PAMBAZUKA NEWS 113: ENDING THE SIEGE ON ZIMBABWEAN PEOPLE IS VITAL FOR AFRICAN PROGRESS
PAMBAZUKA NEWS 113: ENDING THE SIEGE ON ZIMBABWEAN PEOPLE IS VITAL FOR AFRICAN PROGRESS
Evian, France--the world capital of designer water--may be a fitting city to host the heads of state from the eight most powerful industrial nations from June 1-3. But the image of wealthy leaders sipping "l'original" gourmet H20 will hardly help the G-8, as the exclusive group is known, to defend itself against charges of being an elitist and undemocratic forum. Debt and arms control, two important issues on the Evian meeting's agenda, show that those who gather to protest are not only voicing important criticisms about the illegitimacy of the meeting, but are also proposing vital solutions to international problems, says this Foreign Policy in Focus commentary.
Corruption is costing Kenya as much as $1bn a year, which new anti-corruption measures will hopefully recoup to help provide better public services to Kenyans, the government believes. Despite rich natural resources, Kenya's growth has stagnated for years, with the economy expanding by just 1.1% in 2002, said Planning Minister Peter Anyang' Nyong'o.
Amnesty International, in its annual report (http://www.amnesty.org/ailib/aireport/) released last Wednesday says human rights abuses are particularly serious throughout much of Africa. The group is spotlighting problems it says receive too little attention. Amnesty International says some of the worst injustices in 2002 took place in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, and Liberia, where armed conflicts took thousands of lives and livelihoods.
Over the next three decades the world's population is expected to grow by some 2.2 billion people and the majority of this growth will take place in urban cities within developing countries. This rapid and far-reaching urbanization represents a major transformation for humanity, said experts at the Global Health Council's annual conference, and will have profound impacts on global health and the environment.
When Zimbabwe designated a 5,000 square kilometre stretch of southern savannah as the Gonarezhou National Park in 1966, the new park boundaries did more than protect the wildlife within; they locked people out. With the creation of the park, the government forcibly relocated a number of traditional communities that had lived on the land for generations. The conflict between parks and local people is not unique to Zimbabwe. Disputes can be found all over Africa. The continent has a history of displacement of villagers to make way for the establishment of national parks.
The African Perspectives discussion series is a component of Africa-America Institute's (AAI's) AFTECH Initiative through which Africans discuss and debate policy issues among themselves and inform U.S. policies toward Africa. The dual objective of African Perspectives is to inform U.S. policy by heightening policy makers' understanding of their decisions vis-à-vis Africa while also stimulating civil society debate and cross sector participation in Africa.
With this year's Group of Eight (G-8) summit starting in Evian, France, this weekend, civil society critics are united on the belief that while the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) has good intentions, it will not break the chains of global capital. This was the general consensus at a conference hosted by the National Labour and Economic Development Institute (NALEDI) last weekend. The conference brought together civil society and trade union movements from across the continent to formulate a collective assessment on NEPAD about "what would constitute an acceptable development path for Africa," said Ravi Naidoo, director of NALEDI.
The June G8 meeting in Evian, France may not, after all, feature the once-anticipated spoils-of-war squabbles between the warmongering coalition (US, UK and Italy) and their ephemeral opponents (Germany, France, Russia, Japan and Canada). But China's invitation to attend will distract attention from a promise by French premier Jacques Chirac to loosen up Northern agricultural barriers to trade which hold back African exports. Where, then, asks Patrick Bond from Wits University, does the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) fit? Is it, as many commentators now agree, yesterday's news?
Frustrated by years of fruitless campaigns, researchers are now turning to the last line of defence: schools - to protect Senegal's endangered medicinal plants. ''We must create botanical gardens, which include endangered plants, on school grounds,'' says Sidi Diallo, a teacher at Mbour secondary school.
Civil society organisations are becoming increasingly sceptical about the value of the G8 summits to Africa. More energy has gone into non-African issues such as the aftermath of the Iraq war than into matters of vital importance to Africa, says Ezra Mbogori, executive director of Mwengo (Mwelekeo wa NGO). The organisation serves NGOs in East and Southern Africa.
The top United Nations human rights official has applauded the unanimous decision by the Security Council to authorize the deployment of an international emergency force to the Ituri district in the north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Related Link:
* Salih Booker, Executive Director of Africa Action, interviewed on DRC violence
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/africa/jan-june03/congo_5-28.html
Seventy representatives of civil society groups in Africa from the southern, eastern, western and central African regions met over two days in Johannesburg, South Africa on May 26-27 to discuss questions of how to strengthen democracy through NEPAD. The conference identified a number of concrete strategies for tackling the challenges confronting civil society in its engagement with the African Peer Review Mechanism. These strategies will address the need to publicise and share research findings, the need to establish civil society 'nodes' to improve co-ordination, the need for the establishment of a working group and the need to establish a Pan African Civil Society. The major task of the working group will be concerned with setting of norms and standards for credible democratic governance, with special focus on elections and accountability of public representatives.
Civil wars attract much less attention than international wars but they are becoming increasingly common and typically go on for years. Where development fails countries can become trapped in a vicious circle: war wrecks the economy and increases the risk of further war. This draft Policy Research Report, ‘Civil War and Development Policy’, challenges the belief that civil wars are inevitable and proposes an agenda for global action.
Millions of Angolans remained uprooted at the end of 2002, including 2 million to 3.5 million persons displaced within Angola and nearly 410,000 refugees and asylum seekers outside the country. Meanwhile, nearly 25,000 citizens of Congo-Brazzaville were refugees or asylum seekers at the end of 2002, including about 15,000 in Gabon, some 3,000 in Congo-Kinshasa, and nearly 5,000 asylum applicants in Western industrialized countries. An estimated 100,000 people in Congo-Brazzaville were internally displaced at year’s end, including tens of thousands who were newly uprooted by violence during 2002. This is according to the World Refugee Survey 2003, released last week by the US Committee for refugees.
NEPAD is an influential discourse but civil society groups have not yet had much opportunity to become involved. For example, NEPAD espouses participation with “organised” civil society groups, although no civil society groups were included in its drafting process. There seems to be a clear intent from its founders that governments will attempt to hold onto the reins and hope to manage citizen participation on their own terms. The role of civil society seems to be seen as educating the public about NEPAD, acting as a watchdog for implementation and best practice, and facilitating economic integration. Because NEPAD is no more than a guiding macro-political strategy, civil society organisations could also provide independent, critical critique, help set the development agenda in partnership with governments and contribute towards implementation.
The Chad-Cameroon petroleum project was approved by the World Bank in June 2000 after more than three years of intense discussions between oil multinationals, the Bank, Bank member governments and NGOs from the South and the North. In response to the grievances received, the World Bank proposed a framework to impose social and environmental rules on the multinationals, and build the capacity of Cameroonian and Chadian governments to enable them to manage project-related opportunities and risks. The failure to respect promises in the construction phase is a cause for concern for the project's future. There are already talks of expanding the oil exploitation zone to the east of Chad, north of the Central African Republic and north of Cameroon. As the World Bank will have no means to exert pressure on the consortium it is hard to think that the operations will respect people and nature more than in the past three years. The major merit of the project is to have confirmed that under authoritarian regimes there is a fundamental incompatibility between poverty alleviation objectives and oil exploitation activities.
Dozens of Africa advocacy organisations have signed a letter to US President George Bush calling on him to reaffirm his commitment to defeating AIDS in Africa, and urging him to reschedule his postponed trip to Africa as a matter of priority. The letter applauds the President's promise to show leadership in the fight against AIDS in Africa, but emphasizes that funds must be made available immediately, this year, in order to save lives now and respond to what the President himself has rightfully called an "emergency."
In a new grassroots movement to combat the corporatization of water, organisers gathered here in mid-May for their first annual water forum. Titled "Securing the Right to Water in Africa," the event brought together various groups in Africa who oppose growing efforts by multinational corporations and lending institutions to privatize water. The World Bank has set its sights on Ghana as a poster child for water privatisation in Africa. Under Bank loan requirements, monthly water rates have skyrocketed for the average Ghanaian. Now, the Bank is demanding the country privatise its system. A coalition of non-profit groups and grassroots protesters have delayed the plan for two years.
The preparatory work leading up to the G-8 meeting had already shown that very little would emerge on three key crises that affect global development today - the Third World debt crisis, the African crisis, and the crisis of legitimacy of the global arrangements that drive the globalization process, including the G-8 itself, says this commentary from Foreign Policy in Focus.
Is South Africa’s post-apartheid commitment to gender rights incompatible with the recognition given to unelected hereditary authorities? Who makes decisions about land allocation and use in the overcrowded former ‘bantustans’ (ex-homelands)? What is the impact on female-headed households? Can the aborted move towards gender equity and land reform be put back on track? A paper ‘Gender, traditional authority and the politics of rural reform in South Africa’ by the Universities of Monash and Nottingham Trent shows the ways in which constitutional contradictions block progress on land reform in the black homelands where three-quarters of South Africa’s poor households are found.
Is globalisation undermining the policy autonomy of developing countries? Are democratic deficits being created when the demands of internationally organised neo-liberal elites conflict with popular preferences and concerns? What are the implications of this for the poor? A paper by the Institute of Development Studies reviews the debates on the impact of globalisation on the role of the state in development. Arguing that globalisation has to be understood historically and as a political process, it warns against simplistic assumptions about northern ‘winners’ and southern ‘losers’. Options may be constrained, and there may be more policy choices for some governments than for others, but states are likely to retain some autonomy and capacity to determine the organisation of national economies.
A billion people, including at least two-thirds of those in the 49 least developed countries (LDCs), are taking part in a massive social experiment. Will Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs), the current centrepiece development strategy for LDCs, help them escape from extreme poverty? Are PRSPs, as currently designed, likely to promote sustained growth? A report by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) provides an international comparative analysis of poverty in the LDCs. UNCTAD suggests that the full potential of the PRSP approach to poverty reduction is not being utilised and that the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative is half-hearted.
What can donors do to strengthen the capacity of a society to manage tensions and disputes without resorting to violence? What governance interventions might improve a state’s capacity to contain conflict? How can we better understand the role corruption and natural resource spoiling plays in managing and generating conflict? A paper from the UK’s Department for International Development, entitled ‘Governance and conflict management: implications for donor intervention’, explores the impact of key governance capabilities on the effectiveness with which intra-societal conflict is managed.
As G8 leaders gathered in Evian, France, Amnesty International urged them to make good on their promises, made at last year's summit, "to promote peace and security in Africa." "Tough action by the G8 leaders can liberate the people of Africa from the devastating effects of conflict. If the G8 are serious about change in Africa, they must act on the sources of conflict -- the trade in arms and in natural resources that fuels wars across the continent," Amnesty International said.
This review from the International Labour Organisation of national HIV/AIDS and child labour policies and programmes, NGO projects, and community-based initiatives illuminates the harsh realities of the link between child labour and HIV/AIDS. The report identifies the broad range of responses, large and small, to these intersecting issues.
Fund the Fund have produced an advocacy kit aimed at civil society organisations (including nongovernmental, community-based, people living with the diseases, faith-based, and trade unions) to promote their advocacy for increased investment in the Global Fund.
When generic medicines entered the market in Uganda, the price of patented medicines fell dramatically, reinforcing the view that an important determinant of price, and therefore accessibility of drugs to fight HIV/AIDS, is competition from generic medicines. This was one of the conclusions of Oxfam research into the accessibility of ARV therapy in Uganda since 2000.
Thanks for the good job. We must continue to put pressure on our leaders to take people more seriously and facilitate their development. (PAMBAZUKA NEWS 112: THE CHALLENGES BEFORE AFRICA AND THE AFRICAN UNION)
In the first bit which mentions African states (PAMBAZUKA NEWS 112: THE CHALLENGES BEFORE AFRICA AND THE AFRICAN UNION), I wondered why Angola was not included in the list of the ten most corrupt countries. The editorial says: "...Of the ten most corrupt countries in the world, five, Nigeria, Uganda, Cameroon, Kenya and Tanzania, are African..." The record of the current Government's elite in Angola is easily a competition for the worst excesses of the Abacha regime in Nigeria. Sorry to be so pedantic, but I was concerned that Angola's reputation should not improve on the world stage until such time as the government actually does something to clean up the mess - something that is eagerly waited for. We would also be the first to congratulate them for such moves. Thanks for all - love your stuff.
Editor replies: You are quite right - we stand chastised for relying only on Transparency International sources. Thanks for the correction.
A child rights culture and programme should reflect the administrative implications of the Constitution, notably Section 28 (2) which states that: “A child's best interests are of paramount importance in every matter concerning the child." The imperative is that the state has to “get behind” parents and communities in whatever way enhances the child and ensures its overall development. The state is on shaky constitutional and developmental grounds with regard to both children and poverty. The opportunity exists to back parents and adults, acting in community, as good parents and as local investors and economic agents.
Twenty-five years after moving to the United States from Mali, an acclaimed filmmaker and scholar explores what it means to be an African in the West, interweaving his own life story with reflections on immigration and change. In this deeply personal and unflinchingly honest exploration of what it means to be African, Manthia Diawara recounts the bittersweet experience of an expatriate who no longer lives life as an "African" yet is the object of others' fantasies and fears about people of the dark continent.
This collection of papers brings educational research to the central topics of environmental sustainability and economic development, and highlights the importance of education in linking, and achieving these dual objectives. It is related particularly to the role of education for sustainable development in Africa. Contributors examine the roles of indigenous knowledge and non-formal education in equipping people to sustain their own lives and livelihoods, and assert the imperative to recognise the contribution of local knowledge and culture to sustainable development - often against the trends of globalisation.
Filmmakers are no doubt visionaries … artists who observe the reality and reproduce it – larger than life on the silver screen. Karyl-Lyn Sanderson, a baby-faced 22-year-old, and a recent NYU film school graduate, is no exception. Her latest project "Elusive Fortune" a documentary about the influence of western culture on young South Africans is at once intriguing and disturbing. In the film Karyl-Lyn interviews young Black South Africans, asking them to define themselves. Some responses are shocking. Karyl-Lyn documents the loss of traditional cultures in South Africa and the overpowering influence of the West.
AJOL offers the tables of content and abstracts from journals published in Africa on: Agricultural sciences, arts, culture, language and literature, health, science and technology, and social sciences.
Under the general direction of the Project Field Team Leader in Ghana, the candidate will provide technical assistance on local development for the CIDA Community-driven Initiatives for Food Security (CIFS) project. This project seeks to achieve a sustainable increase in household food security in the 7 districts of the Eastern Corridor, Northern Region of Ghana.
Working closely with the Field Office Director, the Emergency Program Coordinator will oversee and manage Save the Children's emergency programs in Ethiopia which include an Emergency Food Distribution Program, Emergency Nutrition and Health Program and a Non-Food Emergency Response Program.
Oxfam plans to implement a Cash for Work programme in the Northern part of Turkana. Nineteen villages will participate in the programme, producing a range of projects that are beneficial to the whole community, as a secondary output. As part of the mitigation programme, it is also essential that key water points are also repaired, and infrastructure is put in place to ensure sustainability.
The Deputy CD will report to the Country Director and be responsible for the management of IRC field offices and Kampala-based program staff. The Deputy CD will delegate daily field office operations to the IRC Field Managers' administrative, financial, and logistics' and concentrate on improving program quality and reporting, increasing representation to district and national government, increasing representation to peer NGOs and donors, and increasing IRC and implementing partner staff training.
A coalition of 13 Ghanaian organisations need a global outpouring of citizen support for forest reserve protection. The Ghanaian coalition that opposes mining in the forest reserves is working with villagers on a variety of projects for sustainable economic development as an alternative to mining. They charge that five mining companies, including industry giant Newmont, got away with illegal mineral explorations in the forest reserves under the former administration. You can respond to this urgent request for international solidarity from the people of Ghana who have already suffered too much from irresponsible mining.
Of late, I have come to realise that, unlike the positive feedback, the few negative responses I have received to my articles have not been targeted at the substance of my opinions; rather they appear resentful of my decision to express them. Speaking only for myself, I can accept, and even understand, why others may wish to quarrel with my views. However, criticisms motivated by a desire to cover up problematic issues have now been aimed at Shadows of the Past as Human Rights Deteriorate, a discussion paper on Somaliland issued by African Rights on 26 May. The paper is based on testimony from people in Somaliland who have, in one way or another, been victimised. In this case, a public response is required.
Shortly after coming to power last December, Kenya’s new president, Mwai Kibaki, issued a heartfelt plea to the country's graduates now working in the developed world. “We invite all of those who have been hounded out of our shores by repressive policies of our predecessors to come back home and join us in nation-building,” the president said. “Kenya needs the genius of its citizens wherever they are. It’s time for healing, and we need every hand on deck.” The loss of skilled personnel is a major drain on the whole development process, nowhere more than in science and technology. A new SciDev.Net dossier provides a guide to this complex issue.
Finnish cartoonist Leif Packalen is using comics to fight corruption in Africa. He leads a small voluntary organisation, World Comics, which has organised workshops for artists in India, Tanzania, Kenya and Mozambique for 10 years.
The next issue of Other Facets, a periodic newsletter about the international effort to end diamond-related conflict, is available. Other Facets is a publication of the Diamonds and Human Security Project.
The War Profiteers Card Deck exposes some of the real war criminals in the US’s endless War of Terror. This is no Sunday bridge club. These are individuals and institutions that stack the deck against democracy in the rigged game of global power. Exposing their place in the house of cards illuminates the links among corporations, institutions, and government officials that profit from endless war. This deck is designed to support on-going campaigns against many of the evil-doers present here. For more extensive information on each of the players and how you can get involved, please refer to the links section at the bottom of each profile.
Child Soldiers Newsletter is a free quarterly publication bringing you news, information and campaign updates from the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers. To subscribe, send an email to [email protected]. Spanish, German and French versions are available on the Coalition website, and also by email upon request.
Maria Dosiole Qalquer is in her 60s. Her daughter died of AIDS in 1995 and a month later, Maria’s son-in-law died too. In part Maria survives on the income she makes by breeding from the goats she received as part of HelpAge International’s support scheme. Living Together is a community-based programme in Tete province, Mozambique that supports the rising numbers of older people who are bringing up orphans. It helps them to make ends meet and send the children to school. HelpAge International has developed this two-year programme with UNICEF.
Leaders of the world's eight largest industrialized democracies wound up their annual three day meeting in Evian on the shore of Lake Geneva, with a joint statement that emphasizes environmental responsibility and sustainable development.
The world should impose environmental rules on the high seas and stop treating international waters as a "no man's land" if marine environments are to be saved, according to a report issued Tuesday by an international conference of ocean activists.
The world's richest countries are failing to curb the pollution that's causing global climate change, says a report published by the United Nations. Emissions from countries such as the United States, Canada and Australia grew in the 1990s despite their promising, with other industrialised countries, to lead action to reduce the problem.
Togolese security forces clashed on Tuesday morning with demonstrators in the streets of the capital Lome following the arrest of independent presidential candidate Nicolas Lawson and the spokesman of the main opposition party Union of Forces for Change, Jean-Pierre Fabre.
Conditions had stabilised in virtually all areas of Angola where humanitarian agencies had sustained access but overall, levels of vulnerability remained some of the highest in the world, the mid-term review of the 2003 Consolidated Inter-agency Appeal (CAP) for Angola said.
Members of the Hema community have accused Lendu militias of killing at least 250 Hemas in north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on Saturday. The killings reportedly took place after the withdrawal of Ugandan armed forces from the towns of Tshomia and Kasenyi, about 55 km southeast of Bunia, the principal city of Ituri District.
A further 450 Congolese refugees crossed into Uganda on Monday, alongside the last departing battalion of the Ugandan army.
The process of repatriating Angolan refugees living in Botswana is to move forward with the signing of an agreement on the issue this week. Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos began a visit to Botswana on Tuesday, where "the relevant Botswanan and Angolan ministers will sign a repatriation agreement with UNHCR (the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees)", said UNHCR Botswana Representative Benny Otim. Officially, Otim told IRIN, about 850 Angolans classified as refugees are living in Botswana.
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) expressed concern on Tuesday that thousands of Burundian refugees returning home from Tanzanian camps may not be doing so voluntarily. In a statement, the agency that many of those who were going back home had complained that the level of food aid in the Tanzanian camps had steadily declined.
Representatives of the Forces Nationales de Liberation (FNL) rebel faction led by Agathon Rwasa and Burundian government officials have been meeting in Switzerland since Saturday to discuss the possibility of holding peace negotiations, government and FNL sources told IRIN on Tuesday. Rwasa's faction is the only rebel group that has not signed a ceasefire agreement with the Burundian government, and its troops continue to stage sporadic attacks against government forces in parts of the country.
At least 2,000 Liberian refugees fleeing war-ravaged southeastern Maryland County arrived in Cote d'Ivoire's border town of Tabou over the weekend, exerting more strain on the town's already poor social infrastructure, aid workers said on Tuesday.
Over 20 people were killed in the course of an outbreak of heavy fighting in the Middle Shabelle Region, south-central Somalia, according to sources in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. The fighting in the village of Raghe-Eil, 95 km northeast of Mogadishu, pits militias loyal to faction leader Muhammad Dhere against those of the Abgal sub-clan Muhammad Muse.
African ministers said on Sunday it was time the International Monetary Fund (IMF) stopped "imposing" economic policies on the continent without consultation. Trevor Manual, the South African finance minister, told an economic conference in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, that there should be "nothing about us without us. I think it is time for decisions in the IMF to no longer to be imposed on us, but to derive from consultation with us."
The Tanzanian government has rejected the applications of 931 Rwandan refugees who asked to stay in the country because they fear that the security situation in their country is not conducive to their return, The Guardian newspaper reported last Friday.
A vaccination campaign to halt the spread of yellow fever in Imotong and Ikotos, Eastern Equatoria, southern Sudan, began on Sunday, Ben Parker, the spokesman for the UN humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, told IRIN.
The World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that it is running "dangerously low" on rations for Angolan refugees in Namibia. "A corn-soya blend pipeline break is expected in June and breaks for virtually all other commodities in the food basket, including the staple maize meal, in July. Donations are urgently needed for the WFP emergency refugee operation, which is expected to feed about 16,000 refugees in Osire camp and support the planned repatriation programme over the next 12 months," WFP said in its latest situation report.
President Levy Mwanawasa's anti-corruption crusade has reached into the heart of his government and claimed the jobs of both his vice-president and finance minister. Mwanawasa at the weekend released an eight-page letter addressed to former vice-president Enoch Kavindele and finance minister Emmanuel Kasonde who were both sacked on Thursday. The letter for the first time publicly outlined the reasons for their dismissal, citing alleged corruption and disregard for tender and procurement procedures.
The second Pan-African Youth Conference on HIV/AIDS opened in Kigali last Thursday with young people from 40 African countries participating, the Rwanda News Agency (RNA) reported.
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has completed the registration of a reported 50,000 displaced people in North Kivu Province, among whom were many who had fled fighting in Bunia, northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), WFP reported last Friday.
The charity ActionAid has urged Britain to join with other rich nations and save poor farmers from global patent rules that threaten to make the seeds they use more expensive. This plea came before a group of 34 African nations proposes a revision of rules which enable agribusiness giants to take out patents on seeds. The patents allow corporations to raise the price of seeds and reduce access to them for farmers and researchers.
A meeting of Kenyan women has called for a truth and justice commission as a platform for them to speak out about the injustices of the past as a first step towards healing. Speaking at a May 28 consultation to reflect on the need for a truth, justice and reconciliation commission, women victims of repression gave accounts of how they were manhandled by the previous regime.
The Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. It will be recalled that the Council was established in 1973 out of the collective will of African social researchers to create a viable forum in Africa through which they could strive to transcend all barriers to knowledge production and, in so doing, play a critical role in the democratic development of the continent. As part of the series of events planned to mark the anniversary, the Council is organising a major international conference at its headquarters in Dakar, Senegal, from 08 to 11 December, 2003. The theme of the conference is: "Intellectuals, Nationalism and the Pan-African Ideal".
The Leadership Institute is an opportunity for young women to come together to hone their skills, articulate their own visions for a women's rights agenda, and work collaboratively to launch strategic and cutting-edge campaigns. Throughout the workshop, participants will explore the challenges posed by the HIV/AIDS pandemic and poverty in Africa, sharing their personal experiences of successful and not-so-successful initiatives in their own communities while developing new strategies to effect real change for women's rights and social justice in Africa.
A training video produced by WITNESS, an organisation that aims to advance human rights advocacy through the use of video and communications technology, uses footage shot by human rights activists from around the world, and illustrates various strategic ways video and communications technology can be used to further human rights advocacy. The video is accompanied by a written manual.
This book takes a new look at the urban poverty debate at a time when there is renewed interest in urban poverty and management from the World Bank and other multilateral development agencies. It brings together contributions from academics, practitioners and urban poverty specialists to present a multi-disciplinary approach to the debate, highlighting the need to link policy, institutional, and grassroots efforts.
I am a Johannesburg-based foreign correspondent writing for various English, Scottish and Japanese publications. I am currently running through Pambazuka newsletters for a series of development articles I am planning, and I am struck yet again that - although, inevitably, I do not agree with some of the opinions expressed and analyses offered - yours is a fantastic and invaluable service. Keep up the good work.
The government's legal advisers have suggested that the investigation into the country's controversial multi-billion rand arms deal be reopened, the SABC reported on Tuesday night.
The death of Olikoye Ransome-Kuti, the elder brother of Nigeria's Afrobeat king Fela, will likely have repercussions throughout the country's health care system, health professionals said on Tuesday. "He was quite a visionary, dedicated, a hardworking medical practitioner and public health worker whose achievements have remained unmatched," said a close associate, Martins Olusola Ogundeji. "But I am afraid that his efforts in the field of health, especially in primary health scheme, may die with him. Since he left office as minister, there has not been anyone like him to continue the policies formulated under him," he said.
In June, UN Security Council (UNSC) members will travel to Central and West Africa to witness the current armed conflict and post-conflict situations in countries in the respective regions. In order to support the Council's compliance with paragraph 15 of the UNSC Resolution 1325, the Inter-Agency Taskforce on Women, Peace and Security, led by the Office for the Special Advisor on Gender Issues, has submitted the names of local and national women's organisations that should be contacted by the Council members and has provided a list of gender issues and concerns that should be taken into consideration by the Council in each country. There is a concern among advocates for women's participation in peace and security matters that the quality of and quantity of time allotted to consultation with women's organisations while on mission is insubstantial and inconsistent with the Security Council's mandate in UNSC Resolution 1325.
Business Day reports that British Deputy Minister Paul Boateng is lobbying to increase foreign aid to Africa from US$50bn to US$100bn a year to align it with the United Nations millennium development goals and to give the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) the financial backing that it needs.
According to The Star and Business Day, the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Malaria and Tuberculosis is set to receive a huge financial boost. Billions of US$ have been committed by the EU, France and the United States. Activists from the Debt Aids Trade Africa campaign welcomed the pledges as "crucial for Africa".
According to SABCnews, the SA Marine Rehabilitation and Education Centre Trust has received R8.1m from the National Lottery. The money will be spent on establishing a marine rehabilitation centre in Port Elizabeth. The centre will focus on the rehabilitation and treatment of injured gannets, seals and seabirds and conservation of endangered species found in the region. The centre will also play a significant role in averting environmental hazards that could result from the imminent Eastern Cape industrial development zone, Coega.
The department of social development is expected to submit the draft Social Relief Fund bill to cabinet at the end of the month. The Bill seeks to consolidate five existing relief funds into one centrally managed fund, to be known as the Social Relief Fund. The Social Relief Fund will act through a board which will be the accounting authority thereof. It will consist of 11 members appointed by the Minister of Social Development - and is envisaged to provide social relief to asylum seekers and refugees who, according to the board, are in dire need of such relief.
The Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights (EOHR) has expressed great concern over the detention of five anti-war activists who have been detained by the Egyptian authorities since the middle of April. In addition, Ashraf Ibrahim Marzouq, an engineer, is currently in pre-trial detention in Tora prison. He is charged with filming a demonstration and having certain publications in his possession.
Media coverage of HIV/AIDS related issues in Nigeria recorded a boost on May 27, with the launch of the first-ever Media Handbook on HIV/AIDS in Nigeria. The publication is a product of a collaboration between three organisations: Journalists Against AIDS (JAAIDS) Nigeria, Development Communications Network, (DevComs) and the United Nations Information Centre, (UNIC), Nigeria.
Reporters sans frontières (RSF) has voiced its mounting concern over the worsening condition of jailed newspaper editor Ali Lmrabet, the organisation's correspondent in Morocco, who was rushed from his prison cell to hospital on 26 May 2003. Lmrabet has been on hunger strike since 6 May and is now refusing even water. His lawyers yesterday described his state of health as "worrying." Lmrabet began serving a four-year prison sentence for "insulting the king" on 21 May.
Joseph Nkinzo, director of the community radio station Sauti ya Rehema, which airs in Bukavu, was arrested by Intelligence Agency officers on 28 May. Bukavu is the main town in South Kivu province, located in the eastern half of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The area is controlled by the Congolese Rally for Democracy (Rassemblement congolais pour la démocratie, RCD/Goma) rebel group.
In a 27 May 2003 letter to Communications Minister Jacques Fame Ndongo, the World Association of Newspapers (WAN) and the World Editors Forum expressed serious concern at the government's banning of the launch of the Freedom FM radio station and the threats made against three journalists. According to reports, on 23 May a state official came to the offices of the private radio station Freedom FM, which was due to begin broadcasting on 24 May, with a photocopy of a document issued by the Information Ministry purporting to stop the launch of the station for "illegally exercising the profession" of broadcasting.
Management at the government's Chronicle newspaper has ordered Internet service provider, M-Web, to investigate how a hacker broke into its website and posted 'unpalatable' stories that denigrated or criticised President Robert Mugabe. Stories critical of Mugabe were posted in Tuesday's online edition of The Chronicle after a hacker gained access to its website.
ICT's for Rural Women is an information and announcement list which circulates information on resources, events and organisations working on issues related to how women can use ICTs to support their grassroots productive enterprises.
Imagine a perfect Internet world for Education, where web pages arrive on the screen almost instantaneously. The information displayed is accurate and accountable to the schools' curriculum in whatever part of the world - without the traditional connection to the Internet. Today, this scenario is a reality. It had been a dream for several years for Karim Lakhani, the President and Chief Technical Officer of Advanced Interactive, Inc. Born and raised in Uganda, Mr. Lakhani spent several years seeking ways to deliver the Internet to Africa, where the telecommunication infrastructure is relatively poor, and the Internet access too expensive for most schools.
A world revolution towards an information society is unfolding that will affect everything from social interaction, media, and political engagement to education, health, and business. By issuing a clear statement of political will and a plan of action, WSIS aims to be in line with the UN's Millennium Development Goals (MDG), a broad agenda to decrease global poverty and improve development indicators. The lack of awareness about WSIS seems to stem in part from the lack of media attention for the conference, something that is more pronounced in developed countries such as the US. The potential of new information and communications technologies (ICT) to promote economic and social development has created greater concern, interest, and hence media coverage in developing countries where access to ICTs is more limited.
In detailed documents submitted to the secretariat of the United Nations’ World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), Association for Progressive Communications (APC) and the APC Women’s Programme recognised the efforts of the WSIS drafting committee to include the concerns and interests of the many governments, private sector and civil society stakeholders taking part in the process which will culminate in the first ever UN Summit dedicated to communications in Geneva in December. However, say the ICT activists, “there are critical issues (that) are not addressed sufficiently, if at all”.
Under-qualified for the new textile jobs that drew them to Lesotho's capital city of Maseru, many young women from the famine-plagued countryside are surviving by selling sex, with and without a condom. "The first time I did it, I cried," said 22-year-old Lonia Ratesebe as she waits on her normal corner with her friend and housemate, Ana Dikeledi. "I felt guilty, but there was no food, no clothing and no jobs."
Investigative reporters from several African countries launched the new Investigative Reporters Africa (IRA) network during a brainstorming session in Johannesburg last week, the Media Institute of Southern Africa said on Tuesday. The IRA would function as an independent professional association of working journalists committed to improving pan-African reporting standards and access to information. "IRA's founding members have committed the organisation to promoting effective, ethical and original investigative reporting that moves beyond mere muck raking in favour of more systematic and issue-based reporting in its proper context," the organisation said in a statement.
The Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra) has ordered community radio stations to stop airing news bulletins, saying the Communications Act forbade such stations from running news programmes. Macra Director General Evans Namanja spoke at a two-day international workshop on the promotion of community radio stations. "News is supposed to be for the general public and not a particular community. By broadcasting news, the community radio stations are hijacking the role of public broadcasters, such as the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) and Television Malawi (TVM)," said Namanja.
International agency Oxfam has declared the Evian G8 summit a wash-out. Development campaigners said they felt let down by the G8’s failure to deliver on its promises to Africa. The leaders’ meeting failed to tackle Africa’s pressing problems like US and EU dumping of subsidized farm produce which is destroying the livelihoods of millions of African farmers, said Oxfam.
The situation of human rights in The Gambia remains a "damning indictment" of the government, which is claiming a complete return to democracy and the rule of law, according to Amnesty International. Amnesty International held that the country's human rights record under President Jammeh's leadership had never remarkably recovered since upheavals in 1994.
Rwandans voted overwhelmingly in favour of their country's draft constitution that will advance democracy and curb ethnic extremism which claimed nearly one million lives in the 1994 genocide. Ninety-three per cent of the people who voted in the May 26 referendum assented to the draft, according to results released last week by Electoral Commission chairman, Dr Karangwa Chrysologe.
Uganda's National Resistance Movement (NRM) government is planning to call a national referendum to decide whether a president can stand for more than two five-year terms, sources said last week. But opposition politicians said it would be difficult to sell the referendum idea, dismissing the exercise as intended to "use the people's name to legitimise decisions already made by the Movement".
Minister of Women and Children's Affairs Gladys Asmah has called for the concerns of women to be highlighted, noting that although women produced about 60 per cent of the foodstuffs in the country, many were illiterate and poor.
Water privatisation is a monster that is hanging over the heads of many unsuspecting Kenyans, says this commentary in the East African. It is a buck-passing tactic that just won't solve the problem. South Africa recorded one of its worst cholera outbreaks soon after privatising its water supply systems. The government later admitted that the poor had little access to safe drinking water because of the prohibitive costs.
Commonwealth Secretary General Don McKinnon has said that last month's by-elections in Zanzibar were a basis for "further progress" towards full democracy on the islands. In a statement released following the report by the Commonwealth's Expert Team to the May 18 elections - the full text of which will be released on June 7 - Mr Mckinnon urged all parties in Zanzibar to "continue to work together to build on the atmosphere of calm and tolerance which was so evident during these elections”.
An Auditor General's report has confirmed the reported disappearance of 1,000 oil tankers with US $13.5 million worth of fuel imported between 1999 and 2000. According to a report dated October 31, 2002 and tabled before the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee, the petroleum products destined for Zambia crossed the countries of origin but did not get to Indeni Oil Refinery.