Back Issues

Embraced by Brazil and shunned by Switzerland: the story of the two trevors

Patrick Bond

2003-02-06

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/13176

"Africa didn't really shine here," South African finance minister Trevor Manuel told a press conference in snowy Davos, Switzerland, at the World Economic Forum last week. "There is a complete dearth of panels on Africa."

Nevertheless, in any five-star hotel gathering of powerbrokers, backslapping is crucial, no matter how artificial the camaraderie. Here is how former Johannesburg Star newspaper editor Peter Sullivan witlessly described the Davos experience for Sunday Independent readers this week:

"The SA contingent worked hard to get investment but partied equally hard: a real 'jol' was had by all with great jiving from Kader Asmal, Trevor Manuel and Alec Irwin (sic), while Bertie Lubner and his wife boogied the night away. We also drank a few bottles of KWV's best red." (Too many, apparently, to subsequently spell trade minister Erwin's name correctly.)

Sullivan regaled with stories of meeting "the beautiful Queen Rania of Jordan", Bill Gates and Bill Clinton. But as one shrewd journalist - not the social-climber Sullivan - reported on January 28, "Among the many snubs Africa received here was the decision by former US president Bill Clinton to cancel his presence at a press conference on Africa today to discuss the New Partnership for Africa's Development. Forum officials said Clinton did not give reasons for not attending."

The ingratitude!

Recall that over the previous eighteen months, Thabo Mbeki, Manuel and Erwin had either hosted, chaired or played a crucial backroom role on globalisation's equivalent of a big-five hunting safari - mainly for the benefit of the Davos club:

* At the World Conference Against Racism in Durban, Mbeki shot down NGOs and African leaders who argued in favour of reparations for slavery/colonialism/apartheid.

* Ten weeks later at the World Trade Organisation's Doha ministerial summit, Erwin split his continent's delegation to prevent a Seattle-style denial of consensus by African trade ministers, in the process promoting multinational corporate interests.

* Then, at the UN's Financing for Development conference in Monterrey, Mexico last March, Manuel was summit co-chair and endorsed the World Bank and IMF "Washington Consensus", relegating debt relief to the status of a dead duck.

* A few months later, at the Kananaskis, Canada Summit of the G8 powers, a grovelling Mbeki departed with a handful of peanuts for his hungry and now badly wounded African elephant - and yet, against all evidence to the contrary, declared that the meeting "signifies the end of the epoch of colonialism and neo-colonialism".

* Finally, at Johannesburg's World Summit on Sustainable Development, Mbeki undermined standard UN democratic procedure, advanced the privatisation of nature, and did virtually nothing to genuinely address the plight of the world's majority.

A little sympathy from the world's ruling class for Pretoria's men in kneepads would surely have been in order - even if just the face-saving sort, for the cameras, as is normally the case.

So let's leave the grey-monied set in favour of a hot, sunny, colourful place crowded with ordinary grassroots activists who took the world's problems rather more seriously last week. In Porto Alegre, Brazil, the World Social Forum attracted 100,000 leftist delegates from across the globe who insisted, "Another World is Possible!"

Here at least, South Africa - especially Soweto campaigners for free electricity, water, medicines, education and housing - shone as brightly as a house reconnected late at night thanks to Operation Khanyisa.

Several times in Porto Alegre, I witnessed the passion with which former Soweto city councillor Trevor Ngwane addressed the crowds, moving the agenda from basic human rights, to continent-wide organising in the year-old Africa Social Forum, to his widely-applauded declaration that the World Bank must now be defunded and decommissioned.

"Weakening the power of Washington is our main challenge," Ngwane announced, "especially now that Bush is in heat after Middle Eastern oil, and because the IMF and World Bank show they will not reform."

Moreover, the World Social Forum has spawned a variety of localised social forums of labour, women, environmentalists, community militants, church activists, and youth. In conjunction with the African Social Forum which met last month in Addis Ababa, Ngwane has been mandated to help get a Southern African Social Forum off the ground.

Decentralisation will help avoid, as Canadian author Naomi Klein warns, domination by the new "big men" of the left: Brazilian president Lula Inacio da Silva and embattled Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. Crucial for a coming generation of bottom-up social forums, says Klein, is the chance to replant Porto Alegre's most radical seeds: "The ideas flying around included neighbourhood councils, participatory budgets, stronger city governments, land reform and co-operative farming - a vision of politicised communities that could be networked internationally to resist further assaults from the IMF, the World Bank and World Trade Organisation."

Icy Davos and friendly Porto Alegre will clash again - as elites marginalise Africa through intensified globalisation and as social forums break out across Africa uniting to demand, as Asian intellectual Walden Bello suggests, economic "deglobalisation". Which forum philosophy will prevail?

On two previous occasions, South Africa's famous two Trevors - Manuel and Ngwane - have seen their respective teams square off. Once, during an April 2000 clash covered by SABC's Special Assignment ("Two Trevors go to Washington"), Manuel chaired the World Bank board of governors for two days while Ngwane taught 30,000 protesters outside to toyi-toyi.

And again last August, when Manuel was negotiating some meaningless treaty or other at the Sandton Convention Centre, Ngwane and 20,000+ demonstrators marched over from Alexandra to demand that the elites pack up and end their charade.

With the world's environmental and developmental crises worsening ever more rapidly, lubricated by petro-warrior George Bush, can any conclusion be reached about the latest confrontation? Perhaps only this: one Trevor was cold and lonely fighting a battle he can never win; the other was flush with the warmth of solidarity, basking in the resurgence of a humanistic but uncompromising international left.

* Patrick Bond teaches at Wits University and recently authored ‘Unsustainable South Africa: Environment, Development and Social Protest’, published by University of Natal Press. This article was due to appear in the Sowetan newspaper on February 7.

* Send comments on this editorial for publication in the Letters and Comments section of Pambazuka News to editor@pambazuka.org

Bette Stockbauer

2003-02-06

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/letters/13114

call for articles on human rights and freedom of expression

2003-02-06

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/letters/13111

From: Wougnet, http://www.wougnet.org

The Foundation for Human Rights Initiative publishes a thematic bi-annual human
rights journal called "The Defender". The journal is replete with in depth
substantive articles on human rights and democratisation. It focuses on Uganda
but also addresses illuminating experiences from other countries as well.

We are currently gathering information for the next issue and the theme will be
on "HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION". Articles written will emphasize the
important connection between human rights and freedom of expression. One's free
to come up with their own topic but should relate it to freedom of expression
and human rights.

Please submit your information to the Editor via e-mail, fax or postal
address.(See address below).

THE EDITOR

***********************************************
Foundation for Human Rights Initiative (FHRI)
Human Rights House, Plot 1853, Lulume Road, Nsambya.
P.O. Box 11027
Kampala, Uganda
Tel: (256-41) 510263 , 510498, 510276
Fax: (256-41) 510498
Email: fhri@spacenetuganda.com
URL: http://www.fhri.or.ug

More...

Kifle Mulat, Ethiopian Free Press Journalists' Association (EFJA)

Letter to Amara Essy, Secretary General of African Union (AU)

2003-02-06

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/letters/13057

**We apologise for any cross-posting - The following is being forwarded
exactly as received**

To: IFEX Autolist (other news of interest)
From: Ethiopian Free Press Journalists' Association (EFJA),
efjakifle@hotmail.com

Letter to "Extraordinary Summit of the African Union (AU) "
from the Ethiopian Free Press Journalists' Association (EFJA) .

Feb. 3, 2003
H.E. Mr. Amara Essy
Secretary General of African Union (AU)
AU Headquarters,
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Via Fax: 251-1-512622/3030

Your Excellency,

We would like to extend our best wishes to your excellency and through you
to the African heads of state and government, delegates and brothers and
sisters who are participating in the Extraordinary Summit of the African
Union (AU) due to be held from February 3-4/2003.

We are convinced that the present AU summit would perform tasks that would
have a major positive impact on the growth and development of the African
peoples.

We hope that our newly established organization, AU would, among others,
focus on and discuss the issue of the exercise of the rights to press
freedom which is based on the right of peoples to freedom of expression.

We are desirous that the African Union Constitution would firmly stand for
the respect and exercise of press freedom; embrace the accountability and
responsibilities of all concerned parties, protect press freedom from
attacks; and strongly protest against undemocratic practices of dictators,
and strongly requires professionals to be governed by code of ethics.

We have concrete grounds for calling on the African Union to focus its
attention on the question of the respect of the right to freedom of
expression. Journalists in Africa work under particularly hostile
circumstances and, because of their important role in building and
maintaining democracy, require recognition and protection.

In several AU member states, journalists are arrested, harassed, and
intimidated solely for their reporting, and many countries resort to harsh,
outdated laws to prosecute journalists for their work. Research conducted
by African and international press institutions shows an alarming pattern of
governments interfering with the free flow of information and zealously
prosecuting journalists for their work-in some cases even drafting
legislation deliberately aimed at suppressing the dissemination of
dissenting views.

For instance, a government in an African country has shut down the entire
independent media and has so far detained a dozen journalists. Several
others have fled the country. A government spokesperson acknowledged to CPJ
that independent journalists are currently imprisoned and held incommunicado
but would not guarantee that all of the detained journalists were alive.

Our country, Ethiopia also has a dismal press freedom record, and its
government is planning alarming changes to the country's 10-year-old press
laws that would severely restrict the rights of Ethiopia's already
beleaguered private press corps. Although the Ethiopian authorities claim
that the new law would promote "constructive and responsible journalism," we
believe that the statutes would lead to a crackdown, driving many of them
out of business or putting them behind bars. Currently, one journalists is
imprisoned in Ethiopia, more than 40 journalists have pending court cases.
While these and other few African countries are the most egregious press
freedom violators in the AU, international press organizations, have
documented state harassment of independent reporters and news outlets all
over the continent.

The Ethiopian Free Press Journalists' Association (EFJA) respectfully
reminds Your Excellency that most AU member states have signed Article 19 of
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Articles 19 of the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and Article 9 of the African Charter
on Human and People's Rights, all of which recognize an individual's right
to seek, receive, and impart information without fear of reprisal.

As an African association of journalists dedicated to defending press
freedom in Ethiopia EFJA strongly believes that media outlets and
journalists should be able to work freely, and that a public's ability to
gather and receive information should be enshrined and recognized as a
fundamental human right. We also believe that journalists should not face
arrest detention, or harassment for their work.

We call on your Excellency and the African heads of state and government to:
- respect AU and international laws
- release imprisoned journalists in their respective countries.
- change their repressive press laws
- ensure that the media in the AU member can function freely, without
intimidation, harassment, or restrictions.

It is our sincere hope that the AU Summit would come up with successful
results that would be to the ultimate benefit of the peoples of the African
continent.

We also hope that press freedom would flourish in Africa and the rest of the
world.

Sincerely,

Kifle Mulat
President,EFJA

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
3rd February, 2003

**The information contained in this autolist item is the sole responsibility
of EFJA**

More...

the cost of the brain drain

2003-02-06

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/letters/13121

A New Democracy: Alternatives to a Bankrupt World Order

Harry Shutt

2003-02-06

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

We are told, day in and day out, that there is only one way forward for the world: globalized free market capitalism. Yet more and more people know, as Harry Shutt points out, that this way lacks all vision for the future of humanity, is empty of social responsibility and environmental care, and will not, he argues, even deliver a stable economy or secure political future.

Barbs: A Study of Satire in the Plays of Wole Soyinka

Patrick Ebewo

2003-02-06

http://www.africanbookscollective.com/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_New_Titles_68.html#A1197

A wide-ranging introduction to Wole Soyinka's dramatic literature and an in-depth and comprehensive study of satire in fourteen of Soyinka's plays from Childe Internationale to King Baabu, and the sketches in Before the Blackout. Ebewo treats satire as an instrument of criticism, a literary genre and an institution in society. He explores the history and definition of satire in various cultural contexts, approaching Soyinka as an African satirist influenced by Western and African satirical modes.

culture and lifestyle newsletter seeks contributors

2003-02-06

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/books/13036

Voice, a newsletter of the International African Students Association (www.iasaonline.org) seeks critical essays, articles, true-life stories, poems, cartoons and pictures for inclusion in the next edition of the Voice. The newsletter aims to bring together innovative but readable exploration of African culture and lifestyle from the perspective of young Africans.


Voice, a newsletter of the International African Students Association (www.iasaonline.org) seeks critical essays, articles, true-life stories, poems, cartoons and pictures for inclusion in the next edition of the Voice. The newsletter aims to bring together innovative but readable exploration of African culture and lifestyle from the perspective of young Africans.

The editors welcome pieces that touch on all segment of life in Africaand the Diaspora. Contributors are at liberty to consider any aspect of recent African development including excavations of politics / conventions, national and regional trends, traditions, arts and culture, music, literature, economics, sports, education, youth and social development. Contributors are encouraged to be creative in their writing styles.

Deadline: Feb 21st, 2003
Submissions should be between 300 to 500 words. Although longer contributions may be considered space permitting. All submissions should be accompanied by a short biographical sketch, and whenever possible should be sent via email (as plain text, not attachment).
All submissions should be sent to newsletter@iasaonline.org
Newsletter P.O. Box1868,
Jamaica Plain,
MA02130 USA

Opportunities exist on the editorial team of the Voice for individuals with strong writing, editorial or layout skills to produce future editions of the newsletter. If interested write us newsletter@iasaonline.org

More...

Food for All: The Need for a New Agriculture

John Madeley

2003-02-06

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

What kind of agriculture do we need to feed the world? World leaders have committed themselves to halving hunger by the year 2015 as a first step towards food for all. But is this an achievable target? John Madeley's new book shows we already have the experience on which to base a new approach to agricultural production and feeding the world's whole population. Millions need better access to the land from which the market forced them, and a more equitable income distribution so that the poor can afford the available food. This is part of the solution. But the other part is an innovative, multi-faceted move away from a monoculture production system dependent on ever more tractors and fossil fuels, dangerous chemicals, and hybrid seeds monopolized by a handful of giant corporations.

africa/Global: coalition against trafficking in women

2003-02-06

http://www.catwinternational.org/

The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW) is a non-governmental organisation that promotes women's human rights. It works internationally to combat sexual exploitation in all its forms, especially prostitution and trafficking in women and children, in particularly girls. Visit their web site to find out more.

africa: REPRODUCTIVE CHOICE AND WOMEN LIVING WITH AIDS

2003-02-06

http://216.122.213.218/pdf/Repro_Choice_HIV_AIDS.pdf

One area in which stigma and discrimination affect women living with HIV/AIDS (WHA) is reproductive health. This report summarizes available information concerning barriers and discrimination that WHA face in exercising their full sexual and reproductive rights concerning pregnancy. It is based on an extensive review of the literature and interviews with key informants in Australia, India, Kenya, South Africa and Thailand.

africa: union set to lower women's rights standards

2003-02-06

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/wgender/13177

If a draft protocol on the rights of women in Africa was passed in its current form by the African Union, the union would for the first time set lower standards than those already existing regionally and internationally, according to a letter sent to the African Union on behalf of Equality Now and the participants of an NGO meeting on the protocol held recently in Addis Ababa. Click on the link below to read the letter and a mark-up of the protocol showing where it falls below international standards.
13th January 2003


Ambassador DJINNIT Said
Interim Commissioner for Peace,
Security and Political Affairs
African Union
Tel/Fax. (251-1) 511475
Addis Ababa


Dear Ambassador DJINNIT:

I am writing on behalf of Equality Now and the participants of the NGO’s Meeting on the Draft Protocol on The Rights of Women in Africa, which was recently held at the Hilton Hotel in Addis Ababa, to thank you for giving us the opportunity to meet with you on 6th January at your office and present to you several concerns which came out of discussions at the NGO’s meeting on the draft Protocol on the rights of women, which could be summarized as follows:

1. While appreciating the fact that the African Union has set higher standards in previous legal instruments such as the African Charter itself and the Charter on the Welfare and the Rights of the Child than other regional or international organizations, we are concerned that the draft Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa does not clearly and consistently reflect the noble objectives of the organization and its member states. For this reason, during our regional consultations of 4 to 5th January 2003, we made comments and proposals aimed at strengthening and making the existing text more consistent and comprehensive.

2. We understand that in the original planning, a 2-day experts meeting is anticipated. If at all possible, we request the African Union to consider extending this period by one more day to better enable experts to consider and address the issues we have raised, particularly the ways in which the current draft reflects lower standards than those already established in international instruments such as CEDAW. We appreciate that all this must be done in time for the proposed Heads of States Summit in July 2003, but we believe that if we all use the remaining time optimally, this goal can be realized to the satisfaction of all interested parties.

3. While we appreciate that a quorum of member states is required before dates can be confirmed for the experts and ministerial meetings, we wish to respectfully point out that the repeated postponements of the meetings do not reflect well on the African Union. If it is possible to get an early indication of the dates for the next meeting, we would be happy to provide any assistance to move the process forward as well as providing technical support to the experts on the draft Protocol on the rights of women.

As a follow-up to our meeting with you, we have attached the markup to the draft Protocol that was generated at the NGO’s meeting hosted by Equality Now. The markup contains proposals for amendments to some of the text provisions of the draft Protocol with explanatory notes and footnotes that indicate areas where the current draft Protocol falls short of regional and international standards and provide relevant information about these standards. The proposed changes are in capitals, bolded and underlined while notes are marked “Bold” with the word “Note” preceding each remark. Footnotes appear at the end of the pages.

As we pointed out during the meeting with you, if the draft Protocol is passed as it stands now, the African Union would for the first time set lower standards than those already existing regionally and internationally. We are convinced that our efforts to strengthen the draft Protocol and to achieve consensus on several outstanding aspects of the draft as we have managed to do on article 6, for example, should make a positive contribution towards accelerating discussion at the experts level.

Finally, as indicated in various ways and occasions, we as members of civil society, are ready and willing to work closely with the African Union in order to bring discussions on the draft Protocol to a successful conclusion.

Thank you and we look forward to your feedback and collaboration on this as well as notification of dates for the next experts meeting.

Sincerely,



Faiza Jama Mohamed
Africa Office Director
--------------------------


DRAFT PROTOCOL TO THE AFRICAN CHARTER ON
HUMAN AND PEOPLES' RIGHTS ON THE RIGHTS
OF WOMEN IN AFRICA

(as adopted by the Meeting of Government Experts
in Addis Ababa on 16 November 2001)




6 JANUARY 2003 MARKUP
FROM THE MEETING CONVENED ON 4-5 JANUARY 2003 IN ADDIS ABABA,
BY THE AFRICA REGIONAL OFFICE AND THE LAW PROJECT OF EQUALITY NOW,
WITH THE FOLLOWING GROUPS REPRESENTED:


AFRICAN CENTRE FOR DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS STUDIES
AKINA MAMA WA AFRIKA
EQUALITY NOW
ETHIOPIAN WOMEN LAWYERS ASSOCIATION
FEMMES AFRICA SOLIDARITE
FEMNET – AFRICAN WOMEN’S DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNICATION NETWORK
MALIAN WOMEN LAWYERS ASSOCIATION
SENEGALESE WOMEN LAWYERS ASSOCIATION
WILDAF – WOMEN IN LAW AND DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA
WRAPA – WOMEN’S RIGHTS ADVANCEMENT AND PROTECTION ALTERNATIVE

This Markup includes Notes in the text to indicate where provisions of the current draft Protocol fall below existing international standards, and Footnotes to provide additional information on relevant international standards.





22 November, 2001


DRAFT PROTOCOL TO THE AFRICAN CHARTER
ON HUMAN AND PEOPLES' RIGHTS ON THE
RIGHTS OF WOMEN IN AFRICA


The StateS Parties to this Protocol,

CONSIDERING that Article 66 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights provides for special protocols or agreements, if necessary, to supplement the provisions of the African Charter, and that the OAU Assembly of Heads of State and Government meeting in its Thirty-first Ordinary Session in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in June 1995, endorsed by resolution AHG/Res.240 (XXXI) the recommendation of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights to elaborate a Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa;

CONSIDERING that Article 2 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights enshrines the principle of non-discrimination on the grounds of race, ethnic group, colour, sex, language, religion, political or any other opinion, national and social origin, fortune, birth or other status;

FURTHER CONSIDERING that Article 18 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights calls on all Member States to eliminate every discrimination against women and to ensure the protection of the rights of women as stipulated in international declarations and conventions;

RECOGNIZING THE BENEFIT OF ELABORATING AND SUPPLEMENTING ALL RIGHTS IN THE AFRICAN CHARTER ON HUMAN AND PEOPLES’ RIGHTS AS THEY PERTAIN TO WOMEN, PURSUANT TO ARTICLE 66 OF THE AFRICAN CHARTER, IN ORDER TO SECURE THESE RIGHTS IN REALITY;

NOTING that Articles 60 and 61 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights recognize regional and international human rights instruments and African practices consistent with international norms on human and peoples' rights as being important reference points for the application and interpretation of the African Charter;

RECALLING that women's rights have been recognized and guaranteed in all international human rights instruments, notably the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, and all other international and regional conventions and covenants relating to the rights of women as being inalienable, interdependent and indivisible human rights;

NOTING that women's rights and women's essential role in development have been reaffirmed in the United Nations Plans of Action on the Environment and Development in 1992, on Human Rights in 1993, on Population and Development in 1994 and on Social Development in 1995;

FURTHER NOTING that the Dakar Plan of AFRICAN PLATFORM FOR Action AND THE DAKAR DECLARATION of 1994 and the Beijing Programme of PLATFORM FOR Action and Declaration of 1995 call on all Member States of the United Nations, which have made a solemn commitment to implement them, to take concrete steps to give greater attention to the human rights of women in order to eliminate all forms of discrimination, and of INCLUDING gender-based violence against women, WHICH HAS BEEN INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED AS A FORM OF SEX DISCRIMINATION;

BEARING IN MIND related Resolutions, Declarations, Recommendations, Decisions, Conventions and other Regional and Sub-Regional Instruments, ACTIONS AND STEPS TAKEN, aimed at eliminating all forms of discrimination and at promoting equality between men and women;

REPUDIATING THE INEQUALITY OF THE SEXES WHEREVER IT EXISTS, REJECTING ALL NOTIONS AND INSTITUTIONS OF SUPERIORITY AND INFERIORITY ON THE BASIS OF SEX, AND AFFIRMING THE EQUAL HUMANITY OF MEN AND WOMEN ;

NOTE: Major international charters of rights virtually universally include preambular statements of substantive values the document exists to further. Failure to include any such statement would be a significant departure from the standard practice of other international instruments.

CONCERNED that despite the ratification of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and other international human rights instruments by the majority of Member States, and their solemn commitment to eliminate all forms of discrimination and harmful practices against women, women in Africa still continue to be victims of discrimination, INCLUDING VIOLENCE2 and OTHER harmful practices;

FIRMLY CONVINCED that any practice that hinders or endangers the normal growth and affects the physical and psychological development of women and girls should be condemned and eliminated;

RECALLING THAT DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN IS AN OBSTACLE TO THE PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN IN THE POLITICAL, SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL LIFE OF THEIR COUNTRIES AND CONSTITUTES AN OBSTACLE TO DEVELOPMENT IN THE CONTINENT;

NOTE: CEDAW’s Preamble recalls that “discrimination against women…is an obstacle to the participation of women…in the political, social, economic and cultural life of their countries” and is “convinced that the full and complete development of a country…requires participation of women on equal terms with men in all fields.”

DETERMINED to ensure that the rights of women are protected in order to enable them to enjoy fully all their human rights;

COMMITTED TO THE FULL PARTICIPATION OF AFRICAN WOMEN AS EQUAL PARTNERS IN AFRICA’S DEVELOPMENT;

HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS:


Article 1
Definitions

For the purpose of the present Protocol

a) "African Charter" shall mean the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights;

b) "African Commission" shall mean the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights;

c) "Assembly" shall mean the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the OAU AU;

d) "Discrimination against women" shall mean any distinction, exclusion or restriction based on sex, or any differential treatment whose objective or effects compromise or destroy the recognition, enjoyment or the exercise by women, regardless of their marital status, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in all spheres of life;

e) "Harmful Practices" shall mean all behavior, attitudes and/or practices which negatively affect the fundamental rights of women, such as their right to life, health, dignity, education and physical integrity;

f) "OAU" shall mean the Organization of African Unity UNION;

g) "StateS Parties" shall mean the StateS Parties to this Protocol;

h) "Violence against women" shall mean all acts perpetrated against women which cause or could cause them physical, sexual, psychological, SOCIAL, and economic harm, including the threat to take such acts; or to undertake the imposition of arbitrary restrictions on or deprivation of fundamental freedoms in private or public life in peace time and during situations of armed conflicts or of war;

i) “Women” shall mean persons of female gender, including INCLUDE girls, AND “MEN” SHALL INCLUDE BOYS.


Article 2
Elimination of Discrimination AND VIOLENCE Against Women

1. StateS Parties shall combat CONDEMN AND ELIMINATE all forms of SEX discrimination, INCLUDING VIOLENCE2 against women, through appropriate legislative, institutional, ADMINISTRATIVE and other measures. In this regard they shall:

NOTE: CEDAW obligates States to “condemn” (e.g. Art. 2) and, throughout, “eliminate” when referring to states parties obligations to act against sex discrimination. The African Charter at Art. 18 similarly requires at (3) that States “shall ensure the elimination of every discrimination against women.” To merely “combat” sex discrimination is below the international standard set forth both in CEDAW and in The African Charter.

a) include in their national Constitutions and other legislative instruments AND POLICIES, if not already done, the principle of equality between men and women and ensure its effective application;

b) enact and effectively implement appropriate legislative, POLICY or regulatory measures, including those prohibiting and curbing all forms of discrimination including SEX-BASED VIOLENCE2, INCLUDING UNWANTED OR FORCED SEX IN OR OUTSIDE MARRIAGE, AND OTHER those harmful practices THAT which endanger the health and general well-being of women and girls;

c) integrate a gender perspective in their policy decisions, legislation, development plans, programmes and activities and all other spheres of life;

d) take corrective and positive action in those areas where discrimination INCLUDING VIOLENCE2 against women in law and in fact continues to exist;

e) TAKE ALL MEASURES NECESSARY TO ELIMINATE DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN, REGARDLESS OF MARITAL STATUS, IN ACCESS TO, ACQUISITION AND CONTROL OF, AND FINANCING FOR LAND AND PROPERTY;


e) support the local, national, regional and continental initiatives directed at eradicating all forms of discrimination against women.

2. StateS Parties shall commit themselves to modify the social and cultural patterns of conduct of men and women through public education, through information, education and communication strategies, with a view to achieving the elimination of harmful cultural and traditional practices and all other practices which are based on the idea of the inferiority or the superiority of either of the sexes, or on stereotyped roles for men and women.


Article 3
Respect for Dignity
Women contribute to the preservation of those African values that are based on the principles of equality, peace, freedom, dignity, justice, solidarity and democracy. EVERY WOMAN SHALL HAVE THE RIGHT TO THE RESPECT OF THE DIGNITY INHERENT IN A HUMAN BEING AND TO THE RECOGNITION OF HER LEGAL STATUS. In this regard, the States Parties shall;

a) ensure that women and girls enjoy rights and dignity inherent in all human beings;

b) adopt and implement appropriate measures to prohibit any exploitation and degradation of women and girls.

NOTE: These amendments are proposed to bring the language of the Protocol into more precise conformity with the language of Art 5 of the African Charter.


Article 4
The Rights to Life, Integrity and Security of Person

1. Every woman and girl shall be entitled to respect for their HER life and the integrity and security of their HER person. All forms of exploitation, cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment and/OR treatment shall be prohibited.

2. StateS Parties shall take appropriate and effective measures to:

a) enact and enforce laws to prohibit DISCRIMINATION AND all forms of violence against women and girls whether the DISCRIMINATION AND violence takes place in the private or IN public sphere;

b) adopt such other legislative, administrative, social and economic measures as may be necessary to ensure the prevention, punishment and eradication of all forms of violence against women and girls;

c) identify the causes and consequences of DISCRIMINATION AND violence against women and take appropriate measures to prevent and eliminate such DISCRIMINATION AND violence;

d) actively promote peace education through curricula and social communication in order to eradicate elements in traditional and cultural beliefs, practices and stereotypes which legitimize and exacerbate the persistence and tolerance of DISCRIMINATION AND violence against women and girls;

e) punish the perpetrators of DISCRIMINATION AND violence against women and implement programmes for the SECURITY AND rehabilitation of women victims SURVIVORS;

f) establish mechanisms and accessible services for effective information, rehabilitation and reparation for victims of DISCRIMINATION AND violence against women and girls;

g) prevent and prosecute perpetrators, AND THEIR ACCOMPLICES, of trafficking in AND PROSTITUTION OF women and girls and protect those women and girls most at risk of such trafficking, PROSTITUTION AND OTHER FORMS OF COMMERCIAL SEXUAL EXPLOITATION;

NOTE: CEDAW, Art. 6, directs states parties to “suppress all forms of traffic in women and exploitation of prostitution of women.” Beijing Platform for Action’s Strategic Objective D.3 (paragraph 130) directs governments to “eliminate trafficking in women and assist victims of violence due to prostitution and trafficking,” and opposes trafficking for “prostitution and other forms of commercialized sex.” The 1949 Convention for Suppression of Traffic in Persons, Arts 2,3 oppose activities by accomplices as well as direct traffickers in women.

h) protect women from gender-based violence during situation of IN armed conflict and war and ensure that such violence is treated and prosecuted as war crimes, and/or crimes against humanity, AND/OR GENOCIDE WHEN WARRANTED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES;

i) respect and ensure respect for the provisions of the international humanitarian law applicable to situations of armed conflicts that affect the civilian population in general and women in particular;

j) protect asylum seeking, refugee, returnee, internally displaced women and girls against all forms of violence, abuse, rape and other forms of sexual exploitation, and ensure that women asylum seekers enjoy equal access with men to refugee status, determination procedures and women refugees shall be accorded the full protection and benefits guaranteed under international law, including their own identity and other documents;

k) prohibit all medical or scientific experiments on women and girls without their informed consent;

l) make adequate budgetary allocations for the implementation and monitoring of actions aimed at preventing and eradicating violence against women;

m) in those countries where the death penalty still exists, not to carry out death sentences on pregnant and nursing women, and girls.


Article 5
Elimination of Harmful Practices

StateS Parties shall condemn AND PROHIBIT all forms of harmful practices which affect the fundamental human rights of women and girls and which AS A FORM OF DISCRIMINATION are contrary to recognized international standards., and, therefore, commit themselves, inter alia, to STATES PARTIES SHALL TAKE ALL MEASURES NECESSARY TO ELIMINATE SUCH PRACTICES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO:

NOTE: The African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child provides at Art. 21(1) that States Parties "shall take all appropriate measures to eliminate harmful social and cultural practices affecting the welfare, dignity, normal growth and development of the child." Similarly, the Convention on the Rights of the Child at Article 24(3) requires States Parties to "take all effective and appropriate measures with a view to abolishing traditional practices prejudicial to the health of children." The Beijing Platform for Action includes in actions to be taken by governments that they "prohibit female genital mutilation wherever it exists" at paragraph 232(h). The current draft text of the Protocol falls below these international standards for governmental action in this area.

a) creatING public awareness in all sectors of society regarding harmful practices through information, formal and informal education, communication and outreach programmes;

b) prohibitING, THROUGH LEGISLATION WITH SANCTIONS, the medicalization and para-medicalization ALL FORMS of female genital mutilation scarification and all other practices and all other forms of violence against women in order to effect a total elimination of such practices, INCLUDING MEDICALIZATION AND PARAMEDICALIZATION. STATES PARTIES SHALL TAKE EFFECTIVE MEASURES TO ENFORCE SUCH PROHIBITION;

c) providING the necessary support to victims of harmful practices through basic services such as professional health AND LEGAL services, emotional and psychological counseling, and skills training aimed at making them self-supporting;

d) protectING those women and girls who are at risk of being subjected to harmful practices and all other forms of violence, abuse and intolerance.


Article 6
Marriage

StateS Parties shall ensure that men and women enjoy equal rights and are regarded as equal partners in marriage. They STATES PARTIES shall enact appropriate national legislative AND OTHER measures to guarantee that:

a) no marriage shall take place without the free will FULL AND FREE CONSENT of both parties;

NOTE: The proposed language is based on the ICCPR Art. 23(3), which provides that “No marriage shall be entered into without the free and full consent of the intending spouses,” and CEDAW Article 16(b), which provides that States Parties shall ensure on a basis of equality of men and women “the same right freely to choose a spouse and to enter into marriage only with their free and full consent.” The language in the current draft Protocol falls below this international standard.

b) The minimum age of marriage for women shall be 18 years;

c) STATES PARTIES SHALL RECOGNIZE AND ENCOURAGE MONOGAMY AS THE PREFERRED FORM OF MARRIAGE. STATES PARTIES SHALL PROTECT AND PROMOTE THE EQUAL RIGHTS OF WOMEN WITHIN MARRIAGE AND FAMILY.

N.B: Three options were put under brackets for further consideration of this sub-article.

Option 1 - [polygamy shall be prohibited].

Option 2 - [they adopt the appropriate measures in order to recognize monogamy as the sole legal form of marriage. However, in existing polygamous situations, State Parties shall commit themselves to guarantee and protect the rights and welfare of women].

Option 3 - [polygamy must be the subject of mutual consent between the parties. The State parties shall commit themselves to guarantee and protect the rights and welfare of the women. However, the State parties shall ensure to encourage monogamy as the preferred form of marriage].


d) every marriage shall be recorded in writing and registered in accordance with national laws, in order to be legally recognized; STATES PARTIES SHALL TAKE ALL NECESSARY MEASURES TO ESTABLISH, MAINTAIN AND PUBLICISE THE EXISTENCE OF MARRIAGE REGISTRIES THAT ARE ACCESSIBLE TO THE POPULATION WITHIN THEIR TERRITORIES AND ENCOURAGE AND EDUCATE THE POPULATION ON THE BENEFIT. NON-REGISTRATION SHALL NOT LEAD TO NON-RECOGNITION OF A MARRIAGE;

e) the husband and wife shall, by mutual agreement, choose their marital regime and place of residence;

f) a married woman shall have the right to keep her maiden name, to use it as she pleases, jointly or separately with husband's surname;

g) a woman shall have the right to keep her nationality, obtain another one or take up the nationality of her husband or AND THE ABILITY WITHOUT LEGAL RESTRICTION TO transfer her nationality to HER HUSBAND AND her children by mutual agreement;

NOTE: The proposed language conforms to the provisions of CEDAW Art.9. As stated in the current draft of the Protocol, paragraph (g) falls below the standard of CEDAW.

h) a man and a woman shall jointly contribute to safeguarding the interests of the family, AND TO protecting and educating their children;

i) during her marriage, a woman shall have the right to acquire her own property and to administer and manage it freely;

J) STATES SHALL NOT ENCOURAGE COHABITION BUT IN SITUATIONS WHERE IT EXISTS STATES PARTIES SHALL COMMIT THEMSELVES TO GUARANTEE AND PROTECT THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN THOSE RELATIONSHIPS IN REGARDS TO PROPERTY, CUSTODY AND MAINTENANCE OF CHILDREN ARISING OUT OF THE RELATIONSHIP.


Article 7
Separation, divorce and annulment of Marriage

StateS Parties shall enact TAKE appropriate national legislative, ADMINISTRATIVE AND OTHER measures to ensure that men and women enjoy the same ARE ACCORDED EQUAL rights in case of separation, divorce and annulment of marriage. In this regard, they shall ensure that:

a) separation, divorce and annulment of a marriage shall be effected by judicial order;

b) women and men shall have the same EQUAL rights to seek separation, divorce or annulment of a marriage;

c) in case of divorce, annulment of marriage or separation, men and women shall have the same reciprocal EQUAL rights and responsibilities towards their children, SUBJECT TO In any case the interests of the children shall be BEING given paramount importance CONSIDERATION;

d) in case of divorce or annulment of marriage, men and women shall have the same EQUAL rights to an equitable sharing of the joint property deriving from the marriage.

Article 8
Right to Information and Legal Aid
ACCESS TO JUSTICE AND EQUAL PROTECTION OF THE LAW

Women shall have the right to EQUALITY UNDER THE LAW, TO have their cause heard JUDICIALLY and TO EQUAL PROTECTION OF THE LAW. StateS Parties shall have the duty to promote and ensure that the rights of women are protected in this respect. They shall TAKE ALL APPROPRIATE MEASURES TO ENSURE:

a) take all administrative and appropriate measures to ensure equal access of women to EFFECTIVE ACCESS BY WOMEN TO JUDICIAL AND LEGAL SERVICES, INCLUDING LEGAL INFORMATION AND legal aid services;

b) support TO local, national, regional and continental initiatives directed at giving women access to legal aid services;

c) THE ESTABLISHMENT OF set up adequate structures including appropriate
educational structures for all social strata, with particular attention to women, and TO sensitize and inform them of the rights of women and girls;

d) ensure that law enforcement organs PERSONNEL at all levels are aware of AND ENFORCE gender equality RIGHTS and women’s humans AS HUMAN rights and ARE EQUIPPED THROUGH APPROPRIATE TRAINING WITH THE SKILLS TO RESPECT THE ENTITLEMENT OF WOMEN TO EQUAL PROTECTION OF THE LAW AND enforce the law in a gender responsive manner;

e) THAT WOMEN ARE REPRESENTED EQUALLY WITH MEN IN JUDICIAL AND LAW ENFORCEMENT INSTITUTIONS;

f) REFORM OF EXISTING DISCRIMINATORY CUSTOMARY LAWS TO ENSURE RESPECT FOR FUNDAMENTAL WOMEN’S RIGHTS, PARTICULARLY THE RIGHT TO EQUALITY.

NOTE: CEDAW Art. 2(f) provides that governments undertake “to modify or abolish existing laws, regulations, customs and practices which constitute discrimination against women.” CEDAW Art. 2(g) provides that they “repeal all national penal provisions which constitute discrimination against women.”


Article 9
Right to participation in the Political
Process and Decision making

1. StateS Parties shall take specific positive action to promote the equal participation of women in the political life of their countries, ensuring THROUGH AFFIRMATIVE ACTION that:

a) women do participate without any discrimination in all elections;

b) women are represented equally at all levels with men in all electoral and candidate lists;

c) women are equal partners with men at all levels of development and implementation of state policies and development programmes.

2. StateS Parties shall ensure THROUGH AFFIRMATIVE ACTION9 women's increased, significant and effective representation and participation at all levels of decision-making.

3. STATES PARTIES SHALL ENSURE TO UNDERTAKE EQUAL DISTRIBUTION OF POWER AND DECISION MAKING AT ALL LEVELS AND TO UNDERTAKE STATISTICAL GENDER ANALYSIS AND MAINSTREAMING OF A GENDER PERSPECTIVE IN POLICY DEVELOPMENT AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SUCH PROGRAMMES IN NATIONAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS.


Article 10
Right to Peace

1. Women have the right to a peaceful existence and the right to participate in the promotion and maintenance of peace.

2. StateS Parties shall take all appropriate measures to ensure the increased participation of women:

a) in programmes of education for peace and a culture of peace;

b) in the structures and processes for conflict prevention, management and resolution at local, national, regional, continental and international levels;

c) in the local, national, sub-regional, regional, continental and international decision making structures to ensure physical, psychological, social and legal protection of asylum seekers, refugees, returnees and displaced persons, in particular women;

d) in all levels of the structures established for the management of camps and asylum areas.

3. StateS Parties shall take the necessary measures to reduce military expenditure significantly in favour of spending on social development in general, and the promotion of women in particular.

4. StateS Parties shall take special measures in accordance with international humanitarian law to ensure:

a) effective protection of women and children in emergency and conflict situations;

b) effective protection of asylum seekers, refugees, returnees and displaced persons, particularly women and girls;

c) full and equal participation in all aspects of planning, formulation and implementation of post conflict reconstruction and rehabilitation.


Article 11
Right to Education and Training

1. StateS Parties shall take all appropriate measures to:

a) eliminate all forms of discrimination against women and girls AND GUARANTEE EQUAL OPPORTUNITY AND ACCESS in the sphere of education and training;

NOTE: CEDAW, Art. 10, provides for equal “opportunity” and “access” in the educational context, setting the international standard.

b) eliminate all references STEREOTYPES in textbooks and syllabuses to the stereotypes which THAT perpetuate such discrimination;.

c) protect the girl-child from all forms of abuse, including sexual harassment in schools;

D) INTEGRATE GENDER SENSITIZATION AND HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION AT ALL LEVELS OF THE EDUCATION CURRICULUM INCLUDING TEACHER TRAINING;


2. StateS Parties shall take specific positive action to:

a) increase PROMOTE literacy among women;

b) promote education and training for women and girls at all levels and in all disciplines, PARTICULARLY IN THE FIELDS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY;

c) promote the enrolment and retention of girls in schools and other training institutions and the organization of programmes for women and girls who leave school prematurely.


Article 12
Economic and Social Welfare Rights

StateS Parties shall adopt AND ENFORCE legislative and other measures to guarantee women equal opportunities to work. In this respect, they shall:

a) promote equality in access to employment AND CAREER ADVANCEMENT;

NOTE: This language is supported by CEDAW, Art 11 (1) (b) and (c), the international standard, which provides for equality for women in professions and employment, including in promotion.

b) promote the right to equal remuneration for jobs of equal value for men and women;

a) ensure transparency AND THE APPLICATION OF NON-DISCRIMINATORY CRITERIA in recruitment, promotion and dismissal of women and combat and punish sexual harassment in the workplace;

NOTE: CEDAW, Art. 11 (b) expressly provides for “the application of the same criteria for selection in matters of employment” for women as for men, setting the international standard.

d) allow ENSURE women’S freedom to choose their occupation, and protect them from exploitation by their employers violating and exploiting their fundamental rights as recognized and guaranteed by conventions, laws and regulations in force;

NOTE: CEDAW, Art. 11(c), specifically guarantees that “States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in the field of employment in order to ensure”…” the right to free choice of profession and employment…”, making merely “allowing” such freedom substantially below the international standard set by CEDAW.

E) ENSURE THE RIGHT EQUALLY WITH MEN TO SOCIAL BENEFITS IN PARTICULAR WITH REFERENCE TO RETIREMENT, UNEMPLOYMENT, OLD AGE AND OTHER INCAPACITY TO WORK;

NOTE: CEDAW, Art. 11(e) specifically provides for such rights, making the absence of such a standard below the international level.

e) create conditions to promote and support the occupations and economic activities of women, in particular, within the informal sector;

f) set up a system of protection and social insurance for women working in the informal sector of the economy and sensitize them to adhere to it;

g) introduce a minimum age of work and prohibit children below that age from working, and prohibit, combat and punish all forms of exploitation of children, especially the girl-child;

h) take the necessary measures to recognize the economic value of the work of women in the home;

i) ADDRESS PREGNANCY NEEDS IN THE WORKPLACE, guarantee adequate and paid pre and post-natal maternity leave in both the private and public sectors, AND PROVIDE DAY CARE FACILITIES AT THE WORK PLACE;

g) SUBJECT TO THE IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS, PROHIBIT DISCRIMINATION INCLUDING DISMISSAL ON THE GROUNDS OF PREGNANCY OR MOTHERHOOD;

NOTE: CEDAW Art. 11(2)(a) clearly mandates that States Parties shall take measures “to prohibit, subject to the imposition of sanctions, dismissal on the grounds of pregnancy or of maternity leave and discrimination in dismissals on the basis of marital status,” making the absence of such a provision beneath CEDAW standards. This standard is underlined by the Declaration on the Rights of Women at Art. 10(2), which requires that “measures shall be taken” to prevent discrimination on grounds of maternity. Article 8 of the European Social Charter protects workers who are mothers, including prohibiting at (2) the dismissal of a woman from employment during pregnancy leave.

j) ensure equality in taxation for men and women;

k) recognize and enforce the right of salaried women to the same allowances and entitlements as those granted to salaried men for their spouses and children;

l) recognize that both parents bear the primary responsibility of upbringing and development of children and that this is a social function for which the State and the private sector take responsibility;

m) take effective legislative and administrative measures to prevent the exploitation and misuse ABUSE of women in advertising practices AND THEIR EXPLOITATION, USE AND ABUSE IN PORNOGRAPHY.




Article 13
SEXUAL Health and Reproductive Rights

1. StateS Parties shall ensure that the right to health of women, including SEXUAL AND reproductive health are respected and promoted. This includes:

a) the right to control their fertility;

b) the right to decide whether to have children, the number of children and the spacing of children;

c) the right to choose any method of contraception;

d) the right to self protect and to be protected against sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS;

e) the right OF WOMEN to be informed on one’s OF THEIR health status and on OF the health status of one’s THEIR partner, particularly if affected with sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS WITHOUT PREJUDICE TO THEIR RIGHT TO PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALITY;

e) the right to have family planning education, INFORMATION AND SERVICES.

NOTE: CEDAW, Art. 12 (1), obligates States Parties to take measures to ensure “access to health care services, including those related to family planning.” Subparagraph (2) guarantees that women are ensured “appropriate services in connection with pregnancy, confinement and the post-natal period, granting free services where necessary.” Providing education without services in this area falls below CEDAW standards.

2. StateS Parties shall take ALL appropriate measures to:

a) provide adequate, affordable and accessible health services, including information, education and communication programmes to women especially those in rural areas;

b) establish AND ENHANCE EXISTING pre-and post-natal health and nutritional services for women during pregnancy and while they are breast-feeding;

b) protect the reproductive rights of women particularly by authorizing medical abortion ENSURING THAT WOMEN HAVE ACCESS TO SAFE AND LEGAL ABORTION SERVICES AT LEAST in cases of sexual assault, rape, and incest, OR WHERE THEIR LIFE OR PHYSICAL OR MENTAL HEALTH IS IN DANGER.





Article 14
Right to Food Security

StateS Parties shall ensure that women have ENJOY the right to nutritious and adequate food. In this regard, they shall take appropriate measures to:

a) provide women with access to clean drinking water, sources of domestic fuel, land, and the means of producing nutritious food;

b) establish adequate systems of supply and storage to ensure food security AND ENSURE THAT ALL FAMILY MEMBERS, INCLUDING GIRLS, SHALL HAVE EQUAL ACCESS TO NUTRITION AND FOOD.

NOTE: ICESCR, Art 11, recognizes the right of everyone to “adequate food.” Art. 2 guarantees that the rights in the Covenant are exercised without sex discrimination. Pregnant women are guaranteed “adequate nutrition during pregnancy and lactation” in Art. 12(2) of CEDAW.


Article 15
Right to Adequate Housing

1. STATES PARTIES SHALL ENSURE THAT women shall have ENJOY the right to equal access to housing and to acceptable living conditions in a healthy environment. To ensure this right, StateS Parties shall grant to women, whatever their marital status, access to adequate housing.

NOTE: The term “enjoy” is used in CEDAW, Art. 14 (2)(h), providing for women’s right to “adequate living conditions, particularly in relation to housing…”

2. STATES PARTIES SHALL PROTECT WOMEN FROM FORCED EVICTIONS AND DESTRUCTION OR DEMOLITION OF THEIR HOMES.


Article 16
Right to Positive Cultural Context

1. Women shall have the right to live in a positive AND NONDISCRIMINATORY cultural context WITHOUT DEGRADING PORTRAYALS OF WOMEN and to participate at all levels in the determination of cultural policies.

2. StateS Parties shall take all appropriate measures to enhance the participation of women in the formulation AND IMPLEMENTATION of cultural policies at all levels.


Article 17
Right to a Healthy and Sustainable Environment

1. Women shall have the right to live in a healthy and sustainable environment.

2. StateS Parties shall take all appropriate measures to:

a) ensure a greater participation of women in the planning, management and preservation of the environment at all levels;

b) promote research AND INVESTMENT into new and renewable energy sources AND APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGIES and facilitate women's access to AND CONTROL OF them;

c) regulate the management, processing and storage of domestic waste;

d) ensure that proper standards are followed for the storage, transportation and disposal of toxic waste.


Article 18
Right to Sustainable Development

Women shall have the right to fully enjoy their right to sustainable development. In this connection, the StateS Parties shall take all appropriate measures to:

a) introduce SEX EQUALITY AND the gender MAINSTREAMING issue inTO the national development planning procedures;

b) ensure, THROUGH AFFIRMATIVE ACTION, participation of women at all levels in the conceptualization, decision-making implementation, and evaluation of development policies and programmes;

c) promote women’s access to and control over productive resources such as INCLUDING land and guarantee their right to property;

d) promote women’s access to MACRO AND MICRO ENTERPRISES, credit, training, skills development and extension services at rural and urban levels in order to provide IMPROVE women’S with a quality of life and reduce the level of poverty among women;

e) take into account indicators of human development specifically relating to women INCLUDING GENDER DISAGGREGATED DATA in the elaboration of development policies and programmes; and

f) ensure that the negative effects of globalization and any adverse effects of the implementation of trade and economic policies and programmes be reduced to the minimum for women.
Article 19
Widows' Rights

1. StateS Parties shall take appropriate legal measures to ensure that widowS enjoy all human rights through the implementation of the following provisions:

a) prohibit that widows be subjected to inhuman, humiliating and/or degrading treatment;

b) widows shall become, de facto, the guardians and custodians of their children, after the death of their husband, unless this is contrary to the interests and the welfare of the children;

c) widows shall have the right to marry the person of their choice.

2. THE WIDOW SHALL HAVE THE RIGHT TO AN EQUITABLE SHARE IN THE INHERITANCE OF THE PROPERTY OF HER HUSBAND. SHE WILL RETAIN THAT RIGHT IN THE EVENT OF REMARRIAGE. THE WIDOW SHALL HAVE THE RIGHT TO CONTINUE TO LIVE IN THE MATRIMONIAL HOUSE, WHATEVER BE THE MATRIMONIAL REGIME. HOWEVER, SHE SHALL LOSE THAT RIGHT IN THE EVENT OF REMARRIAGE.


Article 20
Right to Inheritance

1. The widow shall have the right to an equitable share in the inheritance of the property of her husband. The widow shall have the right to continue to live in the matrimonial house, whatever be the matrimonial regime. However, she shall lose that right in the event of remarriage.

2. Women and girls shall have the same rights as men and boys to inherit, in equitable shares., their parents' properties.

Article 21
Special Protection of Elderly Women
and Women with Disability

StateS Parties shall undertake to:

a) provide protection to elderly women, poor women and women heads of families and take specific measures commensurate with their physical, ECONOMIC and moral SOCIAL needs;

b) ENSURE THE RIGHT OF ELDERLY WOMEN TO FREEDOM FROM VIOLENCE, INCLUDING SEXUAL ABUSE, DISCRIMINATION BASED ON AGE AND THE RIGHT TO BE TREATED WITH DIGNITY.

ARTICLE []
SPECIAL PROTECTION OF WOMEN WITH DISABILITIES

STATES PARTIES SHALL UNDERTAKE TO:

a) provide protection to women with disabilities and take specific measures commensurate with their physical, economic and social needs as well as their access to employment and professional training;

b) ENSURE THE RIGHT OF WOMEN WITH DISABILITIES TO FREEDOM FROM VIOLENCE, INCLUDING SEXUAL ABUSE, DISCRIMINATION BASED ON DISABILITY AND THE RIGHT TO BE TREATED WITH DIGNITY.


Article 22
Monitoring AND COMPLIANCE
(N.B. this sub-article was put under brackets for further consideration)

[1. StateS Parties shall ensure the implementation of this Protocol at national level and give a report as part of the report submitted under article 62 of the African Charter, stating the measures undertaken for the full realization of the rights contained and recognized by this Protocol. ANY PROCEDURES OR REMEDIES THAT ARISE UNDER OR PERTAIN TO THE PROVISIONS OF THE AFRICAN CHARTER SHALL BE EQUALLY APPLICABLE TO THE PROVISIONS OF THIS PROTOCOL.

NOTE: This suggested provision ensures without ambiguity that women receive no less protection for their rights expressly recognized under this Protocol than are provided in the African Charter.

2. StateS Parties to the Protocol shall ensure that:

a) any person whose rights or freedoms as herein recognized are violated, shall have an effective remedy ;

b) such a remedy shall be determined by competent judicial, administrative or legislative authorities, or by any other competent authority provided for by the legal system of the State.]


Article 23
Interpretation

The African Court COMMISSION on Human and Peoples' Rights shall be seized with matters of interpretation arising from the application or implementation of this Protocol UNTIL SUCH TIME AS THE AFRICAN COURT IS ESTABLISHED WHEREBY BOTH WILL BE SEIZED WITH MATTERS OF INTERPRETATION.




Article 24
Signature, Ratification and Accession

1. This Protocol shall be open to signature, ratification and accession by the StateS Parties, in accordance with their respective constitutional procedures.

2. The instruments of ratification or accession shall be deposited with the Secretary General of the OAU.

Article 25
Entry into Force

1. This Protocol shall enter into force thirty (30) days after the deposit of the fifteenth (15) instrument of ratification.

2. For each of the State Party that accedes to this Protocol after its coming into force, the Protocol shall come into force at the date of deposit of the instrument of accession.

3. The Secretary General of the OAU shall inform the StateS Parties of the coming into force of this Protocol.

Article 26
Amendment and Revision

1. Any State Party may submit proposals for the amendment or revision of this Protocol.

2. Proposals for amendment or revision shall be submitted, in writing, to the Secretary General of the OAU who shall transmit same to the StateS Parties within thirty (30) days of receipt thereof.

3. The Assembly, upon advice of the African Commission, shall examine these proposals within a period of one (1) year following notification of StateS Parties, in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 2 of this article.

4. Amendments or revision shall be adopted by the Assembly by consensus or, failing which, by a simple majority.

[5. The Commission may also, through the Secretary General of the OAU, propose amendments to this Protocol].

N.B. (this sub-article was put under brackets for further consideration.)

6. The amendment shall come into force for each State Party which has accepted it thirty (30) days after the Secretary General of the OAU has received notice of the acceptance.


Article 27
Status of the Present Protocol

1. EVERY WOMAN SHALL BE ENTITLED TO THE ENJOYMENT OF THE RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS RECOGNIZED AND GUARANTEED IN THE AFRICAN CHARTER ON HUMAN AND PEOPLES’ RIGHTS AND THE PRESENT PROTOCOL, WITHOUT DISTINCTION OF ANY KIND.

2. None of the provisions of the present Protocol shall affect more favorable provisions for the realization of rights of women contained in the national legislation of StateS Parties or in any other regional, sub-regional, continental or international conventions, treaties or agreements applicable in these StateS Parties.

3. IN FULFILLMENT OF ARTICLE 18(3) OF THE AFRICAN CHARTER ON HUMAN AND PEOPLES' RIGHTS, EVERY WOMAN HAS THE RIGHT TO THE RECOGNITION, ENJOYMENT, EXERCISE AND PROTECTION OF ALL HUMAN RIGHTS, AND FREEDOMS EMBODIED IN REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL DECLARATIONS AND CONVENTIONS.

NOTE: These general provisions aim to ensure that women’s rights under the present Protocol do not fall below those guaranteed under the African Charter and other regional and international instruments.

More...

africa: war and armed conflict

2003-02-06

http://www.whrnet.org/docs/issue-warconflict.html

There are more than thirty undeclared wars and internal conflicts taking place in the world at present. The impact of this situation on women, who are affected both as combatants and as civilians living in combat zones, is manifold. However, the stereotype of war as fought among soldiers in the battlefield is very far from the reality of today's wars and conflicts, which take place in the midst of civilian populations and inflict untold brutality and hardship on non-combatants. It is now estimated that 90 percent of war casualties are among ordinary civilians, according to this document, War and Armed Conflicts, by Niamh Reilly from WHRnet.

Africa: Zero tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation conference

2003-02-06

http://www.brunei-online.com/bb/wed/feb5w17.htm

African leaders and international organisations begun a three-day conference in the Ethiopian capital to declare, “zero tolerance” of the widespread practice of female genital mutilation. The conference, also to be attended by African first ladies, intends to declare 6 February a “World Day for zero tolerance for female genital mutilation,” said the Inter-African Committee on Traditional Practices, the organiser of the conference.

Benin: Groups Welcome New Law Banning Female Genital Mutilation

2003-02-06

http://www.ipsnews.net/interna.asp?idnews=15538

Rights groups have welcomed a new law, banning all forms of female genital mutilation in Benin. ''I am pleased with the passage of the law, because, of all the countries in the sub-region, Benin was the last to outlaw female genital mutilation,'' says Genevieve Boko Nadjo, president of WILDAF-Benin, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) dealing with women issues.

congo: response To Questions Raised In Women's Anti-discrimination Committee

2003-02-06

http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/ED8BA3E3E0AADB51C1256CBE002CFED3?opendocument

Since ratifying the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women in 1983, the Republic of the Congo had eliminated discriminatory laws and drafted other legislation to ensure gender equality, that country's representative has told the Convention's monitoring body.

ethiopia: Women Protest Against Female Genital Mutilation

2003-02-06

http://allafrica.com/stories/200302050110.html

Four wives of African presidents joined hundreds of women in Addis Ababa on Tuesday to call for zero tolerance to female genital mutilation. The wives of leaders from Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Mali and Guinea condemned the traditional practice as barbaric and called for international action against it.

KENYA: Rights groups condemn rape by police

2003-02-06

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/wgender/13178

Kenyan women's rights groups have expressed outrage at recent incidents in which policemen have been accused of rape, and urged the authorities to take appropriate action to instil discipline within the force in order to stamp out such crimes.
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)

KENYA: Rights groups condemn rape by police

NAIROBI, 6 February (IRIN) - Kenyan women's rights groups have expressed outrage at recent incidents in which policemen have been accused of rape, and urged the authorities to take appropriate action to instil discipline within the force in order to stamp out such crimes.

Simon Ndudu, a policeman in Nairobi's Kamukunji area, was arrested on Monday, and has been charged with raping a 14-year-old orphaned girl. His arrest came in response to pressure from outraged women's groups. Sources said the girl, who had travelled to the capital, Nairobi, to seek a relative for financial assistance, was still in hospital following surgery.

Two other cases - one involving a four-year-old child, and the other, a 22-year old woman, both also reportedly raped by policemen - were reported this week, but suspects are yet to be arrested.

According to the Coalition on Violence Against Women (COVAW), the three rape cases are a sign that sexual offences are rampant not only among the public but also within the police force country-wide, but most go unreported as victims are intimidated.

COVAW's Anne Gathumbi told IRIN that two out of every five women in Nairobi suffered sexual abuse. "The problem is that what we are seeing are just the reported cases, but the actual figures could be staggering," she said.

Gathumbi also complained of delays affecting the arrests of suspects. She told IRIN that although the 14-year-old had reported the offence immediately after it occurred on 30 January, the suspect was not arrested until five days later. "It is good he [the policeman] has been charged, but we are watching very closely to ensure the due process of the law is followed," Gathumbi said.

According to media reports, when the girl went to the nearby police station, officers on duty refused to take her statement, saying she could not sue a policeman. Women's groups also want those policemen to face charges.

The Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Kenya chapter, said it would assist the minor and her family to pursue the case. "We note the callous attitude demonstrated by the officers who were on duty at the time the girl went to report the abuse," FIDA said in a statement. "To say that they would not take her statement because the perpetrator of the abuse is a policeman amounts to complicity on their part. They too must be investigated with a view to having disciplinary action taken against them."

The Kenya Anti-Rape Organisation, an NGO, said it was "unfortunate" that the crime was committed by a law enforcer. "We condemn the heinous crime involving the defilement of minors, especially when committed by people in law enforcement," the East African Standard quoted Abeyd Anyanzwa, the organisation's secretary-general, as saying.

The rapes have brought the police force's already damaged image into sharp focus, especially in the context of the new government, which came to power in December 2002 and immediately pledged to uphold human rights.



[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:
http://www.irinnews.org . If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post
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 2003

More...

KENYA: Women complain over latest appointments

2003-02-06

http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=32066

Barely a month in power, the new government of President Mwai Kibaki is coming under fire from certain sectors regarding the latest senior appointments. The latest voice of discontent has come from the Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) - Kenya chapter, which claimed that recent political appointments were particularly unfair to women.

kenya: Women's Soccer Teams Skyrocket

2003-02-06

http://www.wenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/1204

Once a sport restricted to men, soccer is slowly picking up among young women in Kenya. When the country's soccer federation launched a women's league, it quickly attracted a dozen teams.

nigeria: Empowering Women for National Development

2003-02-06

http://allafrica.com/stories/200302030817.html

Touched by the prevalent poverty among rural women, a non-governmental organisation is providing micro credit facilities to women at the grassroots with the conviction that it will empower them economically. The Women Organisation For Gender Issues (WOGI) grants small loans to women who have viable business proposals. The beneficiaries of the loans are expected to repay within a 12-month period. The loan is interest free.

CONGO: Rights groups seek revision of outdated laws

2003-02-06

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=32132

Activists in the Republic of Congo (ROC) have called on the government to bring outdated laws on human rights into line with international conventions, and to ratify the International Criminal Court. The appeal was issued on 31 January, at the conclusion of a major multi-sectoral human rights conference held in the capital, Brazzaville.

kenya: Wave of Workers Strikes Continues Countrywide

2003-02-06

http://allafrica.com/stories/200302030951.html

A wave of strikes continued to sweep across the country this week as thousands of workers downed tools over various grievances. In the recent past, there has been a wave of workers strikes country-wide protesting exploitative employment.

malawi: students riot over 'third term'

2003-02-06

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2713395.stm

Students in Malawi have set fire to the ruling party offices over President Bakili Muluzi's attempt to alter the constitution to stay in power.

nigeria: poll date will not be shifted, says inec

2003-02-06

http://allafrica.com/stories/200302050438.html

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has turned down a request by the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) presidential candidate Muhammadu Buhari for the date of the presidential polls to be adjusted. In a February 3 letter to the INEC, Buhari asked for an adjustment, saying the elections - due for Saturday, April 19 - fell within the Christian holy week of Easter.

nigeria: The U.S. and Nigeria: thinking beyond oil

2003-02-06

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/rights/13052

Most Nigerian and outside analysts agree that Nigeria neither faces nor poses a significant external security threat. The real security threats to Nigerians are internal, and directly related to the economic and social issues. As poverty, AIDS, and inequality increase, can the country avoid a return to military rule? Can politicians and the military dampen and manage conflicts among Nigeria's diverse peoples, or will they exploit and exacerbate the divisions? Can the police and justice system improve their capacity to provide protection against both violent crime and its white-collar counterpart? In the long term, Nigeria's role as a force for regional stability will depend on answers to these questions. This is according to an article published by Africa Action, that includes information on US policy towards Nigeria, the problem of debt and public investment and the Nigerian diaspora.
The U.S. and Nigeria: thinking beyond oil

by Salih Booker and William Minter

Great Decisions 2003 (http://www.greatdecisions.org)

This article was published as one chapter in Great Decisions 2003,
a briefing book published by the Foreign Policy Association to be
used by hundreds of study groups around the U.S. during the year
2003. A TV program on the topic is also airing on PBS as part of
the Great Decisions TV series. A pdf version of the article,
including color photographs and other illustrations (3.8 M in size)
is available at http://www.africaaction.org/featdocs/nig2003.pdf
The full text of the article, with no graphics, is also available
at http://www.africaaction.org/featdocs/nig2003.htm

Introduction

Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, is also the most important
state in U.S.-Africa relations today. Nigeria is America's major
trading partner in Africa. It plays the largest role of any country
in peacekeeping efforts on the continent. Nigeria's attempt to
build democracy from the ashes of authoritarian rule will arguably
have even more consequential effects for the continent than South
Africa's victory over apartheid in 1994. Although it is oil that
attracts Washington's attention the most, the ramifications of
Nigeria's success or failure will extend far beyond the energy
sector.

In past centuries, Nigeria's territory was home to a series of
powerful and technically advanced societies, renowned for their
artistic, commercial and political achievements. It was also a
pioneer in the movement for African independence. But since
independence its growth has been stunted by internal conflict and
military misrule.

Yet today, Nigeria is again one of Africa's most influential
countries. Its unique human resources and vast oil reserves create
the capacity for enormous prosperity and regional leadership. In
2002, Nigeria was the fifth-largest supplier of oil to the U.S.,
ranking behind only Canada, Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Venezuela.
Along with Royal Dutch Shell, a British-Dutch firm, U.S. oil
supermajors ChevronTexaco and ExxonMobil Corp. dominate oil
production in the oil-rich Niger Delta. Since emerging from
military dictatorship in 1999, its nascent democratic institutions
have survived huge challenges but have performed disappointingly in
the eyes of tens of millions of Nigerians. Their capacity to
deliver the peace and prosperity Nigerians want is still unproved.
The fate of Nigeria has profound implications for the entire
continent: both the potential and the obstacles are on the giant
scale of the country itself.

Presently, the Bush Administration is inclined to give even greater
attention to the strategic significance of West African oil than
did previous Administrations. Yet a long-term view of U.S.-Nigerian
relations must confront fundamental issues of democracy, conflict
resolution, resource use, the environment and poverty. Nigeria's
interests are in harnessing the country's wealth to achieve
development while building a stable democratic political system.
U.S. long-term interests are the same. Competing U.S. domestic
constituencies with interests in Nigeria include the big oil
companies, banks and investment houses, and the multiple
Africa-interest groupings among African-Americans, religious
groups, organized labor, environmentalists, global justice
advocates and human-rights organizations. In addition, the rapidly
growing Nigerian-American community is a well-educated and well-
positioned segment of the American immigrant community. Meanwhile,
the accelerating process of globalization is driving ever-closer
and more-intricate interaction between the two countries on matters
of trade, immigration, and shared regional and global concerns.
Realizing the positive potential of those ties requires going
beyond "business-as-usual" thinking.

Nigeria, whose almost 130 million people make up nearly one sixth
of Africa's population, reflects virtually all the major problems
confronting the continent. Its success or failure will resonate far
beyond its immediate neighbors in West Africa. The HIV/AIDS
pandemic, the crippling debt burden, protection of the environment
against corporate greed, the need to break out of dependence on
raw-material exports, the establishment of peaceful Muslim-
Christian and ethnoregional relations and balancing national and
local government accountability are all cases in point.

In Nigeria, as around the world, oil has been a source of great
wealth. But dependence on oil has also fostered conflict,
environmental damage, gross economic injustice, corruption and
shortsighted economic policies.

The key test for U.S. policy toward Nigeria is whether public
pressure can force policymakers to think beyond a narrow focus on
oil. If so, then there is great potential for sustainable benefits
for both countries. If not, then narrow elites may gain short-term
profit, but the long-term prospects for most Nigerians will be
bleak, and enduring U.S. interests will suffer as well.

One fundamental prerequisite for dealing with particular issues is
that Americans become more aware of the richness and complexity of
Nigeria's history, Nigeria's people, and the current initiatives
Nigerians are taking to solve their own problems. Outside formulas
for solving these problems will inevitably fail. But U.S. actions
can do much to hinder or help.

******************************************

Oil, environment, and resource use

[not in this posting: see full text at
]http://www.africaaction.org/featdocs/nig2003.htm]

*******************************************

Debt and loot vs. public investment

With the economy so heavily dependent on oil, the income Nigeria
receives fluctuates wildly, depending on international oil prices.
Prices soared in the 1970s and dropped in the 1980s. Despite
somewhat greater stability in the 1990s, the price in recent years
has ranged between slightly more than $10 a barrel (in Jan. 1999)
and almost $29 a barrel (in Sept. 2002).

Poverty, however, has shown a consistent rising trend. The
proportion of Nigerians living in poverty increased from 28% in
1980 to 66% in 1996 to about 70% in 2000. As much as 90% of
national wealth is estimated to be in the hands of only 10% of the
population, and an average of 3 million people a year enter the
saturated job market without skills.

Much of the wealth that has flowed in has also flowed out, to pay
interest on foreign loans or to swell foreign bank accounts held by
corrupt officials. A sustainable future for Nigeria's economy
requires not only that current oil income be spent productively,
but also that steps be taken to halt the drain of over $3 billion
a year in debt service and to recover billions more in overseas
assets stolen by former military rulers.

The return to elected government in 1999, and the approach of new
elections in 2003, has created incentives for politicians at
national, state and local levels to seek to deliver new benefits to
voters. Both civil society and the press have added their voices to
calls to deliver the democracy dividend. But there are serious
questions about how that can be done.

International financial institutions focus their advice on
maintaining macroeconomic stability, with the usual prescriptions
for budget cutting, privatization and reducing regulation. They
also now recognize the need to combat corruption, on which Nigerian
civil society, the UN and international development groups all
agree. But the latter stress that balanced budgets and conventional
economic management will be ineffective or counterproductive unless
there is a quantum leap in long-term investment in health,
education and infrastructure.

As of the year 2000, Nigeria was spending less then 1% of national
income (gross domestic product, or GDP) on health and less than 1%
on education, with more than 2. 5% going to pay off foreign debts.
Spending has increased somewhat since then, but does not begin to
approach the 15% on health targeted by African leaders at their
summit on AIDS in the Nigerian capital in April 2001. Yet the HIV-
infection rate in Nigeria is now estimated to have passed 5% for
adults, the point at which experts say the pandemic threatens its
most explosive growth. With Nigerian journalists and civic groups
increasingly vocal, public awareness is growing that failure to
confront this threat will undermine any prospect of economic growth
under any model. But the scale of the response does not match the
magnitude of the threat.

Both international and national studies show that investment in
health, education and information infrastructure is essential for
countries like Nigeria to make a new economic start. Yet finding
the resources requires the political will to act by Nigeria's
creditors as well as Nigerians themselves, on two fronts: debt
cancellation and corruption.

Nigeria owes approximately $29 billion to foreign creditors, much
of it the result of loans they knowingly provided to corrupt and
repressive governments. In 2001 Nigeria paid $2.1 billion on its
debts, 10 times its spending on health that year. Yet Nigeria is
not even included in the World Bank's Heavily Indebted Poor
Countries (HIPC) initiative because it doesn't meet the bank's
GDP-based criteria for what constitutes a "poor" country. In
September 2002, the government said it would only be able to pay
$1.5 billion of the $3.2 billion due for the year. International
economist Jeffrey Sachs and others proposed that Nigeria and other
African countries simply stop paying debt and invest the resources
in health. But Nigerian officials engaged in negotiations with
creditors felt unable to take such decisive action. While President
Obasanjo continued to call for full cancellation, the debts stayed
on the books.

Culture of corruption

Similar obstacles faced efforts to recover stolen wealth and combat
corruption. Internally, the government faced a pervasive culture of
corruption. While President Obasanjo himself has a reputation for
personal honesty and his administration has launched significant
anticorruption measures, last year Nigeria still ranked as the
second-most-corrupt country in the world according to polls by
Transparency International (an organization of which Obasanjo was
a founding member).

Both Nigerian and international observers, however, have often
noted that this level of corruption would be impossible without
external partners. Former military ruler Sani Abacha, for example,
is estimated to have siphoned off $4 billion to foreign bank
accounts. The Obasanjo administration has been engaged in efforts
to recuperate some of these resources, through negotiations with
the Abacha family and pressure on banks in Europe and North
America. These efforts have not yet succeeded, however, and civil
society groups were scathingly critical of a proposed settlement
that would allow the Abacha family to retain $100 million if they
returned $1 billion.

In Nigeria, as in the case of other oil-producing countries,
tracking and controlling the huge sums of money paid by oil
companies requires not only vigilant national governments and
press. It also requires transparency by oil companies and banks and
proactive regulation and investigation by the governments of the
countries where those giant enterprises are based.

In sum, whether it is combating AIDS, removing the debt overhang,
or fighting corruption in public spending, redirecting Nigeria's
economy will require action not only by Nigerians but by those
outsiders who now profit from Nigeria's wealth.

Nigeria's human security imperatives

Most Nigerian and outside analysts agree that Nigeria neither faces
nor poses a significant external security threat. Discontent over
the 2002 International Court of Justice ruling for Cameroon on the
disputed potentially oil-rich Bakassi Peninsula in the east might
lead to incidents. But the real security threats to Nigerians are
internal, and directly related to the economic and social issues.
As poverty, AIDS, and inequality increase, can the country avoid a
return to military rule? Can politicians and the military dampen
and manage conflicts among Nigeria's diverse peoples, or will they
exploit and exacerbate the divisions? Can the police and justice
system improve their capacity to provide protection against both
violent crime and its white-collar counterpart? In the long term,
Nigeria's role as a force for regional stability will depend on
answers to these questions.

In one area, President Obasanjo has won credit for lessening the
chances of backsliding into military rule. He quickly retired the
so-called "political soldiers" who had held political office while
on active duty and reinforced those officers committed to military
professionalism. Despite popular disappointment with the dividends
of democracy, polls show that more than 70% of Nigerians strongly
oppose a return to military rule.

Yet the overall record is much more mixed. Since the return to
civilian rule in 1999, communal violence and, in some cases, harsh
military action to repress violence, has cost some 10,000 lives.
The roots of violence are neither ethnic nor religious, commented
The Economist (London), September 15-21, 2001, echoing the
consensus among analysts. But when conflict explodes in Nigeria's
crowded cities or in rural areas beset by competition for land,
communal dividing lines may quickly become battle lines. Violence
broke out between Muslims and Christians on several occasions in
2001 and 2002, in Kano and Kaduna in the North, Jos in central
Nigeria, and southern cities as well. In most of these incidents,
with the noticeable exception of Jos in September 2001, the
military responded quickly and professionally to limit the
violence. At Odi in the Niger Delta in 1999, and in Benue state in
2001, however, the military itself killed hundreds of civilians in
retaliation against communities. The military and President
Obasanjo have resisted open inquiries into responsibilities for
these abuses.

The essential prerequisite for the needed changes, says leading
Nigerian security studies scholar Dr. Said Adejumobi of Lagos State
University, is building in new structures for broader
accountability. Greater discipline and professionalism in the
military is to be applauded, but it is not enough. The 1999
constitution, for example, gives wide powers to the National
Assembly for oversight of the military. With the principle of
civilian control well established, the Ministry of Defense and
Ministry of Finance could also take more decisive action. But both
expertise and political will are lacking.

Ultimately, whether the Nigerian military is held accountable
depends on whether the politicians themselves are held accountable
by voters, the press and public opinion. Elections in 2003 will
provide a key test of whether democratic institutions can not only
survive but become more effective.

*********************************************

A giant that has not yet found its feet;
The U.S., democracy, and human rights

[these two sections not in this posting: see full text at
]http://www.africaaction.org/featdocs/nig2003.htm]

**********************************************

The Role of the Nigerian Diaspora

No one knows the exact numbers, but it is estimated that as many as
15 million Nigerians live outside the country, in neighboring
countries and across the African continent, in Britain and
throughout the Commonwealth, in other European countries, and in
many Asian countries as well. The latest U.S. census data counts
87,000 U.S. residents born in Nigeria. If children born in the U.S.
are included, these numbers would expand to between 200,000 and
300,000 in the Nigerian-American community. Few Nigerian immigrants
or other observers doubt that even this estimate is much too low.

Nigerians abroad excel in many areas and are found among top
professionals in academic, medical and other sectors. A
Nigerian-American heads Credit Suisse First Boston, one of the
leading American investment banks. The Association of Nigerian
Physicians in the Americas numbers more than 2,500 doctors in the
U.S. and Canada, and in most countries of the Western Hemisphere it
would be hard to find a university without a Nigerian on the
faculty.

There is also a minority of Nigerians who have turned their talents
to crime, leading to widespread stereotypes justifiably resented by
the vast majority of immigrants. The "419" scam, for example, named
after the clause in the Nigerian criminal code for fraud, now finds
gullible victims worldwide through Internet email. No one knows
whether the majority of con artists using it are Nigerians at home
or abroad, or copycats who have followed their example.

Less publicized are the contributions of Nigerian immigrants in the
U.S., many of them naturalized U.S. citizens, to their professions
and communities. With African immigrants at the highest educational
level of immigrants from any continent, and Nigerians among the
best-educated of national groups, the returns from the investments
their families and communities made in their education are in large
part being reaped here in the U.S.

Even less noticed are the quiet contributions Nigerian families are
making by sending remittances to relatives at home for school fees,
medical care and simple survival. Or the volunteer efforts of
computer professionals on visits home, bringing equipment and
expertise. Or the nonprofit organizations as well as business
ventures that support schools, clinics, small businesses, or local
governments back home in Nigeria. A study published by the Federal
Reserve Bank of Chicago, for example, estimated that family
remittances to Nigeria were equivalent to more than $1. 3 billion,
more than six times the annual flow of foreign aid to Nigeria.
Based on research among Nigerian immigrants in Chicago, the study
also estimated that they sent home an average of $6, 000 a year, or
12% of household income.

The Nigerian-American community is growing and becoming more active
in American political life. There are local elected officials who
are Nigerian born, and the Nigerian-American vote is significant in
key cities such as Chicago where it helped to unseat Sen. Carol
Mosley-Braun (D-Ill.) because of her dalliances with the Abacha
regime. The increase in this community's participation in U.S.
policy debates on Nigeria will become a major influence in years
ahead.

**********************************************************

U.S. policy options; Questions; Readings and Resources

[these three sections not in this posting: see full text at
]http://www.africaaction.org/featdocs/nig2003.htm]

+++++++++++++++++++++Document Profile+++++++++++++++++++++

Date distributed (ymd): 030203
Region: West Africa
Issue Areas: +political/rights+ +economy/development+
+security/peace+ +US policy focus+

************************************************************
The Africa Action E-Journal is a free information service
provided by Africa Action, including both original
commentary and reposted documents. Africa Action provides this
information and analysis in order to promote U.S. and
international policies toward Africa that advance economic,
political and social justice and the full spectrum of
human rights.

Documents previously distributed in the e-journal are
available on the Africa Action website:
http://www.africaaction.org
For additional background on this e-journal go to:
http://www.africaaction.org/e-journal.htm
To support Africa Action with your contribution go to:
http://www.africaaction.org/join.htm

To be added to or dropped from the e-journal subscription list,
write to e-journal@africaaction.org For more information about
reposted material, please contact directly the source mentioned
in the posting.

Africa Action
1634 Eye St. NW, #810, Washington, DC 20006.
Phone: 202-546-7961. Fax: 202-546-1545.
E-mail: africaaction@igc.org
************************************************************

More...

rwanda: Released Genocide Suspects Begin Re-Education

2003-02-06

http://allafrica.com/stories/200301310110.html

Some 19,000 genocide prisoners granted provisional release by President Paul Kagame began two months of re-education last Friday at solidarity camps throughout the country's 11 provinces and the City of Kigali.

South Africa: COSATU assures members over deregistration

2003-02-06

http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=906

COSATU this week admitted that six of its affiliated trade unions were among those the labour department has found to be in contravention of the regulations of the Labour Relations Act and thus being targeted for possible action against them.

South Africa: Some ANC policies and decisions unilateral - SADTU

2003-02-06

http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=907

The South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) general secretary has blamed lack of engagement and consultation within the tripartite alliance for the frequent differences between the African National Congress (ANC) and its partners, COSATU and the SA Communist Party.

Sudan: Preliminary conclusions of Amnesty International's mission

2003-02-06

http://web.amnesty.org/ai.nsf/recent/AFR540032003!Open

Amnesty International delegates visiting the Sudan in the first official mission allowed for 13 years welcomed the growing openness in the country, but expressed concern at continuing arbitrary and incommunicado detention, unfair trials as well as the forced recruitment of children and displacement of civilians by all sides in the armed conflict.

zimbabwe: Ben-Menashe a Crook, Say Tsvangirai's Defence Lawyers

2003-02-06

http://allafrica.com/stories/200302040222.html

Defence lawyers in the treason trial of MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai and two senior party officials have described the State's star witness, Ari Ben-Menashe, as "an internationally-renowned crook".

zimbabwe: Civic bodies fail to make impact

2003-02-06

http://allafrica.com/stories/200301300337.html

Zimbabwe's once vibrant civic movement is facing its greatest challenge as the country sinks deeper into economic and political chaos, but analysts and ordinary Zimbabweans say civil society is failing the test amid worsening government repression and public apathy.

zimbabwe: Commission collects data on rights abuses

2003-02-06

http://www.theindependent.co.zw/news/2003/January/Friday31/1225.html

There may be a glimmer of hope for Zimbabwe's ever-growing list of victims of politically-motivated human rights abuses, the Zimbabwe Independent has learnt. The London-based Accountability Commission - Zimbabwe project, an organisation launched recently, has started to gather information on human rights violations with a view to setting up a special court to try perpetrators of violence. Rwanda and Sierra Leone have similar courts.
Related Link
* Tear-gas used to break up Zim meeting
http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=899

zimbabwe: Tortured MDC Activist Dies

2003-02-06

http://allafrica.com/stories/200302040207.html

Edison Mukwasi, 29, the former MDC youth provincial chairman for Harare province, died on Sunday at Parirenyatwa Hospital in Harare after his alleged torture by the police over the years. Mukwasi had been in and out of hospital after sustaining internal injuries after being allegedly tortured by the police.

ANGOLA: Demobilised soldiers remain dependent on aid

2003-02-06

http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=32079

UN officials in Angola have noted that the government's programme for the resettlement of former UNITA combatants is behind schedule, and that tens of thousands of soldiers are expected to be dependent on humanitarian aid for at least another year.

botswana: PROSECUTION OF TORTURED BUSHMEN DROPPED

2003-02-06

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/refugees/13018

Thirteen 'Bushmen' who were being prosecuted for allegedly 'over-hunting' have had the case against them dropped after Botswana authorities refused to produce a witness to confirm their accusations. The men, from the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, were tortured by wildlife officials and police when they were first arrested in August 2000.
SURVIVAL INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELEASE
31 January 2003

PROSECUTION OF TORTURED BUSHMEN DROPPED

Thirteen 'Bushmen' who were being prosecuted for allegedly
'over-hunting' have had the case against them dropped after Botswana
authorities refused to produce a witness to confirm their accusations.

The men, from the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, were tortured by
wildlife officials and police when they were first arrested in August
2000. Other Bushmen have also been tortured, beaten up or arrested
for supposedly 'over-hunting' or hunting without correct licences.
One man was castrated.

The Botswana government placed restrictions on hunting as part of
their brutal attempts to force the Gana and Gwi Bushmen off their
ancestral land in the Reserve. Hunting in the Reserve is now banned,
and the Bushmen have been evicted and dumped in bleak resettlement
camps.

Survival's Director Stephen Corry said today, 'this is a crucial
victory for the Bushmen in the face of vicious harassment. The Gana
and Gwi are amongst the last Bushmen who depend on hunting. Unless
the Botswana government allows them back on their land and lifts the
hunting ban, they will be responsible for the destruction of the Gana
and Gwi as peoples.'





Photos and footage available. Contact for journalist enquiries:
Sophie Thomas tel (+44) (0)20 7687 8731 or email
st@survival-international.org

If you would like to receive Survival's news releases or monthly
updates by email register on the following page of our website:
http://www.survival-international.org/enews.htm
___________________________
Survival International is a worldwide organisation supporting tribal
peoples. It stands for their right to decide their own future and
helps them protect their lives, lands and human rights.

Sophie Thomas
Press Assistant
Survival International
6 Charterhouse Buildings
London EC1M 7ET
UK

Tel: (+44) (0)20 7687 8700
Fax: (+44) (0)20 7687 8701
General enquiries: info@survival-international.org
http://www.survival-international.org

More...

car: Humanitarian coordination unit sets up body to help IDPs in Bangui

2003-02-06

http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=32065

The UN-NGO humanitarian coordination body in the Central African Republic (CAR) has set up a commission to identify all internally displaced persons (IDPs) who have fled war-ravaged parts of the country to Bangui, the capital, according to a local UN official.

eritrea/ethiopia: Expulsion Suffering Lingers

2003-02-06

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/refugees/13035

Citizens and residents expelled by both Ethiopia and Eritrea during their 1998-2000 border war should be offered repatriation and the restoration of citizenship, Human Rights Watch has said in a new report. The 64-page report, "The Horn of Africa War: Mass Expulsions and the Nationality Issue," recounts the plight of almost one hundred thousand citizens and residents of both countries who were uprooted and deprived of their residence and nationality without a semblance of due process.
Eritrea & Ethiopia: Expulsion Suffering Lingers

(New York, January 30, 2003) - Citizens and residents expelled by both
Ethiopia and Eritrea during their 1998-2000 border war should be offered
repatriation and the restoration of citizenship, Human Rights Watch said
in a report released today.

The 64-page report, "The Horn of Africa War: Mass Expulsions and the
Nationality Issue," recounts the plight of almost one hundred thousand
citizens and residents of both countries who were uprooted and deprived
of their residence and nationality without a semblance of due process.
It documents cases of mistreatment typical of the mass expulsions,
including prolonged detention, lack of food, water, and medical care,
beatings, and other physical abuse.

With final demarcation of the border between Ethiopia and Eritrea set to
take place in May, there is hope that peace will hold between the two
countries. For tens of thousands of Ethiopians and Eritreans, though,
the human rights consequences of the war are still devastating.

"The expulsions and ill-treatment was inhumane," said Peter
Takirambudde, executive director of the Africa division at Human Rights
Watch. "Unless the nationality status of those expelled is resolved,
lasting peace and reconciliation in the Horn of Africa is unlikely."

The plight of some 75,000 ethnic Eritreans who were living in Ethiopia
when the war broke out in 1998 has yet to be resolved. Tens of thousands
of civilians were summarily deported to the newly independent Eritrea in
1998. Their Ethiopian citizenship was revoked, their identity documents
confiscated or marked "Expelled - never to return." Many were interned
and detained under harsh conditions and some were tortured. People were
forced to leave their families behind, and many lost all their
property. "I told them that I was an Ethiopian, and mother of Ethiopian
children, but no one would listen to me," one witness told Human Rights
Watch.

Ethiopians living in Eritrea suffered a similar plight in 1998. A few
months after the war broke out, the Eritrean government interned some
7,500 people and deported thousands. Some of those expelled reported
torture, rape or other degrading treatment at the hands of Eritrean
officials.

"There is no justification for the horrendous treatment these people
suffered in 1998," said Takirambudde. "What is worse is that, despite
all the international assistance since the war's end, they still have no
resolution: property claims remain unresolved, families are still
separated, and many now have no nationality."

Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia after a referendum in 1993.
Relations between the two countries deteriorated after that, culminating
in the 1998-2000 border war. A December 2000 peace agreement ended the
war and established a boundary commission and a claims commission and
provided for release of prisoners of war, but failed to address the
plight of those who had been deported. Since then, relations between
Ethiopia and Eritrea have remained calm but tense.

The human rights situation in both countries remains abysmal-near-total
denial of freedom of expression, executive manipulation of judiciary,
arbitrary detentions, abusive security forces, and use of torture. Mass
expulsions have not been committed since 1998, but discrimination on
ethnic grounds remains a problem.

Both countries are collaborating with the United States in its war
against terrorism.

The report is available online at
http://hrw.org/reports/2003/ethioerit0103/

To read more about Human Rights Watch's work on Ethiopia, please see:
http://www.hrw.org/africa/ethiopia.php

On Eritrea: http://www.hrw.org/africa/eritrea.php

More...

ethiopia: Some 150,000 refugees in Ethiopia

2003-02-06

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2003-01/30/content_713799.htm

The latest figures released by the United Nations indicate that as many as 148,737 refugees are residing in Ethiopia. According to a report by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the refugees include 50,906 Somalis, 93,500 Sudanese, 3,871 Eritreans and 460 Ethiopians.

kenya: Kenya's Castaway's: The Ogiek and National Development Processes

2003-02-06

http://www.minorityrights.org/Dev/mrg_dev_title7_kenya/mrg_dev_title7_kenya.htm

The Ogiek, who number around 20,000, are arguably the largest hunter-gatherer community in Kenya. They have identified themselves as an indigenous people, as defined in Article 1(b) of International Labour Organisation Convention No. 169,1 and the United Nations (UN) and the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights have recognized them as such. This report from Minority Rights International focuses on the displacement of the Ogiek people from their land, their underdevelopment and the threat to their culture. It also assesses the impact on the Ogiek of the loss of their land.

nigeria: The Ogoni of Nigeria: Oil and Exploitation

2003-02-06

http://www.minorityrights.org/Dev/mrg_dev_title6_nigeria/mrg_dev_title6_nigeria_6.htm

Since oil was discovered in Ogoni in 1958, the Ogoni people have waged an uneven struggle with successive governments that are allied with oil companies. Exploitation of oil resources has failed to take adequate account of the rights of minorities and indigenous communities, or of the environment, concludes a Minority Rights International report.

SUDAN: Oil displaced allowed to return home

2003-02-06

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=32127

The government of Sudan and the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army have committed themselves to "effect the immediate voluntary return" of civilian populations displaced in the country's main oil-producing area, Western Upper Nile (WUN), to their homes.

TANZANIA: Lack of food leads to ration cuts in refugee camps

2003-02-06

http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=32067

Starting this week, refugees in Tanzanian camps will have their rations cut by up to 50 percent due to the lack of any "major food contributions" over the last six months, an employee of the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Monday. "Our pipeline is running on empty," Mario Leeflang, WFP pipeline officer, told IRIN from the Tanzanian commercial capital, Dar es Salaam.

ZIMBABWE: Farm workers, urban vulnerable need to be assisted, report says

2003-02-06

http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=32037

NGOs and humanitarian actors have highlighted the need to include displaced farm workers in emergency relief programmes in Zimbabwe. They also pointed out the need to include urban areas in nutrition assessments - as urbanites struggle to cope amid food shortages and a failing economy.

zimbabwe: migrants 'flood' neighbour

2003-02-06

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2709829.stm

Botswana is unable to cope with the massive flow of illegal immigrants from Zimbabwe, says the head of its immigration service. Roy Sekgororwane told the French news agency, AFP, that Botswana was sending back 1,600 people every month to Zimbabwe.

ANGOLA: Fiscal transparency to top agenda at donor conference

2003-02-06

http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=32077

Angolan authorities would have to show a greater commitment to financial transparency at an upcoming international donor conference if it is to succeed in securing the external support needed to kick-start its national reconstruction programme, analysts said on Monday.

botswana: Court dismisses Kemokgatla's appeal against conviction for corruption

2003-02-06

http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=51510

Former department of roads director Kebonyekgotla Kemokgatla's freedom bid failed after the Court of Appeal dismissed his appeal against a four-year jail term on Monday. Kemokgatla was convicted on a charge of corrupt practices by a Gaborone magistrate's court and sentenced to a custodial sentence of four years, two and a half years of which were suspended on condition he was not convicted of a similar offence during the period.

ghana: Government has no solution for corruption

2003-02-06

http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=51513

Deputy minister for finance Dr. Gheysilka Adombila Agambila has conceded that despite the president's declaration of zero tolerance for corruption, the government is still groping in the dark in its attempt to deal with the situation.

Kenya: Slum housing is big business for Nairobi politicos

2003-02-06

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/corruption/13038

In late 2001, Nairobi's Kibera slum experienced a bloody conflict over rents. By the time the police had brought the fighting under control, 15 people had died while many more were injured. The violent confrontation was to later spill over into Ngu Nyumu in Korogocho slums. The "rent revolt" had an interesting beginning, with the then president Daniel Moi and then minister for energy Raila Odinga, now Minister for Roads and Housing, being accused of being agents provocateur for urging tenants not to pay hiked rents.
Kenya: Slum housing is big business for Nairobi politicos

The EastAfrican (Kenya),

February 2003

By John Mbaria

In late 2001, Nairobi's Kibera slum experienced a bloody conflict over rents. By the time the police had brought the fighting under control,
15 people had died while many more were injured. The violent confrontation was to later spill over into Ngu Nyumu in Korogocho slums.

The "rent revolt" had an interesting beginning, with the then president Daniel Moi and then minister for energy Raila Odinga, now Minister for Roads and Housing, being accused of being agents provocateur for urging tenants not to pay hiked rents. Politicians, newspaper columnists, commentators and the public criticised the two for making what was then regarded as extremely careless remarks.

But less than two years down the line, new evidence suggests that rents in Nairobi slums are extraordinarily high.

A report of a study of informal settlements says investments made in the city's slums are among the most lucrative in any sector. In the current poorly performing economy, such an investment is probably the only venture where one can recoup the initial investment within a > year.

The "Rapid Economic Appraisal of Rents in Slums and Informal Settlements" study, which is part of the Kenya government and the UN Human Settlement Programme's collaborative attempt to improve the lot of the more than 57 per cent of Nairobi's residents who live in slums, reveals that Kibera is the most profitable housing investment in the city. Here, the cost of putting up a single room is Ksh12,686 ($159) while the average rent per room is Ksh1,300 ($16) per month. This means that an investor is able to recoup and surpass the initial investment in less than a year. Other informal settlements have annual returns ranging from 60 to 80 per cent and payback periods averaging
16 months.

Viewed against the background of the formal property market in Kenya, the report observes; "It would seem quite possible that unauthorised housing is the most lucrative investment in Kenya."

The study found that the slum structures are owned by politicians and civil servants. Much of the squatter land in Kibera has been acquired or allocated by politicians and government employees "with enough influence to ensure that they are not displaced."

Out of a sample of 120 landlords interviewed two years ago, 41 per cent were government officers, 16 per cent were politicians while 42 per cent were absentee owners "who visited Kibera occasionally." Only a handful of the structures belonged to people who lived in the slums. This is unlike the situation in Mathare and Pumwani, where a large number of investors are residents who "lived at a level fairly similar to their tenants and demonstrated a keen interest in maintaining the community and improving it."

Revelations by the study commissioned by UN-Habitat could also inform the current drive by the government, NGOs, civic bodies, church organisations and private citizens involved in the Nairobi Collaborative Slum Upgrading Initiative, which was taken a step further two weeks ago when Habitat executive director Anna Tibaijuka and Mr Odinga signed a memorandum of understanding.

The forces of supply and demand, standard of dwelling, services offered and nature of the neighbourhood do not determine the amount of rent paid for Nairobi's slum dwellings. Slum lords, who are not controlled by legal instruments such as the Rent Restriction Act and the Rent Tribunal, have absolute powers to determine rents. The report observes that if the Rent Restriction Act were to be applied effectively in the city slums, "rents would fall by 70 per cent."

Many tenants in informal settlements cannot afford the high rents and resort to sharing rooms, leading to overcrowding. The report says that as many as six to 10 tenants occupy a single room, giving "the false impression of affordability."

Tenants who are unable to pay have to contend with harassment by agents and members of the provincial administration. In the last regime, members of the Kanu youth wing were often hired by structure owners to enforce payments.

Although rents are high in city slums, the structures are rarely improved, they are congested, have no running water or electricity, have leaking roofs and are put up in areas where pit latrines are inadequate or non-existent. Indeed, many tenants are powerless and have to "take or leave" whatever shelter is offered.

The report terms the continued demand for high rents "exploitative" and observers say this was the real genesis of the violent flare-up that hit Kibera in November 2001.

Structure owners try to justify their high charges, citing the high investment risk involved because of lack of secure tenure as most of the dwellings are constructed on government-owned land, road and railway reserves or privately held but "unoccupied" land. This exposes the investor to the risk of eviction and loss of capital.

The amount of investment and the rents charged are related to the perception of risk of eviction. "Residents of informal settlements live in a state of uncertainty, unsure of the next eviction from the government, the City Council, slumlords, private land owners, structure owners or contracted intermediaries," the report says.

The most critical consideration to the investor is that there is no compensation for evictions and consequent demolitions. But, according to the report, this can be reversed and rents can come down if investors are provided with a measure of security and tenants given legal protection from unnecessary rent increases.

Other considerations for investors are payments to agents and the high transaction costs involved before they are allowed to put up the dwellings. These include payments to local administrators in charge of plot allocation. "Usually, the area chief must receive payment otherwise the construction or improvement will not be sanctioned." In Kibera, Mukuru and Korogocho slums, these payments are Ksh18,000 ($225The report examines the notion of "fair rents," saying this ought to be seen from a wider perspective through the incorporation of the views of all stakeholders. However, it acknowledges that the concept is difficult to determine because "what is fair remains vague in many cases." In Kenya, rent for new premises, as laid out in the Landlord and Tenant Act, is largely determined by rents paid for comparable premises in the neighbourhood. It does not question whether such rents are fair or not.

Overcrowding seems to influence rents in informal settlements in Kenya more than the law or the market, leaving tenants without an option for negotiation.

One of the report's observations is that since its inception, the Nairobi Collaborative Slum Upgrading Initiative has created awareness among both slum investors and tenants of their common plight. They are now seeking to actively participate in the acquisition of secure tenure and the improvement of their living environment.

The rent study is crucial to the recently initiated slum upgrading process in that it highlights critical intervention areas. For one, it identifies services the poor in informal settlements need. "The poor consider affordability of accommodation close to places of work as being paramount." The poor also look for safety, toilets, bathrooms and water.

It also calls for secure tenure in slums and offers the option of having the poor own the land they occupy on a communal basis. It also recommends compensation for slum landlords as an incentive to give up some of their units to help reduce overcrowding and allow in essential services.

The report warns of the implications of upgrading slums, saying this might increase inequalities and lead to opposition by tenants, especially if they believe that rents will end up rising. The investors could also oppose such an initiative if they are required to meet some of the costs.

More...

nigeria: Nigeria struggles to shake off economic legacy of years of military misrule

2003-02-06

http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=51467

The test for President Olusegun Obasanjo and other candidates in the Nigerian election is to answer critics who say modest progress in areas such as inward investment, tackling corruption and industrial diversification falls well short of the systemic change needed to encourage the development of the private sector and relieve the poverty of most of the country's 120m people.

south africa: 'Allegations will be treated fairly'

2003-02-06

http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=51443

Allegations of corruption which New National Party leader Marthinus van Schalkwyk had made against two senior NNP members, as well as a complaint which the Democratic Alliance made against Van Schalkwyk, would be treated similarly, Public Protector Lawrence Mushwana said.

zambia: pressure on mwanawasa to resign

2003-02-06

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=32136

Pressure is mounting on Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa to step down and call fresh elections following damaging testimony before the Supreme Court suggesting electoral fraud helped him into office last year.

Africa: African Social Forum - Strength from the bottom up

2003-02-06

http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=911

The African Social Forum held in Addis Ababa earlier this month protested Nepad’s adoption as the economic policy of the African Union and its inclusion in the agreements reached by governments at the World Summit on Sustainable Development. The Forum, which included representation from nearly 50 countries, debated the approach to the African Union. All the participants agreed on the need for African unity, but concern was expressed that the AU was being used as a vehicle for neoliberalism in the form of Nepad. There was agreement to strengthen the African Social Forum, with particular emphasis given to ensuring that it is built from the bottom up.

AFRICA: Africans challenged to make globalisation work for them

2003-02-06

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/development/13179

Africans were challenged on Thursday to find ways to end their exclusion from the rewards of globalisation and make the system work for the benefit of the continent's 820 million people. The challenge was issued by international and regional leaders at the opening ceremony of the African Regional Dialogue of the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalisation in Arusha, northern Tanzania. "We cannot wish globalisation away. It is an inevitable part of the development process, and African countries must respond to its challenges to ensure they reap its benefits while minimising its risks," Kingsley Amaoko, executive secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa, told delegates.
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: Africans challenged to make globalisation work for them

ARUSHA, 6 February (IRIN) - Africans were challenged on Thursday to find ways to end their exclusion from the rewards of globalisation and make the system work for the benefit of the continent's 820 million people.

The challenge was issued by international and regional leaders at the opening ceremony of the African Regional Dialogue of the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalisation in Arusha, northern Tanzania.

"We cannot wish globalisation away. It is an inevitable part of the development process, and African countries must respond to its challenges to ensure they reap its benefits while minimising its risks," Kingsley Amaoko, executive secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa, told delegates.

He said that for Africa to benefit from globalisation, action must be taken at the national, regional and global levels.

"On the national, the creation of a good investment climate - addressing the policy, institutional and regulatory environment - is key to growth, job creation and poverty reduction," he said

On the global level, he said, unfavourable terms of trade, tariff escalations, a lack of fresh ideas on how to tackle Africa's debt and, most importantly, agricultural subsidies in the developed world, would have to be dealt with if globalisation was to benefit the majority of Africans.

"We cannot move forward in integrating with the global economy unless we increase market access and trade within Africa. I want to see intra-African integration, first and foremost because it will improve our lives here. This is the promise of Nepad [New Partnership for Africa's Development]."

Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa, who is co-chairing the meeting with Finnish President Tarja Halonen, said: "I urge strongly for a much more proactive stance, for it is unhelpful to adopt the posture of a hapless and helpless victim of global conspiracy. We can determine a productive and positive course of action for which external support can rightly be demanded."

However, Halonen said the challenges were enormous as Africa was mainly excluded from globalisation, and when it was implicated, the experience was "mainly negative".

The director-general of the International Labour Organisation, Juan Somavia, and the interim chairman of the African Union, Amara Essy, both warned at the opening ceremony of the possible implications of ignoring the social dimensions of globalisation.

Somavia highlighted employment as the fault line for globalisation, saying, "From my perspective, the biggest failure of globalisation of the current model is that it is not producing the level of decent work the world needs." He described the lack of decent work as "the greatest security risk that the world faces".

Backing this view, Essy said unless more attention was paid to the social dimensions of globalisation, a social crisis would ensue, "throwing Africa into permanent insecurity and instability".

The World Commission was set up in February 2002 in an effort to move the debate around globalisation from "confrontation to dialogue", and it seeks a consensus on ways of ensuring that the benefits of globalisation reach more people. The commission is due to present a report "next autumn" that will contain recommendations on how to make globalisation more humane.


[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:
http://www.irinnews.org . If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post
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 2003

More...

AFRICA: GOOD GOVERNANCE AND DEVELOPMENT

2003-02-06

http://hdr.undp.org/docs/publications/background_papers/2002/Mohiddin_2002.pdf

It has been argued that good governance is an integral element in the creation of the enabling environment of peace, security, the rule of law, legitimacy and stability, in which sustainable human development can be promoted. This paper from the Human Development Report Office (HDRO), UNDP, presents a regional overview of the impact on poor people and disadvantaged groups of the failures of accountability of institutions of governance.

africa: Indispensable or unworkable? The IMF's new approach to conditionality

2003-02-06

http://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/topic/adjustment/a32atissuecond.htm

In September 2002 the IMF's Executive Board finally approved a new set of guidelines on conditionality. These set out how its structural conditionality can be made more effective, with provisions on improving the clarity and focus of conditions, increasing recipient-country 'ownership' of reforms, and coordinating IMF conditionality with that of other organisations. But while any review of IMF conditionality is welcome, the new guidelines fail to address the deeper problems and flawed assumptions plaguing conditionality, says Bank and Fund watchdog the Bretton Woods Project.

africa: severe doubts over new debt mechanism

2003-02-06

http://www.jubileeplus.org/latest/sdr220103.htm

On Wednesday, 22nd January, 2003, the IMF convened, at its headquarters in Washington, a formidable array of bankers, lawyers, judges, academics and NGOs to discuss and debate its proposals for what will effectively be a new international insolvency framework for sovereign debtors. The IMF's proposal is known as the Sovereign Debt Restructuring Mechanism (SDRM). Jubilee Research says the mechanism will not return countries to viability and will entrench a role for the IMF in international law.

africa: WATER PRIVATISATION IN SSA: PROGRESS, PROBLEMS and policy implications

2003-02-06

http://www.psiru.org/reports/2002-12-W-DSAAfricawater.doc

A large number of countries in the Sub-Saharian African (SSA) region have privatised water supply. But water privatisation, says research from Public Services International, can be costly and difficult to achieve in practice while the public management of water might appear more effective than the private one. "In conclusion, privatisation is not a miracle cure for a poorly performing utility and it is just one of a number of reform options and needs to be considered as such."

south africa: South Africa's Driest Season

2003-02-06

http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2002/45/ma_145_01.html

The post apartheid government has greatly expanded water service; but in many rural villages, the resulting water price increases have placed the cost of water beyond the reach of many. The push to lure private companies to buy utilities has led to water shutoffs and the worst cholera epidemic in the nation's history.

africa: IMPACT OF PATENTS ON ACCESS TO HIV/AIDS DRUGS IN developing countries

2003-02-06

http://www2.cid.harvard.edu/cidwp/092.pdf

This paper by the Center for International Development (CID), uses sales data on HIV/AIDS drugs in a sample of 34 low and middle income countries between 1995 and 1999 to assess empirically the impact of patents on unsubsidized access to a new drug therapy. The main finding is that patent rights do have a negative effect on unsubsidized access to HIV/AIDS drugs. Between 1995 and 1999, switching all HIV/AIDS drugs from a patent regime to a no patent regime would have actually increased access to therapy at least by 30%.

botswana: Botswana Aims to Bring Safe Sex Closer to Home

2003-02-06

http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=scienceNews&storyID=2140451

Botswana plans to treble its distribution of condoms in a bid to curb the spread of AIDS in the country, which has one of the world's highest infection rates, the health minister said on Thursday. The aim of a new government drive is to hand out enough condoms so that most of the African country's 1.7 million people will not have to go more than a kilometer to get hold of one.

GUINEA: Yellow fever kills 24

2003-02-06

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=32095

An outbreak of yellow fever in Guinea had killed 24 people by 23 January out of 43 cases in southern Guinea's Macenta and Kerouane prefectures, the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported on Monday.

malawi: HIV/Aids pandemic affecting labour, economy

2003-02-06

http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=915

Continued deaths due to HIV/Aids related illness continue to claim a vast human resource and threatens to largely affect the labour sector, the Ministry of Labour has said.

mozambique: Cholera Cases Increase in Nampula

2003-02-06

http://allafrica.com/stories/200302050491.html

The number of cholera cases reported in the northern Mozambican province of Nampula has now reached 65, since the first case was diagnosed about two weeks ago, reports Wednesday's issue of the Maputo daily "Noticias".

Namibia: New hope in HIV/Aids struggle

2003-02-06

http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=914

The Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria has given Namibia 113 US million dollars over five years in what could prove to be a turning point in the country's campaign to fight the three diseases, analysts say.

south africa: Anti-retroviral lessons

2003-02-06

http://www.health-e.org.za/view.php3?id=20030110

While the Treasury and Department of Health number-crunch to determine whether government can afford anti-retroviral (ARV) treatment in public health, a number of small ARV programmes are already up and running. Several others are in the pipeline, the most ambitious being the SA Medical Association pledge to raise R80-million to set up two ARV pilot projects in each province to treat 9 000 people.
Related Link:
* SA govt heeds calls for free anti-Aids drugs
http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?a=11&o=15219

SOUTH AFRICA: KZN grant in the clear

2003-02-06

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/hivaids/13046

People living with HIV/AIDS in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) are set to finally benefit from the US $72 million granted to the province nearly eight months ago by the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

SOUTH AFRICA: KZN grant in the clear

JOHANNESBURG, 3 February (PLUSNEWS) - People living with HIV/AIDS in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) are set to finally benefit from the US $72 million granted to the province nearly eight months ago by the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

This is the culmination of a dispute where the government controversially tried to block the province's grant, stating that the application did not go through the national government before being submitted to the Fund as specified in the proposal guidelines.

But South Africa's National AIDS Council (SANAC) - the country coordinating mechanism for all Global Fund proposals - has finally given the grant, earmarked for a range of care-oriented services for HIV-positive people, the go-ahead.

The debate over the application was now over, the spokeswoman for Deputy President Jacob Zuma, the chairman of SANAC, told PlusNews.

In a statement released on Sunday, SANAC announced that they had "approved" the KZN application, subject to the province
making "certain amendments in its application, as agreed upon in discussions with the province".

"I can confirm that outstanding issues have been resolved to the parties mutual satisfaction. We are now awaiting official confirmation from the government," KZN bid's co-leader Prof Umesh Lalloo, told PlusNews on Monday.

The details of the amendments to be made, however, have not been revealed. "Essentially, they will get the money and issues such as antiretrovirals will be left in," a KZN AIDS activist who asked not be named, told PlusNews.

"The important thing for everybody is to get the programmes rolled out. We appreciate that this will be an immense challenge, but the partnership with the department of health is an indicator of success," Dr Robert Pawinski co-leader of the bid, said.

Meanwhile, SANAC has been changed into a trust fund and all applications to the Global Fund will have to be channelled through the new body. This came after civil society insisted that the council operate independently from the government.

[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 "PlusNews" HIV/AIDS 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: Plusnews@irinnews.org or Web:
http://www.irinnews.org/aidsfp.asp . If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post
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 2003

More...

southern africa: Experts Predict a Surge in Malaria Incidence

2003-02-06

http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=15595

When summer rains returned to Southern Africa in 2003, following a year of drought, malaria experts predicted incidences of malaria would surge. Regional tourism boards have cautioned visitors to take preventive medicines before visiting countries in the region, and mosquito eradication measures have been stepped up. Thus far, a new malaria epidemic has been avoided, with no reports as of January of extensive illness. But the malaria season is just beginning, and will extend through April.

SWAZILAND: Uphill struggle for safe sex campaign

2003-02-06

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/hivaids/13110

The first survey of Swazis' sexual behaviour and attitudes toward HIV/AIDS has found that high awareness of the pandemic has not translated into less risk-taking behaviour, and that HIV-positive people remain unwilling to admit their status.
SWAZILAND: Uphill struggle for safe sex campaign

MBABANE, 4 February (PLUSNEWS) - The first survey of Swazis' sexual behaviour and attitudes toward HIV/AIDS has found that high awareness of the pandemic has not translated into less risk-taking behaviour, and that HIV-positive people remain unwilling to admit their status.

"The study was conducted at a time when Swaziland is in need of data," said Health Minster Dr Phetsile Dlamini in her introduction to the first HIV/AIDS/STDS Behavioural Surveillance Survey.

Two years in the making, the report was carried out by the health ministry, Family Health International and the Family Life Association of Swaziland. It comes at a time when health workers have complained that insufficient data on Swazis' sex lives inhibited strategies to cut HIV transmissions in a country where 38.6 percent of the adult population is HIV positive.

Specific sub-groups considered most at risk from AIDS were targeted by surveyors who canvassed the country with standardised questionnaires, a technique relatively rare in Swaziland. Perceived at-risk groups included the military, police officers, local and long-distance bus drivers, and watchmen. Seasonal workers, such as sugar cane cutters on agricultural plantations, commercial sex workers, and factory workers were also targeted.

"The common denominator of all these groups is they consist of people who are away from homes and spouses, or who are on the move," Zodwa Mtetfwa, communications officer for the Family Life Association told PlusNews.

Policemen and soldiers stationed around the country, itinerate bus drivers and migrant workers, even country people relocating to urban centres for factory and watchmen jobs rely on out-of-wedlock sex, putting them at risk of HIV infection, the report found.

One of the first findings of the survey was that extramarital and premarital sex is the norm for Swazis. Some 3,000 students, also considered an at-risk group, reported sexual activity began on average when they turned 16 years of age.

"Across all surveyed populations, respondents reported multiple sexual partners. Sex with non-regular partners ('casual sex') was highly prevalent, as was premarital sex among youth," the report noted.

Early sex and multiple partners are a trend rooted in Swazis' history as a polygamous society, where girls married young and men had multiple wives during days of high infant mortality and low life expectancies, a sociologist at the University of Swaziland told PlusNews. Although more children are surviving infancy and Swazis are living decades longer than a century ago, cultural habits persist, contributing to the spread of HIV.

The good news was that condom usage was widespread among Swazis surveyed. However, condom use was not consistent. Seventy-four percent of young people attending school said they used condoms during their first sexual encounter, compared to only 37 percent from the same age group who were not in school.

Among tertiary students, 87 percent used condoms during sex, and those who did not explained they "trusted their partner" not to be HIV-positive.

"People still forget to use condoms, or they feel temporarily 'safe', but it's a game of Russian roulette in a country where more than one out of three adults is HIV-positive," Agnes Kunene, a nurse in the commercial city Manzini, explained.

University of Swaziland student Cynthia Dube told PlusNews: "By the time young people have reached tertiary level, they've seen what AIDS can do. They've lost friends, and probably lots of adult relatives, to AIDS. They are more cautious."

The most discouraging data from the report showed continuing widespread ignorance of AIDS among youth, a fear among all age groups of being tested for HIV, and negative attitudes that stigmatise HIV-positive people.

Knowledge questions from the survey asked: Can a person get the HIV from mosquito bites? Can people protect themselves from the HI virus by having one uninfected faithful sex partner? Can a person get the HIV by sharing a meal with someone who is infected?

The answer to all the above is no. But while virtually all young students (99.9 percent) had heard about HIV/AIDS, four out of five still held incorrect beliefs about the disease. Similarly, 98.1 percent of students were aware of sexually transmitted diseases, but only a few students could identify symptoms corresponding with such infections.

About the same number of young people who were not in school knew about HIV/AIDS, 98.7 percent, but about nine out of 10 of them held erroneous beliefs about AIDS.

Knowledge of HIV prevention methods was generally high among the adult groups, but "this knowledge has not translated into desirable behavioural change", the report said.

"The knowledge of AIDS is high, and we've successfully gotten the word out. But nothing we've tried has made people change their ways," noted Dr Derrick von Wissel, director of the National Emergency Response Committee on HIV/AIDS.

Most troubling in the report was that stigma toward people with AIDS or who are HIV positive persists through all social groups. Most respondents said they would be willing to take care of a family member with AIDS, but otherwise chose to shun others who are living with the virus.

Health workers trying to overcome Swazis' AIDS-phobic attitudes will not be encouraged by the study's findings. "AIDS and attitude go hand in hand. AIDS will only be conquered when people accept with realism that the disease exists, and offer compassion and assistance to HIV-positive people," said Hannie Dlamini, director of the Swaziland AIDS Support Organisation.

The stigma surrounding AIDS could explain the survey's finding that "only a small proportion of respondents reported ever taking an HIV test".

A significant number of those who did find the courage to take the test said they received no pre or post-test counselling of any kind, leaving them to flounder in fear about their condition in a society that shuns the growing population of people living with HIV and AIDS, but who by the decade's end could comprise the majority of adults.

The report concluded with the recommendation that the government set up a national Behaviour Change Communications strategy, utilising the media, particularly radio, to encourage Swazis to practice safe sex.


[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 "PlusNews" HIV/AIDS 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: Plusnews@irinnews.org or Web:
http://www.irinnews.org/aidsfp.asp . If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post
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 2003

More...

TANZANIA: Muslim leaders praised for leading by example

2003-02-06

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/hivaids/13109

Senior Muslim figures who recently underwent voluntary HIV tests were praised this week by health officials for "leading by example, rather than just talking about what people should do". The leaders, who included 14 sheikhs, imams and religious teachers from around Tanzania, chose to undergo the tests following a meeting earlier this month, during which Muslims discussed their role in the prevention of the spread of HIV/AIDS in Tanzania.
TANZANIA: Muslim leaders praised for leading by example

ARUSHA, 4 February (PLUSNEWS) - Senior Muslim figures who recently underwent voluntary HIV tests were praised this week by health officials for "leading by example, rather than just talking about what people should do".

The leaders, who included 14 sheikhs, imams and religious teachers from around Tanzania, chose to undergo the tests following a meeting earlier this month, during which Muslims discussed their role in the prevention of the spread of HIV/AIDS in Tanzania.

"The fact that they did actually go and get tested might be a stimulus for some people, especially at the level of the community, where people respect their religious leaders," said Hilde Basstanie, the programme adviser for UNAIDS in Tanzania.

Basstanie called the leaders' move "new" and "helpful" as it was an example of "going for testing and realising that everybody is somehow at risk and needs to know their status in order to make responsible decisions for the future".

She said: "There are other cases of religious leaders fighting stigma, and showing they care for those affected by HIV/AIDS, but I think this might be an example that could be followed by other religious leaders."

Muslims account for roughly one-third of Tanzania's population, so, the leaders said, they had taken the tests hoping that their followers would follow suit.

"We felt it was very necessary for us to be tested, because we are a part of the community, we are leaders, and many people follow what people like ourselves say and do," Yusuf al-Hakir, a teacher in a madrasa, on the island of Mafia, told PlusNews on Tuesday.

"As a teacher in a religious school, I feel that I should play my role in teaching the youngsters - who are most affected by HIV/AIDS - so that they can equip themselves with the necessary life skills to prevent themselves from catching this killer disease," al Hakir added.

However, whereas he said Muslims would be active in advocating and educating people in the battle against AIDS, he said they would never condone the use of condoms.

There are currently no figures on HIV prevalence amongst the Muslim population, but, according to UN figures, about two million Tanzanians are living with the virus.


[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 "PlusNews" HIV/AIDS 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: Plusnews@irinnews.org or Web:
http://www.irinnews.org/aidsfp.asp . If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post
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 2003

More...

africa: uk hospice forum seeks partners from africa

2003-02-06

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/education/13175

Are you working in a hospice or palliative care unit in Africa? The UK forum for hospice and palliative care worldwide is looking for new members from Africa. The forum works to facilitate twinning and information exchange between hospices in the UK and overseas and to assist members in understanding the latest issues in the changing world in which they operate to enable them to adapt appropriately.
UK forum for hospice and palliative care worldwide – joining forces to improve hospice & palliative care – is looking for new members in Africa.





Background and context

Hospice and palliative care is for those whose illness may no longer be curable. Palliative care enables the individual to achieve the best possible quality of life especially during the later stages of their illness. There are millions of people with life-limiting or progressive chronic conditions.



The publication Aids Epidemic Update 2002, released in December by WHO and UNAIDs estimates that there are 42 million people living with HIV/ Aids worldwide with Sub-Saharan Africa having the highest number of HIV positive individuals (29.4 million people living with HIV/ Aids) *(need to attribute). In sub- Saharan Africa alone, there were 600,000 – 700,000 new cases of cancer in the year 2000; by the year 2050 the global estimate is expected to rise to 24 million, out of which, 17 million will be in less developed countries and 2.5 million will be from sub-Saharan Africa.* (Parkin, DM., Bray, F.L., Devesa, S.S. (2001) Cancer burden in the year 2000. The global picture, European Journal of Cancer, 37, S4-66.



Access to antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) for individuals with HIV/ Aids in developing countries is severely limited; and of the people suffering from cancer in developing countries, 80% are first diagnosed when the disease is too advanced for a cure. Palliative care is thus a realistic and practical option and the essential drugs are cheap; but in the developing world where the need is great, hospice and palliative care is often hampered by unstable economies, rural or remote communities with poor communication networks and long standing conflicts or natural disasters.



UK forum for hospice & palliative care worldwide: Our response

In practical response to this context The UK forum for hospice and palliative care worldwide was set up in 2002 by Help the Hospices, the national charity for the hospice movement in the UK. The UK forum comprises a network of UK individuals and organisations committed to promoting and supporting palliative care provision overseas. Associate membership (free of charge) is available to organisations and individuals from around the world and the UK forum is always delighted to welcome new members and to learn about the work they are undertaking and how it might assist them. Current membership totals over 100 organisations and individuals. The forum has a facilitative and enabling role – it works to facilitate twinning and information exchange between hospices in the UK and overseas and to assist members in understanding the latest issues in the changing world in which they operate to enable them to adapt appropriately.



The UK forum is actively seeking to communicate and co-ordinate its activities with donors and international organisations including southern NGOs and national palliative care organisations and to undertake an influencing role with these other bodies to represent and support the need for palliative care provision overseas at government level. Help the Hospices is organising a Hospice and Palliative Care National Associations Seminar, in The Hague from 30 March – 1 April 2003 which aims to bring together representatives from across the globe to learn about how other organisations have contributed to the development of palliative care, how international associations have interacted with government, their experience of organisational development, and to determine future possible collaboration. The seminar fee will be £390, which includes the cost of the seminar and accommodation on 30 and 31 March 2003. Delegates are expected to make their own travel arrangements. Help the Hospices may be able to support a limited number of bursaries to representatives from resource poor countries – please contact Louise Gray, Help the Hospices for further information and a registration form – l.gray@helpthehospices.org.uk





Worldwide Education Grants Scheme 2002; The UK forum launched a Worldwide Education Grants scheme 2002 with the specific aim of funding education and training for professionals working in resource poor countries involved in the development or provision of hospice and palliative care services. A total of £50,000 was made available to individuals and organisations. In order to launch the scheme Help the Hospices has contributed the money available to the scheme for its first year. In subsequent years it is envisaged that funds will be raised from other sources to support this activity. Among the successful applications were - Hospice Africa Uganda to fund a distance learning diploma in palliative care; Dr Bactrin, Founder of the Meru Hospice in Kenya to undertake the Oxford Brooks University’s Diploma in Palliative Care (for more details and contact name see below) ; Howick Hospice, South Africa to enable 10 students to undertake appropriate courses at the University of South Africa; the Mulanje Mission Hospital in Malawi to allow them to run a training course in palliative care in the district setting; and, the Zululand Hospice Association for two new members of their staff to study for a palliative care course organised by the Hospice Association of South Africa



The UK forum works with “hospice information” (a partnership between Help the Hospices and St Christopher’s Hospice in South- East England) to offer its members a range of useful resources:



- Fact sheets on hospice twinning; Avril Jackson, International Information Officer at “hospice information” can assist in facilitating a twinning partnership between interested hospices and palliative care providers. In Africa, current “twinning links” exist between the Palliative Care Team, St Thomas’ Hospital, London and the Palliative Care Team, Baragwanath Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa; St Ann’s Hospice, Cheadle and the Hospice Association of Witwatersrand, South Africa; Torbay and South Devon Hospice, Torquay and the UK and South Coast Hospice, Port Shepstone, South Africa. To find out more about these arrangements, the activities and benefits, and to find out about UK hospices interested in establishing a twinning link contact Avril on avril@hospiceinformation.info



An enquiry service on international and palliative care: the UK forum and “hospice information” can assist members with queries relating to palliative care. International Directories are available which provide details of useful contacts within the different continents; they have also jointly established an International Skills Database to enable them to respond more effectively to requests of assistance. Typical requests for information and help include: clinical placements in the UK, teaching overseas, sources of funding and project development. The database has currently over 100 individuals and hospices who are willing to share their experience with palliative care providers internationally.



“hospice information” produces a quarterly magazine, hospice information bulletin, which includes articles and stories from around the world. The last edition (Volume 1 No 3) includes a fascinating piece from Sister Leonie Kornas describing the work of the Mother of Mercy Hospice in Chilanga, Zambia. Sister Leonie looks at how the Mother of Mercy Hospice has evolved in response to the needs of the local community which is affected by the HIV pandemic. Besides supporting 20 beds within the hospice the hospice also runs an outpatient clinic and a home-based care programme which serves approximately 400 clients within a radius of 30 kilometres.



In November 2002, the UK forum and “hospice information” launched the first edition of Worldwide Hospice and Palliative Care online, a free bi-monthly email bulletin. A signposting tool, it aims to keep people involved in international projects informed about: funding opportunities, publications, disease information, policy and practice. It aims to help bridge the information gap for people in developing countries with limited resources. This first edition includes a lot of information relevant to palliative care providers in Africa. In particular:



- Reference to The Beit Trust, a small UK based charity which supports health, welfare and educational projects in Malawi, Zimbabwe and Zambia only;

- Carla Lamadora reports on the creation of a new national association in Zimbabwe, the Hospice Association of Zimbabwe (HOSPAZ) and a new project that will improve quality care for carers and organisations involved in home-based care programmes (contact??);

- Distance Learning Certificate in Palliative Care, a multidisciplinary course offered by the University of Wales College of Medicine which is largely web-based and can be taken over one or two years;

- Diploma in Palliative Care which Oxford Brookes University runs in collaboration with Nairobi Hospice, an internationally respected qualification for health and social care professionals in Africa;

- A new project attempting to facilitate a new hospice in Accra, Ghana;

- In a regular feature called “Question Box” which enables readers to communicate with contemporaries across the globe, a request from the Hospice Association of the Witwatersrand for medical supplies for the Soweto Hospice, South Africa.



The newsletter also points readers in the direction of useful web-based journals and websites; and invites feedback and suggestions for future issues. To subscribe to this free newsletter please contact Avril Jackson, avril@hospiceinformation.info



The UK forum held its First Annual Conference at Hospice House, London on 6 November. It was delighted that alongside a series of excellent presentations from the main speakers Clare Short the UK International Development Secretary gave the keynote address. The Secretary of State said that the Department for International Development (DFID) was focusing on community care in HIV/ Aids, and how it relates to palliative care, and that there was a need to provide networks of health care support particularly within rural communities. DFID provide £200 million a year on HIV/ Aids, mainly disbursed through other multilateral organisations and local DFID country offices.



The event was attended by over sixty members and was a very exciting culmination of the UK forum’s first year of networking and activities.



Dr Charlie Bond, Specialist Registrar with Sue Ryder Care spoke about the different ways in which services had developed, the role of palliative care in preventive care and the move to home based care in developing countries. He highlighted the need to realise the philosophy and principles of palliative care within respective communities and health structures, not simply exporting Western models. The UK forum aim to commission a policy paper on models of care in 2003 for members.



The UK forum commissioned Sue Lucas, formerly of HIV/ Aids Alliance, to produce a paper on the cross over issues of HIV/ Aids and palliative care. A copy of this paper can be obtained from the UK forum secretariat.



Advocacy was a recurrent theme during the conference: One of three contributing speakers, Faith Mwangi-Powell, International Advocacy Officer – Palliative Care Initiative, at the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund delivered a presentation about advocacy in the experience of Hospice Uganda. It was agreed that advocacy, whether through formal or informal initiatives, was vital in creating and sustaining an “enabling environment” for hospice and palliative care. The UK forum, will hold for its members, an advocacy training workshop in March 2003. There are also plans to establish regional leads for advocacy. For further information contact Nick Pahl, Development Director, n.pahl@helpthehospices.org.uk



A fascinating component of the day was the session dedicated to members and reports on their work. Jane Appleton, School of Health & Social Care, Oxford Brooks University spoke about the Diploma in Palliative Care, run in collaboration with Nairobi Hospice, Kenya, which is mentioned above. Jane highlighted the challenges they faced in managing this diploma: in interpreting the curriculum for African contexts; support at a distance dependent on reliable ICT; access to literature; high calibre applicants unable to take up their places due to lack of funds. Sheila Hurton talked about The Shepherd’s Hospice in Sierra Leone and gave a chronological account of events since it’s start in 1996. Information about these programmes and for more information about the Annual Conference please contact the UK forum secretariat.



The UK forum would be delighted to hear from individuals and organisations who are interested in joining the UK forum, or who would like to discuss any of the above. Please contact Jennie McDowall, Major Projects Support Officer on +44 (0)20 7520 8220; j.mcdowall@helpthehospices.org.uk . Websites: www.helpthehospices.org.uk www.hospiceinformation.info

More...

DRC: ICRC reunites 140 children with their relatives

2003-02-06

http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=32062

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reunited 140 children with their families in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in a two-day operation last week. "All the children were reunited with their families, from whom they had been separated for several months - or several years in some cases - owing to the conflict," the ICRC reported on 30 January.

ethiopia: Malnutrition Rates On the Increase

2003-02-06

http://allafrica.com/stories/200302050068.html

Malnutrition rates in Ethiopia are gradually increasing despite widespread efforts to help millions of people facing starvation in the country, according to aid organisations.

ghana: Refugee Children Neglected

2003-02-06

http://allafrica.com/stories/200302050582.html

One hundred and fifty Liberian refugee children at the Buduburam Camp in the Central Region have been neglected by their biological parents and are having to fend for themselves.

malawi: Malawian Boys At Greater Risk of Dying Than Girls

2003-02-06

http://allafrica.com/stories/200301100414.html

Boys in Malawi have twice the risk of dying in their first few years as do girls-an observation researchers describe as both surprising and unexplainable. "Basically, it is well known that a bit more boys than girls are born in all populations," said Dr. P. Ashorn of the University of Tampere Medical School in Finland.

MOZAMBIQUE: Floods, drought impact negatively on children

2003-02-06

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=32093

Heavy flooding in 2000 and 2001 and a subsequent drought and food crisis have had an extraordinarily negative impact on children in Mozambique, Save the Children Fund (SCF) said in a new report.

mozambique: Project Hopes to Boost Primary Education

2003-02-06

http://allafrica.com/stories/200302050469.html

The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) is to inject CA $20 million (about US $13.2 million) into a project to support education in Mozambique through the procurement of learning and teaching materials.

Sierra Leone: Building a future for an African village

2003-02-06

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/africa/story.jsp?story=373843

When the author Aminatta Forna returned to Rogbonko, the village in Sierra Leone where her late father was born, she found a community too poor to educate its children. So she decided to found a school.

south africa: Mandela Park AEC opens school for the poor

2003-02-06

http://southafrica.indymedia.org/news/2003/02/3000.php

The Mandela Park Anti-Eviction Campaign, responding to issues raised in community meetings, has opened a school at Andile Nose Community Centre, in Govan Mbeki Road, Khayelitsha. This school is a response to the exclusion of students from government schools because they cannot afford school fees, or because they are too old.

TANZANIA: Sweden to provide US $50 million to support primary education

2003-02-06

http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=32074

The governments of Sweden and the United Republic of Tanzania signed an agreement on 31 January under which Sweden will provide 455 million kronor (US $50 million) to support Tanzania's 2003-06 Primary Education Development Plan.

UGANDA: Northern children prevented from attending school

2003-02-06

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=32128

Officials in the district of Lira, northern Uganda, have launched an appeal to finance 36 temporary "learning centres" for children displaced by insecurity caused by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebel group.

west africa: Child Trafficking - a policy response

2003-02-06

http://unicef-icdc.org/publications/pdf/insight7.pdf

Trafficking is one of the most serious challenges faced by children in the world today. The UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre has identified policy solutions in eight African countries. The report is available online.

south africa: youth commission says da is racist

2003-02-06

http://www.sabcnews.com/politics/the_parties/0,1009,52212,00.html

The National Youth Commission (NYC) has accused the Democratic Alliance of racism, in reaction to a DA comment that it should be disbanded. Monde Mkalipi, a commission spokesperson, says it remains a product of progressive youth formations that aims were to reconstruct and develop South Africa.

africa: Nature, wealth, and power: emerging best practice

2003-02-06

http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=901

Building on lessons learned from more than 20 years of natural resource-based development in rural Africa, this document presents principles and action steps intended to serve as a guide to investment there. Programmes that integrate nature (environmental management), wealth (economic concerns), and power (good governance) have shown promising results.

africa: Water, water everywhere – not a drop to drink?

2003-02-06

http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=908

Can we accurately determine the benefits of water and sanitation projects? Until recently, success was seen in terms of input and output. But does this really tell us how sustainable the projects are? This report provides a methodology that measures potential outcomes for communities of water provision and sanitation.

Botswana/Zimbabwe: SA keeps foot and mouth disease ban in place

2003-02-06

http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=902

South Africa's ban on livestock products from Botswana and Zimbabwe will remain in force until authorities are satisfied there is no longer a risk of contamination from foot and mouth disease, a Department of Agriculture spokesman says.

Botswana: Country braces itself for drought

2003-02-06

http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=920

Botswana, like the rest of southern Africa, is bracing itself for a drought and its impact on food security. Only four percent of available land for cultivation was ploughed this rainy season, the Minister of Finance Baledzi Gaolethe warned in his budget speech.

ETHIOPIA: Natural environment under threat from resettlement programmes

2003-02-06

http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=32036

The UN Emergencies Unit for Ethiopia (EUE) has warned that resettlement programmes can devastate natural environments and threaten indigenous groups. It said "colossal deforestation" and widespread environmental damage almost always went hand in hand with such programmes.

kenya: Invasive Species Threaten Africa's Wetlands

2003-02-06

http://ens-news.com/ens/feb2003/2003-02-05-07.asp

Invasive species are devastating Africa's wetlands, crowding out native species and costing billions of dollars in environmental and economic damage, warns a new report from international conservation groups. The groups have released a booklet describing the seven worst offenders, hoping to draw attention to the problem and promote ways of controlling - and perhaps profiting from - the invaders.

kenya: UNEP Looks at Making Green cool

2003-02-06

http://ens-news.com/ens/feb2003/2003-02-05-06.asp

Hoping to make sustainable living more "cool," the United Nations Environment Programme is launching a new initiative aimed at improving the image of environmentally friendly lifestyle choices. The plan, devised with the help of social scientists, was announced Tuesday at the agency's weeklong Governing Council meeting in Nairobi.

kenya: World environment ministers begin weeklong meeting in Nairobi

2003-02-06

http://www.enn.com/news/2003-02-03/s_2499.asp

World environment ministers began a week of meetings in Nairobi on Monday on how to balance economic development and increasingly open trade with environmental concerns. Much of the talk at the opening of the 22nd meeting of the Governing Council of the U.N. Environment Program, a biannual get-together, focused on how to build on the agreements and initiatives that came out of least year's World Summit for Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa.

rwanda: Rwanda jails poachers for killing rare gorillas

2003-02-06

http://www.enn.com/news/01-31-2003/s_2441.asp

Three Rwandan poachers convicted of killing two endangered mountain gorillas and stealing a baby one have been fined and sentenced to four years in prison, an official said last Thursday.

zambia: Zambia to offer free land to boost food production

2003-02-06

http://www.enn.com/news/2003-02-05/s_2485.asp

Zambia will offer thousands of hectares of free farmland in a bid to end persistent food shortages and encourage agricultural exports, finance ministry officials said this week.

africa: A Fresh Start for Africa?

2003-02-06

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/media/13039

African leaders recently came together to draw up an ambitious new African initiative for the 21st Century, that focuses on working to end the continent's many conflicts and building democratic, accountable government based on the rule of law. The initiative also recognises that democracy and stability are intimately linked to economic development, decent education and infrastructure. In “A Fresh Start for Africa?” Tanzanian journalist Adam Lusekelo asks how realistic is this initiative and how can it best be implemented? A Fresh start for Africa? will be broadcast on the BBC World Service from 20th February.


A Fresh Start for Africa?

African leaders recently came together to draw up an ambitious new African initiative for the 21st Century, that focuses on working to end the continent’s many conflicts and building democratic, accountable government based on the rule of law. The initiative also recognises that democracy and stability are intimately linked to economic development, decent education and infrastructure.
In “A Fresh Start for Africa?” Tanzanian journalist Adam Lusekelo asks how realistic is this initiative and how can it best be implemented? What responsibility does the West have to give proper financial support to the plan to give Africa the fresh start it needs, as opposed to a patchwork of development initiatives that has so obviously failed? Although there’s no doubt that many African leaders bear responsibility for perpetuating and deepening the problems they inherited at independence, it’s also true to say that much of the West’s prosperity has been built on a shameful exploitation of Africa and the misery of its people. Do we now need a 21st Century “Marshall Plan” for Africa, recognising that the continued economic misery and exploitation of Africans will have serious implications for the security, political stability and prosperity of all developed nations unless we support the new African initiative with extensive reconstruction aid?

A Fresh start for Africa? will be broadcast on the BBC World Service from 20th February.

West Africa: Thu 2130 rpt 0250,1430, Mon 1030 gmt;
Europe; Thu 2030 rpt Fri 0230,1530,Mon 1030
East and South Africa; Thu 1830 rpt Fri 0230, Mon 0830,
Middle East; Thu 1830 rpt Fri 0230,1430, Mon 0930
South Asia Thu 1630 rpt Fri 100030, Sun 2330,Mon 0630
East Asia Thu 1130 rpt 2030,Fri 0730,Mon 0330
Americas Fri 0230 rpt 2130, Mon 1530

More...

drc: Journalist arbitrarily detained for the past month

2003-02-06

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/media/13105

Reporters sans frontières (RSF) has expressed concern about the arbitrary detention of journalist Kadima Mukombe. The Radio Kilimandjaro host has been detained at the Tshikapa central prison, in the country's southern region, for the past month.
ALERT UPDATE - DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

31 January 2003

Journalist arbitrarily detained for the past month

SOURCE: Reporters sans frontières (RSF), Paris

**Updates IFEX alert of 6 January 2003**

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF is concerned about the arbitrary detention of journalist
Kadima Mukombe. The Radio Kilimandjaro host has been detained at the
Tshikapa central prison, in the country's southern region, for the past
month. The organisation has urged the authorities to do everything possible
to secure his immediate release and punish those behind the journalist's
arrest and detention. According to RSF, Mukombe did nothing more than carry
out his professional duties, and nothing can justify his prolonged
detention.

Mukombe has being held without trial in very difficult conditions since 31
December 2002. The journalist received some 50 lashes at the time of his
arrest and had his head shaved with an old razor blade. Mukombe shares a
cell with army deserters and common criminals who reportedly threaten him
daily.

According to information collected by RSF, Mukombe has been accused of
"insulting the army". In his 30 December programme, the journalist had
criticised local military leaders, accusing them of having become diamond
traders and allowed their unsupervised troops to steal goods from the local
population. To illustrate the problem, the journalist had interviewed
diamond mine workers who described the harassment they face from certain
soldiers.

National Intelligence Agency (Agence nationale des renseignements) agents
had previously arrested Mukombe on 23 December, after the broadcast of a
radio programme in which he denounced the poverty faced by Tshikapa's local
population, while thousands of carats of diamonds are mined in the city on a
daily basis. Before his release that same day, Mukombe was forced to sign a
document in which he agreed to no longer "set the population against the
established authorities."

RSF previously urged the authorities to secure the journalist's release on 3
January 2003.

For further information, contact Jean-François Julliard at RSF, rue Geoffroy
Marie, Paris 75009, France, tel: +33 1 44 83 84 84, fax: +33 1 45 23 11 51,
e-mail: afrique@rsf.org, Internet: http://www.rsf.org

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

**We apologise for any cross-posting - The following is being forwarded exactly
as received**

More...

Mozambique: Focus on the Cardoso murder trial convictions

2003-02-06

http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=921

The celebrated trial and conviction of six men accused of murdering Carlos Cardoso, one of Mozambique's top investigative journalists, was both a triumph of the openness of the court proceedings, and an indictment of the corruption among the country's rich and powerful.

tanzania: Photojournalist assaulted

2003-02-06

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/media/13032

On 25 January 2003, photojournalist Hamis Hamad, who works for the daily "Uhuru" and weekly "Mzalendo" newspapers in Dar es Salaam, was reportedly assaulted by Kinondoni Municipal Council askaris (security guards).
IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
_________________________________________________________________

ALERT - TANZANIA

30 January 2003

Photojournalist assaulted

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

(MISA/IFEX) - On 25 January 2003, photojournalist Hamis Hamad, who works for
the daily "Uhuru" and weekly "Mzalendo" newspapers in Dar es Salaam, was
reportedly assaulted by Kinondoni Municipal Council askaris (security
guards).

Hamad suffered minor injuries when he was beaten up while on assignment at
Ubungo Bus Terminal in Dar es Salaam. The security guards assaulted him
despite the fact he clearly identified himself with his press card as a
journalist on duty. No motive for the incident has been established.

The Press Photographers' Association of Tanzania (PPAT) condemned the
action, calling it "uncalled for" and "unacceptable." The PPAT also asked
the Kinondoni Municipal Council authorities to investigate the incident and
punish all those who were involved, to indicate that such behaviour is not
endorsed by the Council.

MISA-Tanzania strongly condemns this appalling violation of press freedom
and calls on all supporters of media freedom and the right to information to
condemn this action.

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 or kkandjii@misa.org,
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/
_________________________________________________________________

More...

zambia: Journalist arrested, charged

2003-02-06

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/media/13161

On 5 February 2003, police arrested Chali Nondo, chief reporter of "The Monitor" newspaper, and charged him with "publishing false news with intent to cause fear and alarm to the public". The journalist is being held at Woodlands police station in Lusaka and has been denied bond. The Inter-African Network for Human Rights and Development (AFRONET) has strongly condemned the police action. Their statement on the arrest is available through the web link provided.
IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
_________________________________________________________________

ALERT - ZAMBIA

5 February 2003

Journalist arrested, charged with "publishing false news"

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

(MISA/IFEX) - On 5 February 2003, police arrested Chali Nondo, chief
reporter of "The Monitor" newspaper, and charged him with "publishing false
news with intent to cause fear and alarm to the public". The journalist is
being held at Woodlands police station in Lusaka and has been denied bond.

The offence, which is contrary to Section 67 of the Penal Code, carries a
maximum jail sentence of three years upon conviction.

Nondo's arrest follows a story published in the 4 to 6 February edition of
"The Monitor", which alleged that President Levy Mwanawasa had authorised
police to hire a witchdoctor in order to help them capture a fugitive former
finance minister who was wanted by police to face charges of "theft of
public funds".

The said minister had eluded the police for over three months on account of
his alleged use of charms. Nondo's story, which quoted unnamed sources,
suggested that police would not have arrested the fugitive minister if they
had not engaged the witchdoctor. "They told me that the complainant was the
police," Nondo said.

Nondo was picked up at his office at around 9:30 a.m. (local time) on 5
February. He was taken to police headquarters in Lusaka, where he was
questioned, after which a "warn and caution" statement was recorded from
him. He was formally placed in police custody at 4:00 p.m.

Nondo said he was interviewed by four police officers, who wanted to know
the source of his story. He refused to tell them. The journalist described
the questioning as "very intimidating" and said his interviewers kept
telling him that he would be arrested and locked up. His lawyer was
initially denied access during the interview, until about midday. He
described Nondo's ordeal as "harassment."

Dickson Jere, chairperson of MISA's Zambia chapter (ZIMA), condemned the
police action and called for the reporter's immediate and unconditional
release. He also complained that police appear to be targeting journalists
from "The Monitor" newspaper.

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 or kkandjii@misa.org,
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/
_________________________________________________________________

PRESS STATEMENT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


The Inter-African Network for Human Rights and Development (AFRONET) wishes to strongly condemn police action, which is aimed at instilling fear, and despondency with regard to the Monitor Newspaper. The Police, which are part of the Executive, must accept their role of protecting life and property and not harassing innocent journalists, who represent the fourth estate, the Media.


At around 09:30hrs today , Chali Nondo, Chief Reporter at the Monitor Newspaper, was picked up by police and is currently being held in room 216 at Police Force Headquarters in Lusaka. Efforts to get cooperation from the Police Spokesperson, Brenda Muntemba drew a sarcastic response saying,” You may react in any manner that you wish.” This is not only unprofessional but a direct affront to the image of the Police Service.

Afronet demands that the Police should immediately stop harassing Monitor reporters and concentrate on their work, as per expectation of the people of Zambia.


Issued By: Information Unit

Date: 5th February 2003


Authorised by: Ngande Mwanajiti
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

More...

zimbabwe: daily news operating 'illegally', says moyo

2003-02-06

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/media/13022

Minister of Information and Publicity Jonathan Moyo has said that "The Daily News" newspaper and all its journalists are operating illegally because they are not registered with the Media and Information Commission.
Related Link:
*IFJ calls for end to Daily News persecution
http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php? id=13106
IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
_________________________________________________________________

ACTION ALERT - ZIMBABWE

31 January 2003

"The Daily News" operating illegally, information minister says

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

(MISA/IFEX) - Minister of Information and Publicity Jonathan Moyo has said
that "The Daily News" newspaper and all its journalists are operating
illegally because they are not registered with the Media and Information
Commission.

Moyo's statements are contained in his founding affidavit to the Supreme
Court, defending the "legality" of the Access to Information and Protection
of Privacy Act (AIPPA). Moyo, the Media and Information Commission and the
Attorney General are respondents in a Supreme Court challenge brought by the
Associated Newspapers Group (ANZ), the publishers of "The Daily News". The
ANZ is challenging the constitutionality of the registration of media houses
clause in the AIPPA.

In his affidavit, Moyo claims "The Daily News" has deliberately flouted a
"properly" constituted Zimbabwean law and is therefore operating illegally.

"The applicant has taken the choice not to apply for registration and the
applicant's journalists have not applied for accreditation. The applicant is
therefore, by choice operating a media business in contravention of the
Act," Moyo said.

Moyo went on to say that the ANZ is being disrespectful of the judiciary and
Parliament. "In other words, the applicant has taken the place of Parliament
and this honourable court, adjudged the Act unconstitutional and proceeded
to ignore the same completely," said Moyo.

"I know of no country where a citizen has the option to respect a law if it
suits such citizen or ignore the same with impunity if the piece of
legislation fails to meet the expectations of such citizen," added Moyo.

Moyo added that freedom of expression does not belong to organisations like
"The Daily News" but rather to ordinary people. He also said that Zimbabwe's
constitution does not explicitly protect press freedom, hence "The Daily
News" cannot seek protection of freedom of expression as defined under
Section 20 of the constitution.

"I must deny [this]. The right protected by Section 20 of the constitution
is vested in the citizen and not with institutions or businesses of
expression such as the applicant (The Daily News)," said Moyo.

In his founding affidavit, ANZ Executive Chairperson Sipepa Nkomo said "The
Daily News" is entitled to protection under the law governing property
rights. He also said that the paper is entitled to freedom of expression as
guaranteed in Section 20 of the Zimbabwean constitution.

"In pursuing its objectives, the applicant believes that it is entitled to
enjoy the protection of freedom of expression as set out in Section 20 of
the constitution of Zimbabwe, and in particular unhindered freedom to hold
opinion and receive and impart ideas without interference," said Nkomo.
"Like every person in Zimbabwe, [the ANZ] is entitled to protection from
deprivation of its property as provided for in Section 16 of the Zimbabwe
constitution," added Nkomo.

MISA-Zimbabwe is in possession of documentation that nullifies the
minister's claim. In fact, the documentation proves that contrary to the
minister's assertion that journalists at "The Daily News" refused to seek
accreditation, it is in fact the Media and Information Commission that
refused to accredit them.

Commission Chairman Tafataona Mahoso wrote to "The Daily News" on 2 January
2003, indicating that no journalist from the paper would be accredited,
because the paper itself had refused to register. No date has been set for
the hearing of the matter. "The Daily News" employs 232 persons.

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Send appeals to authorities:
- noting that the statements by the information minister and the Media and
Information Commission chairperson represent a serious threat to press
freedom in Zimbabwe, demonstrating the government's determination to use
repressive legislation to close down independent media in the country
- recalling that "The Daily News" and many other private newspapers play a
significant role in the day-to-day life of Zimbabweans, keeping the various
sectors of society informed of developments in the country and offering a
much-needed alternative source of information
- noting that the eventual closure of "The Daily News", which might result
from such threats, is a serious matter, detrimental to the overall
democratisation process in Zimbabwe
- noting that citizens need the infrastructure to exercise their freedom of
expression, and "The Daily News" is one such institution
- urging them to respect the Zimbabwean constitution, international
conventions and acceptable principles and norms to which Zimbabwe is a party

APPEALS TO:

Professor Jonathan Moyo
Minister of Information and Publicity
Office of the President
Munhumutapa Building
Box 777
Causeway
Harare, Zimbabwe
Tel: +263 4 706 894 / 707 091 / 707 098

Dr. Tafataona Mahoso
The Chairman
Media and Information Commission
P O Box CY 7700
Causeway
Harare, Zimbabwe
Tel: +263 4 703 416

Andrew Chigovera
Attorney General
2nd Floor Corner House
Samora Machel Ave.
Box CY 880
Causeway
Harare, Zimbabwe
Tel: +263 4 773 247

Please copy appeals to the source if possible.

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 or kkandjii@misa.org,
Internet: http://www.misa.org/

The information contained in this action 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/
_________________________________________________________________

More...

zimbabwe: distorting the facts

2003-02-06

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/media/13031

It is normal for media to have different interpretations of topical issues, says the Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe in relation to reporting by The Herald newspaper on the recent visit by James Morris, the UN special envoy for humanitarian needs in Southern Africa, to Zimbabwe. The end product of differing interpretations was editorial diversity, the cornerstone of press freedom, said the MMPZ. However, it was a serious violation of ethical journalistic practice to distort and misrepresent factual events and statements in order to reinforce a particular political position as The Herald had done.
Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe
January 20th to January 26th 2003
Weekly update 2003-03


CONTENTS

Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe
January 20th to January 26th 2003
Weekly update 2003-03


CONTENTS

1. GENERAL COMMENT
2. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
3. KUWADZANA VIOLENCE AND RIGHTS ABUSES


1. General comment

It is normal for media to have different interpretations of topical issues.
The end product of this is editorial diversity, the cornerstone of press
freedom. However, it is a serious violation of ethical journalistic practice
to distort and misrepresent factual events and statements in order to
reinforce a particular political position.
A classic example of this distortion was observed in The Herald (25/1). In
its endeavour to gloss over the chaotic land reform programme and give it an
international seal of approval, the paper disfigured remarks by James
Morris, the UN special envoy for humanitarian needs in Southern Africa. This
it did by interpreting his remark that "the future of Zimbabwe depended on
the success of a robust agro-based economy" to mean that he (and by
inference, the UN) accepted "the irreversibility of land reform in essence".
The next day, The Standard (26/1) exposed the distortion.
It quoted Morris saying The Herald story was "100% lies". Said Morris in the
story: "I did not accept that the land reform was irreversible as they (The
Herald), quote me as saying. It was a gross misrepresentation of the worst
form."
Morris also castigated The Herald for incorrectly referring to him as Tim,
the name of his son. The Herald later (28/1) published a letter from Morris,
which clarified what he had said, but it made no apologies.
Such recklessness leads to a decline in public confidence in the media as a
source of credible and truthful information.
Even more serious has been the appearance of highly emotional and
inflammatory opinion articles in the public Press, mainly attacking the
British government, the foreign media and the opposition MDC. In one of
these (17/1), The Herald allowed its correspondent, David
Nyekorach-Matsanga, to employ grossly crude and flagrant lies about foreign
journalists in his efforts to discredit stories in the British media about a
plan to remove President Mugabe. Without providing a shred of evidence, his
insulting invective included the statement that ".most of these so-called
undercover journalists are gays who hate President Mugabe."
His irrational tirade then alleged that "It has also been revealed that most
of the opposition members are being sexually abused by these high-flying
under-cover journalists who are paying up to £500 per night for sexual
therapy they can't have in Britain," and named some journalists working for
the British media, who, he alleged, were homosexual.
While this appalling piece of writing reveals something about what
preoccupies the mind of its author, The Herald's editors should be ashamed
of themselves for allowing such false and abusive material to be published.
Meanwhile, no media paid much attention to the trial of MDC youths accused
of torching a ZUPCO bus.
The Herald (24/1) reported that magistrate Caroline Anne Chigumira had
remanded the youths in custody to February 5th despite the prosecutor's
admission that there was no evidence linking them to the charge. Instead of
subjecting both Chigumira and prosecutor Thabani Mpofu's observations to a
fair examination, the paper found itself subjectively exonerating Chigumira
at the expense of Mpofu who was accused of "defending criminal suspects".
No other paper provided a legal analysis of the case or asked how the
Attorney-General's office had allowed the case to go to trial if the state
had no evidence linking those arrested to the offence.


2. International relations

The strained relations between Zimbabwe and the international community
resurfaced and were once again a source of contention between the private
and the public media during the week. This stemmed mainly from the visits by
South African and Nigerian senior government officials to Zimbabwe ahead of
the Commonwealth troika meeting scheduled for March, to discuss Zimbabwe's
expulsion from the Commonwealth and France's invitation to President Mugabe
to attend a French-African summit.
While the public media celebrated the developments, interpreting them as a
reflection of the improving situation in Zimbabwe and a harbinger of an end
to the country's isolation, the private media begged to differ.
Generally, they failed to recognize these developments as a diplomatic
breakthrough for the government, but nonetheless condemned France, South
Africa and Nigeria's seemingly warm embrace of Zimbabwe as tantamount to
turning a "blind eye to the deteriorating situation in Zimbabwe", (The
Zimbabwe Independent, 24/01).
ZTV (20/01, 8pm) opened the week with a report that the visiting Nigerian
foreign minister, Sule Lamido, had "warned western nations against playing
the race card saying that African nations could use the same tactic to
protect their interests" ahead of their meeting to decide on Zimbabwe's
status in the Commonwealth.
In the same bulletin, ZTV cited unnamed "several analysts" who allegedly
said Australia and Canada were "trying to coerce some member countries,
including members of the troika, to have Zimbabwe thrown out of the
Commonwealth grouping or have the suspension extended for another year".
No evidence was provided to support these claims. Neither did the station
explain why the identity of its sources warranted masking.
The Herald and Chronicle (21/01) echoed ZTV's stance.
In reporting the easing of Zimbabwe's political isolation ZBC (ZTV, 22/01,
8pm & 3FM, 23/01, 1pm) celebrated the visit by South African foreign
minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and Thabo Mbeki's proposed visit to Britain
for talks with Tony Blair.
ZTV quoted Zuma as having said "relations between Zimbabwe and South Africa
are good" and to bolster this perception, the public broadcaster reported
that Zuma's visit "also comes after the secretary general of the MDC,
Professor Welshman Ncube, had castigated President Mbeki for his principled
stance on Zimbabwe".
The station also reported that the visit demonstrated the close relations
that exist between the two countries adding: "Lest people forget, the two
leaderships (sic) of the two countries shared the trenches during the dark
days of colonial rule and apartheid..."
ZBC's inclination to analyze issues around the liberation struggle has often
compromised the station's capacity to interpret issues in a broader
perspective. As such, its coverage on the pending troika meeting lacked
lucid and factual analysis of what factors the Commonwealth troika would
consider and what their likely decision would be.
Reporting that relations between the international community and Zimbabwe
were thawing, ZBC (ZTV, 23/01, 7am; 3FM, 6am & Radio Zimbabwe, 24/01, 1pm)
also reported the invitation by French President Jacques Chirac to Mr.
Mugabe to attend the Franco-African summit next month, and interpreted it as
another "slap in the face from other EU member states" for British attempts
to isolate Zimbabwe.
Given the circumstances, this observation appears to be a fair
interpretation of the political situation and found currency in both The
Herald and the Chronicle (24/1). Both papers celebrated the invitation as "a
diplomatic victory". The Herald then cited other cases, such as Zimbabwe's
co-hosting of the Cricket World Cup, as evidence that Zimbabwe was gaining
ground against Britain in the international arena. The paper ignored
alternative comments on the issue and restricted itself to comments from
Zimbabwe's Foreign Affairs secretary Willard Chiwewe and a French foreign
ministry official.
Notably, its sister paper the Chronicle quoted British officials commenting
on the issue, as did The Daily News of the same day. However, The Daily
News, which largely condemned the invitation to Mugabe, failed to get
comments from other EU states and merely restricted its sourcing mainly to
British officials, who described the move as "disgraceful".
That same day the paper led with the MDC president, Morgan Tsvangirai
criticizing South Africa and Nigeria for their alleged "bias towards
president Mugabe's 'brutal regime'".
He was quoted as having said: "The people of South Africa and Nigeria had
come out of the repression of the most dictatorial regimes in African
history but they were exposing their short memories by legitimizing Mugabe's
illegitimate regime", adding that the MDC no longer regarded South African
President Thabo Mbeki "as an honest broker" in the Zimbabwean dispute.
Although The Herald and Chronicle (24/1) also carried the report, they
interpreted this to mean that the MDC itself was becoming isolated. The two
papers added that Tsvangirai had "threatened a bloodbath in the country".
And as proof that the MDC was already involved in a "string of violent
activities.to tarnish the country's image" the papers cited the bombing of a
ZANU PF campaign base in Kuwadzana and the torching of a ZUPCO bus by
suspected MDC supporters.
The Herald (25/1) comment, Tsvangirai's speeches full of oddities, took its
anti-Tsvangirai campaign further. It stated that the MDC leader needed to go
to "school" and accused him of labeling "dictator" and "deceitful" anyone
who did not agree with him, adding that Tsvangirai was "settling for
terrorism" and "must know there are serious consequences for the path he has
chosen to take".
None of the issues Tsvangirai had accused South Africa and Nigeria of were
raised.
Instead, the paper, in the same issue, continued to buttress the idea that
the international community was beginning to embrace the Zimbabwean
government while snubbing Tsvangirai. It reported that Japan was against
Tsvangirai's calls to isolate Zimbabwe.
While the public Press was gloating over Zimbabwe's diplomatic victories,
The Zimbabwe Independent, UK/France in deal over Mugabe, reported that
Britain had struck a deal with France to allow Mugabe to travel to Paris on
"condition France backs the renewal of EU sanctions which expire on February
18".
The paper quoted Tsvangirai as having said "France and Portugal, which
supported Rhodesian premier, Ian Smith's regime, were placing themselves on
the wrong side of history again".
Similarly, its comment accused France of "giving assurances of solidarity to
the Sani Abacha regime in Nigeria encouraging it to ignore Commonwealth
protests, right up to its very end".
SW Radio Africa (23/01) also quoted Tsvangirai condemning Mugabe's
invitation as an "affront to the feelings of the people of Zimbabwe".
Nonetheless, The Sunday Mail (26/1) would not yield. It claimed the "truth"
about Zimbabwe was slowly coming out and "the world is opening its eyes to
see" it.
It stated: "France and Portugal have always known the truth and been more
rational in their assessment of the Zimbabwean situation", adding that
Zimbabweans were "turning more and more to the Government to provide the
solutions to the country's problems".
The Sunday Mirror (26/1) also celebrated Mugabe's invitation to France in
its comment, France joins drive to end Zim isolation.
Earlier, ZTV (20/01, 8pm) interpreted the diplomatic breakthroughs as
meaning that "Zimbabwe has already passed her democracy test now that the
land reform programme has been successfully completed and the political
situation has improved after the March 2002 presidential elections".
In fact, the public media used land reform, which they have presented as
being at the core of the Zimbabwean crisis, as the yardstick to measure
Zimbabwe's adherence to internationally acceptable democratic norms.
For example, The Herald (22/1) reported that there was a "major
breakthrough" in land reform after agriculture minister, Joseph Made, met
the Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) leaders in Harare.
It reported CFU as having "pledged to support land reform by releasing
farming equipment worth $30 billion and providing skills to newly resettled
farmers".
Cloete was quoted as having said: "We are still Zimbabweans, we want to be
part of the nation and to be useful in any way . we have tried to get
politics out of the CFU".
The paper did not quote Cloete directly, as it claimed that he could not be
reached for comment.
However, The Zimbabwe Independent quoted the CFU as saying it had not
pledged any equipment, as it did not "have the equipment as a union because
it belongs to our members", but had "only promised to consult its members on
the issue and report back to Made". Cloete also revealed that it was Made
who had approached his union for help.
Even so, The Sunday News and The Sunday Mail (26/1) maintained that the CFU
had made an offer.
In fact, their stance complimented the public media's efforts to over-sell
government's land reform programme as a resounding success as exemplified by
The Herald's (25/1) distortion of the UN special envoy James Morris's
remarks on the land issue.


3. Kuwadzana violence and rights abuses

The petrol bombing of ZANU PF offices by suspected MDC activists in
Kuwadzana, and several reports of human rights violations by ZANU PF
activists and state security agents, dented the public media efforts to
market Zimbabwe as a peaceful destination ahead of the Cricket World Cup,
which it is co-hosting with South Africa and Kenya.
ZBC (3FM & Radio Zimbabwe (21/01, 1pm) broke the news that "One person has
died and seven of them injured . during a petrol bomb attack on a ZANU PF
office in Kuwadzana".
However, SW Radio Africa carried different statistics on the number of
people injured, when it reported (22/01) that 16 people were hurt.
ZBC attributed the bombing to a "wave of terror" unleashed by the opposition
"as part of its plans to tarnish the image of the country". The station
added: "Vehicles recovered by police in a follow-up operation are believed
to be owned by Amani Trust, the major financiers of MDC and NCA which is
planning a countrywide stay-away scheduled for tomorrow".
The Herald, The Daily Mirror and The Daily News (22/1) carried stories on
the incident. However, the papers pursued different political angles and
failed to provide clear details of the circumstances surrounding the attack.
For example, The Herald claimed the incident was "viewed as a build-up to a
terror campaign by the MDC" who "have vowed to disrupt the World Cup cricket
matches to be played in Zimbabwe next month". The paper added that a
London-based organization, Ditcheley Foundation, which "sponsors war and
other underground activities in Africa" had "set aside millions of pounds to
destabilize Zimbabwe".
Without providing evidence, the paper then linked the attack to Harare Mayor
Elias Mudzuri, whom it accused of addressing political rallies and "fanning
violence".
The Daily News' (22/1) report was equally shoddy as it sought to exonerate
the perpetrators. The paper also quoted "sources" as having said "the
attack was provoked by Zanu PF youths who reportedly kidnapped an
unidentified youth and took him to an unidentified torture chamber in a
building", thereby giving the impression that the bombing was justified.
Indeed, the article cited incidents of violence in which ZANU PF youths were
accused as perpetrators to buttress the impression that the bomb attack was
a justifiable act of retaliation.
More strange was the paper's failure to identify the political affiliation
of the group that petrol bombed the ZANU PF base.
Furthermore, the paper relegated the story to page two preferring to lead
with a report on the court appearance of eight Chegutu municipality
employees accused of breaking into the municipality offices "with intent to
steal and theft".
Similarly, SW Radio Africa also failed to come out and clearly condemn
violence perpetrated against ZANU PF. The private radio station (22/01)
reported that "people claim that the base was a youth militia camp used to
torture MDC supporters", as if that was a justifiable reason for the attack.
The Daily Mirror's (22/1) story, Journalist beaten in Kuwadzana, was not any
better as it prioritised the assault on its photographer over the death of
an individual.
It only made sensible reference to the story in its article, 16 MDC youths
arrested for violence in Kuwadzana, which it placed on page four.
Meanwhile, The Daily News (25/1), followed up on the bombing incident with
an equally confusing report on the situation in Kuwadzana. The story was
notable for contradictions. For example, while it alleged that soldiers and
members of the police had imposed a curfew and were "beating up residents"
whom they met after 7pm accusing them of "planning other bomb attacks on
ZANU PF bases", it quoted a Kuwadzana resident as describing the situation
as "tense but peaceful". Although the paper sought comment from the police
spokesman who allegedly refused to comment, no effort was made to get
comment from army officials.
Corroboration of security force violence was provided by The Weekend Tribune
(25/1), which also reported residents saying that police were allegedly
harassing people moving at night or revellers in nightclubs in Chitungwiza
and Kuwadzana. Police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena was also quoted denying the
allegations
The paper also reported gross anomalies in Kuwadzana's voters' roll, adding
its voice to earlier reports of electoral irregularities in the private
media.
Besides the Kuwadzana bombing incident, the media was littered with reports
of other human rights violations by alleged state security agents and ZANU
PF supporters. However, most of the stories appeared in the private media,
which carried 36 out of 43 reported in the week. These include actual
incidents and follow-up reports. ZBC reported none of these.

The table below shows the number of stories carried by different media
alleging rights abuses.

Medium No. of Stories

The Daily News 18
The Daily Mirror 7
SW Radio Africa 6
The Zimbabwe Independent 1
The Herald 4
Chronicle 1
The Standard 1
The Sunday Mail 2
The Weekend Tribune 1
The Financial Gazette 1

Ends.


The MEDIA UPDATE was produced and circulated by the Media Monitoring Project
Zimbabwe,15 Duthie Avenue, Alexandra Park, Harare, Tel/fax: 263 4 703702,
E-mail: monitors@mmpz.org.zw; monitors@mweb.co.zw

Feel free to write to MMPZ. We may not able to respond to everything but we
will look at each message.
For previous MMPZ reports, and more information about the Project, please
visit our website at http://www.mmpz.org.zw

More...

Zimbabwe: Harassment of journalists at the High Court

2003-02-06

http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=922

MISA-Zimbabwe says they are appalled at the actions of police in barring journalists from the court room where the trial of Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangarai is taking place.

Zimbabwe: Journalists arrested

2003-02-06

http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=913

Pedzisayi Ruhanya, the deputy news editor of The Daily News and Ishmael Mafundikwa a freelance journalist have been arrested for allegedly obstructing police duties. Ruhanya was manhandled by 3 policemen and dragged into a police vehicle. The two are locked up at the Harare Central police station.

Zimbabwe: Journalists detained

2003-02-06

http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=898

The police detained Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi, The Daily News Chief Photographer and two American reporters covering Zimbabwe’s food crisis, for almost seven hours in Bulawayo. The journalists were accused of unlawful entry into a Grain Marketing Board they had visited.

zimbabwe: Police arrest two journalists

2003-02-06

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/media/13043

Reporters sans frontières (RSF) has called on the government to allow the media unrestricted access to the trial of opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai. The organisation stressed that the trial should be carried out in the presence of independent observers and media representatives, regardless of their editorial stand.
IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
_________________________________________________________________

ALERT - ZIMBABWE

3 February 2003

Police arrest two journalists, limit access to opposition leader's trial

SOURCE: Reporters sans frontières (RSF), Paris

(RSF/IFEX) - On 3 February 2003, RSF called on the government to allow media
unrestricted access to the trial of opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai. The
organisation stressed that the trial should be carried out in the presence
of independent observers and media representatives, regardless of their
editorial stand.

"It is unacceptable that the police should deprive the Zimbabwean public of
their right to be properly informed," said RSF Secretary-General Robert
Ménard. He called on police to release two journalists who were arrested at
the courthouse, and allow journalists into the court without restriction, in
line with the request of the High Court's presiding judge.

The trial of Tsvangirai, leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic
Change (MDC), and two of his senior colleagues opened before the Harare High
Court on 3 February. The three opposition figures were charged with treason
and could be sentenced to death. The courtroom was barred to most
journalists before the start of the hearing. Two of the journalists
present - freelancer Ish Mafundikwa and Pedzisai Ruhanya of "The Daily
News" - were arrested after protesting against the restrictions.

Other journalists, along with diplomats, opposition supporters and
independent observers, were also barred by police, who said there was no
room inside the courtroom, though lawyers said there were in fact several
empty benches. Later on 3 February, Judge Paddington Garwe asked police to
allow anyone who wanted to attend the trial inside the court.

For further information, contact Jean-François Julliard at RSF, rue Geoffroy
Marie, Paris 75009, France, tel: +33 1 44 83 84 84, fax: +33 1 45 23 11 51,
e-mail: afrique@rsf.org, Internet: http://www.rsf.org

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

More...

help human rights defenders in Guinea-Bissau

2003-02-06

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/advocacy/13107

Guinean League of Human Rights Vice-president Mr. Joao Vas Mane was arrested on January 29, 2003 and is being held without charge in Guinea-Bissau. Write to the authorities and lobby for his release and an end to the harassment of human rights defenders in the country.

URGENT APPEAL - THE OBSERVATORY

GNB 001 / 0203 / OBS 006
Arbitrary detention
Guinea-Bissau
3 February 2003

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint
program of FIDH and OMCT, requests your URGENT intervention in the
following situation in Guinea-Bissau.

Brief description of the situation:

The Observatory has been informed by the Guinean League of Human
Rights, of the arrest and detention of its Vice-president, Mr. Joao
Vas Mane on January 29, 2003, based on an order delivered by the
security services.

According to the information received, on January 28, 2003, Mr. Mane,
who was taking part in a Bombolon radio show, "Palavers of Peace",
allegedly accused President Kumba Yala to have mobilized funds for
the pilgrims trip to the Mecca for political and personal ends when
civil servants of the State have not been paid in 4 to 7 months.

In a clandestine interview given to the Portuguese radio, Mr. Mane
said not to have been in contact with his family or with his lawyer
since his arrest. On January 30, at 1:00 in the morning, he was
taken out of his prison cell to be questioned until 4:00 in the
morning.

To this date, Mr. Joao Vas Mane is held incommunicado and has still
not been presented before the judge.

The Observatory notes that these facts occur in a context of
radicalisation of the governmental policy since the dissolution of
the Parliament on November 16, 2002 and followed by the announcement
of anticipated legislative elections next April 20. This
radicalisation results particularly in the arrest and detention of
opponents, censorship in the media, systematic restrictions on the
freedom of movement imposed to opponents and members of civil
society, violent speeches and the denigration by the authorities of
all independent voices, in particular of human rights organizations,

Action requested:

Please write to the authorities of Guinea-Bissau urging them to:

i. Immediately release Mr. Joao Vas Mane in the absence of charges
against him;

ii. Guarantee in all circumstances the physical integrity of Mr. Mane
and put an end to any form of harassment against human rights
defenders in Guinea-Bissau;

iii. Conform to the provisions of the Declaration on Humans Rights
Defenders, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on
December 9, 1998, in particular article 1, which states that
"everyone has the right, individually or in association with others,
to promote the protection and realization of human rights and
fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels";

iv. Conform to the provisions of the Universal Declaration on Human
Rights and international instruments relating to Human Rights which
bind Guinea-Bissau;

Addresses:

President Kumba Yala
C/o Prime Minister's Office
tel/fax: 00245 20 62 06 or 00 245 20 62 05

or National Assembly
fax: 00245 20 11 72

Paris - Geneva, 3 February 2003

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

The Observatory, an FIDH and OMCT venture, is dedicated to the
protection of Human Rights Defenders and aims to offer them concrete
support in their time of need.

To contact the Observatory, call the emergency line:
Tel and fax: FIDH : +33 (0) 1 43 55 20 11 / 43 55 18 80
Tel and fax OMCT : (+ 41 22) 809 49 39 / 809 49 29
E-mail : observatoire@iprolink.ch
The Observatory, an FIDH and OMCT venture, is dedicated to
the protection of Human Rights Defenders and aims to offer
them concrete support in time of need.

To Contact the Observatory, call The Emergency Line:
Tel: FIDH: 33 (0) 1 48 05 82 46
OMCT: 41 (0) 22 809 49 39
E-mail: observatoire@iprolink.ch

More...

Not in our Name!

Social Movements Indaba Statement

2003-02-06

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/advocacy/13112

Social Movements Indaba puts its full support behind Anti-War marches to take place across South Africa on 15th February and encourages people to join the countrywide marches.

Social Movements Indaba
NOT IN OUR NAME!

Social Movements Indaba puts full support behind Anti-War marches to take place across South Africa on 15th February

No to US Imperialism! No War Against Iraq! No Blood for Oil! Free Palestine!

The member organisations of the Social Movements Indaba (SMI) from across the country, call on South Africans to raise their voices against the impending war on Iraq by joining anti-war marches and other actions taking place in various cities on 15th February under the banner of the Anti-War Coalition. It would be a crime against humanity if we remain silent while the US government and its madman President Bush, prepare to slaughter hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and plunge the world into a cesspool of capitalist violence, hatred and greed.

In raising our voices, the SMI, alongside many other progressive forces around the world, is very clear what the coming war on Iraq is really all about. At its core, it is about making the world ‘safe’ for US imperialism and the corporate capitalists whose interests it serves. It is about crushing the legitimate struggles for real political and socio-economic freedom waged by the poor and oppressed across the world, no more so than as applied to the struggles of the Palestinian people. It is about the global imposition of the barbaric capitalist ‘principle’ of profits before people.

Unfortunately, the ANC government’s public pronouncements of opposition to a war on Iraq are much murkier. Being against war means exactly that. It does not mean supporting a war simply because it is endorsed by a set of United Nations elites so comfortably ensconced, and so far removed, from those they claim to represent. Neither does it mean decrying the militarist unilateralism that the US government seeks to visit on Iraq while wallowing in the economic unilateralism that continues to be visited on the majority of South Africans.

It does not mean pursuing the capitalist policies of GEAR and NEPAD that deprive millions of Africans of the most basic human services and needs and then hypocritically attacking a US imperialism that is the engine behind the implementation of the same on a global scale. And, it most certainly does not mean making grand claims to an anti-war moral high ground whilst simultaneously allowing South African arms companies to export weapons components that will be used to maim and kill more Iraqis and Palestinians or allowing US and British ships, laden with weapons of war, to dock at South Africa’s ports.

The SMI, marching under the banner of the Anti-War Coalition, will be raising its voice against all those capitalists, of whatever hue and/or nationality, who seek to collectively, if differentially, hide behind the veil of ‘democracy’, so-called ‘human rights’ and false freedom in their deathly quest for money and power. With millions of others all over the world, we will be sending a message that is loud and clear – NOT IN OUR NAME!

For further information contact: Salim Vally on 082 802-5936 or Dale McKinley on 072 429-4086

More...

oneworld's corporate accountablity campaign

2003-02-06

http://www.oneworld.net/campaigns/corporateaccountability/front.shtml

At no point in history have business corporations generated such fabulous profits across such vast territories. Yet there is still no international legislation to monitor the effects they have or to hold them responsible for their actions. Visit OneWorld's web site for all the latest news and information on the Corporate Accountability debate.

protest the detention and intimidation of media workers

2003-02-06

http://www.kubatana.net/html/eact/eact_cont.asp

Visit the e-activism page of Kubatana.net to find out just how bad the harassment of the media in Zimbabwe is - and how you can take action to support free expression.

the right to know

2003-02-06

http://capwiz.com/foe/home/

Do you know how US corporations are treating people and the environment around the world? PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT, HUMAN RIGHTS AND WORKERS AROUND THE WORLD! Visit the web page provided and make your voice heard.

Women to Women

2003-02-06

http://www.petitiononline.com/WILPFw2w/petition.html

Visit the web page by clicking on the link provided and sign a women's statement against a looming war on Iraq.

zimbabwe...make yourself heard

2003-02-06

http://www.zimbabwefund.co.uk/

Visit this web site to find out how you can support an England boycott of cricket world cup matches due to be held in Zimbabwe.

AFRICA: AU sets up security council

2003-02-06

http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=32087

Noting that Africa has armed itself to the teeth to tackle its raging conflicts, the African Union (AU) on Monday agreed to set up a UN-style Security Council, known as the Peace and Security Council (PSC). However, its formation still has to be ratified.
Related Links:
* Mugabe slams political interference
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=32084
* Critical time for AU summit
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=32059
* AU shuts up shop
http://allafrica.com/stories/200302040514.html

car: rebels gain ground

2003-02-06

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2728427.stm

The government of the Central African Republic has sent troops from its Congolese allies to stop a rebel advance on the CAR's second largest military base.

drc: Tornado Kills 164 in Central Congo

2003-02-06

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=515&ncid=723&e=6&u=/ap/20030205/ap_on_re_af/congo_deadly_tornado

A tornado tore through remote villages in central Congo, killing 164 people, destroying homes and ruining crops, the country's top health official said Wednesday.

DRC: UN reports "alarming" movements of armed forces in the east

2003-02-06

http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=32069

The UN Mission (MONUC) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on Saturday reported having received "alarming" information regarding troop movements on the part of the Kinshasa government, the Kigali government, the Kampala government, and various armed factions in eastern DRC, and warned of "imminent" attacks.

ivory coast: Anti-Government Riot Rocks Abidjan

2003-02-06

http://www.gvnews.net/html/DailyNews/alert3504.html

Opposition demonstrators in Cote d'Ivoire stormed onto the streets of Abidjan, Sunday, one week after pro-government supporters launched a series of anti-French rallies in the commercial capital. Sunday's violent protests were sparked by the alleged killing of a celebrated satirical actor and comedian, known to have close links with Cote d'Ivoire's political opposition and considered to be among the opposition's staunchest allies.

NIGERIA: Ethnic clashes erupt in southern oil town

2003-02-06

http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=32076

At least 12 people have been killed and more than 30 houses razed in three days of renewed ethnic violence in Nigeria's southern oil town of Warri, residents said on Monday.

NIGERIA: Explosion kills at least 40 in Lagos

2003-02-06

http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=32073

At least 40 people were killed and more than 100 injured in a blast on Sunday in Nigeria's economic capital, Lagos, officials and rescue workers said. The police authorities said they were investigating the cause of the explosion, which was still unknown.

SOMALIA: Factions face sanctions for ceasefire violations

2003-02-06

http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=32085

Somali factions attending peace talks underway in Eldoret, Kenya, face expulsion or other sanctions if they continue to violate the ceasefire agreement, Kenyan Foreign Minister Kalonzo Musyoka warned on Monday.

South Africa: ANC and COSATU against the attack on Iraq

2003-02-06

http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=905

COSATU this week joined its alliance partner, the African National Congress (ANC), and millions of people across the world in support of a call against the US’s intention to attack Iraq. President Thabo Mbeki wrote in last week’s ANC Today that the destruction of any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq should be achieved peacefully and further stated that the ANC was not aware of information that suggested Iraq has not cooperated with the UN’s weapons inspectors team.

south africa: Mandela Loses Patience with Bush over Iraq

2003-02-06

http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=15596

Former South African president, Nelson Mandela has lost patience with diplomacy and launched a scathing personal attack on U.S. president George W. Bush for his apparent determination to take military action against Iraq, if the middle-eastern country does not prove it has no weapons of mass destruction to the satisfaction of the United States.
Related Link:
* Mbeki highlights differences with UK over Iraq
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/1/hi/uk_politics/2718191.stm

southern africa: World Must Galvanize To Stave Off total collapse

2003-02-06

http://www.europaworld.org/week114/worldmust31103.htm

Although swift food aid deliveries have mitigated a humanitarian crisis in southern Africa, a horrifying new disaster looms as HIV/AIDS ravages the region, threatening the very existence of whole countries, two United Nations envoys warned after a weeklong inter-agency mission to the region.

Swaziland: Famine set to continue

2003-02-06

http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=910

According to agencies monitoring the Swaziland famine only 20-40 percent of the farming land has been cultivated in central parts of Swaziland this year and those lands cultivated are expected to produce low yields.

a voice through radio

2003-02-06

http://www.comminit.com/pdskdv92002/sld-5994.html

Nekolera Gyange (I Run My Own Business) in Uganda uses radio to provide marginalised businesspeople - especially the self-employed - with a voice to influence environment and policy decisions, a platform for discussion, and a channel to receive information for their businesses. A CD Rom and video describing the programme have been produced.

Agenda for WSIS PrepCom II

2003-02-06

http://www.ictdevagenda.org/frame.php?dir=07&sd=10&id=362

Enormous benefits can be derived from ICTs as a tool for development. This will require the mainstreaming of information and knowledge concerns within the broad range of societal goals, with focus on development policy, as well as sectoral and cross-sectoral policies. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), approved by the United Nations Millennium Assembly, provide a powerful methodological and political framework for using ICTs to achieve this. Read the key points of the draft action plan for the second Preparatory Committee Meeting (PrepCom II) for the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), to be held in Geneva (Switzerland) from 17 - 28 February 2003.

Busy Internet Accra: A case Study

2003-02-06

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/internet/13120

In Ghana, picking up the telephone to call your auntie can require a lot of patience and some gritting of teeth. When making a call from mobile to fixed lines, almost half of telephone calls do not go through because of system failures. Businesses often have receptionists who spend most of their time just dialing numbers until they get through. Setting up an Internet café in such conditions is not ideal, but Mark Davies, an experienced ICT entrepreneur, recognised the demand and today he is the CEO of BusyInternet Accra, the biggest Internet cafe in Africa.
ICT-Enabled Development Case Studies Series: Africa
An initiative of IICD and bridges.org


CASE STUDY: BusyInternet Accra


I. Overview

Initiative: BusyInternet (BI) Accra is the largest technology incubator in
Africa. It provides businesses and the public with affordable,
state-of-the-art information and communication technology (ICT) services,
customer service, and a social environment that promotes technology use.

Implemented by: BusyInternet International

Funding or financial model: BI Accra is run on a for-profit business model.
BusyInternet International, Databank Ghana, and Fidelity Partners Ghana,
provided capital layout of US$1.7 million.

Timeframe: BI Accra was launched on 23 November 2001.

Local context: Ghana has a population of 19.9 million (2001). More than 60%
of its population live in rural areas, the general life expectancy is 56.9
years. The literacy rate for people aged 15 years and over is 72.6% and
44.8% earn less than US$1 a day (2001)[1]. The GDP per capita is US$372.
(2000)[2] Electricity production is below local demand. Ghana has an
advanced financial system comprised of a central bank (Bank of Ghana),
eleven commercial banks, five merchant banks, and a series of rural unit
banks. Ghana is politically and economically stable with little corruption
and danger, and is therefore a good place to conduct business.
Liberalisation and privatisation of the ICT and telecommunications sectors
is underway. Ghana has a liberal free trade macro economic policy[3].
Foreign direct investments are aggressively promoted, including incentives
for foreign investors.

The development problem/obstacle addressed: Limited availability of, and
costly ICT infrastructure is a problem for the majority of the poor people
in Ghana. There are 1.82 telephones per 100 people in (2001)[4], with
teledensity skewed in favour of large cities. There is a long waiting list
for new telephone service and a waiting time of up to one year. "Telephone
bills are inaccurate, overcharges common, and the installation of a new
line can cost a business more than US$1,000 -- the rough equivalent of the
annual office rent. Phones go dead and remain unrepaired, for months,"
writes G. Pascal Zachary of Technology Review. Mobile phones are gaining in
popularity, with 102,000 mobile phone subscribers by 2000[5]. The cost of a
cell phone call was US$0.90 per minute (peak hours) and US$0.72 per minute
(off peak) in 2001. According to Eric Osiakwan, secretary of the Ghana
Internet Service Providers Association, there are approximately 20,000
Internet subscribers and about 1 million users in over 2000 cyber cafés
throughout Ghana. In 2001[6] there were 235 Internet hosts, and a computer
density of 0.33[7]. Internet access is expensive overall - between US$6.00
and US$50.00 per month depending on the ISP and the type of service
provided. Power shortages are also a major problem and force many
organisations to buy back-up generators.

How ICT is used to overcome the problem: BI Accra is an incubator for ICT
companies that gives local businesses and the general public affordable and
reliable access to ICT. BusyInternet revamped an old two-storey building
and created Internet access halls that house 100 flat screen personal
computers and 15 wired offices. The building has a VSAT Internet
connection[8] and 1 megabyte of bandwidth -- which costs US$8,000 a month,
plus a yearly license fee to the government of US$2,000 -- a back-up power
system, and an internal network. The centre is open 24 hours a day, 7 days
a week and gets about 1,800 visitors per day.

Access to the Internet is charged per minute. ICT start-ups can hire
offices from BI Accra at a monthly rate of US$400 for 18 square meters and
an additional US$250 monthly for other services such as reception
facilities, telephones, electricity, broadband Internet and security. BI
Accra has successfully incubated ten ICT companies since its inception. It
actively markets the services of its resident ICT companies. In return,
these ICT companies are obliged to run community programmes that will have
a broader impact on socio-economic development. BI Accra also offers low or
no-cost Internet access to structured groups, such as those visiting the
centre for HIV/AIDS and "Internet-for-Beginners" workshops.

Next steps: BI Accra intends to franchise the business in other African
cities within the next three years. If or when the Ghanaian Government
legalises Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) -- which will dramatically
reduce the price of phone calls by routing them via the Internet -- BI
Accra plans to deliver that service from its centre. BI Accra also plans to
extend service offerings to their tenant companies in terms of capacity
building, financial advice, marketing and fundraising. They are also
negotiating to host the Ghana Internet Exchange.

Geographical area targeted: Accra, Ghana.

Contact Information:
Estelle Akofio-Sowah (Managing Director), estelle@busyinternet.com
Mark Davies (Founder and CEO), mark@busyinternet.com
Tel: +233 021 258 800
Eml: accra@busyinternet.com
URL: http://www.busyinternet.com/


II. Gauging Real Impact

This section considers whether and how BusyInternet Accra has made a Real
Impact at the ground level by looking through the lens of basic best
practice guidelines for successful initiatives. The bridges.org's 7 Habits
of Highly Effective ICT-for-Development Initiatives are used here as a
framework to highlight what BusyInternet Accra has done well.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective ICT-for-Development Initiatives

1. Implement and disseminate best practice. The founders had relevant
experience in starting up ICT businesses and studied various telecentre
models before they established BI Accra. BI International works with
international agencies, foundations and companies to facilitate knowledge
sharing within Africa, and between Africa and the United States.

2. Ensure ownership, get local buy-in, find a champion. The founders
consulted people from the ICT industry in Ghana, but the planning and
implementation of BI Accra was private. However nearly 50% of BI Accra is
now owned by local Ghanaian investors.

3. Do a needs assessment. The founders spent a year researching in Ghana
which included conducting a needs analysis and market survey.

4. Set concrete goals and take small achievable steps. The business has
concrete financial goals for each of its services. BI International has not
been hasty to open centres in other cities and focused on making the first
centre in Ghana a success.

5. Critically evaluate efforts, report back to clients and supporters, and
adapt as needed. As a business, BI Accra conducts regular financial
analysis. They also run customer surveys to gauge satisfaction and make
suggested improvements.

6. Address key external challenges. The project anticipated the poor
infrastructure of the region and chose alternative Internet connectivity,
and provided sufficient backup power resources. The business model
recognises poverty levels and prices are set in line with local income and
ability to pay, introducing half-price browsing at 50 cents per hour during
the night. Ghana's ICT policies need further work, but BI Accra is doing
its part to engage stakeholders by hosting policy workshops and debates
where government officials are invited to participate.

7. Make it sustainable. The majority of telecentres in Africa -- many of
which depend on donor funding -- fail to become sustainable. But the
for-profit model of BI Accra forced the founders to focus on economic
sustainability. BI Accra was operational within ten months, and became cash
flow positive within the first four months of business. The over 60%
occupancy rate of its cyber café indicates that BI Accra is on the right track.

III. Lessons Learned

We invited Mark Davies, the founder and CEO of BusyInternet International,
to share his views on BusyInternet Accra's greatest success, the challenges
he has faced, key constraints and dependencies that affect BusyInternet
Accra, opportunities for future improvement of its ICT business and
services, and other lessons he has learned. Here is what he had to say:

"It has been an amazing vantage point to sit in a place where technology,
Internet, development and democracy intersect. We have learned so many
lessons about who uses technology here, what the skill sets are, what the
potential is. Clearly the application of technology to these environments
has massive potential -- assisting development's move from awkward and
time-consuming bureaucratic precedents to fast and efficient
customer-focused solutions. The potential to accelerate information
distribution, e-governance, and take advantage of an educated labour pool
to serve as digital workers for overseas markets (and, over time, local
markets too) is exciting. Not only do we have smart software programmers
building "tropicalised" versions of accounting packages, cyber café billing
packages, Point of Sale modules, configuring Linux, exploring VOIP
technologies, but we also have people digitising hand-written New York City
parking tickets, answering calls for New York offices, and potentially much
more. Clearly, partnerships between Ghanaian companies and overseas
counterparts that can connect workers to markets and products are crucial.
It is just as important that local entrepreneurs develop management
capacity, get access to managers who have worked in mature corporate
environments, and promote best practices with regard to customer service.
We were lucky to choose Ghana as it has a growing ICT cluster and a
liberalised environment that allowed us to get started quickly and
permitted us to serve an already educated community with a superior product."


IV. The Story

This section presents a narrative description of BusyInternet Accra that
highlights why this use of ICT for development is particularly interesting.

In Ghana, picking up the telephone to call your auntie can require a lot of
patience and some gritting of teeth. When making a call from mobile to
fixed lines, almost half of telephones calls do not go through because of
system failures. Businesses often have receptionists who spend most of
their time just dialing numbers until they get through.
Setting up an Internet café in such conditions is not ideal, but Mark
Davies, an experienced ICT entrepreneur, recognised the demand and today he
is the CEO of BusyInternet Accra, the biggest Internet cafe in Africa.

Davies (38), who sharpened his teeth as an ICT entrepreneur in the early
days of the dotcom boom, was traveling in West-Africa and Brazil when he
"considered how to best mingle the obvious entrepreneurial spirits that
exists here (in Africa) with a fascination for new technology an the
economic pressure to make cash". Said Mark: "I reflected on how I first
came up with the idea of Metrobeat (his first successful IT company).and
really it's simply about putting enthusiastic people within reach of the
tools. Their own imaginations and experiences will, and should, determine
how they use and shape the tools for themselves."

Davies and his business partners, Ellen McDermott and Alex Rousselet, first
considered setting up a non-profit that would give students and the
business people of Africa free or subsidised access to the Internet.
However, following the advice of experts on development initiatives in
Africa, they eventually chose the for-profit route. "It would make the
project sustainable and thus live beyond the interest of its sponsors (a
key issue many had warned us about in the first months). It would create a
type of fiscal discipline that would inform our expenditures and focus us
on being competitive," he said.

The BusyInternet founders eventually chose an old bottling plant in Accra,
Ghana, to set up shop. On 21 November 2001 BI Accra was launched, complete
with Internet access halls that can accommodate up to 200 people, 100 flat
screen PCs and 15 wired offices. The building has a VSAT Internet
connection (which ensures Internet connectivity via satellite, instead of
telephone lines), 1 megabyte of bandwidth, a backup power system, and an
internal network.

Although BusyInternet found it relatively easy to set up shop in Accra, it
was not all plain sailing. It took a supplier days to find a truck to pick
up a faulty printer for repairs. And due to the almost weekly power cuts
that plague Accra, they had to install a backup generator and a huge
battery to keep the computers going. They also installed a transformer to
deal with the erratic power supply that can fluctuate between 240-290
Volts. In addition, the computers have to be cleaned frequently to protect
them from the effects of dust.

Investing in expensive infrastructure has eventually been worth it. Within
four months of becoming operational, BI Accra was cash flow positive. An
average of 1,800 people visit the centre daily to access computers, send
e-mail, surf the Net or to make use of the conference, audiovisual
facilities and copy centre. The cyber café boasts an occupancy rate of over
60%. ICT start-ups can hire serviced office space from BI Accra. Ten
businesses have been successfully incubated in just over a year's time.
Outstanding customer service is also key to BI Accra's success, so staff
and management keep up-to-date with customer needs with regular surveys and
participate in monthly training and team-building exercises focussing on
putting the customer first.

BusyInternet prides itself on its "unique business concept which places
equal importance on both a social and financial return". To raise awareness
about national ICT policy, BI Accra hosts free monthly debates on the
issues and organises expert lectures on ICT subjects. Networking forums and
lunch discussions are also organised, to give young entrepreneurs the
chance to make contacts in the business community. Low or no-cost Internet
access is offered to those attending HIV/AIDS workshops,
Internet-for-beginner classes, the monthly "Internet for Schools" programme
and the weekly "Internet for Kids" workshop. Those who cannot afford the
normal price, to use the ICT services can pay half-price at night.

To attract people to the centre who might not otherwise be interested in
technology, movies are shown at the centre on weekends. Another magnet is
Liquid, the BI Accra restaurant and bar with its cool-blue bubble design
where the local cyber crowd hangs out to network and dream up ideas.
BusyInternet believes that creating a social scene around technology will
help spark an innovative technology culture. "Good ideas are mostly
conceived on the backs of napkins over lunch or on envelopes," says Mark.
"It's also a great place to sit on the main Accra ring road and watch the
digerati and bustling life of Accra go by ."
__________________________________

[1] Development Data Group, World Bank,
http://www.worldbank.org/data/countrydata/ict/gha_ict.pdf
[2] International Telecommunications Union,
http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/statistics/at_glance/basic01.pdf
[3] International Monetary Fund,
http://www.imf.org/external/np/pfp/ghana/ghana0.htm#03a1
[4] International Telecommunications Union,
http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/statistics/at_glance/basic01.pdf
[5] International Telecommunications Union,
http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/statistics/at_glance/basic01.pdf
[6] See the ITU World Telecommunication Development Report: Reinventing
Telecoms - World Telecommunication Indicators, 2002, pA-36.
[7] See the ITU World Telecommunication Development Report: Reinventing
Telecoms - World Telecommunication Indicators, 2002 pA-66
[8] (Very Small Aperture satellite Terminal) A small earth station for
satellite transmission that handles up to 56 Kbits/sec of digital transmission
__________________________________
Author: bridges.org
Date: 31 January 2003


About the IICD and bridges.org ICT-Enabled Development Case Study Series

The ICT-for-Development Case Study Series aims to disseminate best practice
examples of how information communication technology has been successfully
used by ground-level initiatives to alleviate poverty. Case studies are an
effective tool for examining what works best, what fails, and why. The
intention of this series is to share knowledge and catalyse lessons learned
about ICT by local originations and the international community. The
current focus is on efforts based in Africa.

The case study series is a joint initiative of the International Institute
for Communication and Development (IICD) and bridges.org, two organisations
that share the goal of encouraging the effective use of ICT in developing
countries. IICD is an independent non-profit foundation, established by the
Netherlands Minister for Development Cooperation in 1997 and based in The
Hague. Bridges.org is an international non-governmental organisation based
in Cape Town, South Africa. This initiative is supported by the Building
Digital Opportunities Programme (www.iconnect-online.org), funded by the UK
Department for International Development (DFID), the Directorate General
International Cooperation (DGIS), and the Swiss Agency for Development and
Cooperation (SDC).

More...

E-Government in Africa - Promise and Practice

2003-02-06

http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=923

E-Government has already arrived in Africa, though it is essentially an imported concept based on imported designs. There are growing numbers of e-government projects, some of which are contributing to public sector reform and delivering gains of efficiency and or effectiveness across a broad agenda. However, this positive picture must be set alongside significant challenges. E-Government is only slowly diffusing within Africa because of a lack of e-readiness for e-government that can be charted along six dimensions. There is widespread recognition that this challenge must be met by strategic building of national infrastructure.

ICTs in Rural and Low-Income Communities in Africa

2003-02-06

http://www.ictdevagenda.org/frame.php?dir=07&sd=10&id=364

As part of a study into Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in Rural and Low-Income Communities in Africa, field researchers from Gamos and their in-country partners have been undertaking detailed research and data collection in different sample locations in three countries - Botswana, Ghana and Uganda. "In many countries in Africa," begins the report prepared by Dr Scott and Dr McKemey of Gamos, "the recent uptake of telecommunications services has exceeded all predictions, proving that there is an unexpectedly high demand for services.

online forum on justice and genocide

2003-02-06

http://www.facinghistory.org/facing/fhao2.nsf/all/Justice+Forum?opendocument

An online forum – hosting some of the world's leading observers - on how individuals, communities, nations, and international organisations seek justice in the aftermath of mass violence and genocide will take place between February 20th - March 7th, 2003.

PULA - A Newsletter on Women and ICTs in Africa

2003-02-06

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/enewsl/13124

Pula is the newsletter of the Association for Progressive Communications Africa Women (APC-Africa-Women). Pula aims to promote and profile the work and activities of women's Information and Communication Technology (ICT) initiatives in Africa and to act as a communicative tool to link women to each other and to initiatives and opportunities. To subscribe or unsubscribe email Africa@apcwomen.org

what's your view?

2003-02-06

http://allafrica.com/specials/aids/

AllAfrica.com is hosting a public forum on the status and direction of the campaign against Aids in Africa. Visit the web site to have you say.

IDRC-RoKS Call for Proposals 2002-2003

2003-02-06

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/fundraising/13028

The Research on Knowledge Systems (RoKS) exploratory initiative of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) is launching its second annual research competition (2002-2003). This year's theme: "Strengthening Knowledge Policy for Small States: How can small states participate more effectively in local, regional, and global knowledge partnerships?" requests concept notes. The competition will award up to seven grants, with a maximum value of CAD$ 80,000 each. For joint proposals where researchers are located in two or more countries a maximum of CAD$ 160,000 will be awarded.
IDRC-RoKS Call for Proposals 2002-2003
--------------------------------------

The Research on Knowledge Systems (RoKS) exploratory initiative of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) is launching its second annual research competition (2002-2003). This year's theme: "Strengthening Knowledge Policy for Small States: How can small states participate more effectively in local, regional, and global knowledge partnerships?" requests concept notes in the following areas (not mutually exclusive):

* What specific strategies or approaches have been shown to be suc-
cessful in the improvement of gaps for knowledge and learning gaps in small states?

* How can regional collaboration, for example, be designed to lever-
age cooperation in knowledge networks among small states?

* As the policy gaps and learning divides increase the disparities among the small and large states, what mechanisms and policies can alleviate this knowledge chasm?

* What reforms in knowledge institutions are required to ensure that they are seen to be contributing to the economic and social development of small states?

* How can small states participate in emerging issues affecting the health and life sciences revolution, the digital explosion, the technological trade arena, and/or the reconstruction of their scien-
tific and knowledge infrastructure following conflict and social un-
rest?

* What are research solutions to these challenges and what specific policy prescriptions can be considered for small states?

The deadline for concept note submission is March 14, 2003 (5:00pm EST). Submissions received after that date, or which are incomplete, will not be eligible for consideration. Concept notes that are quali-
fied through a peer review process will be asked to submit full pro-
posals for June 6, 2003. The competition will award up to seven grants, with a maximum value of CAD$ 80,000 each. For joint proposals where researchers are located in two or more countries a maximum of CAD$ 160,000 will be awarded. Fewer than seven grants may be awarded, subject to the quality of proposals received. Grants will be awarded by July 6th, 2003.

Information regarding the status of your application, other than our confirmation of its receipt, will not be available. For more information and to download a complete concept note application kit, please click on:
http://www.idrc.ca/roks

IDRC is committed to equity and encourages applications from quali-
fied women, men, visible minorities, aboriginal peoples and persons with disabilities. We thank all applicants for their interest and will ONLY contact those teams whose background, quality & feasibility best match the criteria of the award.

Research on Knowledge Systems (RoKS)
International Development Research Centre
P.O. Box 8500 Ottawa Ontario K1G 3H9,
Canada Fax: +1-613-567-7748
mailto:roks@idrc.ca
http://www.idrc.ca/roks

More...

Namibia: Church Responds to Challenge Posed By Aids Orphan Crisis

2003-02-06

http://allafrica.com/stories/200302050326.html

The Aids Programme of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Namibia (ELCAP) donated school fees and uniforms worth N$15 000 to orphans and other vulnerable children in the Rehoboth area on Monday. The beneficiaries were identified through ELCAP's home-based care programmes.

South Africa: Delays in the disbursement of NDA funds

2003-02-06

http://www.thusanang.org.za/index.php?option=news&task=viewarticle&sid=172

The Daily Dispatch reports that a centre for mentally disabled in East London is still waiting for funding which was alledgedly promised by the National Development Agency (NDA) in 2000. Mfesane Training Centre was allocated R73 000 on 2 October 2001 but only received the funding agreement for signature in September 2002. The grant is currently being processed by the NDA's finance department, and the NDA programme administrator says it is likely to be transferred to the Centre by the end of February 2003.

South Africa: Finnish govt donates R9 million to Christian Council

2003-02-06

http://www.sabcnews.co.za/south_africa/health/0,1009,52253,00.html

The Finnish government has donated R9 million to the KwaZulu-Natal Christian Council. About R8 million will be used to further develop democracy and peace in the province, while the remaining R1 million will be used in the fight against HIV/Aids. Despite the row between national government and KwaZulu-Natal based agencies over the recent UN Global Aids funding, the churches do not expect a conflict with government.

South Africa: New Schools for Transkei Thanks to Japan And Mandela

2003-02-06

http://allafrica.com/stories/200302050358.html

A high-profile delegation from Japan will visit the former Transkei on Friday to mark the completion of 20 schools, thanks to R62m (7,5 million US dollars) in Japanese Grant Aid. Funding of R62m for a further 20 schools was then granted, mainly in the Umtata-area (Alfred Nzo district).

South Africa: SANAC will act as agency for global fund

2003-02-06

http://www.thusanang.org.za/index.php?option=news&task=viewarticle&sid=169

According to The Mercury, the South African National Aids Council (SANAC) - now constituted as a legal entity - has been appointed principal recipient of funding to South Africa from the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria. SANAC will act as an intermediary grantmaker, disbursing grants to organisations and initiatives, monitoring their progress and reporting back to the Fund.

South Africa: Telkom Foundation connects a school

2003-02-06

http://www.telkom.co.za/telkomfoundation/news/article23.jsp

The Lesaoana Intermediate School in the rural eastern Free State village of Sehlajaneng boasts a computer center that is set to change the learning experience of its pupils, thanks to the Telkom Foundation. The equipment comes from the Telkom Foundation's Adopt-A-Project programme.

Africa: The 2004 World Social Forum will take place in India

2003-02-06

http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=916

The International Committee of the World Social Forum has agreed that India would be the host for the next WSF in 2004.

CERTIFICATE COURSE IN HUMAN RIGHTS INFORMATION AND DOCUMENTATION MANAGEMENT

Lagos, Nigeria, 25th-28th February 2003

2003-02-06

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/courses/13053

The Course Aims to: Promote the understanding of human rights information as a theory of human rights; Inculcate a culture of human rights promotion and protection; Understanding how to Control and Disseminate Human Rights Information; Promote the use of IT for Human Rights Information Work; Understanding the place of a Library in Human Rights Work.
CERTIFICATE COURSE IN HUMAN RIGHTS INFORMATION AND DOCUMENTATION MANAGEMENT
25th-28th February 2003

Introduction:
"Information on all aspects of human rights is essential to the universal
protection and promotion of human rights. The rapid increase of interest in
human rights coincides with the rapid development of information
technology. Unless a common and universal system of communication of human
rights information is evolved, valuable information will be wasted,
existing international machinery will not function, standards and codes
agreed between governments and within professional bodies will not become
known and their implementation not monitored" Martin Ennals, Founder of
HURIDOCS.

The Course Aims to:

* Promote the understanding of human rights information as a theory
of human rights.
* Inculcate a culture of human rights promotion and protection
* Understanding how to Control and Disseminate Human Rights Information
* Promote the use of IT for Human Rights Information Work
* Understanding the place of a Library in Human Rights Work.

Target:
This course is designed to meet the skill development needs of Personnel
from human rights and development NGOs, Government Agencies, the Judiciary,
and other Institutions with responsibility for information and
documentation functions in NIGERIA. Working group sessions would allow
participants to share experiences.

Duration: 4 Days

Lead facilitator: Bankole Olubamise, MSc, MA.

Facilitators Mrs Ayo Atsenuwa, LLM, Senior Lecturer in Law, University
of Lagos.
Mr Onade Ojo, BLS, MSc

Invited Guest Lecturers
Dr S. O. Olanlokun, University of Lagos Librarian.
Mr Biodun Lawal, The British Council, Lagos.

Cost: =N=5,000.00 per participants (volume discount available for groups)
(covers tea/Lunch and Workshop Materials) Please make cash payable to Legal
Research and Resource Development Centre 386 Murtala Muhamed Way, Yaba Lagos.

Numbers: There are places for 20 participants only. Registration
closes 20-2-2003

Dates: 25th-28th February 2003

Facilities: In-house well stocked Library (the Largest Collection in
Nigeria).

Type: Non-Residential.

Organizers: Legal Research and Resource Development Centre was
established under Nigerian laws in 1990, as an independent, non-profit
making, non-governmental organisation for the promotion of respect for
human rights and responsibilities through education. It has a comprehensive
library on human rights with over 3500 titles.



TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE:

INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN RIGHTS AND INFORMATION (4 hours)
- Human Rights Concepts and Mechanisms
- Importance of Information to human Rights Works
- Basics of Monitoring Violations
- Fact-Finding

HUMAN RIGHTS DOCUMENTATION (5 hours)
- Introduction to DocumentationqSetting Up a Documentation Centre
- Building Classification SchemesqContent DescriptionqDocumentation of
Audio-Visual materials
- Information Dissemination Strategies (CAS etc)

TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES IN HUMAN RIGHTS DOCUMENTATION (8 hours)
- HURIDOCS Standard Bibliographic Formats
- HURIDOCS Standard Formats for Events

COMPUTERISED INFORMATION MANAGEMENT (6 Hours)
- Computerized use of the Bibliographic Standard Formats (Winisis)
- Computerized use of Events Standard Formats (WinEvsys)
- Databases and Database BuildingqInternet Sources of Information

HUMAN RIGHTS DATA ANALYSIS AND REPORTING (4 hours)
- What is Data.
- Analyzing Data for intervention and research.
- Writing a report on activities.

LEADERSHIP AND HUMAN RIGHTS INFORMATION (3 hours)
- Discussion Sessions Based on Participants' Experiences
- Networking

Though the materials to be used in this workshop will largely come from a
human rights perspective, the skill acquired is suitable for setting up and
managing any small Library and Documentation Centre.


For further details contact:

Programme Officer, Human Rights Training Programme, Legal Research and
Resource Development Centre,
386, Murtala Muhammed Way, Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria. Tel: 234-1-2880694; Fax:
234-1-2880694/2610450. Mob: 234-802-315-6931. Email:
lrrdclagos@yahoo.co.uk, lrrdc@alpha.linkserve.com Website:
www.legalresearchnig.org

More...

Empirical Evidence for the Demographic and Socio-Economic Impact of AIDS

Durban, South Africa, 26 - 28 March, 2003

2003-02-06

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/courses/13116

This conference stems from the need for HIV/AIDS interventions to be based on sound information about the medium and long-term demographic, social and economic consequences of HIV/AIDS. Towards that end, the organisers have invited 50 researchers to present papers derived from rigorous empirical research.
Empirical Evidence for the Demographic and Socio-Economic Impact of AIDS
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Notice of a Scientific Meeting
26 - 28 March, 2003
Durban, South Africa

Organisers
HEARD, University of Natal (Alan Whiteside & Timothy Quinlan)
Center for Population Studies, London School of Hygiene and Tropical
Medicine (Basia Zaba)
Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina (Ties
Boerma)
National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca (Stefano Bertozzi)

Sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Wellcome
Trust

This conference stems from the need for HIV/AIDS interventions to be
based on sound information about the medium and long-term demo-
graphic, social and economic consequences of HIV/AIDS. Towards that
end, the organisers have invited 50 researchers to present papers de-
rived from rigorous empirical research. The conference offers a
unique opportunity for an additional 50 participants to hear what is
actually known about the socio-economic and demographic impacts of
HIV/AIDS, to compare evidence from different countries and to ex-
change ideas on research and management strategies.

Target Participants

The conference will be of interest to demographers, economists, plan-
ners and social and medical scientists; AIDS programme managers; do-
nor agencies; NGO programme managers; and government officials.

Conference Venue

The conference will take place at the Tropicana Hotel situated on
Durban's Beachfront. All presenters, discussants and participants
will be accommodated at the Tropicana Hotel for the duration of the
workshop. Details on the venue can be viewed on the website at:
http://www.goodersonleisure.com/

Should you wish to arrive early or extend your stay, you may arrange
alternative bookings with the Tropicana Hotel via their website as
listed above.

Conference Content
Theme 1: Demographic impacts
Adult mortality - evidence from national & regional statistics
* Mortality impacts based on evidence from recent African Censuses
(Africa)
* Mortality estimates based on sibling survival and orphanhood data
(South Africa)
* Vital registration data contribution of HIV to mortality trends
(Thailand; Caribbean)
* Age patterns and leading causes of death from verbal autopsy data
(Tanzania)
* Deaths from AIDS and HIV attributable mortality from mortuary stud-
ies (Africa)

Adult mortality - evidence from studies with HIV serology
* Survival since infection and relation to background mortality
(Uganda)
* Changing HIV+ mortality rates (Zambia)
* Age patterns and trends in HIV+/HIV- mortality rate ratios (South
Africa)
* Use of data from mortuary studies (Ethiopia)

Child mortality - trends and explanations
* Impact of vertical transmission and orphanhood on child mortality
(Uganda)
* Child survival after infection in pregnancy or breastfeeding (South
Africa)
* Survival of infected and uninfected children of HIV positive moth-
ers (Uganda)

Fertility effects of HIV
* Population attributable changes in fertility (Zimbabwe)
* Progressive fertility reduction in HIV positive women (Kenya)
* The effect of pregnancy on HIV progression (Uganda)

Family and household structure
* Orphanhood: maternal, paternal & double orphans (Zimbabwe)
* Orphanhood and HIV infection (Uganda)
* Changes in family structure, household headship, size and structure
(Malawi; South Africa)

Theme 2 - Socio-economic impacts
Impacts on family welfare
* Impact of adult morbidity and mortality on household assets and in-
come (Zimbabwe; South Africa; Mexico; Indonesia)
* Long term changes in family welfare related to HIV (Thailand;
Kenya)
* Orphan welfare (Botswana)

Impacts on public sector
* Health services (Kenya; South Africa)
* Education services (Mozambique; South Africa; Tanzania)
* Public sector financing (South Africa)

Impacts on Private sector
* Institutional auditing (Botswana)
* Private sector investment in HIV/AIDS management (Botswana; South
Africa; West Africa)

Cost of attendance

The conference fee includes full board and accommodation for 4
nights, airport transfers, and materials.

The cost of the conference is ZAR 3,500 or US$ 350.

Should you wish to live out, i.e. you reside in Durban or you wish to
find alternative accommodation, the conference fee is ZAR 1,500 or
US$ 150. However, the onus rests with the participant to arrange
his/her own transport to the conference venue.

Please note that travel to/from Durban (including expenses),
travel/local insurance, visa charges, and other incidental expenses
will be the responsibility of the participant.

Other Information

A maximum of 50 places are available. The closing date for applica-
tions is 3rd March 2003.

To apply, or for further information contact
HEARD, University of Natal
Tel: +27-31-260-1476 or 260-2592
Fax: +27-31-260-2587
mailto:georgeg@nu.ac.za

Please note that we will be operating on a first come, first served
basis. Payment of the conference fee will guarantee a place.

More...

III International Human Rights Colloquium

2003-02-06

http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=912

Applications are now open for the III International Human Rights Colloquium to be held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, from May 26 to June 6, 2003. The theme of the Colloquium is The Rule of Law and the Construction of Peace. The primary objective of the Colloquium is to strengthen new leadership and to enhance the capacity of human rights activists to improve the performance of their own organisations.

Institutional Strengthening and Grant Management Program

2003-02-06

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/courses/13117

ISGM is a USAID program implemented by Pact and MWENGO. The program supports the strengthening of the capacity of Regional African Organisations-Consortia-Associations working in Food Security (FS) and/or Conflict, Mitigation and Response (CPMR) in the Greater Horn of Africa (GHA) through promotion of innovation and increased strategic co-ordination. As part of the process towards the achievement of this objective and to fill in the gaps identified through organisational capacity assessments, Pact/MWENGO offer and support training workshops on strategic planning; boards and governance; ideology and identity; food security; conflict prevention, mitigation and response, organisational effectiveness and participatory project development and management.
Institutional Strengthening and Grant
Management Program
P.O. Box 690 Sarit Centre 00606, Nairobi.
Tel: 254-2-578271/3/4, Fax: 254-2-570775


5 February 2003

Dear All,


RE: GOVERNANCE WORKSHOP

ISGM is a USAID program implemented by Pact and MWENGO. The program supports the strengthening of the capacity of Regional African Organizations-Consortia-Associations working in Food Security (FS) and/or Conflict, Mitigation and Response (CPMR) in the Greater Horn of Africa (GHA) through promotion of innovation and increased strategic co-ordination. As part of the process towards the achievement of this objective and to fill in the gaps identified through organizational capacity assessments, Pact/MWENGO offer and support training workshops on strategic planning; boards and governance; ideology and identity; food security; conflict prevention, mitigation and response, organizational effectiveness and participatory project development and management.

The Governance Workshop planned for in Hargeysa, will take place during the period 24th February through 28th February 2003 at the Maan-Soor Hotel. The Workshop is targeted at one Board member and one staff member (the Chief Executive Officer) from the respective organizations.
We are therefore writing to request you to send us the names of nominees plus their designations by no later than 13th November 2002 to: esther@pactke.org and c.c. william@pactke.org
The workshop seeks to strengthen the capacities of CSOs working in food security and peace building in what we refer to as the Southern cluster. The objective of the workshop is thus:
· Develop skills on strategic planning and management
· Develop skills on project development arising from their strategic plans and
· Finally expose participants to ways and means of mobilizing resources to realize their mandates.
· Participants will also share their experiences and learn from one another.
All costs related to the venue, course materials, daily teas and lunches will be funded by Pact/MWENGO. Costs other than these but related to participation at the workshop i.e. airfare, accommodation, visas and land transport should be met by the participating organizations unless agreed otherwise in writing.


Should there be need for further clarification please do not hesitate to contact the undersigned.





Yours sincerely,




William M. Mwasi
Pact, Office Manager

More...

africa: Field Coordinator

International Rescue Committee

2003-02-06

http://www.fpa.org/jobs_contact2423/jobs_contact_show.htm?doc_id=146399

Oversee all project implementation; Meet regularly with local authorities to foster good will and support for all project activities; Ensure that all IRC projects are implemented in a timely and professional manner; Implement/revise and maintain a regular system of project evaluation and progress monitoring; Promote professional working relationships and resolve staff conflicts and concerns in a timely manner.

Chief Executive

The Refugee Council

2003-02-06

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/jobs/13118

The Refugee Council works at the heart of what is arguably the country’s most controversial social issue of the day. It is viewed as the leading authority on refugee issues in the UK and is striving to influence policy and legislation in the UK, Europe and internationally. The new Chief Executive will lead the organisation through a future that faces great change, ensuring that the interests of refugees and asylum seekers are represented robustly to decision-makers at the highest levels.
Chief Executive
London Up to £70,000
The Refugee Council works at the heart of what is arguably the country’s most controversial
social issue of the day. It is viewed as the leading authority on refugee issues in the UK and
is striving to influence policy and legislation in the UK, Europe and internationally. The new
Chief Executive will lead the organisation through a future that faces great change, ensuring
that the interests of refugees and asylum seekers are represented robustly to decision-makers
at the highest levels. The Refugee Council is a committed and highly motivated organisation
with 400 employees, 300 volunteers and a budget of £70 million.
The Role:
• Work with the Board of Trustees to provide strategic leadership to the organisation and
ensure that it continues to provide services that reflect the needs of a challenging, changing
environment.
• Represent the Refugee Council to the media, senior figures in Government, refugees
themselves and other stakeholders, maintaining its strong position of influence.
• Lead the Senior Management Team, ensuring that the organisation’s operations are inclusive,
supportive, effective and relevant.
The Candidate:
• Proven track record in a high-profile, complex and diverse environment, experience working
with groups of vulnerable people and exposure to the development of public policy.
• Excellent communication, influencing and negotiating skills and the stature and personal
presence to effectively represent the Refugee Council.
• A sophisticated understanding of diversity issues and a commitment to, and empathy with,
the values and ethos of The Refugee Council.
For more information about the organisation see the website
www.refugeecouncil.org.uk Please apply for an information pack, quoting reference
FAB/4995G. Closing date for formal applications is 28 February 2003.
Odgers Ray & Berndtson, 11 Hanover Square, London W1S 1JJ
Tel: 020 7529 1111 • Fax: 020 7529 1000
e-mail: response.manager@odgers.com • www.odgers.com

More...

horn of africa: Food Security Advisor

Oxfam GB

2003-02-06

http://www.reliefweb.int/w/res.nsf/wDocs/7633D61731C730A0C1256CB80055BE4E

Following failure of the short and long rains, the Horn of Africa is currently faced with a severe and extensive drought with adverse effects on the survival of people and livestock across the countries. Immediate issues are the limited availability and accessibility of food, water for both humans and livestock, human and livestock health and nutrition, and household purchasing capacity.

rwanda: Program Advisor- Conflict and Peacebuilding

Oxfam GB

2003-02-06

http://www.fpa.org/jobs_contact2423/jobs_contact_show.htm?doc_id=146891

This post requires an experienced person in developing strategies for conflict management and poverty reduction. Demonstrable knowledge of the governance issues in Africa will be essential. You will be responsible for advising and supporting Oxfam in Rwanda in applying conflict sensitive approaches to development and supporting a regional policy-working group to implement, monitor, evaluate and refine the Oxfam GB regional peace building and conflict management programme.

south africa: TRIAL LAWYERS

LAWYERS WITHOUT BORDERS

2003-02-06

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/jobs/13095

LWOB is seeking lawyers interested in a)assisting with development of the project, b)assisting with the drafting of funding proposals, c)being a link in a Lawyer to Lawyer (L2L)linkage with South African lawyers or d)travelling to South Africa (possibly self funded) to assist with an evaluation of the problem and potential solutions.
From: ABA Human Rights Committee E-News
http://mail.abanet.org/archives/inthumrights.html

TRIAL LAWYERS WITH EXPERIENCE IN CHILD SEXUAL ASSAULT NEEDED
LAWYERS WITHOUT BORDERS

LWOB is involved with lawyers in South Africa (Johannesburg) developing a model for assisting local lawyers with the issues they face in child sexual assault prosecutions, low conviction rate, lack of victim advocacy resources, integrity of evidence and other sensitive issues facing the child at trial.

LWOB is seeking lawyers interested in a)assisting with development of the project, b)assisting with the drafting of funding proposals, c)being a link in a Lawyer to Lawyer (L2L)linkage with South African lawyers or d)travelling to South Africa (possibly self funded) to assist with an evaluation of the problem and potential solutions.

If you are one such lawyer, please contact me at storm@lwob.org

This project is in full swing at the present and the timetable to commence some of the tasks associated with it is: immediate.


Lawyers Without Borders
330 Main Street
Hartford, CT USA 06106
Phone: 860-525-3700
Fax: 860-525-0287
Web site: http://www.lwob.org
E-mail: info@lwob.org

More...

sudan: Support/Liaison Officer

UNDP Nairobi Programme

2003-02-06

http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/jobs/13096

UNDP Sudan Country Office is in a transitional phase, having terminated many projects that were initiated in its earlier cycles of assistance. It has prepared a forward looking Country Co-operation Framework (CCF) covering the period 2002-2006, which has been approved by the Executive Board in September 2002. The new programme focuses on peace planning and peace building and improving governance and environmental management.
Job Description
UNDP Nairobi Programme Support/Liaison Officer

A. Background

UNDP Sudan Country Office is in a transitional phase, having terminated many projects that were initiated in its earlier cycles of assistance. It has prepared a forward looking Country Co-operation Framework (CCF) covering the period 2002-2006, which has been approved by the Executive Board in September 2002. The new programme focuses on peace planning and peace building and improving governance and environmental management. Major programme components include the ongoing Nuba Mountains NMPACT and IDP Return, Resettlement & Reintegration, Peace Building Networks, Conflict Transformation projects in a number of different areas of the country and pipeline proposals for dealing with secondary conflicts in the Darfur region. UNDP’s strategy in peace building focuses geographically on the transition zone between the North and the South, where the differing perspectives on key issues which will ultimately determine the success of political peace agreements intersect. These include Arab and African culture and language, north and south administrations, Islam, Christianity and traditional religions, oil and competition over other natural resources, mainly water and pasture. UNDP programming addresses these issues in a synergetic manner, promoting the application of research, lessons learned, best practices and networking to enhance the capacity of UNDP’s development partners and civil society to plan and implement sustainable solutions to conflict. Conflict transformation is a foundation for UNDP’s peace building team activities, upon which capacity building and area rehabilitation activities assist communities to own and manage sustainable solutions. UNDP also has programmes in the fields of local governance, community development and environmental management operational in areas of the country not prone to armed conflict. In order to effect the strategy which the CCF requires, UNDP must develop credible working relationships with key actors based in South Sudan. This will also be a key to fulfilling UNDP’s role in promoting and supporting sustainable recovery, rehabilitation and developmental programming in Sudan, in the planning, making and building of a just and sustainable peace for all Sudanese people.

B. Functions

The Nairobi Liaison/Programme Suport Officer will report to the DRR, Programme. S/he will work with the Peace Policy Advisor and the other members of the Peace Building Team, in cooperation with the Team Leader and under the overall direction of the Country Director. The area of responsibility will focus on developing relationships and enhancing coordination and collaboration with key actors involved in rehabilitation and developmental programming in non Government controlled Sudan. The Nairobi Liaison Officer will assist UNDP Sudan to strategically plan and implement rehabilitation and development programming as an integral part of the UN team. More specifically, the Nairobi Liaison Officer will have the following duties and responsibilities:

q Establish and maintain contacts with UN agencies, civil society, IGAD Secretariat, donors and authorities related to rehabilitation and developmental planning and programme programming;

q Represent UNDP in sectoral and thematic working groups, and regular UN Country Team meetings;

q Facilitate coordination and/or expansion of South Sudan components of IPF Planning for Peace, NMPACT, Capacity Building for Grassroots Peace Building, IDPs and other UNDP programmes;

q Facilitate cross conflict learning by supporting cross conflict information exchanges, project visits and appropriate research;

q Assist in assessments of areas and sectors for UNDP involvement in recovery, rehabilitation and development programming in south Sudan;

q Support planning processes for transitional post conflict recovery and development

q Assist in resource mobilization efforts from Nairobi based donors;

q Develop appropriate coordination to facilitate institutional and operational support (finance, logistics, human resources) with UNDP Kenya (Somalia?) for UNDP Sudan south Sudan operations, including missions from Khartoum; and

q Any other tasks to support the Sudan Country Director as requested.


Qualifications:

Ø advanced university degree, preferably in the social sciences;
Ø extensive experience in sustainable human development programmes;
Ø proven record of project planning and project development;
Ø at least five years of practical experience in programme management in developing countries;
Ø a solid understanding of the Sudan conflict and peace issues;
Ø a minimum of 5 years Sudan experience, with preference for both north and south exposure;
Ø preparedness to spend time in the field under difficult circumstances;
Ø familiarity with the UN system;
Ø excellent written and spoken English; and
Ø good command of basic computer skills.


Additional assets would include:
Ø some basic Arabic language skills.


Appointment level: Grade: ALD (equiv to P-5)

Duty Station: Nairobi with regular up country travel .
Term : One year; renewable based on performance
Application deadline: 27 February 2003

More...

Fahamu