The eradication of the polio virus in Nigeria in 2003 is still possible with adequate political commitment to overcome resistance to immunisation, says UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) Director for West and Central Africa, Rima Salah.

A parliamentary select committee this week recommended the government's controversial purchase of a luxury jet for King Mswati III should not go ahead.

A key index for measuring the march of civilisation in any society is its comprehensive recognition of, defence and promotion of women's economic, socio-cultural, civil, human and political rights. By this measurement, all human societies so far have failed to achieve full civilisation. The only difference is that some have failed more spectacularly than others, and some have been more successful at disguising their failure with sophisticated deception.

The above is by no means a harsh judgement. The reality remains that in most societies and across all time women remain the most consistently discriminated against and exploited section of society. Wherever a higher or sharper form of discrimination has existed whether on the basis of race, nationality or religion, women have been doubly exploited both by members of their own race, class or nationality, and by the exploiters of their race, language group or nationality. This must end sooner rather than later if humanity's claim of being civilised is to have any real meaning.

Every year, the 'world' celebrates international women's day on 8 March. In numerous countries, many women are not even aware of the date. In most countries, this means seminars, workshops and lots of speeches - mostly for campaigners and the elite. There is nothing wrong with these. However we must go beyond mere commemoration and utilise this date in two ways. Firstly as an opportunity for an annual review of the progress made towards securing the institutionalisation of women's rights on a universal basis. And secondly as an opportunity to involve everyday women - and men - in the process of strategizing on ways to eliminate all remaining forms of discrimination against women.

But in order to make progress towards sweeping away the obstacles to the full emancipation of women, we all - men and women - must appreciate the framework that upholds this unjust discrimination, be prepared to take it down, and construct the basis of a new society. In Africa the underdevelopment of the economy and reign of mostly undemocratic governments - due to internal and external reasons - rests like a heavy burden on the back of rights issues in general. This underlines the fact that women's rights cannot be developed and secured in a sustainable way in isolation from the general development of society and human rights. In other words, the more democratic and economically developed a society, the more the rights of women are likely to be advanced.

But a developed economy and greater rights awareness are only enabling factors, not decisive ones. Two examples will suffice. For instance, since the inception of the Convention for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1979, successive American administrations have refused to ratify it since the Carter government signed up in 1980. The current government of Afghanistan on the other hand ratified CEDAW on 3 March 2003. Also, many Asian countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia have produced female leaders with ease - unthinkable in the US or some more developed European countries. These show that while higher levels of economic development and 'democracy' facilitate better educational and job opportunities, higher incomes for individual women and therefore more individual freedom, women collectively will remain discriminated against until the social, economic and political frameworks that sustain such discrimination are dismantled. In this respect, the universal link between the role of conservative political and religious leaders in restricting women's rights is too strong to ignore.

As with most problems, formal and informal education and enlightenment are vital to finding solutions. The strategic goal of such education and enlightenment must be to enable exploited women in particular to see the big picture, to ask the awkward questions and most importantly to provide the answers. Why are women discriminated against and exploited? Who benefits from this and how can it be ended? What structures and mechanisms sustain this discrimination and how can they be nullified? Fear and ignorance are the biggest obstacles in the way of the exploited. Once they have been removed, previously insurmountable problems shrink progressively until they no longer exist.

In order to understand the basis of gender inequality it is vital to appreciate unequivocally that the basis of all institutionalised discrimination and inequality is to facilitate the exploitation of allegedly unequal persons. This is the basis of racism, slavery and all discrimination based on colour, language group, nationality, religion, class - or gender. Just like the myth of racial superiority, the myth of male superiority has been woven to serve one purpose – that of exploitation. Exploitation can manifest itself in many forms: economic exploitation for slavery or cheap labour in the home or in factories; political exploitation which denies the exploited their full rights to political participation; social exploitation which suppresses and ignores the views, opinions and aspirations of the exploited.

Whether in highly industrialised or less industrialised countries, the average woman in a family or relationship faces the same fate. She is expected to wake up, clean the house, get children ready for the day, do the cooking, the shopping, washing, have little or no opinion on the big issues, and sacrifice her career and aspirations. Just to remind her who is the boss she is likely to be subjected to threats, some intimidation and in some cases occasional or regular beating for emphasis.

Although personal aspiration, education, profession, income and social status make a difference to the circumstances of women in relationships, a defining factor is always the level of enlightenment of the male partner or family members. But it is not just individual men that benefit from this shameful state of affairs. Societal discrimination against women leaves them open to unequal pay for equal work, low paid jobs or stereotypical jobs and positions such as secretaries, teachers, nurses and shop assistants. These lead to only one conclusion. Not only is there a clear profit motive for denying women equal rights, there is also a clear social motive i.e. the artificial creation of an underclass based on gender and coerced into playing the role of helpers and assistants.

It is therefore vital to see the big picture. Although most men benefit from the status quo, not all men are misogynists and the major battle must be to change society as a whole. Significantly, the suppression of women's rights could not and cannot be sustained without the invention and implementation of both formal and informal control mechanisms. The mechanisms for social control and discrimination against women have ranged from the blatant to the subtle. For example, the denial of the rights to vote and to seek political office, denial of property and inheritance rights, imposition of spouse approval for bank loans, travelling passports and so forth, to outright denial of citizenship rights i.e. denial of the right to transfer citizenship to children as was the case until recently in Botswana, or to transfer citizenship to spouses as is the case in Nigeria. The tacit support of the law and 'culture' for violence against women inside or outside the home, marital rape, the 'stigmatisation' of rape victims etc are deliberate and cynical mechanisms for sustaining exploitation of women.

Women are also generally groomed for a life of subservience. They are indoctrinated within most families and communities to defer to men (not on the basis of intellect but gender), to have lower aspirations and expectations, and to acquire certain 'female skills' in preparation for being 'given away' in marriage. (Male children on the other hand are groomed for leadership in society.) In some societies, women who do not or are reluctant to adopt the name of the families they marry into are negatively described as 'feminists'. This logic confers 'legitimacy and respect' on married women and subtracts the same from women that are not. But despite these injustices, society has made a little progress from the era when assertive or 'troublesome' women were simply branded 'witches' and burnt at the stake or stoned.

Nevertheless, not enough progress has been made and humanity will still be considered far from attaining civilisation until the progress is swift and measurable against targets. A simple reason for this is that it is not only women that are negatively affected by discrimination against them. A UN population report in the year 2000 concluded that every single minute of everyday a woman dies as a result of pregnancy related complications. That is over half a million preventable deaths a year. Aside from the fact that it would be intolerable to a male dominated society for there to be a preventable cause of death of men on this scale, the loss to society of potential geniuses and innovators is astounding, except of course to those that by some twisted logic genuinely believe that women are inferior beings.

The HIV/AIDS epidemic currently sweeping across Africa is also cutting down millions of women in their prime. Although HIV knows no gender or social barriers, women are biologically more vulnerable and women of lower income and social status are paying a higher price than most. The reasons are economic as well as social. Some may disagree, but the reality is that the removal of social safety nets by naked commercialisation and liberalisation policies imposed by international financial institutions has left many women in Africa in an economically desperate situation.

While unchecked commercialisation has tripled or quadrupled prices of rent, transport and other social necessities, liberalisation has tied many economies to 'international' currencies and priced goods way beyond the income of most people - especially women whom in contemporary society the world over earn lower incomes. This has altered power relations in ways that leave women open to social and economic abuse.

For instance, women in relationships in which they are largely dependent on men are in no position to demand that their unenlightened male partners use condoms even when it is clear that they may have been engaging in unsafe sex with multiple partners. For example, the large number of migrant workers in South Africa mirrors this problem. The Apartheid socio-economic policy of migrant labour camps meant that tens of thousands of men travelled to work for long periods during which not a few engaged the services of sex workers. Many women are themselves forced into this by lack of education, poverty and the primitive drive to 'survive'. Inadequate education on HIV/AIDS ensures high infection levels. The men then travel back to their families where wives dare not refuse unprotected sex and when the infected become pregnant, the children also become victims.

The obstacles preventing gender equality in Africa are enormous but not insurmountable. As the most exploited of all continents through over five hundred years of slavery and colonisation, not to mention decades of several forms of dictatorships supported by internal and external forces, Africa needs all its human resources to develop society to the minimum level necessary for a dignified existence. To achieve this, general and specific issues need to be addressed and a clear agenda defined for the institutionalisation of women's rights in Africa.

GENERAL ISSUES

* Mass education and enlightenment: This means countering deeply established prejudice through the introduction of rights issues in general and women's rights specifically into formal educational systems. Informal channels such as the media and other public education avenues must also be utilised. The average person accepts society as they are born into it until education or confrontations with sharp decisions change their outlook.
* Constitutional and legislative reform: Immediate ratification and localisation of all international and regional conventions and treaties covering women's rights. The immediate review of constitutions to ensure that they fully reflect women's rights, and repeal of all anti women legislation.
* Judicial and law enforcement reform: An overhaul of the judiciary, legal system and law enforcement agencies to ensure that all issues relating to women are specifically covered and reviewed to reflect full and uncompromising respect for their rights. This must also include the retraining of judicial and law enforcement personnel, and the appointment of more qualified women into the judiciary and law enforcement agencies.

SPECIFIC ISSUES

* Violence against women: Every single form of violence against women to be specifically legislated against with emphasis of the obligation of the state to prosecute such cases without placing the burden of pressing charges on women. Special emphasis to be placed on violence in the home and rape. Law enforcement agencies and personnel to be retrained and prosecuted for failure to press charges and enforce the relevant laws.
* Health rights: An increase of health budgets in relation to health issues specific to women such as maternal mortality, mother to child transmission of HIV, cervical and breast cancer etc. Budget increases to be measured against World Health Organisation standards of expenditure per head. A strong emphasis on health awareness and preventive healthcare.
* Reproductive rights: The right to family planning, safe sex and enlightenment on the benefits of child spacing.
* Political rights: Full political participation rights including the rights to vote and be voted for, women quotas for elective and appointed public offices, the creation of women's affairs ministries and so forth.
* Economic and Employment rights: The right to equal pay for equal work, the right to maternity leave, the recognition of women as principal breadwinners and concessions that go with this such as tax breaks etc. Equal access to bank loans and credit and legislation outlawing workplace discrimination.
* Social and cultural rights: All forms of social discrimination and anti women right practices to be identified and outlawed through firm legislation. E.g. discrimination based on marital status or maternity. Discrimination reinforced by religion and 'culture' to be specifically targeted for enlightenment campaigns.
* Inheritance and property rights: Full rights to property especially in relation to inheritance from parents and husbands without the interference of family members to disposes women.

These ten points are not exhaustive, but must be the minimum acceptable standards. For these basic objectives to be achieved the issues must also be taken up outside the framework of rights organisations. Women at all levels must be involved, and be supported by community based organisations such as market women associations, their professional associations, trade unions and student unions. In more democratic countries, pressure must be placed on all political parties, the legislature and judiciary and in less democratic ones directly on the government. Networks must be established at national levels established to harmonise strategies. Timetables, targets and review dates for reform must be set in order for it to be both measurable and effective. March 8 every year should be a good date for such reviews.

* Rotimi Sankore is co-ordinator of CREDO for Freedom of Expression and Associated Rights an NGO focussing on rights issues in Africa. CREDO can be contacted via [email][email protected]

* International Women's Day: See the Women and Gender section of Pambazuka News for more stories.

* Send comments on this editorial to [email protected]

* CREDO and Fahamu are developing an advocacy training programme for African women. Interested organisations and persons should kindly contact CREDO and Fahamu on issues they would like to see covered at [email][email protected] and [email][email protected]

Sixteen years of civil war, cyclic floods and severe drought have collectively caused much hardship in Mozambique. But the current drought, affecting about 600,000 people, alongside the devastating impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, are together pushing a growing number of families to the brink of survival.

The Kenya Community Abroad has added its voice to those of millions around the world who have come out to demand a peaceful resolution to the stand off between the United States and Iraq on the question of weapons of mass destruction.

The Bush Administration is pressing African nations to support the impending war with Iraq, and the three African nations on the United Nations Security Council have been targets of special lobby efforts by the president, secretary of State and other administration officials.
As part of an intensive search for at least nine 'yes' votes on the Security Council resolution on Iraq introduced Monday, the administration last week dispatched Assistance Secretary of State for Africa Walter Kansteiner to the capitals of the three nations with current Council seats - Angola, Cameroon and Guinea, which takes over as Security Council president on March 1.
Related Link:
* Senegal steers course on Iraq
http://allafrica.com/stories/200303050218.html

Thousands of people have fled a town in one of the two areas of Congo-Brazzaville most affected by the Ebola virus, which in the last two months has killed more than 80 people.

The HDN Microbicides E-Advocacy Project has been on-going since 2001. The project aims to report on local, regional and international efforts to advocate for prevention options for women and to facilitate virtual discussion and debate around microbicide research in popular discourses around HIV/AIDS. The Project Manager will co-ordinate and implement the project, manage a small international team of writers and engage in international advocacy efforts - in collaboration with the Global Campaign for Microbicides.

A raging fire - suspected to have been started by arsonists - has now burned over 4,000 hectares (15 square miles) of Mount Kenya forest and is threatening the Mount Kenya ecology and some 882 rare plant species, unique to the area, government officials here say. The fire came weeks after the new government of President Mwai Kibaki announced tough measures to stop illegal logging, encroachment of the forest by neighbouring communities, and growing of narcotics inside the forest.

The World Association of Newspapers (WAN) has written to President Kumba Yala of Guinea-Bissau expressing serious concern at the government's closure of Radio Bombolom. According to reports, on 13 February police shuttered Radio Bombolom's offices, forcing the broadcaster off the air. The Ministry of Information accused the station of 'broadcasting false information that could jeopardise national sovereignty and the stability of the country'.

The Committee to Protect Journalists has welcomed the release from prison of Abdoulaye Tiémogo, an editor at the weekly Le Canard Déchaîné, which is based in Niger's capital, Niamey. Tiémogo, who was freed on Tuesday, February 18, after completing his eight-month prison sentence, was arrested on June 18, 2002, for allegedly defaming Prime Minister Hama Amadou in a series of unflattering opinion pieces.

A silver lining has emerged in Swaziland's current food crisis through the efforts of thousands of Swazi women who have been put in charge of food aid distribution. "We use the phrase, 'Teach one man, and you teach one man, teach one woman and you teach 50 women," Erika MacLean, emergency coordinator for the World Food Programme (WFP) in Swaziland, told IRIN.

Over 45,000 large dams have been built to meet the world’s water, energy and flood management needs. However, dams have failed to live up to expectations and have devastated communities and ecosystems. This briefing kit exposes the myths behind large dams and promotes equitable and sustainable solutions for meeting the world’s needs. This briefing kit was created for the Third World Water Forum in Kyoto, Japan by Friends of the Earth Japan and International Rivers Network.

Kenya's Anti-Corruption Police Unit (ACPU) have interrogated officials of Kenya's Euro-Bank, which collapsed last week, taking with it billions of shillings of depositors' money, an ACPU official said on Thursday. "We recorded statements late Wednesday from four top officials of the bank, including its chairman and managing director, on the whereabouts of the depositors money," ACPU representative Kaplich Baristo told AFP by telephone.

Police in the Zimbabwean capital Harare on Saturday arrested more than 50 members of the main opposition party who were canvassing ahead of a by-election, the opposition said. But police have denied the claim. The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said in a statement that those arrested were carrying out home visits in the suburb of Kuwadzana, where a by-election is to be held at the end of the month.

Fighting has broken out near Burundi's capital, where several soldiers were killed by rebels, local officials and rebel sources said on Saturday as the president flew out for a peace parley. The clashes came as President Pierre Buyoya left Bujumbura for peace talks in neighbouring Tanzania with the main rebel movement, saying he hoped it would be the last ceasefire parley.

Drug companies are continuing to sell anti-retrovirals at hugely inflated prices in South Africa with some branded drugs selling for up to eight times more than generic versions available worldwide but that are not yet manufactured locally. The price for an annual course of triple therapy consisting of AZT, 3TC and Nevirapine in South Africa would cost around R20 000 (around R1 700 per month) before VAT and the chemist’s mark-up is added. In contrast, the same course of generic ARVs would cost around R3 300 year (or R275 a month). The huge profit margins of the drug companies forms the basis of a complaint lodged last year at the Competition Commission by a group of people living openly with HIV/AIDS, health workers, labour and civil society.

Use email, snail mail, signs, friends, your organisation and even your mind, body and spirit to help stop the war on Iraq. Visit the web site link provided to find out more.

Fresh fighting has reportedly broken out in the west of the Ivory Coast despite continuing discussions on a new power-sharing government for the country. The claims, from rebel and government officials, come shortly after neighbouring Liberia accused the Ivory Coast of employing Liberian mercenaries to carry out cross-border attacks.

The International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA) will convene HELINA 2003, the fourth HELINA (HEaLth INformatics in Africa) conference in South Africa from 12 to 15 October 2003, focused on communication and information technologies (ICT) in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa. The conference aims to bring expert clinicians and researchers in HIV/AIDS together with regional and international experts in health informatics in a unique forum.

The present paper aims to review open and distance learning in the context of present challenges and opportunities, describe relevant concepts and contributions, outline some significant current global and regional trends, suggest policy and strategy considerations and identify UNESCO's initiatives in this area, including its role in capacity building and international co-operation. The globalization of distance education provides many opportunities for developing countries for the realization of their education system-wide goals. Two main factors have led to an explosion of interest in distance learning: the growing need for continual skills upgrading and retraining; and the technological advances that have made it possible to teach more and more subjects at a distance.

Mercy escaped her slavers last year. Like many Nigerian women smuggled or lured into Italy with the promise of jobs, Mercy was forced into prostitution to earn her freedom. But escape did not end her nightmare. Three weeks after speaking publicly to human rights groups about her experience, her sister was reported dead in Florence, true to the threats made by her former captors.

Health-e is a news agency dedicated to producing news and analysis for the print and electronic media regarding health policy and practice in South Africa. The particular focus is to report on health issues affecting the poor and disadvantaged, and the implications of different health policies for society as a whole. Content is tailored to the requirements of different weekly newspapers and/or radio stations.

The project evaluator will be required to assess and study the relevance of an education project in Somalia in assisting in the provision of primary education to children in the target schools.

Working in collaboration with the ADM Advisor under the supervision of three heads of mission and in collaboration with five other senior staff members, S/he will be responsible for overall administrative and financial tasks of the program, under advisement of the ADM Advisor.

Members of the Global Unions group have accused the government planners of the Second Meeting of the Preparatory Committee for the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) of "stifling voices of dissent" after having excluded civil society from the debate over the draft conclusions.

I have just read my latest on-line copy of Pambazuka News and wish to tell you how much I appreciate receiving such an informative newsletter. Pambazuka newsletter is in a class of its own, with authoritative depth of coverage. It remains a source of up-to-date news, information and views from within and about Africa, and just for the price of 10 minutes at a cyber cafe, it is all yours. It will cost ten times as much to look for, and get access to all the information you have managed to put together so professionally. More grease to your elbows.

A newly-formed committee, set up to monitor a shaky ceasefire accord between the warring sides in Somalia, met on Thursday following clashes between rival warlords in Mogadishu. The monitoring committee - made up of the US, EU, AU, Arab League and the regional Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) - met at the venue of the Somali peace talks in Mbagathi near the Kenyan capital Nairobi, sources close to the talks told.

President Isayas Afewerki of Eritrea has said the electoral process is ongoing and will be "seriously implemented". Speaking at the opening session of National Union of Eritrean Women's (NUEW) congress on Thursday, he said the process had been delayed "because of Ethiopia's war, the disruption caused by internal defeatists and external intervention". But, he said, it was "firmly on the agenda and would be seriously implemented".

Cote d'Ivoire's main rebel group, the Mouvement patriotique de Cote d'Ivoire (MPCI), executed dozens of gendarmes (paramilitary policemen) and some of their children in the central town of Bouake in October 2002, Amnesty International reported this week. The report was denied by the MPCI, which called it a political diversion.
Related Link:
* Gbagbo lashes out at critics
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=32612

Ghana has prioritised health, education, sanitation, infrastructure, local government administration and agriculture under its poverty reduction strategy for 2003, the Finance Minister Yaw Osafo-Maafo told Parliament on Thursday. Reading the 2003 budget speech, the minister said that funds to support the poverty reduction strategy would be provided under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative (HIPC).

Thousands of West Africans who fled Cote d'Ivoire are stuck in Liberia and Guinea, unable to return to their home countries - Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal and Togo - Refugees International reported. "An estimated 43,000 people fled Cote d'Ivoire and entered Liberia and Guinea. Thousands more continue to arrive. In addition to 20,000 Ivorian refugees and 45,000 returnees, Liberia has received at least 12,000 nationals of third countries, with the majority from Burkina Faso," RI said on Thursday.

"I came here to the quartering area to try and find my husband, the father of my children," Celita Vasco says. "But when I arrived here I heard that my husband had died in the war. My children have no father." Her story is typical of women who found themselves caught up amid the ever-changing front lines of the Angolan civil war.

Some 20 million Kenyans - more than half the entire population - are regularly affected by the most deadly malaria parasite: Plasmodium falciparum.The cumulative human suffering and economic damage caused by malaria is immense. Children and pregnant women are most at risk. Each year, an estimated 26,000 children, that is a staggering 72 per day, die from direct consequences of malaria infection in Kenya.

Government's plan to provide free health care for all may be difficult to implement unless the economy improves, says Avenue Healthcare Chairman Dr Amit Thakker. Thakker, who is also the chairman of the unregistered Kenya Association of Healthcare Organisations (KAHO) feels that the only time Kenyans can have reasonable access to health care is when the government revives the ailing economy.

The government has recovered Sh15 billion stolen from public coffers in the ongoing fight against corruption. The money had been siphoned by well-connected people in the former Kanu government, Justice and Constitutional Affairs minister Kiraitu Murungi disclosed at the weekend.

Finance Minister Trevor Manuel 2002/2003 budget has been likened to “sweet fruits” when he dished out goodies in his annual speech. Manuel has been praised for his pre-election year budget, which boosts social spending and grants to the poor. It puts money into the taxpayer’s pocket without compromising fiscal discipline.

South Africans living with HIV/Aids have been given new hope. They might soon have access to treatment and better care, after the Finance Minister, Trevor Manuel, announced plans to almost double the amount spent on HIV/Aids. Over the next three years, R3,3 billion (400 million US dollars) will go towards extending preventative programmes and finance "medically appropriate" treatment for HIV/Aids.

Lack of portable drinking water in certain rural areas of the country has made the eradication of Guinea worm infection difficult. According to the Minister for Health, Dr. Kwaku Afriyie, even though the disease has been decreasing over the past two years and is now confined to only three regions, the unavailability of potable drinking water has made the eradication of the disease difficult.

This publication is based on guidelines developed by the World Health Organisation and on training modules for nurses in Africa prepared by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the University of the Western Cape, South Africa.

A first novel from an award winning Kenyan journalist, playwright and poet, Peter Kimani, a one-time writer in residence at the Mesa Refuge in California, who is now making a name for himself as one of Africa's emerging young writers. This is the story of Muriuki, a young man from a Kenyan village who leaves his mother, the rest of his family, and a backbreaking job on a coffee plantation for the city, the pursuit of wealth, and happiness with the love of his childhood, Mumbi. But life is not straightforward for the young lovers who become steeped in the quagmire of Kenyan politics, and are confronted with the sophistication of a new world, its economic hardships and brutality, and the racism and persistent inequities of the post-colonial and global society.

Chinua Achebe, father of modern African literature, has long argued that Joseph Conrad was a racist. Caryl Phillips, an admirer of both writers, disagrees. He meets Achebe to defend the creator of Heart of Darkness but finds their discussion provokes an unexpected epiphany. Read the full interview as published in The Guardian newspaper.

The 1325 PeaceWomen E-News was initiated in May 2002, as a direct means of maintaining the momentum and visibility of Resolution 1325, advocating for the further implementation of the Resolution, and keeping people informed of the scale and range of activity around 1325. By prioritizing the efforts of women peace activists, by providing them with timely information to help build their capacities as peace women, by providing informed and current analyses of 1325, 1325 PeaceWomen E-News can help fuel the support and advocacy efforts for further implementation of Resolution 1325.

2003 is a big year for the trade justice campaign. From 10 to 14 September trade ministers from nearly 150 different countries will be meeting in Cancun, Mexico for the fifth ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organisation. On 23 and 24 September the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank hold their annual meetings in Dubai. Visit this web site and find out what you can do to further the cause of trade justice.

We would like to take this opportunity to express our views and our concerns regarding the important efforts currently underway on the Somali National Reconciliation Conference in Eldoret (Kenya). We refer to conference procedural matters, individual rights versus clan rights, the disastrous state of human rights in the country, constitutional rights, judicial review, war crimes tribunal, the land question, and the need for affirmative action.

The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination will meet at the Palais des Nations from 3 to 21 March to review anti-discrimination efforts undertaken by the governments of Côte d'Ivoire, Ecuador, Fiji, Ghana, Morocco, Poland, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, Tunisia and Uganda. These countries are among the 167 States parties to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, a treaty that first took effect in 1969. The 18-member Committee, the first body created by the United Nations to review actions by States to fulfil obligations under a specific human-rights agreement, examines reports submitted periodically by States parties on efforts to comply with the Convention. Government representatives generally present the report, discuss its contents with Committee members, and answer questions.

In Africa measles are often called the "disease of the wind". Every year, the virus moves swiftly through overcrowded schools and closely huddled shacks, killing almost half a million of African children. Now, efforts to stop this killer have received a significant boost from an unlikely source: the handheld computer, a.k.a. a Personal Digital Assistant or PDA.