KABISSA-FAHAMU NEWSLETTER NO 16

More than 200 bodies have been found in mass graves in a suburb of the Burundian capital of Bujumbura, local officials said last week.

The Democratic Republic of Congo has lifted restrictions on the free movement of people and goods in a measure linked to progress in ending the country's conflict, a senior minister said last week.

The preparatory process for The World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), scheduled to be held in Johannesburg in mid-2002, was launched in Dakkar on 12 March. Talks are aimed to prepare for the 2002 meeting with the full realization that human and material resources are available to make sustainable development a concrete reality.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has accused the Federal Government of encouraging corruption in the public sector, in view of its refusal to pay workers in its employ for upwards of four months.

Statistics SA reveals that unemployment rose from 36.3% in 1999 to 37.3% in 2000. Even the ‘official’ figures which exclude ‘discouraged job seekers’, show a rise from 23.3% to 26.7% and a new report on job losses shows a 15% loss in formal sector jobs in ten years.

Principles and Practices in Managing Financial Records: A Reference Model and Assessment Tool is now available online from The International Records Management Trust.

Tagged under: 16, Contributor, Corruption, Governance

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has agreed to provide Sudan with $282,000 worth of assistance for projects aimed at sustainable agricultural development and enhanced food production. The government of Sudan, with support from FAO, has designed a project that will be implemented under the umbrella of FAO's Special Programme for Food Security (SPFS).

Communities of present-day or former hunter-gatherers live in scattered communities across the world, although their precise numbers and status are uncertain. Their often marginalized status and ethnolinguistic diversity has made it hard to articulate their case for land rights outside Australia and North America. Hunter-gatherers' preferred subsistence strategy, hunting, often comes into direct conflict with conservation philosophies and protected areas often fall within traditional hunting grounds. An ODI paper reviews their situation and asks, how best can hunter-gatherers' livelihoods be incorporated into more conventional natural resource management strategies?

At the beginning of the 21st century relations between business and non governmental organisations (NGOs) range from the strongly antagonistic to the surprisingly collaborative. But how and why are some companies collaborating with NGOs to promote sustainable development?

How are poor record keeping and bad financial management connected? Is the one a symptom of the other? To what extent does accurate financial information prevent corruption and fraud? An International Records Management Trust study examined the link between record management and financial accountability in sub-Saharan Africa. How do different record keeping systems reflect government and donor agency strategies for financial control and accountability? Are they related to success in reducing economic crime?

Tagged under: 16, Contributor, Corruption, Governance

Does political and economic stability improve people's livelihoods and their quality of life? Does stability increase the success of development projects? Uganda has recently enjoyed a period of relative economic calm, leading researchers from the University of Bath to ask: how have poverty reduction programmes fared during this time? How far is success dependent on local conditions?

The effect of Tanzania's wide-ranging economic reforms on the performance of its manufacturing industries has been the focus of debate. How far have protectionist policies of the pre-liberalisation era rendered domestic firms vulnerable to increased competition? Has the removal of market distortions facilitated greater long-term efficiency?

Bretton Woods Project was established by a network of UK NGOs to monitor the
World Bank and IMF. The Project's reports and free bi-monthly bulletin
Bretton Woods Update aim to clarify current issues and provide links to
campaigners and researchers worldwide. The latest issue of the bulletin is
available online or by subscription.

id21News - is the Newsletter of the id21 Development Research
reporting service, bringing you the latest and best UK-based development
research.

the second instalment in the NGO Networks for Health Resources series is now available. The document, 'Resources for Primary Health Care and Other Health Programs', describes resources available on the topic of primary health care and newsletters and periodicals on a range of health issues, including family planning, reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, child health, primary health care, pharmaceuticals, disabilities, and eye health.

In schools across South Africa, thousands of girls of every race and economic group are encountering sexual violence and harassment that impede their access to education, Human Rights Watch charged in a report released this week.

Conservationist Richard Leakey who headed an anti-corruption team in Kenya was removed from his job Monday by President Daniel arap Moi, who said the white Kenyan had completed his task of launching reforms. Despite Moi's comment that Leakey was stepping down by agreement, some analysts said he had been sacked.

In a year that saw unbounded confidence in the nation's
economy turn to increasing uncertainty, U.S. grantmaking
foundations raised their contributions to nonprofit organi-
zations a record $4.3 billion, according to a new report
from the Foundation Center.

KeyWATER: a key
to water-environment related activities in the domain
of education, training, transfer and evaluation of
knowledge, skills and competences, mobility of
students and staff, vacancies, research and
technological development (RTD), demonstration and
innovation. KeyWATER and LATEST NEWS are partially
sponsored through several EC-funded projects.

Two out of every three people in the world will be facing water shortages by 2025, says a new report launched by Christian relief and development agency Tearfund.

Poor communities vulnerable to natural disasters and other effects of changing weather patterns will bear the brunt of George Bush’s decision not to implement the Kyoto Treaty on climate change.

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) today completed the second review of Uganda's performance under the third annual arrangement under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF). This will enable Uganda to draw SDR 8.9 million (about US$11 million) immediately from the IMF.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), citing the need to reduce the impact of storm-related disasters on agriculture, proposed a disaster management strategy, in a report presented to the 16th session of its Committee on Agriculture, which opened today.

Fahamu - learning for change - has been awarded a grant to develop an interactive training guide on human rights education in rural populations in collaboration with the Kenya Human Rights Commission, and to develop supplementary materials on Training Skills for the Adilisha Project (http://www.fahamu.org/). The award has been made by the Human Rights Project Fund of the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (http://www.hrpd.fco.gov.uk/). The Human Rights Project Fund (HRPF) is the FCO's dedicated fund for human rights projects.

In this issue: Content Development; Country Gateways; Partnerships and Outreach; Responding to Users; The Gateway Organization; Contact Us

In April 2001 Earth Report features stories on: Biodiversity under threat from invasive species; The industrialisation of Amazonia and its link with carbon emissions trading; How ill-informed use of pesticides is poisoning Cambodian farmers.'Earth Report' is broadcast weekly on BBC World at the following times GMT: Monday at 03:30 & 21:30, Tuesday at 08:30, 11:30 & 14:30, Wednesday at 01:30 & 05:30, Saturday at 18:30, Sunday at 07:30.

A discussion on corruption in Africa, hosted by the Worldbank, beginning April 02 2001.

Tagged under: 16, Contributor, Corruption, Governance

TI representatives from 11 African countries adopted the Nyanga Declaration, launching a campaign to repatriate Africa's stolen wealth. The declaration, signed at the regional conference in Zimbabwe, calls for "the sealing of all known loopholes, requiring banks to open their books for inspection where there is reasonable cause to suspect illegal activity, and mandatory liquidation and repatriation of assets known to have been corruptly acquired". The chapters called on members of the United Nations to adopt an international treaty to expedite the tracing, recovery and repatriation of wealth stolen from developing countries and transferred abroad.

Participants expressed their support for the Wolfsberg Anti-Money Laundering Principles adopted by 11 leading international banks as "a first step towards stopping the movement of illicit wealth". The Declaration calls upon the Organisation of African Unity to "take a leadership role in representing the interests of Africa with regard to the return of Africa's stolen wealth wherever it may be found on the globe and, as a first step, (to) adopt all reasonable measures to prevent the illegal appropriation and transfer of moneys from Africa's treasuries".

The full text of the Declaration can be found at:

This study explores the merits of HIV/AIDS prevention and control on health-care reform and concludes that to efficiently fight HIV/AIDS, effective health-care reform is a must. The study also discusses the human resource management issues inherent in health-care reform and HIV/AIDS.

COSATU notes with regret the worsening situation revealed by the statistics released by Community Agency for Social Enquiry (CASE) (Sowetan, 29 March) indicating that South African youth are receiving insufficient education, especially tertiary education, which leads to them being unemployable. What is even shocking is that the hardest hit by this problem are African youths, both females and males.

Tagged under: 16, Contributor, Education, Resources

The president has pledged to end corruption as a way of life. The results so far have been mixed.

Thirty-nine pharmaceutical companies are suing the South African government in a move that would stop South Africans from receiving lifesaving AIDS drugs. Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) asks you to support South Africa's efforts to make essential medicines more accessible to its people by signing the global "Drop the Case" petition by April 15.

We are pleased to announce that we have recently started to offer FREE, hands-on training in the use of our most popular electronic resources. Follow along with the instructor as you learn the ins and outs of our funding research tools!

The Democratic Republic of the Congo President Joseph Kabila urged Zimbabwean
companies to invest in his mineral-rich country on Tuesday, saying that they should take advantage of the strong political ties between the two states.

A regional workshop on Tuberculosis Services Accessibility in Southern Africa, to be held in Harare, Zimbabwe from 21 to 22 May 2001.

Join the 50+ people who signed the "Save the Kenyan Forests" petition to the Kenyan Government. The petition will be closed April 9!! Sign now...

Rwanda: Decision Point Document for the Enhanced Initiative for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) December 11, 2000.

Amnesty International is concerned that recent statements made by President Sam Nujoma of Namibia may lead to the persecution of individuals identified as lesbian or gay and to further attacks on human rights groups advocating support for lesbian and gay rights.

Namibia Prez Nujoma threatens lesbians and gay men with prison and deportation, but it is Zimbabwe's Mugabe who's driving the regional anti-gay bandwagon.

The National Organization for Women has declared a state of emergency to save women's rights to self-determination and reproductive freedom. NOW is calling on activists everywhere to take part in a national campaign which will kick off with an Emergency Action for Women's Lives in Washington, D.C. at 11am on Sunday, April 22.

JOB TITLE: Regional Coordinator
ORGANISATION: OneWorld Africa
LOCATION: Lusaka, Zambia
SALARY: Equivalent to c.18,000 pounds sterling per
year, 22 months contract period.

Tagged under: 16, Contributor, Jobs, Resources

Hijack a plane in Afghanistan and fly it to London. Board a rusting tub in Turkey and be wrecked off the coast of Italy or washed up in France. Camp in a container for weeks until your ship is unloaded in Canada. Hang to the wheel of a jumbo jet and hope not to freeze or suffocate. Splash across the Rio Grande. Float in a rubber ring to Florida. Walk the Sahara and sail to Spain. If you live in a miserable part of the world, just do something to reach a place more promising.

Books, journals and newsletters on migration from the International Organisation for Migration

Country briefs from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees discuss asylum issues in individual countries.

Latest updates on Africa's e-business and telecommunications industries.

The Horizons Project and PSI have conducted a descriptive, cross-sectional study of female condom users, male condom users, and non-users of either barrier method. The goal of this research is to increase understanding of the patterns and dynamics of female condom use in order to inform policymakers and program planners involved in decisions about promotion and distribution of the female condom.

The Law Library of Congress and American University, Washington College of
Law cordially invite the SAIS Refugee Policy and all other interested
persons to attend a symposium on:

"The Legal Protection of the Vulnerable: Internally Displaced Persons"

DATE: Thursday, April 12, 2001 at 2pm
LOCATION: Library of Congress (Coolidge Auditorium) located in the Thomas
Jefferson Building, 10 First Street, S.E., Washington, DC.
FEE: Although there is no fee to attend this event, the organizers request that
you register either by calling the Office of Special Events and Continuing
Legal Education at (202) 274-4076 or online at www.wcl.american.edu/secle
and clicking on "Event Registration."

An important component of HIV voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) programs is encouraging clients to inform partners of their serostatus. Yet many clients do not disclose results to partners. Researchers have found that a serious barrier to disclosure for women is fear of a violent reaction by male partners and that HIV-infected women are at increased risk for partner violence. Building on previous research, this study explores the links between HIV infection, serostatus disclosure, and partner violence among women attending the Muhimbili Health Information Center (MHIC), a VCT clinic in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

The "Health Training" website is an internet-based inventory providing comprehensive information on postgraduate training and further education opportunities in the field of International Health.

Roger Winter, Executive Director of the U.S. Committee for Refugees (USCR) testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Africa and the Subcommittee on International Operations and Human Rights on Wednesday, March 28, 2001. The testimony, regarding U.S. policy toward the Sudan, can be accessed on the USCR website.

Information on bombing in Sudan by date, region, number of bombs and casualties.

DATE: 17-18 MAY 2001
LOCATION: ACCRA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE CENTRE
FEE: $399 per delegate. The fifth delegate attends free when five delegates from your organisation register for the conference at the same time.

Marking the International Day for the elimination of Racial Discrimination, Human Rights Watch called for an end to Caste-based discrimination around the world.

The United Nations peacekeepers have officially begun their mission in Congo Kinshasa (DRC), as the first UN contingent arrived and started deploying in the country. The deployment comes after foreign troops on Congolese soil had completed the "disengagement process" (pullback) that began two weeks ago.

Congo Kinshasa (DRC) President Joseph Kabila was sworn in on 26 January this year after the assassination of his father, Laurent-Desire Kabila, on 16 January. Since taking office he has promised cooperation with the UN Mission in the DRC (MONUC) and free movement of humanitarian agencies, and given approval for Sir Ketumile Masire to move ahead with organising the inter-Congolese dialogue on a new political dispensation for the country.

We will try to cover the breadth and length of the subject of both VOLUNTEERING in Africa, and finding PAID WORK in Africa.

Tagged under: 16, Contributor, Jobs, Resources

Rwandan has been praised for the progress in the country's human rights situation in a special report by UN Special Rapporteur Michel Moussalli, although much still remained to improve. A representative of Rwanda admitted, "that not all is perfect", but over the last three years human rights had improved notably and "where small problems remain, solutions are being sought."

DATE: May 8th and 9th, 2001
LOCATION: San Jose, California

DATE: FROM 27 JUNE TO 6 JULY 2001
LOCATION: PERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA

A group of 10 prominent figures from various walks of life have written an open letter to President George W Bush urging him to review his stance on the environment. The letter, in Monday's issue of Time magazine, follows signals that the Bush administration had abandoned the 1997 Kyoto treaty aimed at cutting greenhouse gas emissions, which are blamed for global warming.

JOB TITLE: Senior Behavior Change Specialist
ORGANISATION: The Academy for Educational Development
LOCATION: Washington, D.C.
Estimated Length of Assignment/Duration: 5 years

Tagged under: 16, Contributor, Jobs, Resources

The UK has aligned itself firmly on the side of the pharmaceutical industry in the battle over cheap drugs for developing countries, declaring that patents on medicines must be upheld even in poor countries where millions are dying of diseases such as tuberculosis and Aids.

JOB TITLE: Director of Regional Development, Fundraising & Development
ORGANISATION: American Friends Service Committee
LOCATION: Cambridge, Massachusetts
SALARY: $32,302-40,377, depending on experience; excellent benefits
CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS: April 13, 2001

Tagged under: 16, Contributor, Governance, Jobs

Guinea-Bissau's main opposition parties said on Monday they would not cooperate with the new government because it was unrepresentative of all political forces in the country. Their statement came few hours after the newly appointed prime minister, Faustino Imbali, announced his new team of 14 ministers and eight state secretaries. Imbali was appointed on Wednesday to replace Caetano Intchama and promised to concentrate on resolving the instability in the country.

The UN World Food Programme said on Friday it had been unable to deliver food to thousands of refugees in the south of Guinea because of fighting in the so-called Parrot's Beak over the last three weeks. "WFP is extremely concerned about the fate of tens of thousands of mostly Sierra Leonean refugees, previously sheltered in refugee camps in the area," Ramin Rafirasme, the WFP regional spokesman, said in Abidjan.

A new memingitis epidemic is developing in large parts of Africa. In Burkina Faso the epidemic has already claimed 600 lives this year and the government appealed for International Aid.

JOB TITLE: Immigration Paralegal
ORGANISATION: Ayuda, Inc.
LOCATION: Washington, D.C.
CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS: July 31, 2001

Tagged under: 16, Contributor, Human Security, Jobs

International Center and Liberia Institute of Journalism WEST AFRICA NEWSLETTER
Reporting on Human Rights, Democracy & Development Vol. 1 No. 14 March 30, 2001.

An ARTICLE 19 report launched today demonstrates that outright abuse of the rights to freedom of association and assembly is rife throughout Africa.

Ethiopia's post-socialist track record shows that the country has made a decisive break with its command economy in many, but not all, respects. Price controls have been largely dismantled, tax and tariff rates reduced, and the inflation rate kept low. The EPRDF Government has a strong sense of ownership of the reforms, and it is committed to several measures that go beyond stabilization and liberalization.

JOB TITLE: Outreach Liaison, Africa & Europe
ORGANISATION:Coalition for the International Criminal Court
LOCATION: Main office of the CICC in New York
SALARY: Salary will be commensurate with experience
CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS: Friday, April 20th

Tagged under: 16, Contributor, Jobs, Resources

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) wishes to facilitate information-sharing and to assist countries in the development of national plans of action for human rights education.

Eight African countries have amended their constitutions to domesticate the
International Criminal Court statutes on crimes against humanity.

The Global Forum for Health Research will hold its fifth annual meet-
ing in Geneva this October.
DATE: 9-12 October 2001
LOCATION: Forum 5: Geneva, Switzerland

WorldSpace Foundation - Africa - provides satellite broadcasting directly to radio and multi-media receivers at low cost in Africa. The flagship project, "Africa Learning Channel" delivers distance education and social development information via satellite to radios in rural and isolated regions of Africa.

Tagged under: 16, Contributor, Education, Resources

IRIN-CEA Weekly Round-up 66 covering the period 24 - 30 March

Amnesty International today condemned the kidnapping of several humanitarian aid workers in Somalia's capital Mogadishu, and expressed concern for the safety of those still held by a local militia.

A group of NGOs including Amnesty have called on the international community to "turn principles into practice", as Mary Robinson highlighted in her opening statement to the UN Commission on Human Rights. The case of Togo, which has systematically violated international human rights standards, will be a test case for whether the Commission on Human Rights can put effective action before
political interests.

DISCOVERY-NETWORK is a daily update on human rights and democratic development of the Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law based in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

Uganda's reform program has been one of the most successful in Sub Saharan Africa since the mid-1980s. From an early stance of rejection (1986) and reluctance (1987-1992) the government moved to a situation of full ownership of market-based reforms. The government has achieved both stabilization and substantial control of the economy.

The purpose of the paper is to understand the causes of policy reform in Tanzania. It covers the time period from the beginning of the severe economic crisis in Tanzania in 1979 up to the present, but to put this in perspective it also briefly outlines the policies pursued before that. The study investigates how aid has encouraged, generated, influenced, supported or even retarded reforms.

The United States' oldest organizations devoted to analysis and advocacy on African Affairs have successfully negotiated a consolidation of three institutions into one: Africa Action.

ASFC Africa Iniative is holding a brainstorming meeting on April 20-21, Harare Zimbabwe. AI aims to complement and deepen the work of local, national and regional communities as well as those who work with them in re-thinking the links between the various issues that challenge African lives on a daily basis and to explore newer avenues for collaboration and cooperation in meeting these challenges.

The Nile Council of Ministers that comprises water ministers from the nine Nile Basin states, has endorsed development projects of the region's water, hydroelectric and environmental resources, sources said.

Teaching aids (books, slides, posters etc.) at low cost. Some items particularly suitable for developing countries in the south. Available
from PO Box 49, St. Albans, Herts. AL1 5TX, U.K.

Sends books and periodicals from UK to partner distributors in developing countries.

IFPRI's 2020 Vision initiative is inviting young people around the world to
share their thoughts on how to feed all the world’s citizens. Students 15 to
18 years old may submit an essay, poem, short story, or other text written
in English on some aspect of world hunger and the best way to eliminate it.

An international conference Bonn, Germany, September 4-6, 2001. With 800 million people lacking enough food to lead healthy, productive
lives, food insecurity remains a global threat and a humanitarian tragedy.
This conference will focus on why hunger persists, what emerging forces are
influencing the prospects for food security in the next two decades, and how
we need to realign priorities to eliminate hunger once and for all.

This five day training event aims to respond to the urgent need for craetive and participatory approaches to the resolution of intra-state conflict by promoting respect for human rights, governance and citizen based third party mediation. The training aims to enable and strengthen the capacity of women's organisations to effectively contribute to peacebuilding processes within the West African sub-region. As it is our first sub-regional session, we would particularly welcome applications from SE Nigeria, northern Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Gambia.

The leader of one of the Congolese rebel movements has refused to give an assurance that his troops will pull back from the front-line in compliance with a peace treaty.

South Africa's indigenous people, known as Khoisan, are demanding better treatment from the country's government.

Rwanda has begun a week of mourning for the victims of the 1994 genocide in which hundreds of thousands of Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed.

The Senior Inter-Agency Network on Internal Displacement, led by the UN Special Coordinator on Internal Displacement, together with representatives of FAO, the Office of the Representative of the Secretary-General on Internally Displaced Persons (RSG on IDPs), UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP and the NGO community, undertook a mission to Angola from 12 to 17 March 2001. The report of the mission is now available.

Guinean President Lansana Conte has refused to meet Liberian counterpart Charles Taylor over rebel attacks on Guinea which Conte says are backed by Liberia.

Thousands of refugees fleeing fighting in the west African state of Guinea have reported random murders, rapes, torture and other widespread rights abuses by Guinean civilians and the military.

The U.N. Security Council demanded on Friday that Sierra Leone's rebels allow U.N. peacekeepers into diamond mine areas they control and authorized an increase of U.N. troops to 17,500 from 10,350.

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