to work together to produce a constitution fit for the twenty first century and beyond. The authors are further persuaded that Kenyans in the Diaspora have unique experience and exposure, with which they can make valuable contribution towards the re-writing of the Kenyan constitution. It is in this light that the authors of this paper set out to seek the opinion of Kenyans living in the UK, on the issue of dual citizenship.

Methods and Results
This report presents an analysis of an opinion poll conducted to establish the views of Kenyans living in the UK, regarding whether or not they would like the Kenyan Constitution currently under review to provide for dual citizenship. The opinions of Kenyans were solicited from Kenyans attending a wide range of gatherings including Social network gatherings, Religious meeting places, and Community development meetings, Institutions of higher learning as well as Telephone interviews within and outside London. A total of 982 people were interviewed. Out of these 962 (98%) would like the constitution to provide for dual citizenship, 20 (2%) were not sure and none were opposed to Kenyans having dual citizenship.

Conclusion and Recommendation
In view of the overwhelming support for dual citizenship by Kenyans living in the United Kingdom, the authors would recommend to the Chair of the Constitution of Kenya Review Commission to incorporate the findings of this study in the New Kenyan Constitution.



Contact details of the authors:
Prof. E. Obado (Mobile.07790 721 307), B. Osuga (Benosuga@hotmail.com), J. Odongo (Jodongo@aol.com), and T. Ojwang

South Africa: Protest over land occupation charges

2001-11-08

http://southafrica.indymedia.org/display.php?id=529

More than 1000 community members from Valhalla Park, Cape Town, will protest
outside the High Court in Keerom Street, Cape Town, on Thursday. The protest takes place in support of 700 community members who have been charged with illegally occupying a piece of land in the centre of Valhalla
Park that the Unicity had already set aside for housing.

Sudan: arbitrary arrest of three lawyers

2001-11-08

http://www.omct.org/displaydocument.asp?DocType=Appeal&Language=EN&Index=1243

Three lawyers have been arrested in Sudan. The lawyers are members of the Democratic Front for Lawyers. Their arrests are unlawful, under Article 38 of the Advocacy Act, which states that a lawyer is not to be arrested without the Bar Association having been informed.

The Need for Global Justice

2001-11-08

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/rights/3968

The time is ripe for the ICC. It will be formally established-with or without the US - after 60 nations have ratified the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. The number count is up to 43. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan anticipates the ICC will be established in the next year.
[ICC] NEWS: The Need for Global Justice


Dear Friends,

The article below describes the idea of global justice has evolved and how
the ICC is needed for reinforcing rule of law. It also gives an overview of
the ICC and highlights how Americans would benefit from this institution.
An excerpt reads:
"The time is ripe for the ICC. It will be formally established-with
or without [U.S.] -- after 60 nations have ratified the Rome Statute of the
International Criminal Court. The number count is up to 43. U.N.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan anticipates the ICC will be established in the
next year. At a recent conference, he heralded the ICC as an important move
toward a "world based on the rule of law." History will remember whether we
stand for 'justice' as defined by Socrates or follow the 'might makes
right' philosophy of Thrasymachus."

Regards,

Tunga Ganbold
CICC Secretariat
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Copyright 2001 The Stanford Daily via U-Wire

University Wire

October 31, 2001

SECTION: COLUMN

LENGTH: 1118 words

HEADLINE: The need for global justice

BYLINE: By Rob Gaudet, The Stanford Daily

SOURCE: Stanford U.

DATELINE: Stanford, Calif.

BODY:
One of my favorite books is Plato's Republic. The main character, Socrates,
discusses a concept that has become one of the foundations of western
civilization -- justice. He calls it the "proper virtue of man" and says it
is "more precious than many pieces of gold."
Unfortunately, we've strayed away from justice. We've been living under the
philosophy of Socrates' antagonist, Thrasymachus, who argued that "justice
is nothing else than the interest of the stronger." This is popularly known
as "might makes right." American foreign policy has followed this course
for the past 200 years. I don't mean to criticize what America has done in
the name of democracy, freedom and self-preservation. However, I do think
the time is right to create an International Criminal Court.
World delegates met in Rome in 1998 to create an International Criminal
Court to handle war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity wherever
they take place. So far, 139 countries have signed on. Among these, 43 have
ratified the treaty. They look like earth's angels: Sweden, Switzerland,
Norway, Luxembourg, United Kingdom, Denmark, Austria and Canada.
The countries that have not signed the treaty look like a compilation of
earth's bad boys: Libya, Somalia, Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan. The
latter nations have the kind of reputations that would allow them to form a
rock band and sell millions of albums to rebellious teenagers. I'm not sure
if that's the right company for America to be keeping.
Our country has been equivocating on whether to ratify the treaty. The U.S.
Defense Department heavily opposed the idea. Nevertheless, former President
Clinton signed the treaty in late 2000. It hasn't been ratified, which
means, basically, that we are still holding out. Retiring Senator Jesse
Helms is trying very hard to block American cooperation and, more
generally, to prevent any kind of movement into the 20th century (much less
the 21st century) world of international affairs. He calls the ICC an
"International Kangaroo Court." I suppose that should be enough to convince
you that it's a good idea.
Let me tell you a true story about another charming man who opposes the
ICC: former Secretary of State James Baker III. Baker III is a partner at
Texas's oldest law firm, where his son, Baker IV, works in a different
branch office. I met Baker III this summer when the law firm Baker Botts
took dozens of summer associates to Houston for a presentation by the
former Secretary of State.
At the presentation, one student asked Baker III for his views on the ICC.
He replied, "it's the worst idea ever to have surfaced." I thought that was
a strange response for an idea endorsed by 139 nations. I told Baker III
that I disagreed with him. He tore into me like a hungry UT-Austin student
tearing into a plate of ribs. Baker III was worried that the ICC would
bring him into court for bombing Libya in 1988, despite the fact that the
bombing was condoned by the United Nations.
I told him, "the U.N.'s approval would've been part of your defense and,
most likely, it would've exculpated you."
Baker III retorted, "this is the best country on earth and it is so great
that everyone is moving here to be a part of it." I agreed with him and
said that we should use our greatness to set up an international court.
The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court shares many features
with the American judiciary. It provides for the presumption of innocence,
the right to remain silent, the right against self-incrimination, the right
to have legal counsel of one's choosing and the right to be informed of
charges against oneself.
The ICC would not be allowed to hear cases which have been seriously
investigated by a state court. That means the military trial in the "Rules
of Engagement" movie (which I do not recommend on any grounds except as an
illustration of this point) would've exempted Samuel Jackson's character
from the jurisdiction of the ICC.
That's not good enough for Baker III. In fact, he said in our Houston
presentation that the ICC was only supported by "thumb-sucking liberals."
That was a direct reference to our exchange. In my defense, I neither suck
my thumb nor consider myself liberal. Progressive, maybe. Thumb-sucking,
never.
This experience taught me a few things. One, a marine (Baker III used to be
one) will always be a marine. Two, former Secretaries of State can be
jerks. Three, people disagree violently when they are afraid of being
hauled into court. Four, Thrasymachus's argument that "might makes right"
has followers in all ages.
Americans would benefit from a forum like the ICC. If our lawyers can
successfully defend O.J. Simpson against murder charges, they should have
no trouble defending Baker III against charges in the ICC for the 1988
Libya bombing. Furthermore, the ICC is being shaped in our own image. It
contains many features of the American judicial system. Former Ambassador
to the U.N. Bill Richardson wrote in the New York Times that the U.S. has
won agreement on the scope of crimes covered (we kept it narrowly focused
on the most horrific crimes), led successful talks on rules of procedure
and evidence and led talks on how to describe the elements of each crime.
Our lawyers would be able to navigate the ICC as well as anyone. Our
soldiers, too, are the most professional in the world. They would be the
least likely candidates for ICC prosecution. If they do kill civilians
without ample reason, then I'm sure the American public would be happy to
see them held accountable.
History shows (through the Persian, Inca, Aztec, Roman and Babylonian
empires) that America's power won't last forever. We'll be better off in
the long-run if we create a level playing field while we can.
We should support the ICC and throw the Saddam Husseins and Mohammar
Qaddafis of the world into court. Bring them onto our own turf. On the flip
side, the ICC might bring Americans into court for civilian deaths in the
Middle East. I would rather see our injustices addressed by appointed
judges than by self-appointed terrorists like bin Laden.
The time is ripe for the ICC. It will be formally established-with or
without us -- after 60 nations have ratified the Rome Statute of the
International Criminal Court. The number count is up to 43. U.N.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan anticipates the ICC will be established in the
next year. At a recent conference, he heralded the ICC as an important move
toward a "world based on the rule of law." History will remember whether we
stand for "justice" as defined by Socrates or follow the "might makes
right" philosophy of Thrasymachus.
(C) 2001 The Stanford Daily via U-WIRE

LOAD-DATE: October 31, 2001

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Zambia must scrap death penalty says Amnesty

2001-11-08

http://www.oneworld.org/afronet/monitor182/headline1.htm

Zambia's judicial and legal failings make it imperative that the country scraps the death penalty, says the international human rights group Amnesty International.

Zimbabwe: "Mugabe's days of immunity numbered" - US court

2001-11-08

http://www.zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=2936

A United States district court in New York this week held the ruling Zanu PF party liable for the murder and torture of opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) supporters in the run-up to last year's June parliamentary election.

ZIMBABWE: IRIN Focus on voter registration

2001-11-08

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=12612&SelectRegion=Southern_Africa&SelectCountry=ZIMBABWE

A visit to Zimbabwe's main NGO website shows how seriously civic organisations are taking the current voter registration drive.

ANGOLA: IDPs increase, UNITA commander is killed

2001-11-08

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=12615&SelectRegion=Southern_Africa&SelectCountry=ANGOLA

Civilians continue to seek safety in government-controlled towns across the country as they flee intensifying fighting between rebel UNITA forces and Angolan Armed Forces (FAA) troops, according to humanitarian officials.

Conflict early warning in the Horn of Africa:

can it work?

2001-11-08

http://www.fmreview.org/fmr1113.htm

Protracted social conflicts do not erupt overnight. They are the result of a slow accumulation of tensions and hostilities built up over time. In the Horn of Africa an innovative early warning mechanism being explored by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) could provide a pointer for similar conflict-prone regions.

Liberia: The Humanitarian Situation

A UN Security Council Briefing

2001-11-08

http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/publications/speeches/2001/cdh_liberia_2001.shtml

Fighting in Liberia continues to have severe consequences for the civilian population. In late August, 2500 people arrived in Jenne Manna camp, having fled fighting in Lofa county. MSF continues to treat cases of severe malnutrition and diarrhea.

Resettlement:

a valuable tool in protecting refugee, internally displaced and trafficked women and girls

2001-11-08

http://www.fmreview.org/fmr1111.htm

‘Resettlement’ refers to the relocation to other countries of refugees who have sought refuge in a country where they continue to face risks to their “life, liberty, safety, health or other fundamental human rights”. It provides individuals with the opportunity to re-start and re-build their lives. It has been used successfully to resettle refugee women and girls who have been victims of sexual or gender-related violence, including rape. This article outlines the grounds upon which resettlement is granted, noting the very individual nature of a claim but recognising its use in protecting refugee women and girls in general.

SOMALIA: Refugees repatriated from Ethiopia

2001-11-08

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=12819&SelectRegion=Horn_of_Africa&SelectCountry=SOMALIA

Thousands of Somali refugees were repatriated from camps in neighbouring Ethiopia last month, bringing the total of returnees for this year to more than 43,000.

US DOORS INDEFINITELY CLOSED TO REFUGEES

2001-11-08

http://www.icare.to/

As many as 20,000 refugees from across the world, cleared to come to the United States to escape persecution in their homelands, have had their arrival delayed indefinitely in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

Kenya: Habitat in Plan to Curb Graft

2001-11-08

http://allafrica.com/stories/200111050023.html

The United Nations has started an ambitious programme to help curb corruption at lands offices in the country.

Libyan minister jailed for corruption

2001-11-08

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/middle_east/newsid_1638000/1638388.stm

Reports from Libya say that the country's current Finance Minister, Ujayli Abdelsalam al-Burayni, is one of 47 government and bank officials to be sentenced to terms in prison at the end of a corruption trial.

Sierra Leone: Cabinet minister accused of diamond smuggling

2001-11-08

http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=10577

Sierra Leone's transport and communications minister was arrested with his wife Thursday on accusations of diamond smuggling in the war-ruined West African nation, officials said.

South Africa: How Modise wangled fighter jet deal

2001-11-08

http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=10578

One of the largest contracts awarded in South Africa's R60-billion arms deal may be challenged in court by an Italian aeronautics company that lost out to a British contender - after then-defence minister Joe Modise intervened to change the tender evaluation criteria in mid-course.

Tanzania: What do you think about corruption?

2001-11-08

http://www.tzonline.org/anticorruption/

Participate in the Internet Forum against corruption! The Annual Report on State of Corruption in Tanzania is in preparation. Your ideas might be useful in preparation of the Annual Report on State of corruption in Tanzania prepared by Economic and Social Research Foundation (ESRF) and Front Against Corrupt Elements in Tanzania (FACEIT).

Uganda: Corruption blamed for state of UPDF

2001-11-08

http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=10587

The Uganda People's Defence Forces combat readiness has been seriously undermined by lack of resources and corruption, but Chief of Staff, Maj. Gen. James Kazini, insists the army is in good enough shape to defend the country.

Uganda: Unite against corruption - Matembe

2001-11-08

http://library.northernlight.com/FB20011103480000470.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc

Minister of Ethics and Integrity, Miria Matembe, has said Ugandans should take a united stand against corruption.

Biotechnology, Trade, and Hunger

2001-11-08

http://www.ifpri.org/pubs/books/ar2000/ar2000_essay01.htm

The new genetic modification (GM) technologies that many expect will help the world meet its food needs — not only through quantity, but nutritional quality as well — raise critical issues for international trade, including this key question: What will happen if pressure from consumers and environmentalists in the developed world leads to a new generation of trade restrictions, or to the segmentation of GM-food product markets, as appears to be happening in Europe and Japan?

ETHIOPIA: Germany cancels debt

2001-11-08

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=12817&SelectRegion=Horn_of_Africa&SelectCountry=ETHIOPIA

The German government has written off approximately half of the US $24 million Ethiopia owes it, the Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) reported on 2 November, following a meeting held between representatives of the two countries in the German capital, Berlin.

Ghana PRS has "potential"

2001-11-08

http://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/topic/adjustment/2522.html

An assessment of Ghana's Poverty Reduction Strategy process (GPRS) suggests there is much potential for formulating, in a participatory manner, an effective poverty reduction strategy. However, there is no guarantee that this will be realised.

HIPC – flogging a dead process

A Jubilee Plus report

2001-11-08

http://www.jubileeplus.org/analysis/reports/flogging_process_text.htm

This report analyses each HIPC country at different stages in the HIPC process. We conclude that HIPC countries urgently need every $ of the $59million they are obliged to transfer to their creditors each day – for fighting disease, for recovery from conflict and for poverty reduction. This is not just in their interests, but in the interests of the world as a whole.

Intellectual property rights and agricultural development

2001-11-08

http://www.ifpri.org/pubs/books/ar2000/ar2000_essay02.htm

Whereas government or international public institutions once performed most agricultural research, now private firms are taking the lead in applying the tools of genetic engineering to agriculture. When corporations (and increasingly public agencies too) develop new agricultural biotechnology products or processes or new crop varieties, they often seek legal rights over the intellectual property these innovations represent. Many are concerned that corporations’ efforts to protect their profits will isolate developing countries from the benefits of important innovations by blocking access to new developments by public and nonprofit researchers.

Keeping the pressure on

2001-11-08

http://www.observer.co.uk/comment/story/0,6903,587383,00.html

Any new US multilateralism will come with many strings attached. Protestors need to adapt to the world after September 11th, but popular pressure at Doha and beyond is more important than ever.

MOZAMBIQUE: Donors pledge US $722 million

2001-11-08

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/development/3971

International donors have pledged more than US $700 million in support of Mozambique's poverty reduction programme. A World Bank press release said 80 percent of the pledges were in the form of grants.
U N I T E D N A T I O N S
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN)

MOZAMBIQUE: Donors pledge US $722 million

JOHANNESBURG, 31 October (IRIN) - International donors have pledged more
than US $700 million in support of Mozambique's poverty reduction
programme. A World Bank press release said 80 percent of the pledges were
in the form of grants. "These contributions are in addition to the debt
service relief granted to Mozambique under the original and the enhanced
HIPC (Highly Indebted Poor Countries) frameworks," the bank said.

The donor support came during the thirteenth Consultative Group (CG)
meeting of the government and its international development partners in
Maputo on 25 and 26 October.

The statement said donors "recognised" the government's "continued
commitment" to implementing economic reforms. "Despite severe setbacks
caused by floods in the previous two years, Mozambique has shown a
remarkable capacity to recover," said the statement. "Although GDP (gross
domestic product) fell to 2 percent in 2000, it is expected to rebound to
almost 15 percent in 2001 and to remain about 10 percent in 2002."

According to the Bank, delegates attending the CG meeting agreed that the
main challenge ahead of Mozambique was its ability to ensure that the poor
benefited from the country's rapid broad-based economic growth. Delegates
also stressed the need to foster gender equity, empower women, improve
maternal health, promote girls' education and protecting children, youth
and women from violence and exposure to HIV/AIDS.

The statement noted that donors agreed that the implementation of the
government's poverty reduction strategy - PARPA - was the key for
sustaining poverty-reducing growth. PARPA aims to accelerate economic
growth by increasing agricultural productivity and output, expanding
health and education services, combating malaria and HIV/AIDS and
improving basic infrastructure.

"They (delegates) noted the largest losses that have occurred in
Mozambique's two largest commercial banks ... and expressed concern about
the implications of the losses for the investment climate and for spending
on poverty reduction," added the statement.

[ENDS]

IRIN-SA
Tel: +27 11 880-4633
Fax: +27 11 447-5472
Email: IRIN-SA@irin.org.za

[This Item is Delivered to the "Africa-English" Service of the UN's IRIN
humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views
of the United Nations. For further information, free subscriptions, or
to change your keywords, contact e-mail: IRIN@ocha.unon.org or Web:
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Neo-colonial master patronises ex-colonial beggars

2001-11-08

http://www.mg.co.za/mg/za/archive/2001nov/features/01nov-africa.html

The hope that that US President George W. Bush might announce more debt relief and aid for Africa, especially for the fight against Aids, has evaporated.

New briefing on IMF reform proposals

2001-11-08

http://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/topic/reform/2511.html

A new briefing argues for a reformed International Monetary Fund within "a new financial architecture". The report, by the German NGO World Economy, Ecology and Development (WEED) rejects calls for the wholesale dismantling of the Fund.

New report on Global Public Goods

2001-11-08

http://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/topic/social/2527.html

A new study for the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs by the UK-based Institute of Development Studies contains case studies on financing mechanisms for biodiversity conservation, climate change abatement, peace and security, HIV/AIDS research and financial stability.

Sustainable Development Summit Preparations go Global

2001-11-08

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/development/3963

Preparations for next year's World Summit on Sustainable Development advanced this week from the regional to the global level, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Nitin Desai told a press conference this week at UN Headquarters in New York.
PREPARATIONS FOR SUMMIT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GO GLOBAL
Preparations for next year's World Summit on Sustainable Development
advanced this week from the regional to the global level,
Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Nitin Desai told a
press conference this week at UN Headquarters in New York.
Mr. Desai, who will serve as Secretary-General of the Summit in
Johannesburg, South Africa, next September, said that events in New York
this week would build on the results of earlier regional activities, which
included round tables and various intergovernmental and inter-sectoral
meetings. Yesterday, the UN General Assembly's Economic and Finance (Second)
Committee started its debate on "Environment and Development," focusing on
the Johannesburg Summit, Mr. Desai said. The first meeting of a high-level
advisory panel appointed by Secretary-General Kofi Annan was also held on
Monday.
The main objective for the Johannesburg forum will be to "try to put some
flesh and bones" around the concept of sustainable development in a few key
areas, Mr. Desai stressed. That meant linking the poverty agenda to
environmental issues, a connection that was obvious since 70 per cent of the
poor depended on land, water and forest for their living, and health issues
depended greatly on water, sanitation and air quality.
The second challenge for the conference, according to Mr. Desai, will be to
deal with the sustainability of consumption and production, with the
intention of formulating policies to meet both the demands of developing
countries - where consumption and production levels are still low - and the
management of high consumption levels in industrialized countries. The
Summit agenda will also deal with ecosystems - water, forest, biodiversity
and oceans.
Overall, the Summit will have to look at how these issues can be addressed
through policies, programmes and institutions, as well as the finances,
technologies and organizations needed to implement the outcomes, Mr. Desai
said.
The Johannesburg Summit will be a 10-year follow-up to the 1992 UN
Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) that adopted Agenda 21,
the programme of action that serves as the blueprint for achieving global
sustainable development.

SOURCE: UN Newservice, 30 October 2001

Tanzania: Can HIPC Reduce Poverty

2001-11-08

http://www.tzonline.org/

While growth has increased in Tanzania during the past five or six years, it is still too
low to have a visible impact on poverty. Indeed, recent evidence suggests that the
amount of both income and non-income poverty are roughly the same as they were a
decade ago. Since debt relief provided under HIPC will free government resources, the initiative will potentially help reduce poverty through larger government expenditures on social sectors (pdf file).

The next society

2001-11-08

http://www.economist.com/surveys/displaystory.cfm?story_id=770819

THE new economy may or may not materialise, but there is no doubt that the next society will be with us shortly. In the developed world, and probably in the emerging countries as well, this new society will be a good deal more important than the new economy (if any). It will be quite different from the society of the late 20th century, and also different from what most people expect.

WTO to Hear Calls for 'Robin Hood' Tax

2001-11-08

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/oneworld/20011106/wl/wto_to_hear_calls_for_robin_hood_tax_1.html

Campaigners are stepping up calls for a "Robin Hood" tax on the global currency trade ahead of a high-level summit of the World Trade Organization.

ZIMBABWE: Makoni presents election budget

2001-11-08

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=12655&SelectRegion=Southern_Africa&SelectCountry=ZIMBABWE

Public spending in Zimbabwe will double next year and taxes will be cut in what economists described as an electioneering budget presented to parliament on Thursday.

AFRICA: WHO calls for increased spending on mental health

2001-11-08

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/hivaids/3970

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has urged governments and professionals to highlight the plight of mentally impaired people living in Africa, where their condition is often misunderstood or left untreated.
U N I T E D N A T I O N S
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN)

AFRICA: WHO calls for increased spending on mental health

JOHANNESBURG, 31 October (IRIN) - The World Health Organisation (WHO) has
urged governments and professionals to highlight the plight of mentally
impaired people living in Africa, where their condition is often
misunderstood or left untreated. Their comments followed a conference on
mental health in Africa last week.

Participants attending the four-day meeting in Harare, where the World
Health Report 2001 was launched, said mental illness did not get the
required governmental attention and assistance that it deserved, yet it
affected more than 450 million people globally. In many African countries
and societies it was still taboo to talk about mental illness because of
the risks of stigmatisation, participants heard.

Delegates from 15 African countries and others from WHO Headquarters in
Geneva, called for the creation of organisations that could assist mental
patients in their respective countries - similar to groups who speak on
behalf of people living with HIV/AIDS. At the moment, only a handful of
countries globally have associations concerned with the plight of mentally
impaired people.

"It's not just a resource issue, it's also about combating ignorance and
working through cultural beliefs," Custodia Mandlhate, WHO regional
adviser for mental health told IRIN on Wednesday. The participants from
Algeria, Angola, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Liberia,
Mozambique, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe and other African countries
would also lobby their governments to contribute at least 10 percent of
the health budget for mental illness, Mandlhate added.

Most of the participants said their governments only allocated one percent
or less of the national health budget to mental illness. There were calls
for people suffering from depression, epilepsy and any form of mental
disorders to be treated within their communities or family environments
rather than in psychiatric institutions.

Participants agreed to mobilise resources in their respective countries
for the benefit of mental patients. The participants also agreed to train
a multi-disciplinary team for intervention in emergency situations. "There
were also calls for the integration of mental illness in the national
health package," Mandlhate said.


[ENDS]

IRIN-SA
Tel: +27 11 880-4633
Fax: +27 11 447-5472
Email: IRIN-SA@irin.org.za

[This Item is Delivered to the "Africa-English" Service of the UN's IRIN
humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views
of the United Nations. For further information, free subscriptions, or
to change your keywords, contact e-mail: IRIN@ocha.unon.org or Web:
http://www.irinnews.org . If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post
this item, please retain this credit and disclaimer. Reposting by
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Copyright (c) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2001




------------------
IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO SUBSCRIBERS


IRIN has introduced a brand new e-mail service allowing you to be more
selective in the information you receive. With the current system being
phased-out, please go to the IRIN web site at
http://www.irinnews.org/subscriptions/default.asp to resubscribe yourself
and take full advantage of the new options that are available. This will
automatically remove you from the old distribution list. If you do not
have access to the web or experience any problems please contact
subs@ocha.unon.org and we will assist you to resubscribe.

Joanne Clarke
IRIN Customer Services

Tel +41 22 321 8425, Geneva, CH
mobile +41 078 631 9996
joanne@irinnews.org

-------------------


[This item is delivered in the "africa-english" service of the UN's IRIN
humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views
of the United Nations. If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post
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sites requires written IRIN permission.]

Copyright (c) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2001

AIDS Activists Should 'Rethink Stance' Against U.S. Patent Support

2001-11-08

http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_hiv.cfm#7812

AIDS activists who have fought the U.S. government's support for international patents "should now rethink their stance," as U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick has announced two "overlook[ed]" concessions, according to a Washington Post editorial.

CENTRAL AFRICA: Mental health to be given greater priority

2001-11-08

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/hivaids/3969

Representatives from Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of Congo and Rwanda were among participants from 15 African nations who agreed to lobby their governments to contribute at least 10 percent of the health budget for treatment of mental illness, WHO announced.
U N I T E D N A T I O N S
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN)

CENTRAL AFRICA: Mental health to be given greater priority

NAIROBI, 31 October (IRIN) - Representatives from Burundi, the Democratic
Republic of the Congo, the Republic of Congo and Rwanda were among
participants from 15 African nations who agreed to lobby their governments
to contribute at least 10 percent of the health budget for treatment of
mental illness, WHO announced. Most participants at a recent conference
organised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Harare, Zimbabwe, said
their governments only allocate 1 percent or less of the national health
budget to mental illness.

Following four days of deliberations that also served as the regional
launch of the World Health Report 2001, participants agreed that mental
illness did not get the required governmental attention it deserves, even
though it affects more than 450 million people globally, WHO reported from
Harare on Saturday. For its part, WHO's Regional Office for Africa urged
governments and mental health professionals to advocate for the plight of
mentally impaired people worldwide - especially in Africa, where most of
the patients live.

The participants from the African countries and others from WHO
headquarters in Geneva called for the creation of organisations that could
help mental patients in their countries, much like groups who speak on
behalf of AIDS and TB patients. At present, only a handful of countries
globally have associations concerned with the plight of mentally impaired
people.

There was widespread agreement that people suffering from depression,
epilepsy and any for of mental disorders should be treated within their
communities or family environment rather than in psychiatric institutions.
Participants resolved to mobilise resources and technical aid in their
countries for the benefit of mental patients, and agreed to train a
multidisciplinary team for intervention in emergency situations. They also
called for the integration of mental illness into national primary health
care systems, the provision of support for operational research on
community-based psychosocial rehabilitation, increased interregional
cooperation and the development of national guidelines on community-based
psychosocial rehabilitation in disaster management.

WHO noted that in most countries worldwide, mental illnesses are on the
increase because of civil strife, armed conflict, poverty, economic and
social difficulties. Most of the victims are women, children (and child
soldiers in particular), the elderly, and displaced people.

For the complete World Health Report, go to http://www.who.int/whr/


[ENDS]

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CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Japan provides US $630,000 to fight HIV/AIDS

2001-11-08

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/hivaids/3944

The Government of the Central African Republic (CAR) and Japanese NGO Amis d'Afrique (Friends of Africa) signed a letter of agreement on Wednesday for a US $630,000 grant in support of reinforcing HIV/AIDS responses in communities in the CAR, the World Bank announced from Bangui.
U N I T E D N A T I O N S
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN)

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Japan provides US $630,000 to fight HIV/AIDS

NAIROBI, 2 November (IRIN) - The Government of the Central African
Republic (CAR) and Japanese NGO Amis d'Afrique (Friends of Africa) signed
a letter of agreement on Wednesday for a US $630,000 grant in support of
reinforcing HIV/AIDS responses in communities in the CAR, the World Bank
announced from Bangui.

The grant will finance activities in the fight against HIV/AIDS in local
communities by reinforcing a number of ongoing interventions undertaken by
Amis d'Afrique. The grant, has four components: medical care and
treatment; home-based care and family support; information, education and
communication and prevention in schools and youth centers; and
capacity-building with evaluation and monitoring.

"The grant supports an innovative approach of contracting NGOs and other
community groups in the delivery of HIV/AIDS interventions in the CAR,"
the World Bank reported. "Amis d'Afrique, the grant implementing agency,
established in 1993 to assist in the fight against HIV/AIDS, has been
building capacity at the local level," it continued. "In addition, the
agency will contract other NGOs to deliver information, education and
communication programmes in the schools or to train traditional healers in
HIV/AIDS care and support in order to reach a wider segment of the
country."

The World Bank Vice-President for the Africa Region, Callisto Madavo, said
the grant "provides an opportunity for meaningful partnership among the
government, the World Bank, Amis d'Afrique and the civil society in the
common goal of mitigating the impact of HIV/AIDS on the economy and
curbing the epidemic in the country".

Director-General and President of Amis d'Afrique Mizuko Tokunaga said he
was "grateful that our activity can be expanded by working together with
the World Bank project" in light of the increasing number of HIV/AIDS
patients.

The World Bank estimates that annual per capita growth in half the
countries of sub-Saharan Africa is falling by 0.5 percent to 1.2 percent
as a direct result of AIDS and that by 2010, per capita GDP in some of the
hardest hit countries may drop by as much as 8 percent. Annual basic care
and treatment for a person with AIDS (without antiretroviral drugs) can
cost as much as two to three times per capita GDP in the poorest
countries.

Today, 36 million people live with HIV/AIDS, more than 95 percent of them
in developing countries. Over 21 million people have so far died, three
million of them in 2000 alone. AIDS is now the leading cause of death in
sub-Saharan Africa.

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ETHIOPIA: 14 million children to be vaccinated

2001-11-08

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=12639&SelectRegion=Horn_of_Africa&SelectCountry=ETHIOPIA

A new polio eradication campaign which aims to achieve a polio-free certification for Ethiopia in 2005 will get under way on 9 November, a United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) spokesman told IRIN on Thursday.

Ghana: Plans to Produce Generic Antiretroviral Drugs

2001-11-08

http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_hiv.cfm#7836

Ghana is developing plans to produce generic versions of antiretroviral drugs, Reuters reports.

HUMAN RIGHTS LAWS LACKING FOR HIV/AIDS SUFFERERS

2001-11-08

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/hivaids/3965

There is an almost total absence of laws protecting the human rights of those with HIV/AIDS in developing countries worldwide, according to a study appearing in the Oct. 1 issue of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.
HUMAN RIGHTS LAWS LACKING FOR HIV/AIDS SUFFERERS
There is an almost total absence of laws protecting the human rights of
those with HIV/AIDS in developing countries worldwide, according to a study
appearing in the Oct. 1 issue of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency
Syndromes.
Only 21 of the 121 countries surveyed -- which represent 16% of the world's
population -- have "specific" laws to protect those with HIV from social
discrimination. Researchers led by Dr. Raffaele D'Amelio of the University
of Rome consulted the World Health Organization Directory of Legal
Instruments Dealing with HIV Infection and AIDS and two worldwide surveys
that examined HIV testing in the military to conduct their analysis.
The survey revealed that AIDS is a notifiable disease in 60% of the
countries surveyed and HIV is notifiable in "no more than" 26%; names are
kept confidential by law in 20% of the countries surveyed; 17% of the
countries surveyed have "HIV-specific" legislation outlawing social
discrimination against those with the virus, while 10% have laws that set up
a system for reimbursing those who acquired HIV from contaminated blood
products; 11% have legal measures supporting condom promotion and 10%
impose legal penalties for those who knowingly expose others to HIV.
Dr. Anne-Valerie Kaninda, a medical adviser for Medecins Sans Frontieres in
New York, said that the findings are important because there is "so much
social stigma associated with the disease that [people with HIV/AIDS] need
protection." She added that in her organization's experience, offering
treatment encourages people to voluntarily get tested.

SOURCE: Reuters Health via Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 31
October 2001

South Africa: 'Virgin Myth' behind child rapes

2001-11-08

http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_hiv.cfm#7833

Six men have been charged with raping a nine-month-old South African baby, allegedly because they thought the act would cure them of HIV, the South African Press Association reports. The attack occurred less than one week before two other South African girls under the age of four were also raped, allegedly by family members.

SOuth Africa: Lawsuits Could Coincide in Court

2001-11-08

http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_hiv.cfm#7810

The Treatment Action Campaign's lawsuit against the South African government over access to nevirapine for pregnant women could come to court at the same time as a lawsuit filed on behalf of a six-month-old infant who contracted HIV from her mother, the Lancet reports.

South Africa: Tutu Says Poverty, Aids Could Destabilise Nation

2001-11-08

http://allafrica.com/stories/200111050100.html

The effect of AIDS in South Africa is "shattering" and too much time is spent in academic discussions about its cause, Archbishop Desmond Mpilo Tutu has warned.

WHO Announces Updated Guidance on Smallpox Vaccination

2001-11-08

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/hivaids/4002

Following the review of guidance on smallpox vaccination, WHO has consulted with our advisory committee and has updated the official guidance.
WHO Announces Updated Guidance on Smallpox Vaccination
-----------------------------------------------------

Statement to the press by the director-general of the world health
Organization, Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland

World Health Organization Announces Updated Guidance On Smallpox Vac-
cination

GENEVA, 26 OCTOBER - Following the review of guidance on smallpox
vaccination I announced last week, WHO has consulted with our advi-
sory committee and has updated the official guidance.

The conclusion of the review states that:

"Existing vaccines have proven efficacy but also have a high inci-
dence of adverse side-effects. The risk of adverse events is suffi-
ciently high that mass vaccination is not warranted if there is no or
little real risk of exposure. Individual countries that have reason
to believe that their people face an increased risk of smallpox be-
cause of deliberate use of the virus are considering options for in-
creasing their access to vaccines. The vaccines would be given to
people who are at risk of exposure to smallpox, including health and
civil workers, and would be used in a search and containment exercise
should an out- break occur."

In summary, the guidance is that vaccination of entire populations is
not recommended. The reason for not recommending such mass vaccina-
tion is that there is a risk of severe reactions to the vaccine, in-
cluding death, and the fact that vaccination can prevent smallpox
even after exposure to the virus.

Up to now the guidance has also stated that only those with suspected
exposure to smallpox or a related virus should be vaccinated. That
has not changed.

What has changed is the increasing attention being given to the ex-
tent and quality of existing vaccine stocks, and to the possible need
both to stimulate vaccine production and increase stocks of vaccine
for use in the event of an outbreak.

WHO confirms that the best method of stopping a smallpox outbreak,
should it occur, remains the same search and containment. That means
identifying persons with smallpox, identifying those people who
have been in contact with them, and vaccinating them.

People who have been vaccinated in the past are unlikely to develop
the most serious effects of smallpox.

This advice and background information on smallpox is now being made
available to governments through the WHO website. Along with this ad-
vice we are providing:
* Frequently asked Questions and Answers about smallpox
http://www.who.int/emc/diseases/smallpox/faqsmallpox.html
* A smallpox Fact Sheet:
http://www.who.int/emc/diseases/smallpox/factsheet.html
* Training materials on smallpox, including: - An electronic slide
set of training materials on smallpox:
http://www.who.int/emc/diseases/smallpox/slideset/index.htm
- WHO instructions for vaccine administration using the bifurcated
needle:
http://www.who.int/emc/diseases/smallpox/factsheet.html
#Bifurcated and - WHO smallpox recognition card:
http://www.who.int/emc/diseases/smallpox/smallpoxrecognition.html

Other information that will be provided to Health Ministers on re-
quest includes a list of vaccine manufacturers that have the poten-
tial to produce smallpox vaccine and the names of laboratories that
can diagnose smallpox. WHO has also re-established a team of techni-
cal experts in smallpox who are available to assist countries in the
investigation and response to outbreaks.

Finally, I want to emphasize that should an outbreak of smallpox be
detected in any country, this should be considered an international
emergency. WHO will help countries to pool available resources so as
to contain the disease as rapidly and effectively as possible.
--
For more information, please contact
Dick Thompson,
Public Information Officer,
Communicable Diseases,
WHO, Geneva.
Tel: +41-22-791-2684.
mailto:thompsond@who.int
or
contact Office of the Spokesperson,
WHO, Geneva.
Tel: +41-22-791-2599;
Fax: +41-22-791-4858;
mailto:inf@who.int

All WHO Press Releases, Fact Sheets and Features
as well as other information on this subject can be obtained on
Internet on the WHO home page
http://www.who.int/

--
Send mail for the `AFRO-NETS' conference to `<afro-nets@usa.healthnet.org>'.
Mail administrative requests to `<majordomo@usa.healthnet.org>'.
For additional assistance, send mail to:
`<owner-afro-nets@usa.healthnet.org>'.

WTO: Patents or Poverty Primary Barrier to AIDS Drug Access in Africa?

2001-11-08

http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_hiv.cfm#7835

The New York Times profiles how the debate over the patents on AIDS drugs will be "a major bone of contention" at the World Trade Organization meeting in Doha, Qatar, this week.

Zambia: Bill to Mandate HIV Testing for Presidential Candidates Delayed

2001-11-08

http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_hiv.cfm#7807

The Zambian cabinet is "split" over whether to introduce legislation that would force presidential candidates to have an HIV test before general elections this year, government sources said yesterday.

Countries agree to outlaw child sexual exploitation

2001-11-08

http://www.unicef.org/newsline/01pr81.htm

A major step forward in the protection of children from exploitation, trafficking and sexual abuse has just been achieved, UNICEF stated, welcoming the imminent entry into force of the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.

Gender Violence in African Schools

2001-11-08

http://www.id21.org/education/gender_violence/index.html

Have YOU experience of working on issues of gender violence or abuse within a school or community context? Do you know of an organisation, community or individual who has carried out innovative work or research on supporting boys, girls, men and women in ensuring that schools are safe and supportive environments where all children have an equal opportunity to learn? If you do, then we would like to support you by sharing your knowledge in the next Gender Violence newsletter. We are particularly keen to learn about initiatives from across the globe. Please contact Caroline Nicolson.

Hitting the target:

doubling primary enrolments in sub-Saharan Africa by 2015

2001-11-08

http://www.id21.org/education/e1pb1g2.html

Commitment to the goal of universal primary education (UPE) by 2015 has received unprecedented support from governments and donors. But what is the reality for sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) in terms of the additional educational capacity required? And will the demand for primary schooling be sufficient to achieve UPE?

HIV/AIDS and the African Child:

Health Challenges, Educational Possibilities

2001-11-08

http://www.ohiou.edu/Toguna

April 11-13, 2002, Athens, Ohio USA. Call for papers. The Institute for the African Child at Ohio University announces its fourth annual conference, HIV/AIDS and the African Child: Health Challenges, Educational Possibilities, to be held in Athens, Ohio from 11-13 April
2002. Paper and panel presentations are sought that address this complex health and social issue from all academic and practitioner perspectives. Deadline for paper abstracts: January 15 2002.
INSTITUTE FOR THE AFRICAN CHILD
CALL FOR PAPERS

HIV/AIDS and the African Child:
Health Challenges, Educational Possibilities

April 11-13, 2002
Athens, Ohio USA

The Institute for the African Child at Ohio University announces its fourth
annual conference, HIV/AIDS and the African Child: Health Challenges,
Educational Possibilities, to be held in Athens, Ohio from 11-13 April
2002. Paper and panel presentations are sought that address this complex
health and social issue from all academic and practitioner perspectives.

The Institute for the African Child was founded in 1998 to promote
collaboration between Ohio University's Colleges of Arts and Sciences,
Communication, Education, Health and Human Services and Osteopathic
Medicine on every dimension of children and child survival across Africa.
Previous conferences have focused on the African girl child, child
soldiers, and on setting an agenda for the Institute. The Institute
sponsors a series of courses during the Summer Quarter, attracting graduate
students and professionals from all over Africa.

Scholars and practitioners from every discipline are encouraged to
participate in the conference with papers and/or media presentations
related to its broad theme, stressing descriptive, analytical and
prescriptive approaches to the issues of HIV/AIDS and the Africa's
children. Children and their families, communities and the state, are all
possible foci of presentations as well in that the Institute for the
African Child fosters interdisciplinary research. 'HIV/AIDS Awareness in
the Secondary Curriculum and Teacher Preparation,' 'Medical Intervention
with Children with AIDS in Rural Areas,' 'AIDS and Refugee Populations,'
'School Teachers and HIV/AIDS' would be a few examples of paper topics. We
hope to have as many regions of the continent as possible represented in
the presentations.

Send a one-page abstract by January 15, 2002 to Mr. Abdul Lamin, Conference
Coordinator, Institute for the African Child, Burson House, Ohio
University, Athens, OH 45701 USA or by email to lamin@ohio.edu
Registration materials for the conference are available by mail and online
at www.ohiou.edu/Toguna Dr. Diane Ciekawy in the Department of Sociology
and Anthropology at Ohio University is the Conference Convener.

In cooperation with the Institute for the African Child, Ohio University
Press will publish a volume related to this conference, edited by Arvind
Singhal and Stephen Howard. Prospective publication date is World AIDS Day,
2003. See accompanying call for papers for the book for further information.

RWANDA: UNICEF, government launch drive on street children

2001-11-08

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/education/3989

UNICEF and the Rwandan ministries of Social Welfare and Public Works have undertaken a nationwide drive to sensitise decision makers and the public to the plight of the 7,000 children who are enduring a precarious existence on the nation's street, the UN Children's Fund in Kigali told IRIN on Monday.
U N I T E D N A T I O N S
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN)

RWANDA: UNICEF, government launch sensitisation drive on street children

NAIROBI , 5 November (IRIN) - UNICEF and the Rwandan ministries of Social
Welfare and Public Works have undertaken a nationwide drive to sensitise
decision makers and the public to the plight of the 7,000 children who are
enduring a precarious existence on the nation's street, the UN Children's
Fund in Kigali told IRIN on Monday.

The effort, which stared on 1 Oct., will end on 29 Dec. and cost about US
$37,000. The programme started with a campaign on radio, television and
the print media. The messages are being aired as radio and television
spots and debates, as well as stories about aspects of the problem such as
child labour, and the causes and consequences of such practices. The
target audiences are government officials, police, local administrators,
social welfare agencies, school authorities and parents.

UNICEF says 3,000 of the nation's street children live in Kigali, the
capital. Their condition is a result of extreme family poverty, the 1994
genocide, other killings and war, the AIDS pandemic, the inability of
local communities to care for the vulnerable and the inability of urban
governments to protect children and provide them areas of recreation.

The UN agency reported in a document on the sensitisation programme, that
authorities and the public consider street children as "delinquents,
thieves, deviants, and evil people who must be fought by all means and not
protected". Mindful of their social marginalisation, UNICEF added, the
children Are "distrustful of people and are not always easy to approach".


[ENDS]

[This Item is Delivered to the "Africa-English" Service of the UN's IRIN
humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views
of the United Nations. For further information, free subscriptions, or
to change your keywords, contact e-mail: Irin@ocha.unon.org or Web:
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and take full advantage of the new options that are available. This will
automatically remove you from the old distribution list. If you do not
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mobile +41 078 631 9996
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this item, please retain this credit and disclaimer. Reposting by commercial
sites requires written IRIN permission.]

Copyright (c) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2001

Teaching teachers:

a role for distance education?

2001-11-08

http://www.id21.org/education/e4ph1g1.html

Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa have fewer teachers than they need to achieve the internationally agreed development targets of Education for All (EFA) by 2015. Conventional modes of teacher education via residential teacher training colleges are not producing enough teachers to fill the gap. Can distance teacher education play a viable role in addressing the teacher shortage?

THE HOPE FOR AFRICAN CHILDREN INITIATIVE

2001-11-08

http://www.hopeforafricanchildren.org

Founded by five humanitarian organizations, The Hope for African Children Initiative was launched this week to help the 13 million orphaned African children and the millions more affected in some way by the AIDS crisis.
The five organizations include CARE, Plan International, Save the
Children, the Society for Women and AIDS in Africa, and the World Conference
on Religions and Peace. The five-year $100 million initiative is endorsed by
UNICEF, the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the World Bank
and other organizations.

Training to defuse landmines

2001-11-08

http://www.undp.org/dpa/frontpagearchive/2001/october/29oct01/index.html

Landmines are a dangerous legacy of war that continue to claim victims - often children - long after the conflict is over. The United Nations Development Programme, in partnership with Cranfield University in the UK, has developed training materials on ways to deal with landmine threats.

Violence in schools - time to involve parents

2001-11-08

http://allafrica.com/stories/200110260367.html

The recent chilling incident of the killing of a school student by another, has again brought in focus, the alarming increase in violence in schools in South Africa. Administrators now hope to involve parents in counselling children.

HomeBeats: Struggles for Racial Justice

2001-11-08

http://www.homebeats.co.uk/publications/rom.htm

HomeBeats is a multimedia journey through time, from Africa, the Caribbean and Asia, to the making of modern Britain. The first cd-rom on racism and the black presence in Britain, it fuses music, graphics, video, text and animation into a stunning voyage of personal and historical discovery for every user. Through a series of fully interlinked sections - Memories, Places, People, Visions, Images - HomeBeats makes the links between past and present accessible to young people in a way possible in no other medium. It covers the history of the struggle for racial justice, tracing the connections between slavery, the colonial experience and modern day racism.

South Africa: Zimbabweans attacked in Johannesburg

2001-11-08

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/racism/3975

The current xenophobic attacks on the Zimbabwean citizens in one of the informal settlements, to be exact, in Zandspruit, in Honeydew, north of Randburg were allegedly sparked by the murder of a young woman on the 8th of September. The culprit was identified as a Zimbabwean. The South African residents in the camp then retaliated by burning some of the shacks belonging to Zimbabweans. The Zimbabweans retaliated and burned about six shacks. The situation became serious early this week and a total of 130 shacks belonging to the Zimbabweans were gutted by fire and they were driven out of the settlement.
concerning Zimbabweans attacked in Johannesburg



* Originally by Shirley DeWolf, sacmup@zol.co.zw
* Originally to badaddress edicesa, 5:7211/1.98
* Originally dated Tue 30 Oct 2001 8:53A

-*- Forwarded message follows: -*-

From: "Shirley DeWolf" <sacmup@zol.co.zw>
To: "Council of Churches, Zimbabwe" <zcc@ecoweb.co.zw>,
"Bishop AM" <bishopam@telconet.co.zw>, "EDICESA" <edicesa@mango.zw>,
"Bishop Ambrose Moyo" <elczhead@acacia.samara.co.zw>

===============================================================
MANGO has sent you the following file(s) with this message:
- mmEkikIT.htm of type text/html
===============================================================

Friends: I am copying to you below commentary sent to me by Rev White
Rakuba
of the SACC who is working with victims (both Zimbabwean and South African)
of
the violent clashes in the Johannesburg area last week. If we have not
already
done so, may I suggest that the ZCC urgently contacts the SACC to find out
whether there is anything the Zimbabwean churches could do to help the
mediation
process. Best reagrds, Shirley DeWolf


From: White Rakube
To: Shirley DeWolf
Cc: mk@wcc-coe.org ; Bishop Gerard Mpango
Sent: Friday, October 26, 2001 1:32 PM
Subject: Re: from Shirley


Hi Shirley,

I hope you have heard about the current xenophobic attacks on the Zimbabwean
citizens in one of the informal settlements, to be exact, in Zandspruit, in
Honeydew, north of Randburg. The situation was allegedly sparked by the
murder
of a young woman on the 8th of September and the culprit was identified as a
Zimbabwean. The South African residents in the camp then retaliated by
burning
some of the shacks belonging to Zimbabweans. The Zimbabweans retaliated and
burned about six shacks. The situation became serious early this week and a
total of 130 shacks belonging to the Zimbabweans were gutted by fire and
they
were driven out of the settlement.

We have been working under extremely dangerous conditions to try to assist
the
victims. On Wednesday a general meeting was called to try to settle the
matter
and it was then that we realized how serious the situation was. The South
African residents refused to attend the meeting and nothing could be done.
The
meeting then decided to work out a strategy to try to resolve the matter.
Three
committees were established: the Relief Committee to look at the immediate
needs
of the victims, the Mediation Committee and the Long Term Development
committee.

Our office is coordinating the Relief Committee, and the Mediation Committee
is
coordinated by SACC's Provincial Council of Churches in Gauteng in
collaboration
with the Human Rights Commission. Besides the Relief Committee, no break
through
has been made so far. The situation is extremely volatile. We currently have
641
men at one of the disused mine hostel in Roodepoort and about 80 women in a
shelter in the Johannesburg city centre. Many have scattered into the
townships
and surburbs. Our major fear is that if this is spreads throughout the
Johannesburg area we shall have serious problems. The SACC church leaders
are in
the process of negotiating with the local structures so that the violence
can be
contained before it spreads further.

The situation is made difficult by the pouring rains since the beginning of
this week and the weather forecast predicts that we shall have rains until
mid
next week.

Regards
_________
JOHANNESBURG, 24 October (IRIN) -
Dennis Dube was in his one-room shack sorting out Christmas gifts for his
eight
children back in Zimbabwe when they threw the first petrol bomb through his
open
door last Sunday evening.

A legal Zimbabwe immigrant, Dennis has been living and working in
Johannesburg
since 1976. When he got his resident's papers five years ago he bought a
plot at
Zandspruit informal settlement northwest of Johannesburg and built a house
for
himself and his South African wife.

Now he sits on a steel bench munching donated biscuits in a church hall.
Dennis
lost everything when his neighbours torched his home and threatened to kill
him
if he was seen in the area again. "I'm just so sad that they (South
Africans)
can treat me like this, I've never known anything like this," he told IRIN
on
Wednesday.

Local residents of the impoverished Zandspruit settlement decided at the
weekend to expel the hundreds of Zimbabweans living among them and destroy
their
homes. They accuse them of involvement in violent crime and taking the jobs
of
South Africans.

"Because they (Zimbabweans) are desperate, they work for less, it's driving
down wages, we're sick of them," one resident shouted. Trouble had been
brewing
since the murders last month of two South Africans, both blamed on
Zimbabweans.
Locals with Zimbabwean friends were also targeted. A still-smoking ruin was
all
that remained of Mary Tlou's shack - somebody said she had a foreign
boyfriend.

"The Zimbabwe people must go back, we don't want them in South Africa, we
don't
have anything for them here," one Zandspruit resident told IRIN. Others at
the
settlement said they had no problem with other immigrants like Malawians and
Mozambicans, "they are cool, it's the Zimbabweans who do all the crime, and
most
are illegals" one unemployed youth said.

Police spokeswoman Terry-Anne Booyse said more than 20 people have been
arrested for public violence over the past two days and they would appear in
court in Johannesburg on Wednesday. The Zandspruit squatter camp has about
15,000 shacks and some 50,000 residents living there.

"We desperately need blankets, food and clothing for these people, they've
come
here with nothing," Pauline Piert, a Johannesburg charity worker, told IRIN
from
the church hall where the Zimbabweans are being temporarily housed. Most of
those chased out of Zandspruit said they were too scared to ever go back.
"I'm
actually going to go back to Bulawayo (Zimbabwe's second city), I'd rather
starve there than be murdered here," John Sibongo, a gardener, told IRIN.

Attacks on African non-nationals are on the increase in South Africa. The
latest violence that left at least 10 people injured and about a thousand
homeless, came barely a month after South Africa hosted the UN-sponsored
world
racism conference at which solutions to the rise in xenophobia worldwide
were
sought.

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) - which has tried to
tackle
the problem of racial intolerance in poor communities through its Roll Back
Xenophobia Campaign - condemned the "racial cleansing" at Zandspruit.
"Whilst we
acknowledge the dire economic situation faced by many South Africans,
actions
such as those in Zandspruit merely fuel xenophobic hatred rather than
address
the core issues of economic underdevelopment", SAHRC's Phumla Mthala told
IRIN.

The steady flow of migrants from Zimbabwe into South Africa has increased
significantly in recent months as drought, flooding, economic decline and
the
government's chaotic land reform programme have all stimulated emigration
south.

"I'm here quite simply because there is nothing for me at home," Jonas, a
migrant carpenter from Chiredzi, close to the common border, told IRIN. Some
observers believe economic meltdown and food shortages in Zimbabwe will lead
to
a flood of migrants into South Africa and a rise in the kind of
anti-foreigner
violence seen at Zandspruit over the past few days.

[ENDS]

Anti-Hunger Bid Off Track, Says FAO

2001-11-08

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/oneworld/20011105/wl/anti-hunger_bid_off_track_says_fao_1.html

Admitting that it has failed to combat hunger, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has urged the industrialized world to come to the aid of developing nations.

Environment Still Off World Trade Talks Agenda

2001-11-08

http://ens-news.com/ens/oct2001/2001L-10-31-04.html

The odds of a new round of world trade negotiations including substantive talks on environmental issues have lengthened following the emergence of a new draft text for ministerial agreement at the Doha summit, due to start on November 9. Despite strong pressure from the European Union, the draft proposes no new environmental negotiations.

FAO Votes for Broad Limits on Crop Patents

2001-11-08

http://www.oneworld.org/ips2/oct01/19_24_055.html

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Conference has approved an international treaty that largely bans the patenting of non-genetically modified crops, a step aimed at protecting plant diversity as a tool for eradicating world hunger.

Kenya to Clear and Distribute 10 Percent of Its Forests

2001-11-08

http://ens-news.com/ens/oct2001/2001L-10-30-02.html

A battle has erupted in Kenya over a government decision to cut 10 percent of its forest cover despite vehement protests from the public and cases pending before the courts.

Mobility Study Warns of Gridlock, Pollution

2001-11-08

http://ens-news.com/ens/oct2001/2001L-10-30-06.html

People's insatiable appetite for mobility is heading the world's transportation systems toward unsustainable gridlock and environmental degradation unless several grand challenges are tackled, conclude Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers and colleagues in report on worldwide mobility at the end of the 20th century.

Nourishing a Peaceful Earth

Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), 2001

2001-11-08

http://www.worldbank.org/html/cgiar/publications/cgreshigh2001.pdf

Chronic hunger, widespread malnutrition, and pervasive poverty—especially in rural areas—will not be solved, and will most likely intensify, unless scientific efforts are directed toward problems faced by the world's poorest farmers, says a new report from the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).
Nourishing a Peaceful Earth provides concrete examples of how scientists, in partnership with industrialized and developing countries, are producing new technologies and other solutions to boost crop yields, increase rural incomes, and reduce the use of pesticides. The report intends to provide background and contribute to the international debate for the upcoming global
summits on food, financing, and sustainable development......."

South Africa: Grants Awarded at World Wilderness Congress

2001-11-08

http://ens-news.com/ens/nov2001/2001L-11-02-01.html

One of the largest wilderness areas in South Africa will benefit from $US1 million in conservation funding, delegates to the 7th World Wilderness Congress in Port Elizabeth have heard.

THE BIOTERROR IN YOUR BURGER

2001-11-08

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/environment/3935

Consider one particularly vulnerable link in our food chain: the modern meat processing plant. In comparison to a bioterrorism target like a water treatment plant, meat processing plants have virtually no security, and their workforces are wide open to infiltration.
NEWS FROM THE WORLDWATCH INSTITUTE
THE BIOTERROR IN YOUR BURGER
By Brian Halweil, Research Associate, Worldwatch Institute

(This piece is available for reproduction, citing author and institute.
Brian Halweil is available for comment on this topic. Contact details
are listed below)

When the foot-and-mouth virus spread through the British countryside
this past spring-costing the nation an estimated $6 billion-conspiracy
theorists speculated that the introduction was an intentional act of
biowarfare. While this particular disease doesn't harm humans, it can
weaken livestock herds, decimate farm incomes, devastate consumer
confidence in the food supply, and bring rural economies to a standstill
with quarantines and other restrictions.

Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman recently cited her department's
success at containing food-and-mouth as proof that the U.S. government
is prepared to respond to any terrorist attacks on the food we eat. But
like so many official statements during the current round of anthrax
attacks, her optimism may be sadly misplaced

Consider one particularly vulnerable link in our food chain: the modern
meat processing plant. Operating around the country, the typical plant
can process millions of pounds of ground beef or hotdogs or coldcuts in
just a few days.

In comparison to a bioterrorism target like a water treatment plant,
meat processing plants have virtually no security, and their workforces
are wide open to infiltration. Many of the nation's slaughterhouses are
staffed with poorly trained and poorly paid migrant workers, often with
little documentation or background checks. The typical plant turns over
its entire staff each year, virtually guaranteeing that no one really
knows who is working there.

Meatpacking is already the nation's most life-threatening occupation.
The rate of serious injury-losing a limb or an eye-is five times the
national average. In 1999, more than one out of four of America's
150,000 meatpacking workers suffered a job-related injury or illness.
The safety of the food chain is probably not the primary concern for
workers who are struggling to avoid being mauled by mechanical knives,
or ducking two-ton carcasses moving by at breakneck speed.

Yet, in many ways, these people-and the conditions at these plants-form
an unlikely first line of defense against food-borne illnesses.

A terrorist could contaminate a huge amount of store-ready meat with a
strategically placed sample of a species like E. coli or salmonella or
listeria. And unlike anthrax, which is hard to obtain and prepare, these
bioweapons are readily available.

Studies in the October 18 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine
demonstrate that government regulations already fail to guarantee the
safety of our food. One study shows that one in five samples of ground
meat obtained in U.S. supermarkets carried antibiotic-resistant
salmonella. Another study found that more than half of the chickens
bought from 26 supermarkets in Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota and Oregon
carried resistant forms of the sometimes fatal germ Enterococcus
faecium.
In the case of our food chain, a public health disaster is just waiting
to happen, without any terrorist threats whatsoever. Les Friedlander, a
former USDA veterinarian, suggests that someone working in a plant could
easily obtain a sample of salmonella or E. coli or some other
life-threatening agent from the plant's meat inspection lab, and use
this sample for large-scale contamination.

A gradual gutting of the nation's meat inspection workforce and
authority in recent decades means that current regulations and measures
don't even catch the unintentional introductions of these contaminants.
Just in the first 9 months of 2001, the USDA announced 60 recalls,
totaling nearly 30 million pounds of meat.

Unfortunately, the vulnerability of this meat link in the food chain is
not unique. From a biowarfare perspective, the easiest targets are
genetically similar populations of organisms for whom a single bug could
easily infect the majority of individuals. Consider that 90 percent of
the nations dairy cows are closely related Holsteins. The nation's
largest pork producer, Smithfield, controls 12 million hogs who are
virtual clones of each other. The factory farms that confine tens of
thousands of animals in close and unhygienic quarters or the monoscapes
of wheat or soybeans that cover much of the Heartland resemble the
proverbial sitting duck.

We don't need the Hollywood scriptwriters that the Central Intelligence
Agency retained recently to "think outside the box" on potential
terrorist threats to the food we eat. Instead, while public awareness on
matters of safety is so high, we have a perfect opportunity to clean up
the food system from within, creating more hygienic living conditions
for livestock, placing restrictions on antibiotic use in feed, and
providing more humane working conditions for slaughterhouse workers.

In the same way that Upton Sinclair in The Jungle cast a spotlight on
the stomach-turning practices of turn of 19th century meat processing
industry, the threat of terrorism is casting a spotlight on industry
after industry, from mail delivery to air travel, exposing
vulnerabilities that were often known but never taken seriously.

In the past the public health argument for cleaning up America's food
chains has repeatedly failed to inspire politicians to support the
changes we need to protect all Americans from contaminated food. If we
are lucky, today's rallying cries for homeland security will finally
lead to meaningful actions to secure our food supplies from the threats
of both accidental and terrorist epidemics.

-- End --

Brian Halweil is a Research Associate at the Worldwatch Institute, a
non-profit environmental and public policy research institute, in
Washington DC. He focuses on the social and ecological consequences of
the way we produce food. He writes on biotechnology, loss of farmers,
population and malnutrition. An edited version of this commentary
appeared in the Los Angeles Times on November 2, 2001

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Leanne Mitchell, Public Relations Specialist; Tel: 202-452-1992 ext. 527
Email: lmitchell@worldwatch.org <mailto:lmitchell@worldwatch.org>
Brian Halweil, Research Associate; Tel: 202-452-1992 ext. 538 Email:
bhalweil@worldwatch.org <mailto:bhalweil@worldwatch.org>


RELATED WORKS BY BRIAN HALWEIL:
How Now Mad Cow? <http://www.worldwatch.org/alerts/010308.html>
Organic Gold Rush, World Watch Magazine, May/June 2001.
<https://secure.worldwatch.org/cgi-bin/wwinst/143b>
Where have all the Farmers Gone? World Watch Magazine, September/October
2000. <https://secure.worldwatch.org/cgi-bin/wwinst/135b>

VISIT THE WORLDWATCH WEBSITE AT: www.worldwatch.org
<http://www.worldwatch.org>





Leanne Mitchell
Public Relations Specialist
----------------------------------------------
Worldwatch Institute
1776 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington DC 20036
Tel: (202) 452-1992 ext.527
Fax: (202) 296-7365
Email: lmitchell@worldwatch.org
Web: www.worldwatch.org



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Threat of Nuclear Terrorism Is Growing

2001-11-08

http://ens-news.com/ens/nov2001/2001L-11-02-06.html

The ruthlessness of the September attacks against the United States has alerted the world to the potential of nuclear terrorism, making it "far more likely" that terrorists could target nuclear facilities, nuclear material and radioactive sources worldwide, the chief of the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency said Thursday.

Gambia: private radio station owner may be targeted

2001-11-08

http://www.freemedia.at/

In a 2 November 2001 letter to President Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh, The International Press Institute condemned the recent arrest of Baboucar Gaye and the closure of his radio station, Citizen FM.
IFEX- News from the international freedom of expression community
_________________________________________________________________

ACTION ALERT UPDATE - THE GAMBIA

2 November 2001

IPI concerned that private radio station owner may be targeted

SOURCE: International Press Institute (IPI), Vienna

**Updates IFEX alert of 30 October 2001**

(IPI/IFEX) - In a 2 November 2001 letter to President Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh,
IPI
condemned the recent arrest of Baboucar Gaye and the closure of his radio
station, Citizen FM.

On the basis of information supplied to IPI, on 29 October, Citizen FM
interrupted its usual broadcasting schedule to announce that Gaye, the
proprietor of the radio station, had been arrested by the National
Intelligence
Agency (NIA). After his arrest, Gaye was taken to the headquarters of the
NIA,
where he made a phone call to the radio station asking staff to halt their
broadcasting.

Gaye was arrested for alleged tax arrears. According to the authorities, he
apparently owes tax arrears of US$ 9,000. However, the arrest may have been
due
to the announcement that the radio station would air the presidential
election
results as they were returned. This decision contravenes the Gambian law on
elections, which states that the electoral commission must be the first body
to
provide news of the election results. After being held for eight hours, Gaye
was
eventually released but Citizen FM remains closed.

In the past, both the radio station and Gaye have suffered from the close
attentions of the authorities. Gaye was arrested and Citizen FM closed in
February 1998. At that time, essential equipment was also taken from the
radio
station and Gaye was later convicted of operating a radio station without a
licence. He received a fine and was forced to forfeit the station's
equipment to
the government, thus preventing him from broadcasting. In 2000, after a
protracted court battle, the Gambian judiciary finally held in favour of
Gaye
and the radio station. A decision made by the court on 3 July quashed Gaye's
conviction and sentence, as well as the forfeiture of the radio equipment
(see
IFEX alerts of 11 and 6 July 2000, 13 August, 22 and 17 June 1999, 19 May,
20
April, 3 March, 19, 13 and 9 February 1998).

IPI firmly believes that the use of alleged tax evasion to close down a
radio
station is an abuse of the government's powers. Based on recent history, IPI
is
of the opinion that the authorities are pursuing a vendetta for the radio
station's past reporting.

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Send appeals to the president:
- inviting the Gambian government to do everything in its power to ensure
that
Citizen FM is allowed to continue broadcasting
- noting that by doing so, he will be upholding the principle of
"everybody's
right to seek, receive and impart information," as enshrined in Article 19
of
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

APPEALS TO:

H.E. President Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh
State House
Banjul, The Gambia
Fax: +220 227 034

Please copy appeals to the source if possible.

For further information, contact IPI at Spiegelgasse 2, A-1010 Vienna,
Austria,
tel: +43 1 512 90 11, fax: +43 1 512 90 14, e-mail: Michael Kudlak at
mkudlak@freemedia.at, Barbara Trionfi at info@freemedia.at, or David Dadge
at
ddadge@freemedia.at, Internet site: www.freemedia.at

The information contained in this action alert update is the sole
responsibility
of IPI. In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit
IPI.
_________________________________________________________________
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/
_________________________________________________________________

Malawi: Ruling party draws up list of journalists to be beaten

2001-11-08

http://dfn.org/focus/malawi/beaten-journalists.htm

Malawi's Daily Times newspaper reported that the United Democratic Front (UDF) has drawn up a list of journalists to be assaulted allegedly for discrediting the ruling party.

Namibia: Minister reacts to media concerns over new Defence Bill

2001-11-08

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/media/3933

On Wednesday 31 October 2001, Defence Minister Erkki Nghimtina reacted to concerns over the violation of freedom of speech and expression contained in the new Defence Bill, "The Namibian" reported on 2 November.
IFEX- News from the international freedom of expression community
_________________________________________________________________

ALERT UPDATE - NAMIBIA

2 November 2001

Minister reacts to media concerns over new Defence Bill

SOURCE: Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), Windhoek

**Updates IFEX alert of 27 September 2001**

(MISA/IFEX) - On Wednesday 31 October 2001, Defence Minister Erkki Nghimtina
reacted to concerns over the violation of freedom of speech and expression
contained in the new Defence Bill, "The Namibian" reported on 2 November.
In September, media rights organisations and editors called on the Namibian
government to review restrictive media provisions proposed in a new Defence
Bill to make them compatible with the country's Constitution.

During the debate on the second reading of the bill in the National
Assembly, Nghimtina said: "We should not engage ourselves in a shallow and
narrow interpretation of the Constitution."

According to the minister, those who had been referring to Article 21(1)(a)
did not extend their interpretation to Article 21(2). The first sub-article
states that all persons shall have the right to freedom of speech and
expression, which includes freedom of the press and other media.

The second sub-article states that these freedoms shall be subject to
Namibian law, to the extent that the law imposes reasonable restrictions on
the exercise of rights and freedoms. It says that this is necessary in a
democratic society and is required in the interest of Namibia's sovereignty
and integrity, national security, public order, decency or morality, or in
relation to contempt of court, defamation or incitement to an offence.

Apart from the bill being in direct conflict with the right to freedom of
expression, MISA expressed particular concern over sections 54 and 55 of the
Defence Bill, which penalises the disclosure of "unauthorised information"
and prohibits the taking of photographs or the making of sketches, plans,
models or notes of military premises or installations.

BACKGROUND:
In a statement issued on 26 October, MISA said that legislation enacted by
the Namibian government to protect the territory and security of its
citizens should impose the least restrictive measures possible and should be
compatible with the Namibian Constitution.

MISA stated that everyone has the right to information from public
authorities, including information relating to national security. It
reaffirmed its belief that the right to obtain information that is in the
public's interest should be a primary consideration in all relevant laws and
decisions.

Accordingly, MISA felt that there should be very narrowly defined
circumstances under which expressing oneself freely can be considered a
threat to national security and therefore liable for punishment, such as
instances where the government can demonstrate inter alia that:
a) the statement is intended to incite imminent violence;
b) it is likely to incite such violence; and
c) there is a direct and immediate connection between the expression and the
likelihood or occurrence of such violence.

For further information, contact Zoe Titus or Kaitira Kandjii, Regional
Information Coordinator, MISA, Street Address: 21 Johann Albrecht Street,
Mailing Address; Private Bag 13386 Windhoek, Namibia, tel: +264 61 232975,
fax: +264 61 248016, e-mail: research@misa.org.na or kkandjii@misa.org.na,
Internet: http://www.misa.org/

The information contained in this alert update is the sole responsibility of
MISA. In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit
MISA.
_________________________________________________________________
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/
_________________________________________________________________

South Africa: ANC members of parliament attack broadcaster

2001-11-08

http://www.ifex.org/

The FXI notes with great concern the African National Congress (ANC) members of parliament's (MPs') continued attacks on the national broadcaster. In yet another attack on the South African Broadcasting Corporation, on Wednesday 31 October 2001, the MPs criticised the broadcaster for its coverage on President Thabo Mbeki, saying that it is giving more publicity to opposition leaders than to the head of state.
IFEX- News from the international freedom of expression community
_________________________________________________________________

ALERT - SOUTH AFRICA

1 November 2001

ANC members of parliament attack broadcaster

SOURCE: Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI), Johannesburg

(FXI/IFEX) - The FXI notes with great concern the African National Congress
(ANC) members of parliament's (MPs') continued attacks on the national
broadcaster. In yet another attack on the South African Broadcasting
Corporation, on Wednesday 31 October 2001, the MPs criticised the
broadcaster for its coverage on President Thabo Mbeki, saying that it is
giving more publicity to opposition leaders than to the head of state.

The attack is the second in two days. On Tuesday 30 October, the National
Assembly's Communications Committee chairperson attacked the national
broadcaster for its coverage of foreign policy and policies on the coverage
of violence and accidents.

The FXI is concerned with both the continued attacks and the nature of the
attacks. For MPs to launch such attacks on the broadcaster may be read as an
attempt to intimidate journalists at the broadcaster. The broadcaster
employs editors who are able to make professional decisions on content in
term of both quality and quantity of news items. Moreover, there are
organisations and mechanisms in place to deal with complaints to the media.

In the FXI's opinion, the ruling party's attack on the broadcaster is
political and is not based on journalistic assessment. The ANC seems to be
confusing the public broadcaster for their publicist desk.

For further information, contact Information and Communications Officer
Scotch Tagwireyi, FXI at P.O. Box 30668, Braamfontein, 2017, Johannesburg
(Street Address: 5th Floor Argon House, 87 Juta Street, Braamfontein,
Johannesburg), South Africa, tel: +27 11 403 8403/4, mobile: +27 72 357
2699, fax: +27 11 403 8309, e-mail: fxi@fxi.org.za, Internet:
http://fxi.org.za

The information contained in this alert is the sole responsibility of FXI.
In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit FXI.
_________________________________________________________________
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/

Sudan: Journalists Charged

2001-11-08

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/media/3889

Alfrid Tabban, Albino Okely and Nhial Bol have been charged and released on bail with waging war against the state, provoking hatred against or amongst the sexes and defamation by the authorities in Khartoum. The Sudanese Victims of Torture Group requests your help putting pressure on the Government of Sudan to ensure Mr Tabban, Okely and Bol have full access to legal representation and fair trial; to end to the harassment of Sudanese journalists by security forces and to abolish all legislation that violates Sudan&#8217;s obligations under international human rights laws.
S V T G
Sudanese Victims of Torture Group


PRESS RELEASE: 1 November 2001

ALFRID TABBAN, ALBINO OKELY AND NHIAL BOL CHARGED


SVTG can confirm that following the release of Alfrid Tabban and Nhail Bol, on Saturday 27 October, the two men, together with Albino Okely, were charged on Wednesday 31 October 2001 were charged and released on bail of 10 million Sudanese pounds each (about 4,000 dollars).

Tabban and Bol were arrested on Wednesday 24 October and taken to the District Attorney for Crimes Against the State, where they were held for interrogation regarding their work as journalists. They were released after three days detention. Albino Okely, was arrested Sunday and held for about two hours before being released.

Mr Alfrid Tabban is a well-known Sudanese journalist, Khartoum Monitor Board Chairman and a reporter for Reuters and the British Broadcasting Corporation. Nhial Bol is Managing Editor of the Khartoum Monitor and Albino Okely it&#8217;s Editor-in-Chief.

They have been charged in the following articles:

Article 51 - Waging war against the state.
Punishable by death, life imprisonment or imprisonment for lesser periods, or confiscation of money.

Article 64 - Provoking hatred against or amongst the sexes.
Punishable with imprisonment for a term of no more than 2 years, or a fine, or both.

Article 159 - Defamation
Punishable with no more than 6 months imprisonment, a fine or both.


Alfrid Tabban was detained for 6 days in April after he tried to attend a news conference by church leaders in Khartoum in protest against the arrests of the Christians from Green Square at the Easter demonstration. Then, in July, Tabban was instructed to report to the Security offices. Mr Tabban, a Christian, was also detained for several months in 1990 for criticising the government.

The Khartoum Monitor has been suspended three times this year and the journalists and staff of the Khartoum Monitor have been under continuous harassment and surveillance by the security.

SVTG believes that these actions are aimed at spreading fear and preventing individuals or groups from expressing their beliefs and opinions.

SVTG considers these actions by the government continued repression of freedom of expression and is against many the Government of Sudan&#8217;s international commitments.

SVTG recalls that Sudan is a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which obliges state parties to protect freedom of expression.


SVTG calls upon individual governments and the International Community to exert pressure on the Government of Sudan to;

1. To ensure Mr Tabban, Okely and Bol have full access to legal representation and fair trial.

2. To immediately put an end to the harassment of Sudanese journalists by security forces.

3. Abolish all legislation that violates Sudan&#8217;s obligations under international human rights laws.

Addresses
His Excellency Lieutenant General Omar Hassan al-Bashir, President of the Republic of Sudan, People&#8217;s Palace, PO Box 281, Khartoum, Sudan, Telex: 22385 PEPLC SD or 22411 KAID SD- Fax: +249 11 771 7 24

Mr Ali Osman Yasin, Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Ministry of Justice, Khartoum, Sudan. Telex:22459 KHRJA SD or 22461 KHRJA SD (via Ministry of Foreign Affairs) &#8211; Fax: +249 11 77740 63

Mr Mustafa Osman Ismail, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, PO Box 873, Khartoum, Sudan, Telex: 22459 KHRJA SD or 22461 KHRJA SD &#8211; Fax: 249 11 7740 63


SVTG is an independent non-governmental human rights organisation, for further details on this press release or any other information please contact;
The Sudanese Victims of Torture Group
Park Business Centre
Kilburn Park Rd
London NW6 5LF
UK
Tel: +44-207 6258055
Email: Osman.h@virgin.net

THE ABUJA AGREEMENT AND THE CMAG VISIT

Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe Update # 2001/43

2001-11-08

http://www.icon.co.zw/mmpz

This week the Media Monitoring Project focuses its attention on the media coverage of the visit by the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group to Zimbabwe to assess the progress being made towards the implementation of the conditions set out in the Abuja agreement signed in the Nigerian capital on September 6th between Britain and Zimbabwe. The government-controlled media launched a propaganda blitz promoting government&#8217;s insistence that it is complying with the terms of the Abuja Agreement.
Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe
Media Update # 2001/43
Monday 22nd October to Monday 29th October 2001


THE ABUJA AGREEMENT AND THE CMAG VISIT

INTRODUCTION
This week the Media Monitoring Project focuses its attention on
the media coverage of the visit by the Commonwealth Ministerial
Action Group to Zimbabwe to assess the progress being made
towards the implementation of the conditions set out in the Abuja
agreement signed in the Nigerian capital on September 6th between
Britain and Zimbabwe.
The government-controlled media launched a propaganda blitz
promoting government&#8217;s insistence that it is complying with the
terms of the Abuja Agreement. Wild and unsubstantiated
conspiracy theories, and accusations of racism and division
abounded in the government-owned Press and, perhaps to a lesser
extent, on ZBC&#8217;s bulletins. These were clearly designed to distract
their audiences from the real issue of examining government&#8217;s
performance in restoring the rule of law and conducting agrarian
reforms lawfully, all of which formed part of the conditions of Abuja
but which the government and its media struggled to sideline.
Simple logic must ask government and the state-controlled media
the obvious question: Why else was the delegation visiting
Zimbabwe?
The privately owned press also devoted considerable space to the
topic, providing a more credible and realistic impression of the visit
and the situation on the ground.
These diametrically opposed viewpoints once again set the two
media sectors (public and private) poles apart, a condition that is
often employed in a generic way to describe the media in
Zimbabwe. But this is a slack and misleading description of the
state of the media that demands deeper analysis.
First of all, it implies that both sectors are somehow extremist and
equally to blame for the polarization of the sources of information
available to Zimbabweans. This is not the case.
Government officials have repeatedly stated that state-owned
media organizations are obliged to reflect government policy and
opinion. It is also fair to say that being nominally accountable to
the electorate, the government is anxious to ensure that the media
it controls portray its activities and opinions favourably.
This agenda therefore, binds government-controlled media
institutions to a single narrow perspective that destroys any claims
they may make of reflecting a genuinely diverse range of national
activity and opinion and places their news output at one political
extreme.
The intensity with which the government-controlled media
manipulate the news to communicate this one-dimensionally
flattering image to its audiences depends on a number of factors.
But it is certain that impending national plebiscites create a virulent
response from government to promote its opinions and manipulate
news of its activities to such a degree that the distortion results in
the most severe lack of balance or fairness and bears little
resemblance to reality. MMPZ&#8217;s research during last year&#8217;s
referendum and parliamentary election campaigns clearly
demonstrates this fact. And there is no denying that history is
repeating itself as the week under review confirms.
The privately owned Press, on the other hand, have no other
agenda than to make profit, which depends on readership and
which, in turn, depends on the credibility of its news output. While
political opinion varies (although not very widely) in the private
Press, their success or failure depends on their ability to report
events and opinions accurately and fairly.
Often these basic standards are not met for various reasons. But
when a government resorts to subverting all the instruments of
democracy in order to manipulate the outcome of an election,
including the electoral process, the extremism has not been
introduced by the private Press, but by the government itself and
the media it controls, which is obliged to defend the indefensible.
This is what causes the polarization of the media in Zimbabwe
today.



ANALYSIS OF COVERAGE
There can hardly be a more classic example of this polarity
between the government-controlled and privately owned press than
the editions of The Sunday Mail and The Standard of October 28th.
Both newspapers led with reports on the outcome of the
Commonwealth team&#8217;s visit to Zimbabwe, which was intended to
assess progress in the implementation of the Abuja agreement
under which Britain agreed to help fund a land reform programme
on condition that Zimbabwe conducted it in a lawful and orderly
manner, restored the rule of law and guaranteed a democratic
electoral process.
Under an entirely inaccurate headline, Thumbs-up for Zim, Club
ministers say State implementing its Abuja obligations, The
Sunday Mail&#8217;s story charged that attempts by the opposition MDC
and other anti-government civic organizations to have Abuja
derailed had failed after the Commonwealth team &#8220;confirmed that
the&#8230;Government was implementing its obligations&#8221;.
But nowhere in the story was there a clear explanation, or even a
relevant quote from the Commonwealth team&#8217;s communiqué to
support this claim. Instead, the paper distracted its readers from
this crucial issue by swamping them with allegations of racial
divisions within the Commonwealth team itself and how an MDC
MP had been &#8220;taken to task&#8221; by one of its delegates. It dismissed
the &#8220;pathetic&#8221; presentations from civic groups and the CFU,
describing them as &#8220;a flop&#8221;, without presenting any evidence for
this, while the submissions of those groups supporting the
government line, were hailed as having &#8220;carried the day&#8221;.
Its rival, The Standard, on the other hand, carried a straightforward
story under the heading, Government ordered to delist farms,
which was supported by relevant quotes from the Commonwealth
team&#8217;s communiqué.
What none of the media managed to explain, or penetrate with any
great clarity, was the obscure diplomatic wording of the
communiqué. Nor did they provide a clear summary of the points it
made, or analyse whether it was indeed, a feeble fudging of the
issues the Commonwealth team had come to assess. But in its
calls on government to speed up the de-listing of farms and the
need to &#8220;&#8230;implement the entire process in accordance with
the laws and constitution of Zimbabwe,&#8221; (ZTV 27/10 8pm)
among other appeals, The Standard fairly assessed that
&#8220;Government, through its failure to comply with the Abuja
accord, has, for the time being, effectively put paid to British
aid to fund land reform&#8230;&#8221;
This was not the impression given by ZTV, although it initially aired
some footage of the Commonwealth group&#8217;s chairman, Nigeria&#8217;s
Sule Lamido, reading out some sections of the communiqué
without providing either comment or analysis. Viewers were left to
wrestle with the interpretation of the diplomatic jargon in the
communiqué until its main news bulletin the following evening when
it allowed the director of an obscure organization, Zimbabwe Land
Case Research, to do the hatchet job of providing an entirely
misleading analysis of the communiqué unchallenged.
ZTV&#8217;s reporter, Judith Makwanya, allowed Noah Muzorori, the
ZLCR director, to endorse ZANU PF&#8217;s perspective that Abuja was
only about funding Zimbabwe&#8217;s land reforms when he said:
&#8220;(The) Abuja agreement is about the land issue as if affects
Zimbabwe-UK relations. These other issues of the rule of law,
electoral supervisors (sic) and the like, are peripheral
issues&#8230;These are issues which can be tackled in different
fora&#8230;We are looking at the Abuja agreement as it should
solve the Zimbabwe land issue&#8230;&#8221;
Worse still, Muzorori was allowed to manipulate the
Commonwealth statement in such a way as to give the impression
that it had endorsed government&#8217;s fast-track land reform when he
was quoted saying: &#8220;The communiqué stipulated that
Zimbabwe should solve the land issue within the context of
the law&#8230;That is what is happening&#8230;&#8221;
No other analysis was sourced, although the national broadcaster
later adopted these claims and those made in The Sunday Mail as
fact.

Such distortions of reality provided the climax to a week of severe
manipulation in the government-controlled media.

Before the arrival of the Commonwealth committee, the state-
controlled media relied heavily on Foreign Affairs Minister, Stan
Mudenge, to promote the notion that Zimbabwe was implementing
the Abuja agreement.
ZTV gave a total of 38 minutes to the topic of the Commonwealth
team&#8217;s visit in its Newshour bulletins during the week, representing
14% of the bulletin&#8217;s total news time in the seven days. Stan
Mudenge alone was allocated 11 minutes. He first appeared on
Newshour (ZTV and all radio stations, 8pm) on October 23rd stating
that government ministers had visited a number of provinces to
monitor the situation in the commercial farming areas and ZTV
used this as proof that government was fulfilling its obligations.
MMPZ notes that accepting without question government ministers&#8217;
statements as truth has been the stock-in-trade of ZBC&#8217;s coverage
of most issues relating to land reform.

After attracting lead story status in the government owned
Zimpapers' titles the following morning (The Herald and The
Chronicle 24/10) for his rejection of European Union demands to
send observers to next year's presidential election, ZBC (ZTV,
24/10, 8pm) accorded Mudenge another five minutes 30 seconds to
expand on his conspiracy theory about the motives of the EU that
appeared at the end of The Herald's story. Evidently taken from the
same interview, ZTV quoted Mudenge as saying: "That&#8217;s how they
got rid of Milosovic (of Yugoslavia). They used the time they
got to organize the opposition, to pay for the opposition and
defeat Milosovic. That&#8217;s what we don&#8217;t want" Surprisingly,
Mudenge admitted that his argument relied on The Herald, a paper
whose credibility has been severely eroded by its unwavering bias
in support of government policies. Any professional broadcaster
would have sought comment from the EU, but not ZBC.
Mudenge&#8217;s outburst was meant to reinforce increasingly strident
government accusations that Britain, a member of the EU with a
representative in the Commonwealth's "Abuja" committee, had a
hidden political agenda to persuade its partner states to impose
sanctions against Zimbabwe and contribute to the overthrow of the
government.
This too, had been contained in another front-page story of the
same edition of The Herald ostensibly announcing the expected
arrival of the Commonwealth delegates. But once it had this piece
of information out of the way, the story degenerated into
speculative propaganda quoting "diplomatic sources" saying
"Britain was now trying to hijack the Abuja agreement and
'turn it on its head'".
Apart from attempting to discredit Commonwealth secretary-
general, Don McKinnon, for attempting to insist on a restoration of
the rule of law, the paper stated: "Fears abound that Abuja
would be 'abused' to divide African countries by Britain and its
allies in the 'white' Commonwealth."
The paper provided no evidence for any of this deranged racial
innuendo other than reporting that Mudenge believed "some forces
were working to undermine the Abuja agreement."
This attempt to undermine the Commonwealth delegation was a
theme Zimpapers pursued the next day when The Herald (25/10)
accused Britain, Jamaica and South Africa of not sending as high-
ranking officials as those at Abuja. Unnamed sources, as was the
case in most of the paper&#8217;s stories under review, were used to
support this: "This is a way of making sure that no real
progress is made," they claimed. An editorial in the same edition
of the paper, EU&#8217;s double standards abominable, transformed the
EU's demand to have election observers attend the presidential
election into a conflict between African, Caribbean and Pacific
(ACP) countries and Europe. Said the paper: "If demands and
ultimatums become the modus operandi of the EU-ACP
relationship, then the ACP countries have every reason to
believe that the partnership is only in word, and the reality is
worse than during the colonial era."
The article also seemed to have been calculated to gag the
Commonwealth team from pressing government to adhere to its
Abuja promise of guaranteeing a democratic electoral process,
among other conditions.
The Financial Gazette&#8217;s (25/10) Zim threatens to dump Abuja,
underlined government&#8217;s preoccupation with the possible damage
the Abuja agreement was likely to inflict on President Mugabe&#8217;s
chances of winning next year&#8217;s presidential election. In the story,
government is reported to have threatened to dump Abuja if the
Commonwealth team arm-twisted Harare into sticking to the pact.
It was no surprise then, that the next day, The Herald (26/10) led
with Stick to Abuja, in which the paper again reported Stan
Mudenge, warning the Commonwealth team against working
"outside the parameters of the Abuja agreement".
Mudenge also tried to squeeze out other visiting non-African
Commonwealth members by claiming that "the Abuja pact was
an African initiative by Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo".
"The countries involved in the initiative should not derail the
Abuja agreement in the name of the Commonwealth," the
paper reported him as saying. They should "serve both the intent
and substance of what President Obasanjo sent us to do".
Warned Mudenge: "The postman who takes it upon himself to
edit the love letter he is delivering has tragically misread his
service charter. Our ministerial committee must, while
laughing at this silly postman, be careful to eschew his
wayward way."
In fact, an earlier story in The Herald (22/10) reported a planned
"major" protest by the United States-based Friends of Africa to
thwart MDC, British, and American plans to push through the
proposed Zimbabwe Democracy Bill.
The story, speculative and mostly editorialized, relied on claims
made by an unnamed spokesperson of Friends of Africa and
supported by nameless diplomatic sources.
Speculated the paper: "The opposition MDC that engineered
and supported the Bill was now caught in internal squabbles,
violence and bickering, which militated against the Bill¹s
assertions that the ruling ZANU PF government was
responsible for political violence in the country."
The story also tried to convince the visiting Commonwealth team
that events had stabilized in Zimbabwe. "The fast-track
programme has virtually ended with the resettlement of over
130 000 families and that the Abuja agreement was holding on
the ground, not withstanding a smear campaign by the
Commercial Farmers&#8217; Union". The private press responded to
this entirely notional claim with its own story: Mugabe ups
propaganda to dupe the world, The Financial Gazette (25/10).
This report claimed &#8211; without providing any source - that before the
Commonwealth delegation¹s visit, the Cabinet Action Committee
on Land, led by Local Government Minister Ignatius Chombo, had
urged militant settlers to scale down their activities and create a
picture of calm on the farms. At the same time, he issued an
ultimatum to all resettled farmers to move onto land allocated to
them or lose out in a bid to enable government to show that it has
a properly run land reform exercise.
The Reuters news agency story, Commonwealth mission may get
right words, but no action from Mugabe, in The Daily News (26/10)
also warned: "Mugabe¹s government has mixed charm with
belligerence ahead of the visit, promising total co-operation
with the Commonwealth, while attacking white farmers who
have questioned its commitment to the deals".
In its front-page comment No more games, The Financial Gazette
cited various cases in which government had contravened the
terms of the Abuja agreement. Noted the comment: "Thus the
visiting Commonwealth team and the entire community bear
the gravest moral and legal responsibility to ensure that not
only are these acts of madness stopped without delay but that
Zimbabweans do have minimum conditions under which a
free and fair ballot can be staged."
The Zimbabwe Independent (26/10) comment, Open letter to
Commonwealth ministers, chronicled the problems besieging the
country.
Only the private press carried stories of the continuing violence and
intimidation in the commercial farming areas ahead of the
Commonwealth team&#8217;s visit.
The Financial Gazette&#8217;s stories recorded continued incidents of
violence on commercial farms and its effects on both farmers and
the workers.
Other examples are: ZANU PF supporters attack Madzimure¹s
house again, The Daily News (23/10); ZANU PF arms war vets, re-
ignites terror, The Zimbabwe Independent (26/10); Land invaders
assault Nyabira farm workers, and War vets impound maize, The
Daily News (26/10).
Allegations of racism characterized coverage of the Commonwealth
team&#8217; s activities in The Daily News and The Herald (27/10). In an
article nonsensically headlined, Fits of racial bigotry, The Herald
brazenly concocted a story about white commercial farmers who
"went into fits of racial bigotry" after they had been goaded "to
mislead Club delegates" by one of the Commonwealth team&#8217;s
delegates, Canadian Secretary of State for Africa, David Kilgour,
during a visit to one farm.
However, the newspaper, like ZTV&#8217;s report the previous evening,
failed to provide a shred of evidence for its absurd allegations of
racism or bigotry against the farmers, let alone "fits". And the worst
crime it could find evidence for against Kilgour was his apparent
intervention in selecting a spokesman for the farmers in the area.
According to the paper, he had "stunned everyone" when he took
over the chairmanship of the meeting from Nigeria&#8217;s Sule Lamido
and picked on Johannes Jackson to represent commercial farmers.
But the paper contradicted its own allegation when it quoted the
initial representative of the farmers in the area, Handrieks Erasmus,
as saying his replacement by Jackson was not at the behest of
Kilgour, but with the agreement of his colleagues.
In ZTV&#8217;s story (26/10 8pm), Reuben Barwe reported that Kilgour
had invited the farmers&#8217; spokesman &#8220;&#8230;to paint another bad
picture about the whole resettlement programme,&#8221; but denied
audiences the opportunity of hearing what he actually said.
ZTV&#8217;s grossly biased coverage was again reflected the following
evening during Judith Makwanya&#8217;s voice-over (ZTV, 27/10, 8pm).
Makwanya alleged that the committee was divided along racial
lines when &#8220;&#8230;the black committee realised that land is at the
core of the problems in Zimbabwe while Britain, Canada and
Australia were pushing for change of government&#8230;&#8221; and
stated that white members had consulted on their own during the
delegation&#8217;s meetings.
No comment was accessed from the members of the committee to
corroborate Makwanya&#8217;s claims. Instead, the reporter went on to
quote unnamed &#8216;reliable sources&#8217; who were quoted as having said
the &#8220;divisions emerged on the rule of law, good governance
and whether Zimbabwe had adhered to the provisions of the
Abuja pact since its signing...&#8221;

The Daily News&#8217; War vets attack whites (27/10) highlighted the
comments of the war veterans&#8217; representative who was quoted
openly threatening the white commercial farmers and warned them
to change their attitude or risk trouble.
The same story also linked the Commonwealth group¹s visit to the
European Union¹s demand that it be allowed to send observers to
the presidential election. Without referring to the clause in the
Abuja accord relating to the government &#8216;s commitment to ensuring
democratic elections, the story reported Commonwealth Secretary-
General, Don McKinnon, as saying the Commonwealth would not
insist on sending observers unless it was invited to do so by
Zimbabwe.
It also carried a denial from McKinnon of unattributed allegations
contained in The Herald (24/10), claiming that he was part of a
group, led by Britain, that wanted to "hijack" Abuja in an effort to
drum up support for the opposition and oust the present
government. This effort to obtain some rebuttal of The Herald¹s
propaganda would have been most welcome, except for the fact
that The Daily News reporter included an allegation not contained in
The Herald story ­ that McKinnon was "raising funds to ensure
the Zanu PF government is ousted from power".
This prevailing belligerent atmosphere was reinforced in The Herald
comment, CFU lies: Time for final showdown (27/10).
The same issue of The Herald was awash with conspiracy
theories, including, Whites determined to see Abuja fail and, MDC
to get $10.2m UK funding. The first story, used belatedly, was a
warning to both the Commonwealth team and the impending visit
by a delegation from the UNDP that farmers were conspiring with
Britain, the foreign media, and some sections of the local media to
derail Abuja. The story was simplistic, propagandist and lacked
supporting facts. In the second story, the paper again attempted
to portray Britain as a double-dealing country that publicly
supported Abuja, but was clandestinely sponsoring the MDC in
breach of Zimbabwe&#8217;s Political Parties (Finance) Act. The story
conveniently used the bias of omission by denying both the MDC
and British authorities the right of reply.

From MMPZ- We appreciate your observations. MMPZ&#8217;s reports
focus on the week covered, although reference is made to stories
outside the week where this is required.
We invite our subscribers to submit their observations on these
and other issues to MMPZ. Please keep your letters brief.
Ends

The MEDIA UPDATE is produced and circulated by the Media
Monitorng Project Zimbabwe, 15 Duthie Avenue, Alexandra Park,
Harare, Tel/fax: 263 4 703702, E-mail: { HYPERLINK
"mailto:monitors@mweb.co.zw" }monitors@mweb.co.zw
Previous MMPZ reports can be accessed at
{ HYPERLINK "http://www.icon.co.zw/mmpz" }http://www.icon.co.zw/mmpz
Send all comments and queries to the Project Coordinator.
Please feel free to circulate this message.

Zimbabwe: Minister threatens to sue newspaper

2001-11-08

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/media/3936

Minister of State for Information and Publicity Jonathan Moyo has threatened to sue "The Financial Gazette" for publishing erroneous assertions, "The Herald" reported on 1 November 2001.
IFEX- News from the international freedom of expression community
_________________________________________________________________

ALERT - ZIMBABWE

2 November 2001

Minister threatens to sue newspaper

SOURCE: Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), Windhoek

(MISA/IFEX) - Minister of State for Information and Publicity Jonathan Moyo
has threatened to sue "The Financial Gazette" for publishing erroneous
assertions, "The Herald" reported on 1 November 2001.

Moyo's lawyer, Terrence Hussein of Ranchhold and Company, says his client
was offended by an article that appeared in the newspaper's 25 October
edition, titled "Knives out as Makoni presents budget".

The newspaper reported that Moyo was against the inclusion of Finance
Minister Simba Makoni in price controls negotiations with millers. "The
Financial Gazette" based its story on reports that appeared in the
government-controlled newspaper "The Herald", which questioned Makoni's
impartiality, accusing him of siding with the millers, allegedly because he
once sat on the board of one of the companies. Quoting an unnamed source
that is widely believed to be Moyo, the government-controlled newspaper
questioned Makoni's inclusion in the talks with millers and bakers over
price controls. Moyo's lawyers said the fact that the newspaper did not seek
their client's comment aggravated the matter.

"Our client takes issue with such an irresponsible, unsubstantiated and
careless remark," said the lawyers. In addition, the lawyers said that Moyo
had a good relationship with Makoni and labelled the newspaper's suggestions
as "malicious." "We therefore demand that you retract your erroneous
assertions in your next issue or face legal action," the lawyers said.

For further information, contact Zoe Titus or Kaitira Kandjii, Regional
Information Coordinator, MISA, Street Address: 21 Johann Albrecht Street,
Mailing Address; Private Bag 13386 Windhoek, Namibia, tel: +264 61 232975,
fax: +264 61 248016, e-mail: research@misa.org.na or kkandjii@misa.org.na,
Internet: http://www.misa.org/

The information contained in this alert is the sole responsibility of MISA.
In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit MISA.
_________________________________________________________________
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/

ANGOLA-ZAMBIA: Fighting moves north

2001-11-08

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=12660

Fighting in Angola along the border with Zambia has moved north, as a new influx of refugees this week entered Zambia's Northwestern province, humanitarian sources told IRIN.

ANGOLA: Progress at Kimberley Process meeting

2001-11-08

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=12663

The world's major diamond producing and trading countries have reported progress in drafting an international certification scheme for rough diamonds.

BURUNDI: Buyoya sets out priorities

2001-11-08

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=12667

Topmost on the list of priorities for Burundi's transitional government inaugurated on Thursday will be to secure a permanent cease-fire and protect the lives and properties of its citizens, President Pierre Buyoya said.

Burundi: Unity government installed

2001-11-08

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/conflict/3924

Burundi took a faltering but ambitious step towards ending eight years of ethnic conflict on Thursday, as the country's dominant Tutsi elite formally embraced the Hutu majority with the installation of a transitional government of national unity.
FT News
Unity government installed in Burundi
By Mark Turner In Bujumbura
Published: November 1 2001 17:09 | Last Updated: November 1 2001 21:52



Burundi took a faltering but ambitious step towards ending eight years of
ethnic conflict on Thursday, as the country's dominant Tutsi elite formally
embraced the Hutu majority with the installation of a transitional
government of national unity.

In the parliament building surrounded by South African protection forces and
Burundian troops, President Pierre Buyoya and new Hutu vice-president
Domitien Ndayizeye swore to "fight the ideology of genocide and exclusion
without reservation", and never to betray the unity of the Burundi people.

Twenty six cabinet members, almost equally split between Tutsi and Hutu
(many of whom had only just returned from years of exile), similarly
promised to uphold the three-year government - in which a Hutu will assume
the presidency after eighteen months.

Members of the audience burst into laughter - whether with derision or
relief, it was unclear - as they saw men appear on stage whom even a few
months ago they never imagined would have joined the government.

But Nelson Mandela, the man largely responsible for brokering the agreement,
quickly restored a sense of solemnity. "Today we celebrate a triumph," he
said. "If you can build peace in your beautiful country, it will have an
effect on the entire region, and will reverberate throughout the continent.
Your country has bled enough."

Five African heads of state and two vice-presidents looked on, reinforcing
hopes that peace in Burundi might also help restore calm to the vast swathe
of central Africa poisoned by inter-ethnic struggle. Burundi's rebels have
played an active part in the neighbouring Congo's six-country conflict and
without peace at home, instability abroad is likely to continue.

But whether Thursday's shift in power - in a country that has seen
power-sharing fail before - can finally end a war that has claimed more than
200,000 lives remains deeply uncertain.

Reports of fighting outside Bujumbura over recent days underline the very
real instability that continues to plague this central African country. The
two main rebel groups - the FDD and the FNL - have so far refused to take
part in the peace deal, and there is no ceasefire.

"It is indeed bizarre and virtually unprecedented that the installation of a
new transitional government should have been agreed upon while the war
continues," says Jan Van Eck, from South Africa's Centre for International
Political Studies. "The failure of the Arusha process to include the two
armed rebellions will remain its fatal shortcoming and continue to challenge
its legitimacy."

Even senior government members concede that if they do not deliver a
ceasefire within 18 months, they will face serious problems. Not least of
those will be the Tutsi hardliners who have also rejected the agreement,
angry at a substantial loss of power and subsequent insecurity.

There have already been two failed coups this year, and while the army
appears loyal for the time being, it will need to be watched closely.
Analysts say any reform will need to be slow and careful.

The parallel with South Africa's army, of which 700 troops (paid for by
Belgium) have been brought in to protect returning exiles, has not gone
unnoticed. Burundians, suspicious of any foreign forces, have been surprised
by the number of white faces among the camouflage-clad soldiers patrolling
around downtown Bujumbura.

For South Africa's part, the Burundi protection mission will be also be an
important test of its reformed army, still haunted by its last disastrous
peacekeeping mission in Lesotho in 1998.

Finally, Mr Buyoya launched an urgent appeal to donors to support Burundi's
new government with cash. Pledges of $400m made last year at Paris have been
slow to appear - and there are fears that without outside support the
government will find it hard to deliver improvements.

"We think we have correctly fulfilled our commitment," he said. "We expect
that our development partners fulfill theirs."




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CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Fighting erupts in capital

2001-11-08

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=12877

Fighting erupted in the Central African Republic (CAR) capital, Bangui, early Saturday morning when government soldiers tried to arrest former army chief General Francois Bozize for alleged involvement in the failed coup of 28 May, news agencies reported.

COMOROS: Referendum on unity still on track

2001-11-08

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=12904

The failure of a coup attempt over the weekend on the breakaway Comoros island of Anjouan has raised optimism among pro-union parties that a referendum across the archipelago on a new constitution to end the country's secessionist crisis will go ahead in December as scheduled.

COnvention Against Mercenaries Enters into Force

2001-11-08

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/conflict/3926

The Special Rapporteur on the use of mercenaries of the Commission on Human Rights, Enrique Bernales Ballesteros, has welcomed the entry into force on 20 October 2001 of the International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries.
Nizkor Int. Human Rights Team
Derechos Human Rights
Serpaj Europe
Information
[ii) messages]
02Nov01

i) HUMAN RIGHTS RAPPORTEUR WELCOMES THE ENTRY INTO FORCE OF THE
CONVENTION AGAINST THE RECRUITMENT, USE, FINANCING AND TRAINING OF
MERCENARIES.

The Special Rapporteur on the use of mercenaries of the Commission on
Human Rights, Enrique Bernales Ballesteros, has welcomed the entry into
force on 20 October 2001 of the International Convention against the
Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries.

The Convention was adopted by the General Assembly on 4 December 1989.
Twenty-two States have completed the constitutional procedures necessary
to indicate their willingness to be bound by the instrument. Those
States are: Azerbaijan, Barbados, Belarus, Cameroon, Costa Rica,
Croatia, Cyprus, Georgia, Italy, Libya, Maldives, Mauritania, Qatar,
Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Suriname, Togo, Turkmenistan,
Ukraine, Uruguay and Uzbekistan. Nine other States have signed the
Convention, but have not yet ratified it. They are: Angola, Congo,
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Germany, Morocco, Nigeria, Poland,
Romania and Yugoslavia.

'The International Convention confirms the legal nature of the many
resolutions and declarations by the United Nations condemning mercenary
activities and activities linked to mercenaries, states that the
recruitment, use, financing and training of mercenaries should be
considered as offences of grave concern to all States, and that any
person committing any of these offences should be cited, prosecuted or
extradited', the Special Rapporteur said. 'The entry into force of the
Convention will increase and extend cooperation among States in
eradicating such activities and will promote observance of the purposes
and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations'.

The Special Rapporteur also called on States to ratify the International
Convention without delay. 'The International Convention will make
international cooperation among States in preventing, prosecuting and
punishing these crimes more effective, particularly in these difficult
times in which the international community must take into account the
connection existing between terrorism and mercenary activities, as well
as the participation of mercenaries in criminal acts of a terrorist
nature', he said.

According to Mr. Ballesteros, the Convention reaffirms the purposes and
principles enshrined in Articles 1 and 2 of the Charter of the United
Nations and in the Declaration on Principles of International Law
concerning Friendly Relations and Cooperation among States in accordance
with the Charter of the United Nations (General Assembly resolution 2625
(XXV), of 24 October 1970).

[Source: United Nations Press Release - 31Oct01]
------------------------------------------------------
ii) STATEMENT BY SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON MERCENARIES BEFORE THE 3RD.
COMMITTEE OF THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY: ROLE OF PRIVATE SECURITY FIRMS
MUST BE ANALYSED.

ENRIQUE BERNALES BALLESTEROS, Special Rapporteur on the question of the
use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights and impeding the
exercise of the right of peoples to self-determination, said the mandate
of the Special Rapporteur also included, among other things, armed
conflict, terrorism, covert operations and trafficking in arms. All
States were asked to investigate the use of mercenaries in all criminal
activities in their countries.

He said a visit to El Salvador was still pending, as was a visit to
Panama. Such a visit would allow opinions to be collected and facts to
be gathered that could link the use of mercenaries and terrorism. A
study would also be carried out about the link of private security
firms. There would also be an investigation about the situation in Peru
about activities carried out by the former President. In this case, as
well as in the case of aggressions against Cuba and the situation in
Colombia, the Special Rapporteur observed links between mercenaries and
terrorism, particularly through the illegal trafficking of drugs. There
was a meeting about private security firms which offered people
opportunities to take part in military action. One of the conclusions of
that meeting was that there needed to be a further analysis of the legal
definition of mercenary. Another meeting would probably be held next
year. He said the conclusions and recommendations of the meeting would
likely be helpful for the General Assembly.

He said, as in all the reports, there had been a focus on the use of
mercenaries in Africa. There was no internal conflict or other problem
where mercenaries were not involved. Mercenaries were seen in Angola,
Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, among other places. In the western
parts of the countries, which were rich with precious stones and oils,
outside interests, including Mafias, had hired mercenaries to enable
them to get rich from those resources. The General Assembly and the
Security Council had both passed resolutions against that, and those
resolutions needed to be respected to protect the people of the region.

The terrorist attacks of 11 September had proved that there was a need
for a more effective strategy to tackle terrorism. The presence of
mercenaries usually occurred in connection with other criminal
activities, and it would be a mistake to discount the use of mercenaries
in terrorist attacks. Many attacks resulted from a defamation of
religious, cultural or political conflicts. Those people were trained to
destroy, and they were devoid of human sentiment. Mercenaries were
behind many terrorist attacks, and they were often used to assassinate
political leaders. When investigating a terrorist attack, there should
always be an investigation into whether mercenaries were involved. If
the international community wanted to be successful in fighting
terrorism, that should be seriously considered.

[Source: United Nations Press Release - GA/SHC/3650 - Fifty-sixth
General Assembly, Third Committee, 31 October 2001, 26th Meeting (AM)]
------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------
RELATED LINKS:
- International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and
Training of Mercenaries - A/RES/44/34, 72nd plenary meeting, 4 December
1989.
http://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/44/a44r034.htm
- Documents on Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on
use of mercenaries as a means of impeding the exercise of the right of
peoples to self-determination
http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu2/7/b/mmer.htm
- The January 2001 Report by the Special Rapporteur on the use of
mercenaries of the Commission on Human Rights is available on:
http://www.unhchr.ch/SearchForm.nsf/SymbolNumberSearchEng?OpenForm
by entering the Document Symbol Number "E/CN.4/2001/19" in the search
box.
- Colombia: Outsourcing War
http://www.public-i.org/story_03a_071201.htm
- DynCorp In Colombia: Outsourcing the Drug War
http://www.corpwatch.org/issues/military/featured/2001/dyncorp.html
- Intelligence and Extermination Networks in Barrancabermeja,
Colombia.[SPA/ESP]
http://www.derechos.org/nizkor/colombia/libros/redes/index.html
- Organization and Operation of Intelligence Networks - Colombian Armed
Forces Directive No. 200-05/91.
http://www.derechos.org/nizkor/colombia/doc/directive.htm
- The Office of the High Commissionner for Human Rights report on the HR
situation in Colombia is available on:
http://www.unhchr.ch/SearchForm.nsf/SymbolNumberSearchEng?OpenForm
by entering the Document Symbol Number [ E/CN.4/2001/15 ] in the search
box.
--
FIN DEL MENSAJE END OF MESAGGE EINDE BERICHT FIM DA MENSAGEM FINE
DEL MESSAGGIO ENDE NACHRICHT FIN DEL MENSAJE END OF MESAGGE
EINDE BERICHT FIM DA MENSAGEM FINE DEL MESSAGGIO ENDE NACHRICHT
************************************************************************

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KENYA: WFP appeals for cash to buy food in-country

2001-11-08

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=12588

Despite a good harvest in certain highly productive areas Kenya, drought conditions have persisted well beyond expectations in Kenya's arid and semi-arid lands, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) reported on Tuesday in appealing for cash donations from donors to allow the purchase of relief food in Kenya itself.

LESOTHO: WOUNDS HEAL, BUT SLOWLY

2001-11-08

http://www.mg.co.za/mg/za/archive/2001nov/features/05nov-heading.html

The excesses resulting from South Africa's 1998 military intervention in Lesotho have been largely forgiven by the Basotho.

Liberia: U.N. Arms Embargo Failing

Weak Export Controls Largely to Blame

2001-11-08

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/conflict/3995

The United Nations Security Council must enforce the international arms embargo on Liberia, Human Rights Watch said today.
Liberia: U.N. Arms Embargo Failing
Weak Export Controls Largely to Blame

(New York, November 5, 2001) The United Nations Security Council must
enforce the international arms embargo on Liberia, Human Rights Watch
said today.

A new U.N. report, prepared by an independent panel of experts and
scheduled for discussion at the Security Council today, documents many
cases of illegal arms shipments to Liberia in the past eighteen months.

"The arms flows into Liberia make a mockery of U.N. sanctions," said
Joost Hiltermann, executive director of the Arms Division of Human
Rights Watch. "These weapons fuel
brutal wars and feed regional
instability-with terrible consequences for human rights."

The Liberia arms embargo was first imposed in 1992 and tightened in
March 2001 to curb arms trafficking via Liberia to the
Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels in Sierra Leone,
who are also subject to a U.N. embargo. There has been progress toward
disarmament in Sierra Leone, but fighting continues on the border
between Guinea and Liberia.

The new U.N. report, which presents detailed information and documentary
evidence, reveals that the weapons shipped illegally to
Liberia-comprising ammunition, small arms, and helicopter spare
parts-came from Ukraine, Slovakia, and Kyrgyzstan, respectively. Two
shipments of helicopter gunships, one from Kyrgyzstan via Slovakia and
another from Moldova, were halted at the last moment. Planned shipments
of massive quantities of small arms from Ukraine were also interrupted.
All of the weapons were sold on the basis of counterfeit
documents provided by arms brokers. These documents, called end-user
certificates, falsely declared the weapons were intended for another
country, in most cases Guinea. In at least one case, a regional ally
knowingly provided false cover for illegal arms shipments to
Liberia.

The arms-trafficking networks of two well-known arms dealers also used
fraud to conceal the operations of the front companies and airlines
involved in the Liberia shipments.

The pattern echoed what earlier U.N. investigations, as well as research
by Human Rights Watch, had uncovered in Angola and Sierra Leone. (See,
for example, Human Rights Watch, "Neglected Arms Embargo on Sierra
Leonean Rebels," http://www.hrw.org/press/2000/05/slback0515.htm and
Angola Unravels, September 1999,
http://www.hrw.org/reports/1999/angola/)

According to the U.N. report, not one of the exporting countries'
governments checked to see if Guinea, the purported end-user, had
actually requested the weapons.

"Arms export controls in central and eastern Europe are a disgrace,"
said Hiltermann. "That makes it easy for arms traffickers to get away
with their deadly trade." He urged that arms-exporting governments and
multilateral institutions such as the European Union and NATO do more to
curb irresponsible arms trading in the region. (See Human Rights Watch,
"Security Risks Posed by Arms Transfers from E.U. Candidate Countries,"
October 19, 2001, at
http://www.hrw.org/press/2001/10/arms-eu-ltr1019.htm)

Human Rights Watch called on the Security Council to urgently implement
the following key recommendations contained in the Liberia panel's
report:

·Immediately ground all aircraft owned, operated, or insured by the
companies identified in the U.N. report as having arranged illegal
arms flights to Liberia.

·Encourage member states to investigate all arms deals involving
any of the companies or individuals named in the report and to
communicate their findings to the U.N. sanctions committees.

·Establish a U.N. working group to rapidly develop a standardized
end-user certificate that would be difficult to forge.

Human Rights Watch also recommended that the Security Council call on
U.N. member states to enact national laws that implement U.N. arms
embargoes and to prosecute violators. It further urged the Security
Council to authorize UNAMSIL peacekeepers in Sierra Leone to
monitor and enforce the arms embargo in force on the RUF there,
especially in Kailahun district, and make public the information it
collects. Finally, it called on the Security Council to establish a
permanent U.N. unit to monitor and report on arms embargo violations.

For more information on U.N. arms embargoes in Africa, please see:

Security Concerns Raised by Arms Transfers from Candidate Countries (HRW
Letter, October 19, 2001) at
http://www.hrw.org/press/2001/10/arms-eu-ltr1019.htm

Neglected Arms Embargo on Sierra Leone Rebels (HRW Briefing Paper, May
15, 2000) at http://www.hrw.org/press/2000/05/slback0515.htm

The U.N. Sanctions Committee on Angola: Lessons Learned? (HRW Briefing
Paper, April 17, 2000) at
http://www.hrw.org/press/2000/04/brif-angola.htm

Sierre Leone: Bin Laden Profited in Diamond Trade

2001-11-08

http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml;jsessionid=2IM1A4AIV0XCYCRBAELCFFAKEEARKIWD?type=topnews&StoryID=341595

Saudi-born militant Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network has collected millions of dollars in the past three years from the illicit sale of diamonds mined by rebels in Sierra Leone, The Washington Post reported on Friday.

SOMALIA: Nairobi talks end in "success"

2001-11-08

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=12788

Four days of peace talks between the Somali Transitional National Government (TNG) and factions opposed to it came to a close in Nairobi on Sunday, with both sides claming the talks had been a success and announcing that they had agreed to meet again for further reconciliation talks.

SUDAN: NGO reports civilian suffering in Aweil offensive

2001-11-08

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=12632

Christian Solidarity International (CSI), an NGO long at odds with the Sudanese government, on Wednesday cited civil authorities in the Aweil region of northern Bahr al-Ghazal in claiming that government-allied armed forces had killed 93 civilians and enslaved 85 women and children in a new offensive between 23 and 26 October.

Zimbabwe: 'Harsh Criticism won't help situation'

2001-11-08

http://www.zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=2933

The government has warned the international community to avoid confronting or criticising Zimbabwe too harshly lest it create a "siege mentality" in President Robert Mugabe's government that will hamper efforts to solve the crisis there.

ZIMBABWE: IRIN Focus on impact of political violence

2001-11-08

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=12650

The psychological impact of Zimbabwe's political violence is only slowly beginning to emerge, as experts call for more attention to be paid to the effects of trauma.

Zimbabwe: White farms under siege as famine looms

2001-11-08

http://www.zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=2927

The looming risk of mass starvation in Zimbabwe has worsened as militants moved on to more white-owned farms, beating one worker for refusing to shout ruling party slogans and forcing hundreds of others to stop work.

DUBLIN CORE METADATA NEWS

2001-11-08

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/internet/4032

This brief article concerns the adoption of the Dublin Core Metadata Set by international standards-setting bodies. It of concern to anyone involved in information management and text markup.
The Dublin Core Metadata Element Set (ANSI/NISO Z39.85-2001 [pdf]) [url=http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/wa.exe?A2=ind0110&L=dc-
general&F=&S=&P=2142]approved[/url]

National Information Standards Organization (NISO) and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) recently approved and published this standard set of fifteen metadata elements for resource description. The Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI) (discussed in the September 11, 1998 _Scout Report_) brings together librarians, digital library researchers, content providers, and text-markup experts who seek to increase the visibility of resources by establishing a common, low-cost framework for description. The official approval by ANSI/ NISO of this DC element set is a major step forward in more widespread adoption. Through a series of ongoing workshops, DCMI developed and refined these elements into an easily applied standard meant to coexist with other metadata standards. The next of these workshops is in Tokyo, October 22-26, 2001. Ninth in the series, this workshop, sponsored by Japan's National Institute of Informatics, will examine the emerging Semantic Web and the broader metadata community.
Related links:
International Conference on Dublin Core and Metadata Applications 2001
More on the semantic web.

Adapted from The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2001.

E- ASSESSMENTS - BRIDGES.ORG'S SELECTION OF USEFUL SITES

2001-11-08

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/internet/4050

As a follow up to the article in the last issue on eStrategies, Bridges.Org has supplied a set of useful sources for those wanting to get to grips with the subject.
Statistical or Questionnaire Based Assessments

- APEC: Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) [url="http://www.ecommerce.gov/apec]E-Commerce Assessment[/url] (tool and report)
Description: Assessments gauge a country's readiness for e-commerce through a detailed questionnaire, focusing especially on import-exports and policy.

- CID: The Guide to "Readiness for the Networked World" by the Center for International Development (CID) at Harvard and IBM (tool and report)
Description: Assessments categorize countries along four stages of development for each of 19 categories, focusing on technology infrastructure, pervasiveness of technology, and the regulatory and business environment.

- CSPP: Computer Systems Policy Project (CSPP) Readiness Guide (tool and
report)
Description: Assessments rate communities along four progressive stages of development for each of the five categories, focusing on existing infrastructure and the pervasiveness of technology in society. Based on a 23 question questionnaire.

- EIU: The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) - E-Business Readiness Rankings (report)
Description: Gauges countries "e-business environment" and network "connectivity" with two 1-10 statistics, based on "70 different indicators such as the strength of the economy, the outlook for political stability, the regulatory climate, taxation policies and openness to trade and investment."

- MI: McConnell International's E-Readiness Reports (report)
Description: Countries are rated in the five categories including infrastructure and access, government policies, human capacity, information security, and business climate, on a scale of one to three ('blue,' 'amber,' 'red'), and extensive analysis and recommendations are given.

- M-N: Metric-Net E-Economy Index (report)
Description: Statistics on country's technological sophistication and strength using metrics of "Knowledge Jobs", "Globalization", "Economic Dynamism and Competition", "Transformation to a Digital Economy" and "Technological Innovation Capacity"

- MQ: Mosaic Group's Questionnaire for tracking the global diffusion of the Internet (tool and report)
Description: A questionnaire based assessment by Mosaic, much less detailed than their case studies but covering the same issues (pervasiveness, geographic dispersion, usage within the economy, technology infrastructure, the Internet service market, and sophistication of use).

- KAM: World Bank's Knowledge Assessment Matrix (report)
Description: A very detailed statistical assessment of country's preparedness for information economy and society using 61 metrics on the "economic and institutional regime", "educated and skilled population", 'dynamic information infrastructure", and an "efficient innovation system of firms, research centers, universities, consultants".

- ICD: World Times / IDC [url=http://www.worldpaper.com/2001/jan01/ISI/2001%20Information%20Society%20Rank
ing.html]Information Society Index[/url] (Report)
Description: Statistical ranking of 55 countries based on 23 indicators of usages of PCs, the Internet, and non-computer information technologies (radio, TV), in government, business, homes, and schools. Also includes variables on basic school enrolment and civil liberties.

Case Study E-Assessments

- CIDCM: University of Maryland, Center for International Development and Conflict Management (CIDCM)'s Negotiating the Digital Divide framework
Description: The method gauges four types information for each country: Background and history, Key players in Internet development, Internet development and ICT policy over time, Negotiations between players in developing the country's Internet. 'Negotiation' between players is the focus of the framework.

- ITU: International Telecommunications Union's Internet Country Case Studies (report)
Description: Extremely detailed case studies of ICT infrastructure, ICT usage, legal and regulatory framework, and macro economic and local business environment in the target country. Includes statistical ranking based on Mosaic's methodology, and extensive recommendations.

- MOSAIC: The Mosaic Group's Case Studies (tool and report)
Description: Detailed case studies of the state of the Internet within a country at a particular point in time, measuring pervasiveness, geographic dispersion, usage within the economy, technology infrastructure, the Internet service market, and sophistication of use.

- USAID (tool and report)
Source: http://www.usaid.gov/info_technology/ied/
http://www.usaid.gov/regions/europe_eurasia/eeresources.html#IT
http://www.usaid.gov/regions/afr/leland/enduser.htm
http://www.usaid.gov/regions/
Description: Detailed case studies of countries using a framework of "Pipes (Access), Public Sector (Government Policies, E-Government), Private Sector (Usage), People (Training), and existing development Programs", with detailed action plans for countries to pursue in the future.

Source: News Update 84

MAURITIUS: HOPES OF "CYBER-ISLAND" REMAIN A DREAM

2001-11-08

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/internet/4045

Despite all the hype surrounding the recent initiatives for making Mauritius a "cyber-island", the reality of the situation is actually very different. This week's correspondent remains anonymous in order to describe the Island's dilemma with complete frankness.
Mauritius, together with Ethiopia, remain the only countries in the whole of the African continent and Indian Ocean, in which the ISP sector has not yet been liberalised. Despite boasting the highest teledensity in the region, the whole economy is actually victim of a telecommunications monopoly - a price that perhaps will mean Mauritius will take years to catch up with other countries.

Internet services were initially offered by a subsidiary of Mauritius Telecom - Telecom Plus, back in 1996-7. It was not the first attempt though - all private requests (including those from major carriers) to offer retail Internet connectivity were turned down by the state- owned monopoly (on the grounds that this is a service that 'they' could offer sometime in future).

Instead of making it widely accessible to the public though (especially when the per capita national income is on the low side), the PTT has chosen to "cream" those who can afford, with little concern for the rest of community, in particular the less well off and academic world.

On the other hand, the Government's advisors (partly through the National Computer Board) are unfortunately made up of people who are there for political reasons instead of their competencies. As a result, laws are passed by people who understand little about the implications of IT for the economy. For them, IT is a political and power game.

Political parties have been voted in and out, and all of them gave the same promise - to liberalise the telecommunications industry. Per the original WTO agreement, Mauritius was to open up its telecommunications market by 2002. Then, this agreement was conveniently revised to the latest date allowed by the WTO - 2004.

In the meantime, the government refused to open up this sector. Previously because they wanted to sell off their 40% PTT shareholding to France Telecom, so they had to make it as attractive as possible. Now after they've sold it, the monopoly lives on, on the grounds that it's because they've sold it that they need to keep the monopoly !

As for the famed ISP licenses that were supposed to be allocated this year - even the press call this a 'soap opera'. Firstly the regulator (Mauritius Telecommunications Authority) took years before they agreed to grant any additional licences (besides the one to the PTT). When they eventually issue it, it will actually be worse than no licence at all!

Basically, it allows the ISP only the possibility to offer dial up services. Even then, they need to sign an interconnection agreement with the PTT to allow them! The bottom line - no ISP to date wants to operate with the conditions imposed by the PTT as it just doesn't make business sense. Desperate to show some results (since the private sector refuses to embark
in a business madness operating under such conditions),the Telecommunications Minister now wants to make the Postal Service an ISP! A postal service with staff who've never even used a computer (none of the postal service's outlets have any computers whatsoever) - now we'll have this staff selling us connectivity. That would be interesting to watch.

(Note that the same Telecommunications Minister declared that they're going to wire the whole country with fibre optic, and bring cable, yes, cable to each and every home of the country. Perhaps he should change for better advisers before making such declarations, as he was appropriately hammered in the press when it became clear that Mauritius doesn't have the finance to embark on such grandiose projects - especially when poverty, and an ever increasing gap between the social classes, is becoming a serious problem for the country).

What about the cybercity ? The Government of India has issued a massive line of credit to the Mauritian Government, who aspires to make it as successful as the ones in India. But, hang on - India produces 125,000 computer graduates a year. Mauritius doesn't even have 10% of that number as computer graduates for the whole economy! Even then, many of them have been trained back in the days of the punch cards! Now cut them from the rest of the world with exorbitant telecommunications charges, how do you think those graduates will evolve ? Reading computer magazines averaging Rs 500 (US$17) a piece ? That's 10% of the salary of a starting computer technician.

Sure, there is money to build now. Build what? Fancy buildings? They are negotiating to get their own connectivity independent of the PTT's. That initially seemed a promising route - Alas, the PTT strikes again. They want to be the one who'll provide the overseas connectivity - so, here we go again with a company that got used to customers begging them because they don't have any other alternative.

But they're missing the whole point - buildings do not make a cybercity. People do - people with intellectual capital, because in the new economy, the real assets are the knowledge workers. Sadly so, the Mauritians live in an environment of corruption and political protectionism - promotion is not based on knowledge and competence, but who you know: which is enough to scare off all the fresh graduates trying to come back after years of studies
abroad (in fact, very few choose to return to their country. The government currently forces the scholars to sign a bond to make sure they have to come back to Mauritius to work. Even then, many prefer to repay that bond instead of getting stuck).

Just mention VOIP and the PTT will hunt high and low to outlaw any companies trying to offer those services. The irony is that the public is making use of the PTT's own internet gateway to use VOIP. The regulator (fuelled by the PTT) hits back with the ground that those using VOIP are using a service offered by PTT (the internet) but depriving the PTT of another (IDD voice calls), thus VOIP calls are punishable by law. Indeed, threatening letters and equipment seizures have been used to push back into line those that seek to evade this absurd law.

The foundation businesses (agriculture, textile/manufacturing) are running out of steam. Tourism, following the WTC terrorist attack, is heading for a serious dive.

There's high hopes of making Mauritius an information-based economy, being a premier IT service supplier. With the policies in place for now till 2004, one shouldn't be surprised if Mauritius stays in the dark ages. Indeed, a recent survey by the United Nations has already put Mauritius far behind other countries in Africa, in the telecommunications industry.

So, for now (at least till 2005), the "cyber-island" will remain, well, just a (cyber) dream...

Source: News Update 84

Networks, Netwars and the fight for the future

2001-11-08

http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue6_10/ronfeldt/index.html

Netwar is an emerging mode of conflict in which the protagonists - ranging from terrorist and criminal organizations on the dark side, to militant social activists on the bright side - use network forms of organization, doctrine, strategy, and technology attuned to the information age. The practice of netwar is well ahead of theory, as both civil and uncivil society actors are increasingly engaging in this new way of fighting.

SCHOOLNET AFRICA

2001-11-08

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/internet/4055

This article describes the Africa-wide movement to network schools and educational resources using Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs).
Talking about "bridging the digital divide" has become the vogue particularly since the G8 proclaimed the Okinawa Charter in July 2000. Since then a host of talkshops have produced action plans and frameworks to fulfil this important objective. In the meanwhile, a grassroots movement has been in the making in Africa over the past three years that attempts at giving concrete expression to bridging the much-vaunted "digital divide": organisations promoting education in African schools through the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs), otherwise known as "schoolnets", have mushroomed in over 20 African countries to date. This evolution has given way to the establishment of a SchoolNetAfrica to facilitate the growth and development of national schoolnets across the continent.

Headquartered in South Africa and governed by a 12 member Steering Committee representing 10 countries from all five sub-regions across the continent, including a representative from the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, SchoolNetAfrica is the first African-based, African-led, pan-African school networking institution on the continent. In partnership with national schoolnets SchoolNetAfrica kicks off with a number of flagship projects. Over the next three years, under the banner of an aptly phrased: OPERATION DOT LEARN program, SchoolNetAfrica plans to
- Connect African schools to the Internet
- Build champions to lead and develop national schoolnets
- Pilot the development of online curriculum
- Create a knowledge warehouse
- Promote the development of "world class" learners through its ThinkQuest Africa competition
- Lobby and advocate for cheap Internet access for schools in Africa

Already its national schoolnets have established partnerships with government ministries of education and telecommunications, the private sector and NGOs at national level. It’s A-team Steering Committee has already forged partnerships with major donor and development agencies such as the Open Society Institute for Southern Africa, the International Development Research Centre, the UN Economic Commission for Africa and the UNESCO. On 12 November 2001 SchoolNetAfrica will be hosting an official launch in Johannesburg South Africa which will be addressed by African Ministers of Education and Telecommunication and African students. The launch calls for partnerships with the private sector and will appeal for pledges of support.

SchoolNetAfrica’s vision focuses on the development of African learners as critical thinkers through their access to world class resources through ICTs. In realising this vision, SchoolNetAfrica intends to lobby extensively for cheaper Internet access in various African countries. Its underlying philosophy is that ICTs have significant potential to enhance education in Africa and holds the key to polevault Africa into the 21st century. SchoolNetAfrica stands for the right of every African child to have access to information and knowledge and to be a global citizen. Indeed, the private sector would do well in this worthy attempt at improving the lives of African children and youth.

Source: TAD Consortium November 2001 Information Update No. 1

Social Movements on the Net FROM ALAI

2001-11-08

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/internet/4056

In the new scenario of social reactivation experienced in Latin America, we are seeing the growth of networks and social coordinations that bring together actors who are seeking to break out of the isolation of their specific struggles. The need to share, coordinate and disseminate their actions and proposals has lead them to appropriate the Internet. But they find that taking optimal advantage of this instrument demands a deeper understanding of its logics and peculiarities.
As a contribution to an understanding of these issues, the Agencia Latinoamericana de Informacion (ALAI) has published the book "Social Movements on the Net" by authors Osvaldo Leon, Sally Burch and Eduardo Tamayo.

The first part of the book adds to the public debate on the role of the new information and communications technologies (ICTs), with a critical look at the promotional hype that presents these technologies as the panacea for development problems. Contrasting the pretensions of this discourse with the realities, it foresees a true potential for these technologies, but also its difficulties and dangers.

The second part presents an exploratory study of Internet use in social organizations regarding uses and benefits, motivations and perceptions, and its social-organizational and communicational implications. The member organizations of the Web Community of Social Movements participated in this study.

The findings of this study highlight the relevance of adjusting their functions to deal with the rapid transition from lack of information to a situation of information overload. Likewise, they suggest that an optimal use of these technologies requires defining of communications policies.

The book, which also comes in a Spanish version, is available in printed format and on the Internet.

THE INTERNET ARCHIVE

2001-11-08

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/internet/4057

Read about this attempt to create an Internet Library. It is the largest database in the world. Well worth a visit.
The Internet Archive is the "parent" site for two sites previously reviewed in the _Scout Report_, Election 2000 and September11.archive.org . The Archive has been cataloging Webpages since its inception in 1996, and for their fifth anniversary has opened the archive to the public by launching their "Wayback Machine." To operate the "Machine," users type a URL into the search box, which will call up dated, archived pages of the site. The Internet Archive holds ten billion Webpages, making it the largest known database. Since announcing public access to the overall database, the site has experienced a great deal of traffic. They are in the process of adding servers, but users should be warned that, in the meantime, access may be tricky. The Internet Archive is a nonprofit, which has received funding from a number of sources including the Library of Congress and the National Science Foundation.

From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2001.

UGANDA: LIFE IN AFRICA GOES INTO PRINT

integrating the Internet with other media

2001-11-08

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/internet/4051

Life in Africa just received financing to create an offline magazine companion to LifeInAfrica.com.
The publication is designed to make internet content more accessible and relevant to the lives of ordinary Ugandans, and to give them practical ways and means to jump over the digital divide by using services (provided by small internet-based businesses - mostly in the US) to establish and run their own initiatives online.

LiA's existing clients will receive the first copies of this publication on November 11, at which time they will also receive instructions on how to create their own standard webpage at lifeinafrica.com by going to any web-cafe.

VIEW THE NORTHERN LIGHTS VIA THE WEB

2001-11-08

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/internet/4039

Take a look at these beautiful images of the spectacular northern skies. Usually not visible to those of us who live in southern latitudes, the Web makes the images instantly available.
Those living in lower latitudes might not have been aware of the recent solar and geomagnetic activities that triggered a spectacular aurora borealis the week of September 30. Two interplanetary shock waves, spawned by solar coronal mass ejections, swept past our planet September 28-29. Then on October 1, the interplanetary magnetic field around Earth turned south, causing geomagnetic storms to rage off-and-on for the next 48 hours. Luckily
for those who missed the excitement, SpaceWeather,com features a page of beautiful, color .jpeg photographs of the auroras from such places as Finland, Quebec, and Alaska during September 29-October 3. Along with the images are the photographers' names, comments, and camera setting specifics. Take a look at the Aurora Gallery.

From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2001.

Voice over Internet protocol (VOIP) PHONE SERVICE IN AFRICA

2001-11-08

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/internet/4048

ITXC has announced that its voice traffic to Africa over ITXC's global wholesale voice network increased by 1,111% from the third quarter of 2000 to the third quarter of 2001.
ITXC has changed the economics of international long distance by establishing and operating ITXC.net(SM), an Internet-based network with carrier-grade quality. There are ITXC.net points of presence (POPs) in over 135 countries.

ITXC has become the major wholesale long distance carrier connecting one African country to another and to the rest of the world. This past year ITXC has announced interconnection of ITXC.net with Zimbabwe PTC, Ghana Telecom, Sonatel in Senegal, SotelTchad in Chad, and Telkom South Africa. These carriers connect to ITXC.net via ITXC-owned customer premise equipment that is co-located at their switch facilities. ITXC's main competitor in Africa for this kind of service is iBasis.
Source: News Update 84

e-CIVICUS - Connecting civil society worldwide

Number 138 - 2 November, 2001

2001-11-08

http://www.civicus.org

e-CIVICUS - Connecting civil society worldwide - Number 138
2 November, 2001

CONTENTS

A. From the desk of the CIVICUS Secretary-General
B. General news about civil society and citizen action
C. International conferences/workshops/meetings/fairs and exhibitions
D. Training courses
E. Relevant position listings
F. New publications
G. Internet news and websites
H. Scholarly support and awards
I. From the reader
J. Funders and donors profile

A. FROM THE DESK OF THE CIVICUS SECRETARY-GENERAL

MANAGING NONPROFIT ORGANISATIONS IN A TIME OF GLOBAL CRISIS

Last week I had the opportunity to share time with the Australian volunteer community as a guest of Australian Volunteers International and Volunteering Australia. This turned out to be a traumatic experience for many of us given that one of the participants died of a heart attack a few minutes before I was to address the audience. Mark Owens, was a 52 year old volunteer, father of three kids, who volunteered for the Multiple Sclerosis Soceity, amongst other voluntary work, in Australia. His mother said that he could not have died at a better place; the national volunteer event commemorating the International Year of Volunteers, since his entire life was about service. I have been deeply moved by this experience and reflecting on the vulnerability and fragility of human life as people die from Anthrax and many more die from starvation and bombing in Afghanistan. This is a deeply distressing time for humanity and raises important questions for civil society organisations.

How should civil society organisations continue with their work at this time? I have listened to the views of several leaders of civil society around the world and agree with the perspective that while our work is being challenged by the horrfic events of 11 September and the responses to it, we need to continue to stay on course with the range of activities we are engaged in. We cannot afford to be immoblised by the current crisis, instead we need to monitor it, makes sense of it, adapt our work if necessary, but pursue our values and missions with as much passion and commitment that was there prior to 11 September. As a small contribution to this ethos, I want to discuss this week the internal challenge around improving the management of nonprofit organisations. This has in fact become an urgent issue as criticism mounts about how effective (or not) US charities have been in delivering support to the families of victims of 11 September.

In recent years the view of civil society organisations (CSOs) being badly structured and organised entities is slowly disappearing and nonprofits continue to exercise increasing professionalism and improved efficiency. This advancement is mainly due to the high quality management standards established by CSOs and a growing sense that with increasing influence comes increasing accountability. This phenomenon cuts across north-south boundaries and is in fact a global phenomenon. That is not to say that civil society organisations have arrived at levels of managerial expertise that we feel is excellent - no, we indeed have a long road to travel but the journey has begun in earnest.

Managerial advancement results in a stronger position of civil society when engaging in partnership with the business sector and the state. Today many CSOs are looked upon as real partners. This in practice results among others in CSO&#8217;s inreased ability to convince business actors about the relevance of the goals of the organisation, to raise the level of corporate responsibility, and to access funds from these actors. Co-operation with the state also becomes easier with good management, although often the bureaucratic management structure of state institutions is the main challenge of effective co-operation.

One of the reasons behind the increasing professionalism of CSOs is their access to courses in nonprofit management. Many educational institutions around the world today have management courses specialised in the nonprofit sector. Another reason has been the growing investments CSOs are making in terms of internal staff development. Here again, the shift is in the right direction but much more needs to be done.

Together with educational improvement important headway has been made in nonprofit research. Research is carried out not only in educational institutions and state bodies but some CSOs also conduct research on the nonprofit sector. For example, the CIVICUS Index is a special project aiming to measure the health of civil society worldwide.

Nonprofit management has a vast literature. Many books and publications are available on the topic in many countries, in many languages. Since more often than not the courses on nonprofit management are paying courses and sometimes expensive (though in many cases scholarships are on offer to enroll), a more accessible way to acquire management skills, especially for a small, local grouping, is through these readings and self-learning and in some cases peer group learning.

International organisations as well as national, regional or local entities can all have similar management problems (with obvious differences). The aim of good management skills is to provide the tools for effective work, which is in line with the needs and goals of the organisation to the benefit of their members, users, and to the satisfaction of their various resource providers as well.

But we also have to be careful. Procedural development should not override substantive issues. In other words: the increased human capacity should not compete with the human character of civil society but the two should be complimentary to each other.

Although the state of civil society management is significantly higher today than ten years ago, we have a long way to go to achieve our goals with the professionalism expected from us.

As Pasquale Ferraro (Deputy Director-General of IDLI, a CIVICUS member organisation in Italy) writes in his book, CSOs &#8222;&#8230; must not only achieve excellence in their substantive field but must also be capable of delivering services using sound business practices. Otherwise, they are doomed to failure. The future of these organisations will depend upon their ability to manage their resources efficiently.&#8221; (To review the book see Section F. of this newsletter.)

Warm regards, Kumi Naidoo


B. GENERAL NEWS ABOUT CIVIL SOCIETY AND CITIZEN ACTION

UN VOLUNTEER YEAR GAINS GROUND IN FOURTH QUARTER
[IYV Press]
Bonn, GERMANY, 11 October, 2001

The United Nations' International Year of Volunteers (IYV 2001) is picking up speed as it enters its final stretch. More than 200 city, state and national committees in 124 countries are taking up a last round of activities in the largest celebration of volunteer action ever conceived.

Throughout the Year, committees formed at city, state and national levels have mobilized representatives of governments, civil society and the private sector to promote the four goals of IYV 2001: enhanced recognition, facilitation, promotion and networking of volunteers.

"It's been amazing to watch this Internet-driven year virtually explode in activities far too numerous to mention," said Sharon Capeling-Alakija, Executive Coordinator of the Bonn-based United Nations Volunteers (UNV) - IYV's global focal point. "From coins, flags and postage stamps to IYV messages on scientific rockets in outer space: it's all been done."

During the year, lawmakers in France, Germany, Spain and the UK have passed pro-volunteer legislation, while new laws have been proposed in Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Madagascar, Mozambique, Nepal, Senegal and Tanzania.

A recently released report of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on government and UN support for volunteering states: "Volunteerism is the backbone of many projects and programmes on the ground and underpins much of the campaigning for causes supported by the United Nations and resource mobilization." (Download the full report at www.iyv2001.org/iyv_eng/policy/unitednations/unlegislation/ga_note_support_vol/index.htm ).

There are also several large-scale events to come later in 2001.

For the full version of this news release visit www.iyv2001.org/infobase/press/01_10_11DEU_4thQuarter_un.htm

INDEPENDENT SECTOR SURVEY FINDS MIXED OUTLOOK ON CHARITABLE GIVING

Independent Sector announced on 23 October, 2001 the release of a national survey conducted by Wirthlin Worldwide that measures the charitable giving of Americans since the terrorist attacks of 11 September - and provides insight into how much more people will continue to give.

The full report is available at:
http://www.IndependentSector.org/sept11/survey.html


IACD FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Relaunched in 1999 the International Association for Community Development (IACD) is an international membership body advocating the approach of community development to transnational organisations such as the UN, WHO, FAO, UNICEF and ILO, and supporting the work of national and regional community development organisations. IACD is managed by an Executive of 20 members which has reserved places for the 7 regions of the world, to ensure its representativeness. Current executive members come from Cameroon, Australia, New Zealand/Aoteroa, China, Malaysia, Egypt, Kenya, Ghana, USA, Hungary, Canada, Pakistan, India, Israel, Pacific Islands, and the UK.

IACD focuses on issues such as social justice, social protection, empowerment, solidarity, and respect for racial and cultural diversity, central to the values of community development. IACD has significant potential for the empowerment of the poor and disadvantaged, against the threats posed by globalisation and by the actions of global organisations. We are also concerned at the use of the language of community development by organisations and programmes which have little real commitment to the empowerment of the poor.

Much of the so-called social development work funded by different agencies offers little prospect of the poor taking more meaningful control over their own lives. In particular, the so-called &#8216;trickle-down&#8217; theory of development, underpinning structural adjustment programmes, is increasingly discredited in all countries where it has been practised for years and where it has, in reality, led to a huge widening of the gap between rich and poor. In this context, we believe the role of community development workers can be critical in helping the poor and less powerful to give voice to their own concerns and needs.

The IACD organises regular international conferences and events, lobbies alongside other organisations concerned with empowerment, publishes a newsletter, and supports and networks with national and regional community development groupings.

Further details (in French or English), and membership arrangements

CONTACT: Professor Gary Craig, President, IACD
ADDRESS: Rosebery House, 9 Haymarket Terrace, Edinburgh, EH12 5EZ, UK
E-MAIL: gary.craig@garyc.demon.co.uk


C. INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS, MEETINGS, FAIRS, EXHIBITIONS
(Conferences marked with an asterisk (*) are appearing in this newsletter for the first time)

THE WASTE SUMMIT: WOMEN ASSESSING THE STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT (*)

The WASTE Summit - to be held at Chatham College - will bring together women from across the United States to build a common agenda, share strategies, and forge a strong constituency on women and the environment. Summit participants will produce a U.S. women&#8217;s environmental action agenda, which includes a status report on U.S. progress since the United Nations Earth Summit 1992 and a set of policy recommendations for action. It will be used for advocacy at the national and international levels and at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in South Africa, September 2002.

ISSUES TO BE COVERED INCLUDE:
- Ecological health
- Reproductive health and population
- Environmental justice and human rights
- Energy, transportation and land use
- Resource consumption
- Peace and justice
- U.S. support for international commitments

OUTCOMES:
- Create a strong and knowledgeable network of women in the United States
- Develop a U.S. Women&#8217;s Action Agenda
- Connect U.S. women to the United Nations World Summit of Sustainable Development 2002
- Recommend proposals for U.S. domestic and global policy
- Support campus-based organizing on key issues of concern
- Spark Collaborative Projects and Advocacy Campaigns

In the wake of the 11 September tragedies, it is even more crucial that we come together to build a sustainable agenda for the U.S. that works toward global peace and justice. The WASTE Summit agenda has been expanded to incorporate this vision.

To register visit: www.wastesummit.org

DATE: 9-11 November, 2001
VENUE: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
ORGANISERS: The Rachel Carson Institute at Chatham College (RCI) & Women's Environment and Development Organization (WEDO)
TEL.: (1-412) 365-1361 (Rachel Carson Institute)
INTERNET: www.wastesummit.org

INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON VOLUNTEERING (ISV 2001) (*)

The ISV 2001 will enable those involved in volunteerism to evaluate experiences and lessons learned throughout the International Year of Volunteers (IYV 2001). Delegates from around the globe will present their volunteer projects. These presentations will form the basis for a Symposium Report, which will be published (book/CD-ROM), and serve as an important contribution to the report to be presented to the United Nations General Assembly in 2002 on the IYV 2001. Furthermore, the Symposium will allow all parties involved to prepare and coordinate future volunteer action.

For more information visit: www.isv2001.org

DATE: 18-21 November, 2001
VENUE: Geneva, SWITZERLAND
ORGANISER: International Conference Volunteers (IC Volunteers)
CONTACT: Viola Krebs, President of the Organizing Committee
TEL.: (41-22) 800-1436
FAX: (41-22) 800-1437, 321-5327
E-MAIL: viola@icvolunteers.org
INTERNET: www.icvolunteers.org , www.isv2001.org


EU ENLARGEMENT: LINKING CIVIL SOCIETY, THE CITIZEN & THE STATE (*)

Eduard Kukan, Slovak Minister for Foreign Affairs, said recently &#8220;We are not sufficiently taking our people along in the EU accession process&#8221;. Only 44% of EU citizens surveyed recently by Eurobarometer were in favour of Enlargement. Many remain undecided. This Conference will consider how better to connect public opinion and civil society with what governments across our continent see as an imminent political development.

Speakers will include EU Commissioner Verheugen, the Polish, Bulgarian and Slovene Ministers of European Affairs, the Governing Mayor of Berlin, several Members of the European Parliament including David Martin (Vice-President) and Elmar Brok (Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee), Sir Paul Lever (British Ambassador to Germany), Quentin Peel (International Editor, The Financial Times), Misha Glenny (author and broadcaster on European affairs) and numerous representatives of non-government organisations from Western and Eastern Europe.

DATE: 21-24 November, 2001
VENUE: Berliner Rathaus, Berlin, GERMANY
ORGANISER: The Federal Trust
CONTACT: Suzanne Potter, Research Officer, The Federal Trust
ADDRESS: Dean Bradley House, 52 Horseferry Road, London SW1P 2AF, UK
TEL.: (44-207) 799 2818
FAX: (44-207) 799-2820
E-MAIL: enlargement@fedtrust.co.uk
INTERNET: www.fedtrust.co.uk/berlin.htm


3RD INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON AIDS INDIA (*)

The conference will provide a forum for sharing experiences as well as an update on the understanding of the mechanisms that are involved in HIV infection, AIDS, viral elimination and persistence. Topics include:

- successful prevention, particularly from a rural perspective
- how should HIV education & information be presented to rural men & women
- anti-retroviral drugs are in the Indian market & are used unscientifically with no counselling
- what achievements have we made in the past two years to provide care and support to our men and women infected with HIV
- do we use them in our prevention strategies

Deadline for registration: 10 November, 2001

DATE: 2-5 December, 2001
VENUE: Chennai,(Madras), India
CONTACT: Secretariat, 3rd International Conference on AIDS India 2001, Department of Experimental Medicine/AIDS Resource Center, Tamilnadu Dr.MGR Medical University
ADDRESS: 40 Anna Salai, Guindy, Chennai 600 032, INDIA
TEL.: (91-44) 235-4203
FAX: (91-44) 235-3698
E-MAIL: aidsindia2000@yahoo.com
INTERNET: http://www.aidsindia2000.org/


2001 ASIA PACIFIC EARTH CHARTER CONFERENCE

In 2002 as part of Rio+10, the Earth Charter will be presented to the World Summit on Sustainable Development for endorsement by the United Nations General Assembly. This conference is part of civil society's contribution to the global sustainability agenda. It provides an opportunity for organisations and individuals from the Asia Pacific Region to learn more about the Earth Charter initiative, build networks for promoting sustainability in the region and to share practical examples of sustainability best practices.

"The Goal of the Earth Charter is to become like the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It will become a symbol of the aspirations and the commitments of people everywhere."
Maurice Strong, Chairman of the Earth Charter Council, Special Advisor to the UN.

THEME: Sustainable Futures
DATE: 29 November - 2 December, 2001
VENUE: Brisbane, AUSTRALIA
ENQUIRIES: Clem Campbell, Conference Coordinator
TEL.: (61-7) 387-57132
E-MAIL: clemcampbell@optusnet.com.au


D. TRAINING COURSES

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY OFFERS POST-GRADUATE PROGRAMMES IN 2002

SOCIOLOGY (HONOURS, MA, DPHIL)
FOCUS: Applicable theoretical knowledge, methodology and research methods
and a specialisation area in Sociology

COMMUNITY AND POPULATION STUDIES (BPHIL)
FOCUS: Development theory and practice in SA with the emphasis on obtaining
practical skills in community and population development.

COMMUNITY AND DEVELOPMENT (MPHIL, DPHIL)
FOCUS: Development theory and practice in SA with the emphasis on obtaining
understanding of development issues and a practical orientation to the
resolution of development problems.

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AND POLICY (MPHIL)
In collaboration with the Dept of Social Work
FOCUS: Interdisciplinary theoretical and empirical analysis of youth
development and policy issues in SA, including crime and substance abuse,
exploitation and victimization, and sexuality and health. Management and
evaluation of youth services and programmes.

GENDER STUDIES (MPHIL)
In collaboration with the Dept of Political Science
FOCUS: The unique gender programme will include theory and research
methodology as well as electives such as 'Women and Citizenship', 'Gender
and Literary Theory', 'Women sexuality', 'Gender and Masculinities', 'Women
and the Law', 'Gender and Crime'.

SOCIAL SCIENCE METHODS (MPHIL, DPHIL)
FOCUS: The methodology of social sciences research, including aspects of
science philosophy, research ethics, the sociology of science and research
management.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY STUDIES (MPHIL, DPHIL)
FOCUS: The social study of science and technology, also including aspects
such as the following: the philosophy of science and technology, the policy
of science and technology, research and innovation management.

Closing date: 15 Nov, 2001. For more information and forms
CONTACT: Bernita de Wet
ADDRESS: Dept of Sociology, Private Bag X1, Matieland, 7602, SOUTH AFRICA
TEL.: (27-21) 808-2134
E-MAIL: bdw@sun.ac.za


E. RELEVANT POSITION LISTINGS

WEST AFRICA PROGRAM ASSOCIATE - SEARCH FOR COMMON GROUND

Description: Search for Common Ground's (SFCG) mission is to transform how people deal with conflicts - away from adverse approaches toward co-operative solutions. We design and implement multifaceted programs that aim to resolve conflict and prevent violence. We seek to help conflicting parties to understand their differences and act on their commonalties.

The West Africa Program (SFCGWA) has projects in Liberia and Sierra Leone and is establishing a presence in Guinea. Talking Drum Studio, Liberia was established in January 1997 with the goal of reducing political and ethnic violence by stressing themes of peace, reconciliation and democratization, using radio as its main tool. Talking Drum Studio, Sierra Leone was established in September 2000, modeled after, and mentored by, TDS-L with the same overall goal of reducing political and ethnic violence.

Summary of Post: A Program Associate is required to support the work of the West Africa Program and will be based in Washington, DC reporting to the West Africa Regional Director (RD). The post holder will be an exceptional writer, and will be responsible for the development of proposals and reports, promotional materials, award nominations and web updates. He/she will serve as a personal assistant to the RD. The post holder will work closely with the Program's Administration Manager and will, at the request of the RD, be assigned tasks and be supervised by that individual. Travel to the field offices may be possible but should not be expected. This is a wonderful opportunity for someone who wants to work in the field of conflict resolution.

For more information visit: www.idealist.org/jobs/16392/81559


PROGRAM DIRECTOR - AFRICAN FUTURES FORUM

Description: The purpose of this position is to serve as a focus point for the development, implementation, and management of all programs related to the COHRTEC grant including, but not limited to (a) hiring and training of a program co-ordinator in Senegal, (b) hiring and training of program instructors, (c) identification of program consultants, (d) development of program materials. (e) students recruitment and performance in Senegal, (f) serving as a liaison between COHRTEC and AFF.

Education: Master (MA, MSW, etc.); Languages: English, French; Additional Qualifications: Strong administrative background with at least 2-5 years of management experience, appropriate residency; internship or fellowship can substitute for this experience. Experience working with diverse minority populations. Good working knowledge of nonprofit organizations especially in the field of health care and child advocacy. Computer experience, international experience preferred. Preference will be given to applicants with doctoral training.

For more information visit: www.idealist.org/jobs/62083/81590


F. NEW PUBLICATIONS

LEGAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL PRACTICES IN NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT

By Pasquale Ferraro, International Development Law Institute
197 pages, published by Kluwer Law International, ISBN 90-411-1688-5

Leaders of nonprofit organizations everywhere believe passionately in what they are doing. They often put in long hours, and with little or no remuneration, they are willing to do everything and anything to further the work of their organizations. In most Western countries, nonprofit leaders have had easy access to myriad support agencies, professional training and self-help publications. In developing countries, this is not always the case. The manager of a local, regional or even national NGO rarely has formal training in the skills needed to manage efficiently.

Fortunately, academic curricula designed specifically for the nonprofit sector are becoming more and more common in business schools around the world. This development alone reflects the importance and validity that the sector has earned.

Governments everywhere are 'downsizing'. This process has inevitably shifted services that were once the province of government to non-governmental entities. If NGOs are to fill the void left by government, they must not only achieve excellence in their substantive field, but must also be capable of delivering services using sound business practices. Otherwise, they are doomed to failure. The future of these organizations will depend upon their ability to manage their resources efficiently. The topics covered in this volume, among the first of its kind to be written by a European with extensive experience in developing and transition countries, provide basic 'survival tactics' for small organizations with limited staff and resources.

The practical advice given by the author will contribute to the sustainability of the many NGOs in developing and transition economy countries that are struggling to succeed under challenging odds.

NEW BOOK ON RESEARCH

The Nonprofit Sector Research Fund of The Aspen Institute announced on 29 October the release of &#8220;Mapping New Worlds: Selected Research on the Nonprofit Sector Around the Globe&#8221;. This compilation examines the role and impact of nonprofit organizations - including advocacy, development, relief, human service, health, education, arts, and other agencies - in various countries around the world.

In light of recent events taking place in the United States and abroad, this timely resource will help to increase understanding of a broad range of nations and cultures.

To obtain a copy of Mapping New Worlds, which helps to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Nonprofit Sector Research Fund, please visit www.nonprofitresearch.org .

For more information
CONTACT Winnifred Levy
TEL.: (1-202) 736-5814
E-MAIL: winnifred.levy@aspeninstitute.org

BUSINESS PARTNERS FOR DEVELOPMENT REPORT

Business Partners for Development has published a new report entitled 'Endearing Myths, Enduring Truths: Enabling Partnerships Between Business, Civil Society and the Public Sector&#8217;. The report provides an insight into the emerging lessons from BPD's four Clusters. It can be viewed on line at www.bpdweb.org/krg where you can also register to get on BPD's general mailing list.


G. INTERNET NEWS AND WEBSITES

NEW E-NEWSLETTER LAUNCHED BY THE KOSOVA WOMEN'S NETWORK
[Advocacy Project]

Prishtina, October 29, 2001

'The international community needs to do much more to eradicate the trafficking of women from Kosova and curb violence against women in the province', according to a new monthly publication by and for the women of Kosova.

The 'KWN Voices' newsletter is published in Albanian and English and intends to serve the Kosova Womens' Network (KWN), which links 32 women's groups across the province. The newsletter will be accompanied by a new KWN website, which will soon be open to visitors at www.womensnetwork.org .

To subscribe send an e-mail to kwn-news-request@alb-net.com with 'subscribe' in the body of the message.

SCHOOLNETAFRICA: BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE WITH A MADE-IN-AFRICA BRAND

Organisations promoting education in African schools through the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs), otherwise known as &#8220;schoolnets&#8221;, have mushroomed in over 20 African countries to date. This evolution has given way to the establishment of a SchoolNetAfrica to facilitate the growth and development of national schoolnets across the continent.

Headquartered in South Africa and governed by a 12-member Steering Committee representing 10 countries from all five sub-regions across the continent, including a representative from the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, SchoolNetAfrica is the first African-based, African-led, pan-African school networking institution on the continent. In partnership with national schoolnets SchoolNetAfrica kicks off with a number of flagship projects. Over the next three years, under the banner of an aptly phrased: OPERATION DOT LEARN program, SchoolNetAfrica plans to

- Connect African schools to the Internet
- Build champions to lead and develop national schoolnets
- Pilot the development of online curriculum
- Create a knowledge warehouse
- Promote the development of &#8220;world class&#8221; learners through its ThinkQuest Africa competition
- Lobby and advocate for cheap Internet access for schools in Africa

For more information contact the SchoolNet Africa press liaison officer, Ms Heba Ramzy at RITSEC in Egypt at hramzy@idsc.net.eg or the SchoolNet Africa Executive Director, Ms Shafika Isaacs at shafika@schoolnetafrica.org.za


WORLD MOVEMENT SITE ON CEE AND NIS COUNTRIES

World Movement announced the launch of its internet site on Central and Eastern Europe and the New Independent States. The section provides links to democracy networks, information about organizations participating in the World Movement in these regions, publications and research materials, funding sources, and other useful links.

INTERNET: www.wmd.org/cee-nis/cee-nis.html or via the World Movement's home page: www.wmd.org

If you have any suggestions, comments, or information to include in this or any other sections of the World Movement site, please contact: world@ned.org


RACISM: WHY A WORLD CONFERENCE NOW?
[SIMS]
A report on the September 2001 UN World Conference in South Africa, its relevance, objectives and recommendations (969 words) can be found at: www.simedia.org/new/racism-wld-conf.html .

COMMINIT SITE
Resource for research: www.comminit.com/comments_aboutus.html

RENEWED AND UPDATED WEBSITE OF DG ENLARGEMENT
INTERNET: europa.eu.int/comm/enlargement/


H. SCHOLARLY SUPPORT AND AWARDS

THE CITIZEN BASE AWARD - SOUTH AFRICA

The Citizen Base Initiative (CBI), a creative resourcing programme of Ashoka, has created the Citizen Base Award - an international challenge competition providing seed capital to NGOs for innovation in local resource mobilisation. The award aims to spark, identify and support local resource mobilisation as an alternative to international fundraising. This is an international award that has already been hosted in Brazil, Thailand, Bangladesh and India. It is currently running in Argentina and South Africa (SA).

CBI SA invites all South African non-profit organisations to enter the Citizen Base Award. We are giving away cash prizes valued at R250,000. Five NGOs that submit locally focused resource mobilisation strategies, which are replicable, innovative and feasible and demonstrate the ability to generate resources and mobilise citizen support, stand the chance to each win R50,000. The non-cash prizes that our five winners will also take away include one free pass to a three-day CBI resource mobilisation workshop and one free pass to a two-day Sangonet IT training workshop.

ELIGIBILITY
To enter this award, your organisation must be a South African non-profit organisation in the development sector - a NGO, a CBO or community service organisation (CSO).

ENTRY DETAILS
Entry details are available from: www.citizenbase.org
Alternatively you may contact the CBI office in SA.
TEL.: (27-11) 403-3916
E-MAIL: cbisa@ashoka.org


INTERNATIONAL YOUTH IN ACTION AWARD

Youth In Action and the Global Youth Action Network are offering awards of USD 1,000 to young people (under 25) who have started a project anywhere in the world that has positively impacted their community. UNESCO's InfoYOUTH Network and Prodigy Internet have offered funds for these awards, which aim to provide greater recognition for young people's positive contributions.

Only youth-initiated projects that are on-going or completed and have created a measurable and positive result are eligable.

Deadline: 21 March, 2002

CONTACT: info@takingitglobal.org
INTERNET: youthlink.takingitglobal.org/action/yiaa.html


I. FROM THE READER

Dear e-CIVICUS newsletter,

If possible, I would like to be added to the mailing list for information from CIVICUS. I received a newsletter from a friend and found it very informative.

Kathy Vandergrift
CANADA


J. ABOUT CIVICUS

CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation is an international alliance dedicated to strengthening citizen action and civil society throughout the world.

e-CIVICUS is produced weekly, and distributed to thousands of subscribers worldwide. If you would like to comment on a past issue of e-CIVICUS or request that appropriate information about your organisation be included in a future issue of e-CIVICUS, please contact the CIVICUS Newsletter Office at the following e-mail address: news@civicus.org
Due to space restrictions, we may not be able to include all submissions.

To subscribe: send a blank e-mail with 'subscribe' in the subject line to news@civicus.org
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Co-ordinator of e-CIVICUS:
Miklos Barabas, Programme and Communications Director
TEL.: (36-1) 356-8440 FAX: (36-1) 356-8499
E-MAIL: news@civicus.org
INTERNET: www.civicus.org

Regular News Update From Eurostep

No. 249 2 November 2001

2001-11-08

http://www.oneworld.org/eurostep

1. 3rd ACP-EU JOINT PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY
2. EU DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL &#8211; 8 NOVEMBER 2001
3. IN BRIEF
- Suspension of Zimbabwe from Cotonou?
-EP call reforms of EU Development Policy
- EU drop support from developing countries on generic life saving drugs

PAF PROACTIVE FILE Regular News Update From Eurostep
No. 249 2 November 2001

1. 3rd ACP-EU JOINT PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY

The 3rd ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, since the signing of the Cotonou Agreement, took place in Brussels this week. The Assembly brings together an equal number of parliamentarians/representatives from ACP countries on the one hand, and a group of members of the European Parliament.
During the opening speeches to the Assembly, the President of the ACP Council, Prince Ulukalala of Tonga stated that there was a need to institutionalise dialogue with civil society in ACP-EU Cooperation, but then cautioned that advocates of this would have to be patient with many ACP governments, who did not yet have structures for such dialogue. The Co-President of the Assembly, MEP John Corrie (UK, Conservative), in his speech, quoted a World Bank estimate that 10 million additional people [including many in the ACP] would suffer from poverty next year as a result of the recent terrorist attacks in the US.
But during a session in which the European Commission answered questions put to them by the parliamentarians, the European Commissioner for Development, Poul Nielson, argued that there should be no significant implications of the terrorist attack on the ACP. He said that though increased aid had been made available for the populations of Afghanistan, these operations had been funded from the emergency aid chapter of the European Community budget, which had no impact on EU development aid programmes.
In response to a question put by MEP Max van den Berg (NL, Socialist) on why ACP Country Strategy Support Papers were not being made available, even though a number of them have been finalised, Mr Nielson said that the strategy papers could only be made public once they have finalised and signed. To date only one Strategy Paper (Cameroon) has been signed. Eurostep and many other ACP and EU civil society actors have argued that if civil society is going to effectively contribute to the programming process, as implied by the Cotonou Agreement, then this process needs to be transparent. This should involve making draft Country Support Strategy Papers public. The Commission had previously argued against this, claiming that many ACP Governments would not allow the papers to be made public, however many of the ACP parliamentarians that Eurostep was in contact with, stated that they did not see any reason why their governments would refuse to make the Strategy Papers public.
MEP Glenys Kinnock (UK, Socialist) also questioned the Commissioner for Development on the seriousness and effectiveness of impact studies paid for by the Commission on new ACP-EU trading arrangements (Economic Partnership Agreements). The studies will be carried out over a period of only 4-6 weeks and the Commission will only provide &#8364; 65 000 per ACP sub region for the studies. The Commissioner was not very clear in his response on how effective these studies could be, given the extremely short time in which they will be carried out and the little resources provided, but he also seemed to express his misgivings on the timing and the resources provided.
On a question put by MEP Marie-Arlette Carlotti (France, Socialist) on the use of funds taken from the ACP-EU budget (EDF) for the global fund against AIDS, the Commissioner stated that half of the &#8364; 120 million would be taken from the EDF. However, this would have to be discussed with the ACP.
During question time with the presidencies of the ACP and EU Council it was revealed that only one EU country (Denmark) had, to date, ratified the Cotonou Agreement. 27 ACP countries have ratified the Cotonou Agreement. If the Agreement is to come into force by June 2002, as planned, all EU Member States and a majority of the 77 ACP signatories will have to have completed its ratification.
There was also confusion as to the rules governing civil society actors who have traditionally been invited the Assembly as observers. Following some discussion, when ACP and EU civil society actors asked to make one intervention during the Assembly, Mr Renwick Rose of the Windward Island Farmers Association, representing the ACP Civil Society Forum, was finally allowed to make a statement. Mr Rose stated that involvement of civil society in the implementation of the Cotonou Agreement is complementary to the role of governments and parliamentarians. He called on the Assembly to support the recently agreed ACP Civil Society Action Plan adopted at the ACP-EU Conference on Civil Society held in July 2001(See PAF 235 and 236). According to the Cotonou Agreement, the Joint Parliamentary Assembly is supposed to organise regular contacts with the actors of civil society in order to obtain their views on attaining the objectives of the Cotonou Agreement. This was not stated in the previous Lomé Conventions.
The Assembly discussed and adopted new rules of procedure, which among other things stated how the Assembly would relate to civil society actors. According to these rules, civil society actors may send delegates to the Assembly as observers. EU NGO networks had put forward more specific wording on the role of civil society in the Assembly. Some provisions of the new rules were deferred for further discussion at a later date, after objections by MEP Caroline Lucas (UK, Green). The PAF will provide details on this next week.
EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy in an address to the Assembly stated that the Commission supports the Assembly&#8217;s wish of the establishment of a consultative parliamentary assembly within the WTO. According to the Trade Commissioner, a lot of progress had been made in the last two yeas since the failed WTO Ministerial meeting in Seattle. However, MEP Caroline Lucas raised the issue with the Commissioner that there was a risk that next week&#8217;s WTO Ministerial meeting in Doha would end up just as big a failure as the Seattle meeting, because the WTO had failed to gain any legitimacy since Seattle.
East Caribbean States Ambassador, Edwin Laurent expressed his worry about statements that Latin American states have only agreed to support the ACP and EU&#8217;s request for a waiver for preferential trade to the ACP on condition that the banana trade regime is taken out of the Cotonou Agreement. Mr Lamy confirmed Mr Laurent&#8217;s concerns and called on the Ambassador to raise the issue with the Latin American states.
The Assembly adopted a number of resolutions on a wide range of issues. Next week&#8217;s PAF will endeavour to provide more detail on this. Finally it was announced that the 4th ACP-EU Parliamentary Assembly would take place in Cape town, South Africa on 18-21 March 2002.

2. EU DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL &#8211; 8 NOVEMBER 2001

EU Development Ministers will meet for the EU Development Council on 8 November 2001 in Brussels under the Chairmanship of the Belgian Presidency in office of the EU. Items on the agenda include: Implementation of the new European Community Development Policy; the presentation of the first annual report on development cooperation by the Commission; new EU strategies towards Asia and Latin America; the timetable for achieving the target of giving 0.7% of EU member State GNP in aid; adoption of a resolution of fisheries; a plan of action of mainstreaming gender issues in development cooperation; and the results of the Belgian Presidency Conferences on Civil Society and Conflict prevention. The ACP Civil Society Action Plan will also be presented to the EU Development Ministers.

3. IN BRIEF

Consultations, under article 96 of the Cotonou Agreement, which could lead to the suspension of Zimbabwe from the Cotonou Agreement are set begin between the southern African country and the EU. This was decided at the last EU General Affairs Council.

The European Parliament has called for further reform of EU Development policies. This should include, inter alia, a new definition of priorities, incorporation of international summits objectives on poverty in EU development policy, and incorporation of the budget for ACP countries (the EDF) in the general EU annual budget.

According to the European press, the European Commission has dropped demands that developing countries should be allowed to import generic copies of life saving drugs, ahead of next week&#8217;s WTO meeting in Doha. An earlier paper tabled earlier this month was in favour of allowing developing countries to import generic life saving drugs, but this measure does not now feature in the draft EU text for the WTO ministerial. According to Oxfam, the UK and Germany had lobbied over the past fortnight for the withdrawal of this feature from the EU paper.

Preparing for the International Criminal Court

The Hague, 20-21 December 2001

2001-11-08

http://www.science-alliance.nl/english/ICC2001inl.htm

Conference for policymakers, lawyers and the military

SOUTH AFRICA: HUMAN RIGHTS TRAINING

2001-11-08

http://www2.womensnet.org.za/events/show.cfm?id=289

Southern Hemisphere is currently offering an intensive training course in HUMAN RIGHTS INDICATORS. The course is aimed at those working in the development sectors, either based in government, non-government organisations, corporate sectors and practitioners.

SOUTH AFRICA: NEGOTIATION SKILLS TRAINING

2001-11-08

http://www2.womensnet.org.za/events/show.cfm?id=288

Southern Hemisphere is currently offering an intensive training course in NEGOTIATION SKILLS. The course is aimed at those working in the development sectors, either based in government, non-government organisations, corporate sectors and practitioners.

ACCORD Seeks Programme Manager and Series Editor

Conciliation Resources

2001-11-08

http://jobs.oneworld.net/ads/index.cfm?job_id=676

Salary : Starting salary between £25,572 and £27,730  (+ 9% pension)
Location : Islington, London, United Kingdom
Closing Date : 23 Nov 2001
Posted on : 1 Nov 2001

ANGOLA: CARE USA SEEKS MATERNAL CHILD HEALTH ADVISOR

2001-11-08

http://jobs.oneworld.net/ads/index.cfm?job_id=663

Salary : $$58,000
Location : Luanda, Angola
Closing Date : 31 Dec 2001
Posted on : 24 Oct 2001

Angola: Save the Children UK seeks Programme Directors

2001-11-08

http://jobs.oneworld.net/ads/index.cfm?job_id=680

Salary : £26,679pa
Location : Luanda, Angola
Closing Date : 14 Nov 2001
Posted on : 2 Nov 2001

Assistant Project Manager for Global Corruption Report

Transparency International

2001-11-08

http://jobs.oneworld.net/ads/index.cfm?job_id=677

Location : Berlin, Germany
Closing Date : 30 Nov 2001
Posted on : 2 Nov 2001

DEVJOBS: DEVELOPMENT JOBS WEBSITE AND MAILING LIST

2001-11-08

http://www.devjobsmail.com

DEVJOBS is a a large mailing list to receive international job ads that are related to various development fields: microfinance, poverty alleviation, community development, institution development, governance, health care, population, food security, agriculture, education, human resource development, natural resource management, information technology, disability rehabilitation and rural development. Membership is totally free! Hundreds of jobs posted each week.

Eritrea: International Medical Corps (IMC) seeks Community Health Coordinator

2001-11-08

http://www.imc-la.org.

Community Health Coordinator / International Medical Corps (IMC) /
Eritrea.

Job Description:

International Medical Corps seeks a Community Health Coordinator to conduct
hands-on fieldwork in Eritrea. The Community Health Coordinator is
responsible for the overall planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation
and supervision for the Community Health program. The goal of the program is
to develop community capacity for health education / information and to
promote activities on such topics as: Integrated Management of Childhood
Illnesses, hygiene and sanitation, mine awareness and injury prevention, and
prevention of communicable diseases such as HIV and STDs.

Responsibilities:

- Determine appropriate objectives and time-line for achieving program
goals;
- Hire, supervise and provide capacity-building training for assistant(s) to
support programmatic responsibilities;
- Facilitate community identification of appropriate leaders for Village
Health Committees;
- Facilitate community health assessments / surveys of health indicators to
be conducted by village health committees using appropriate participatory
methods;
- Facilitate training sessions and follow-up with appropriate supervision,
refresher courses, and self-evaluation tools;
- Evaluate knowledge, attitudes and practices of community following
activities of the program through appropriate participatory research
methods;
- Write succinct, timely reports to Medical Coordinator and / or Country
Director with analysis of program success or failure along with
documentation
of target indicators; ·
- Liaise with MOH counterparts and other relevant partners to create solid
collaborative working relationships · Provide creative direction for new
programs in community development through discussions with Medical
Coordinator, community leaders and other counterparts and develop related
project proposals for funding.

Qualifications:

- Background in social sciences;
- Experience with community-based programs, incoming generation projects and
micro-credit activities;
- Skilled as a trainer with PRA (Participatory Rural Appraisal) or similar
participatory methodology;
- Experience developing proposals and managing projects linked with the
community's participation;
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills;
- Fluent in written and spoken English; Arabic an asset.

To Apply:

To apply for this position, please e-mail your resume/CV and cover letter to
imc@imc-la.org Please state the Position Code IMC-CHC/EA in the Subject
Heading of your email. Website: http://www.imc-la.org

Faculty Positions at Harvard Center on Gender and Education

2001-11-08

http://www.gse.harvard.edu/~oasweb/positions.html

Faculty positions / Harvard Center on Gender and Education / Cambridge,
MA, USA / Closing date: November 16, 2001.

Description:

Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) announces the creation of the
Harvard Center on Gender and Education. Searches for three new faculty
positions, two senior and one junior, begin July 2001. Housed at HGSE, the
Center will draw on intellectual resources from across the University
including the new Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. The Center is the
result of an endowment which includes support for the three chairs and for
an
administrative director.

The initial senior appointment will be for a gender scholar whose work will
enhance the interdisciplinary tradition of Human Development and Psychology
at the HGSE and who will provide leadership for the development of the
Center.

The Harvard Graduate School of Education solicits applications from
candidates who have a commitment to the graduate education of a diverse
student body. The School gives graduate training to students and
professionals for positions of leadership in research, policy and practice
in
education.

To Apply:

Applicants should send a hard copy (cannot accept electronic applications)
of
their curriculum vitae and a letter explaining their interest in, and
qualifications for, the position for receipt by no later than November 16,
2001 to: Professor Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, Chair of the Search Committee,
c/o Gail Keeley, Director of Academic Services, Harvard Graduate School of
Education, 122 Longfellow Hall, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.

FAHAMU SEEKS PA/SECRETARY TO DIRECTOR

2001-11-08

http://jobs.oneworld.net/ads/index.cfm?job_id=681

Salary : £16,000
Location : Oxford, United Kingdom
Closing Date : 29 Nov 2001

Malawi: Oxfam GB Seeks Programme Representative

Closing date: November 23, 2001

2001-11-08

http://www.oxfam.org.uk

Programme Representative / Oxfam GB / Blantyre, Malawi / Closing date:
November 23, 2001.

Description:

Oxfam GB is a development, relief, and campaigning organisation dedicated to
finding lasting solutions to poverty and suffering around the world. The
post
holder will be responsible for ensuring the effective implementation of the
programme according to the agreed Oxfam International regional strategic
objectives as well as contributing to agreed upon region wide priorities in
Oxfam GB.

This is a two-year position. Salary: GBP 18000.00 p.a. gross (under review),
plus benefits.

Responsibilities:

- Provide leadership to and manage the development and implementation of the
Joint Oxfam programme in Malawi;
- Ensure effective mainstreaming of gender as well as HIV/AIDS in all
aspects
of programme planning, delivery as well as monitoring and evaluation;
- Undertake in-country fund-raising as appropriate and liaison with
institutional donors, ensuring regular financial and programme reporting;
- Ensure that Oxfam/donor funds are managed in a responsible and accountable
manner and in accordance with established financial procedures;
- Ensure that implementation of all human resources policies and practises
are in line with local labour law and in accordance with Oxfam's human
resources management procedures;
- Represent the joint Oxfam programme within civil society organisations,
the
government, donors, the media as well as relevant private sector
organisations.

Requirements:

- Ability to function strategically and operationally at a regional and
national level;
- Demonstrated programme management at a senior level, with practical
experience in community participation techniques and hands-on advocacy
experience;
- Demonstrated ability to lead and manage a diverse team of people;
- Understanding and experience of gender and diversity issues and proven
commitment to addressing inequalities in all key areas of responsibility;
- Strong financial and administration systems management expertise and
proven
experience in cost control management;
- Sound understanding of humanitarian and development issues and the role of
non-governmental organisations in the development sector;
- High-level interpersonal and diplomatic skills, keen awareness of
political
sensitivities;
- Excellent verbal and written communication.

To Apply:

For further details and an application form, please e-mail Tracy
Jean-Pierre,
tjean-pierre@oxfam.org.uk quoting the job title and reference number
(id/prma/tj) or phone : + 27 12 362 2098. Closing Date: 23 November 2001.
Website: www.oxfam.org.uk

Project Assistant sought for International Womens Media Foundation (IWMF)

Washington DC USA

2001-11-08

http://www.iwmf.org

Project Assistant / International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF) /
Washington, DC, USA.

The Organisation:

The IWMF was launched in 1990 with the mission to strengthen the role of
women in the news media around the world. In an effort to change perceptions
and challenge the cultural norms that limit opportunities for women, the
IWMF
seeks to educate journalists, media managers, non-governmental organizations
and the public about the status of women in the media.

Job description:

The IWMF seeks a motivated college graduate for the exciting Project
Asstistant position supporting program and communication offices. Ideal
candidate has an interest in media or international relations, good
communication and interpersonal skills, computer proficiency. Foreign
language skill is a plus. Organisation values and seeks multi-cultural
staff.

To Apply:

Please send your resume and cover letter to IWMF, 1726 M St. NW, Suite
#1002,
Washington, DC 20036. Fax: 202-496-1977. Email: info@iwmf.org Website:
www.iwmf.org

Zimbabwe: HIV/AIDS PROGRAMME SUPPORT AND TECHNICAL ADVISER

CAFOD

2001-11-08

http://jobs.oneworld.net/ads/index.cfm?job_id=656

Salary : £21,479pa to £24,129 p.a.
Location : Harare, Zimbabwe
Closing Date : 14 Nov 2001
Posted on : 23 Oct 2001

Fahamu