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AU women and gender experts adopt key instruments
African Press Organization
2009-11-19, Issue 458
cc M A UAfrican Union (AU) experts on women and gender affairs will submit their recommendations to establish the African Union Women’s Trust Fund feasibility study, the African Union Commission Gender Action Plan, and the Roadmap for the African Women’s Decade: 2010-2020 to ministers in charge of gender and women’s affairs on 21 November. In order to disseminate and monitor the implementation of the Action Plan the meeting proposed using faith-based groups, imams, and the media to sensitise and transmit messages to women and society at large.
Kenya and Zimbabwe: Challenges and opportunities
Briggs Bomba
2008-07-09, Issue 387
The world’s attention has been riveted in 2008, by election crises in Africa, first Kenya, and now Zimbabwe. In both cases, challenges remain in converting electoral victory to political power. Can a victorious opposition come to power in the face of an obstinate incumbent? This question is particularly relevant when the incumbent regime controls the coercive apparatus of the state and the opposition only has the ballot in its corner. In the battle of the ballot vs. the bullet, can there ever be a fair match, asks Briggs Bomba.
Meeting the Abuja promise goes beyond the 15% target
Rene Loewenson and Di McIntyre
2008-07-09, Issue 387
When the African Union (AU) Heads of State committed to allocating at least 15% of annual government budgets to their health sectors In Abuja, Nigeria in 2001, they also called on high income countries to fulfil their own commitment to devote at least 0.7% of their GNP as ODA to developing countries and to cancel Africa’s external debt in favour of increased investment in the social sector, write Rene Loewenson and Di McIntyre.
A defining moment for Zimbabwe
Bill Saidi
2008-07-03, Issue 385
It may be too early to speak of a positive response to calls for a government of national unity. It would be most encouraging to conclude that both parties are agreed on the essence of a GNU. But this would not be an accurate or even remotely hopeful analysis of the scenario. First, there is the violence in which unarmed citizens have been victims of mayhem. Secondly, there is the unresolved question of who should head this GNU - Tsvangirai or Mugabe. If this were going to turn out to be a defining moment for Zimbabwe, you could argue, with good reason, that both men would lower their own personal expectations in favour of their country’s and their people’s. But would that be realistic? asks Bill Saidi.
Zimbabwe: Stop the run-off
Feminist Political Education Project
2008-06-18, Issue 382
The Feminist Political Education Project (FePEP) calls upon all political leaders to stop the 27th of June 2008 Presidential election run-off.
COSATU declares the Mugabe government illegitimate
Congress of South African Trade Union
2008-04-23, Issue 365
The Congress of South African Trade Unions welcomes the statement by a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman that the China Ocean Shipping Company which owns the An Yue Jiang, has decided to recall the ship because Zimbabwe cannot take delivery of the 77 tonnes of weapons and ammunition onboard.
Zimbabwe: Violent assault and torture continue unchecked
Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights
2008-04-23, Issue 365
Further to the two statements ZADHR issued last week we report a further 81 cases of organised violence and torture which have been seen and treated by members of the Association in the three days ending Monday 21 April 2008. This is not a cumulative total – this is the number of cases seen in these 3 days alone. The total number of cases seen since 1 April 2008 is 323.
Prospects from a flawed election
New report on Zimbabwe
International Crisis Group
2008-03-20, Issue 356
ICG warns that the international community needs to have contingency plans ready in anticipation of rigged elections in Zimbabwe on 29 March that could precipitate a potentially violent crisis
SOAWR Pre-summit Meeting on the African Women's Rights Protocol
Solidarity for African Women's Rights
2008-03-06, Issue 351
The recently concluded SOAWR pre-summit meeting reflects on the achievements to date and charts a way forward
Africa's long road to rights
Hakima Abbas
2007-11-13, Issue 328
While setting the scene with an account of how and why Africa has developed its own system for protecting human and peoples' rights, Hakima Abbas concludes that the success of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, in spite of 'the seeming lack of political will on the part of African states and governments to hold one another accountable for violations of fundamental freedoms', lies primarily in the distinctive engagement of civil society.