In support of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa from August 26-September 4, 2002, IDRC is partnering with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Foundation, and Environment Canada to showcase highly successful and innovative partnerships in sustainable development through the Equator Initiative. The Equator Initiative seeks to promote a worldwide movement to reduce poverty and conserve biodiversity through the recognition of local achievements, the fostering of South-South capacity building, and by contributing to the generation and sharing of knowledge.

Concern is mounting that violence will follow this weekend's presidential election no matter who wins.

Zimbabwe has been polarised by a long campaign for the 9-10 March election. President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai have been demonised by their rival camps, and a close poll is likely to see violent acts of resistance and a settling of scores, commentators warn.

Mutual fears exist on both sides of the party divide, political analyst Brian Kagora told IRIN. If Tsvangirai wins, his greatest political threat is expected to come from the senior ranks of the army, war veterans, and the ruling party's militia who have repeatedly warned they would not accept his presidency.

A Mugabe victory is expected to trigger an "explosion" in the urban areas, the political base of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), Kagora said. Mass protest in support of former trade union leader Tsvangirai, would aim at making Zimbabwe's cities ungovernable.

"The biggest determining factor is the stance taken by the candidates themselves. If they extend an olive branch to each other for some kind of managed transition we won't have the kind of explosion that everyone fears," said Kagora.

But there is little evidence as yet of attempts to reduce the political tensions that have surrounded this winner-takes-all election. Instead, "this is a virility contest" between the two candidates, suggested Nancy Kachingwe of the regional NGO network, Mwengo.

THE MUGABE WINS SCENARIO

"I truly believe that either way we are going to have some kind of violence. Our current government is extremely desperate and cannot afford to let anybody else in because of its record," commented political analyst Janah Ncube.

"If MDC loses we all know it will be because of rigging. People have invested a lot of hope for change in this election." She added that the MDC may not be able to control the ensuing street protests.

Given the scenario of urban resistance to a Mugabe victory, draconian legislation recently introduced is increasingly seen as aimed at political control in the post-election period. "A lot of people [perceived as government opponents] are going to be in trouble," said Ncube.

The Public Order and Security Act restricts people's rights to freely gather. It also makes it a crime - punishable by up to 20 years in prison - to ridicule, denigrate or excite disaffection with the president or institutions of government.

"That means it is impossible to criticise the government," explained human rights lawyer Taiwanda Hondora. The act also makes it an offence "to create an organisation that seeks to coerce the government - meaning all lobby groups".

The government's notorious information law seeks to regulate the independent media. A delayed labour relations bill subverts the right to strike. All these new pieces of legislation could be interpreted as prepared in readiness for the rigging of the poll, said Kagora.

Of equal concern is an old law, the Electoral Act. Section 158 allows the president to override any other legislation that relates to the election and validates anything he does, said Hondora.

"If ballot boxes are stuffed, Mugabe can pass a statutory instrument that can legalise that," he added. Under the security law, it would be illegal to even suggest that the president was doing anything untoward.

However, a crackdown would deepen the international isolation of the government and rule out any economic recovery. It would eventually precipitate a new crisis of legitimacy, noted Kagora. "The government would have to be even more militaristic in the containment of discontent," he added.

Reginald Machaba-Hove of the Zimbabwe Electoral Support Network believes that the margin of the electoral victory by either side would determine local and international acceptance of the result. The closer the result the bigger the trouble, he told IRIN.

A win by Mugabe would allow countries in the region to "rally behind the result in a wish to see this problem over". An emphatic victory with little evidence of overt rigging would see mass protest action ebb within "two to three weeks".

THE TSVANGIRAI WINS SCENARIO

A Tsvangirai victory by a small margin could lead to the ruling party unleashing "unaccredited violence". Acts of sabotage and banditry "could create an environment where the army is welcomed to restore law and order", Machaba-Hove said.

The irony would be that Tsvangirai would inherit Mugabe's security laws, enabling him "to crush the opposition", Kagora noted.

Mugabe's election campaign has tried to make a direct connection to the independence era, and link Tsvangirai and the MDC to white "Rhodesian" interests and British imperialism. Mugabe has tried to evoke the spirit of the "chimurenga" (liberation war) in an appeal to nationalism and resistance to perceived "anglo-saxon" interests.

War veterans and ruling ZANU-PF party militia have reportedly been warning the rural population - as a form of electoral intimidation - that they would return to the bush if Tsvangirai were elected. The countryside bore the brunt of Zimbabwe's bitter independence struggle.

But Kagora sees the main threat to a Tsvangirai presidency coming from the senior politicised ranks of the military, rather than rank and file troops and militia. An insurrection would suffer from a "lack of consensus and would be easy to deal with", he predicted.

However, Ncube is concerned that the MDC, if confronted by insecurity, would be just as ready to clamp down as its predecessor. "The only politics they know is ZANU-PF politics. 'Change' is a process, a culture, a mindset, not just a word," he said.

According to Kachingwe: "I don't think the MDC are any more protected from the traps of being in power than anyone else." She added that the MDC was still a broad based movement that had not yet had a chance to become a party and address some of its internal contradictions.

But for Kagora the biggest challenge to a Tsvangirai presidency would be the crisis of expectations generated by the economy's decade of decline, and the popular demand for a new order. "People are expecting magic," Kagora says.

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The Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID) is an international membership organization connecting, informing and mobilizing people and organizations committed to achieving gender equality, sustainable development and women's human rights. A dynamic network of thousands of women and men around the world, AWID members are researchers, academics, students, educators, activists, business people, policy-makers, development practitioners, funders, and more. Our goal is to cause policy, institutional and individual change that will improve the lives of women and girls everywhere. We do this by facilitating ongoing debates on fundamental and provocative issues as well as by building the individual and organizational capacities of those working for women's empowerment and social justice. The purpose of this position is to direct the Women's Rights and Economic Change "theme program" as part of AWID's Strategic Communications Program.

Development Studies Courses (11-week very intensive) at Selly Oak have been in existence for last 26 years. They are now quite established and known for their uniqueness. The courses are unique in terms of theirs learning and teaching strategies and courses covered (Development Management [esp. NGOs and Aid sector], Project Planning and Management, Health and Social Development, Participatory Community Development, and Role of Civil Society).

Zimbabwe would not allow journalists working for the Independent Newspapers group to cover the presidential election in that country, a Zimbabwean government official said on Thursday.

Addressing about 15 000 supporters at Murombedzi growth point in Zvimba, a few kilometres from his rural home of Kutama, Mugabe said he intended to de-register the ZCTU because it had abandoned its role of working for the welfare of Zimbabwean workers and was now openly supporting the MDC.

Britain's ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo accused government soldiers and police officers on Saturday of serious human rights abuses in the capital of the war-ravaged country.

The Forced Migration and Refugee Studies Program at the American University in Cairo, Egypt will host a seminar entitled, "Delivering Human Rights: Building Human Rights Awareness among Women Refugees." It will take place at the Main Campus on February 27th, 2002 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm.

This study assessed whether reuse of the female condom was acceptable among two groups of women in central Johannesburg, South Africa, who were taking part in two separate studies of female condom reuse. The first group consisted of women (aged 17 to 43 years) attending a family planning/sexually transmitted infections (STIs) clinic who were participating in a cross-sectional survey of the acceptability of female condoms reuse. The second group included women (aged 18-40 years) at high risk for STI (80% self-declared sex workers) who were taking part in an ongoing cohort study to investigate the safety of reuse of the female condom through a structural integrity and microbial retention study. Among women participating in the acceptability study, 83% said that they would be willing to reuse the female condom, and 91% thought the idea of reuse of the female condom was acceptable.

The "Sexuality and Human Rights" Annotated Bibliography provides a comprehensive introduction to the issues related to sexual rights/sexuality and human rights. Areas highlighted include sexuality and violence, refugees/asylum, reproductive rights, lesbian and gay rights, and trafficking.

Alliances for Africa will hold a five day training event, which aims to enable and strengthen the capacity of women's organisations working in Gambia to effectively contribute to peace building processes within the West African sub-region.

This guide outlines the components of graduate curriculum course which addresses applying psychology to alleviate the social and psychological problems in communities devastated by ethnopolitical warfare. The curriculum may be incorporated into an existing program for post-graduate or post-doctorate training course.

This handbook is a reference manual for employers and their organisations to implement policies and programs in accordance with the International Labour Organization. An additional purpose of this guide is to raise awareness of current initiatives to eliminate exploitative child labour as mandated by the Resolution on Child Labour in 1996.

Ecuador deposited its instrument of ratification with the UN on 5 February 2002. This brings the total number of ratifications to 19 out to the 20 needed to enforce the Convention. An updated list of ratifications can be found at the December 18 website.

US law requires the Trafficking Office of the Department of State to publish an annual report on the status of anti trafficking work by governments worldwide. The State Department Trafficking Office is presently collecting information for the 2002 report. Governments will be submitting their views and the U.S. embassies worldwide will send reports to the Trafficking Office. NGOs can also submit information to the Trafficking Office for consideration. As this US report is the only report prepared by any entity on the state-of-the-state response to trafficking, it is important for NGOs to contribute their views. The International Human Rights Law Group encourages you to submit reports on the situation in your country and also your views on the Report itself. Last year, many NGOs complained about the Report generally, the inappropriate placement of some countries in the 3 categories and the Report's failure to reflect the actual situation in their own countries. The deadline for the submissions is March 8.

The Charter of Rights was developed by Migrant Domestic Workers in a series of workshops organised by RESPECT in Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain and the UK. Besides reflecting the experiences of migrant domestic workers including the violations of their rights in Europe, the Charter also reflects the demand for recognition of "domestic" work as "proper" work. More information about the Charter and to endorse it online can be found on the December 18 website.

Earlier this month, the Africa Center for Strategic Studies organised a Senior Leader Seminar which brought together military and civilian leaders from all over Africa to discuss issues related to security. Nouzha Skalli Bennis, member of the PPS, Morocco's former communist party, and municipal counsellor from Casablanca, represented the Democratic Association of Moroccan Women at the conference. She spoke with allAfrica.com about her work.

The Anglican Church of Kenya yesterday ordained the first woman archdeacon in 150 years. The Rev Jane Karimi Njiru, 43, was ordained archdeacon in a colourful ceremony at St Andrew's Church presided over by Bishop Moses Njue of Embu Diocese.

The youth were yesterday challenged to help enforce the Children's Act. The Kenya Girl Guides Association patron, Lady Justice Joyce Aluoch, asked the youth to contribute to the operation of the new law. However, she clarified that the law required the effort of children, parents and the government.

China, Brazil, India, and nine other of the world's most biodiverse countries signed an alliance Monday to fight biopiracy and press for rules protecting their people's rights to genetic resources found on their land. The declaration — also signed by representatives of Indonesia, Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, Kenya, Peru, Venezuela, and South Africa — echoed complaints long voiced by Indians and environmentalists: that wealthy nations are "prospecting" for species in order to patent or sell them without offering concessions or benefits for local people.

The Treatment Action Campaign says it's time for national government to clarify its HIV/AIDS policy. The call comes after Gauteng became the third province in South Africa to announce that it’s to roll out the anti-AIDS drug Nevirapine at all provincial hospitals.

The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) met to hear the introduction of draft proposals relating to the elimination of racism and racial discrimination. Before the Committee were four draft resolutions, three of them -- all sponsored by Venezuela --relating respectively to the Third Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination; the follow-up to the World Conference against Racism; and measures to combat contemporary forms of racism and racial discrimination.

Mr. Hackman Owusu-Agyeman, Minister for Foreign Affairs, has issued a hotline service number to Ghanaians for use when they encounter difficulties in acquiring passports.

Margot Salomon - Minority Rights Group World Conference Against Racism Project Officer - suggests that despite the adverse publicity surrounding the 2001 Durban Conference, the work over the last 18 months has been positive and has made significant contribution towards addressing and combating racism.

Drought, poverty, creeping deserts, and scarce drinking water headline a U.N.-sponsored conference on global development and the environment this week. Delegates from 50 African, Caribbean, and Latin American countries were evaluating the 1994 U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification, which has been ratified by 180 countries but has spurred few to act.

The trade union federation, Cosatu, has come out in full support of Gauteng Premier Mbhazima Shilowa in the escalating war of words with Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang over the provision of antiretroviral drugs to prevent mother-to child transmission of HIV.

The MDC has said the government was planning to reduce polling stations in the opposition party's strongholds during next month's presidential election, while increasing the numbers in areas where the ruling Zanu PF enjoyed support. Many Zimbabweans, the opposition said, will be disenfranchised by the Registrar-General's decision on the number of polling stations.

President Mugabe is said to be planning secretly his escape route out of Zimbabwe after his private polling predicted he could be defeated in next month's elections. The ailing 78-year-old has been sounding out some of his African neighbours and his dwindling number of friends abroad about providing him with a safe haven.

The nongovernmental organisation Refugees International on Tuesday expressed concern that the US refugee resettlement programme for the so-called "lost boys of Sudan" had not been matched by an equal effort on behalf of Sudanese refugee girls by the UN refugee agency and the US administration.

The British Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, has reiterated his call for a major new initiative from the rich industrialised nations aimed at tackling poverty. His call for a $50 billion fund to improve the lot of poorer countries, published in a Treasury pamphlet this week, echoes the call he made in a speech to the Washington Press Club last December. Hardly reported at the time this speech was clearly an attempt to put flesh on the bones of the plea heard frequently from sources as diverse as World Bank President, James Wolfensohn and European Commissioner Poul Neilson that when it comes to fighting poverty there is an frightening gap between aspirations and resources.

FOR a corruption free judiciary in the country, the state governors must co-operate with the National Judicial Council (NJC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), says the Chief Justice of the Federation, Muhammadu Lawal Uwais.

It is a sad fact that every democratic-minded and peace loving Zimbabwean believes our Sadc brothers and sisters have let us down when it mattered most. While the rest of the international community, particularly the European Union and the United States, is taking steps to ensure that Zimbabwe conducts its presidential election in a democratic fashion, Sadc has decided to look the other way and let Zimbabweans bear the brunt of both state orchestrated violence and a flawed electoral process.

The budget announced by the Minister of Finance appears to be moderately expansionary; however, it comes with a very low deficit, and tax cuts biased to middle to upper income earners. The expenditure growth falls short of what is required to address backlogs and put South Africa on a new developmental growth path.

TaXi is the title of a series of books that begins to correct the lack of published documentation on contemporary South African art. The series – initiated in 2000 by the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS) and published by David Krut Publishing – is additionally funded by Pro Helvetia - Arts Council of Switzerland, the Royal Netherlands Embassy and the MTN Art Institute. The series is envisaged as a long-term, non-profit cultural investment that will provide exposure for local writers and book designers and, in collaboration with the MTN Art Institute, develop an active educational programme and teaching resource archive. An independent advisory committee selects artists who have created a significant body of work, but who as yet have no substantial publications on their production.

The Centre for Health and Population Research publishes a peer-reviewed quarterly journal titled Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition (JHPN). The Journal incorporates the Journal of Diarrhoeal Diseases Research (JDDR). The Journal is freely available on the Internet to increase access of readers in developing countries.

The United Nations on Tuesday proposed a partition of Western Sahara as one of four possible solutions to a 25-year dispute over whether the contested territory should be free or a part of Morocco. While neither side was now willing to discuss dividing up the phosphate-rich territory, which also may have offshore oil deposits, U.N. special envoy and former Secretary of State James Baker said the Security Council could choose to present a partition plan to both sides on a nonnegotiable basis.

The First Ministerial Meeting on Trade Policy Compatibility and Impact Assessment of Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) and Preliminary Adjustment Scenarios, on the Regional Strategy Paper ( RSP)and the COMESA compensation and infrastructure fund ( COMESA Fund), was held on 18th February 2002 at COMESA Centre, Lusaka, Zambia.

Opponents of the Zimbabwean government are being abducted to "torture centres" across the country that serve as bases for ruling party militia, Zimbabwean human rights groups allege.

Denmark has reduced aid to Burkina Faso over allegations of violations of a UN arms embargo against Sierra Leone and Angola, and what it called slow progress in investigations into the death of journalist Norbert Zongo.

Apparently worried by the protests from business communities and some staff of National Inland Water Ways Authority, the Minister of Transport, Chief Ojo Madueke has ordered the authorities of NIWA to establish an anti-grant unit or face his wrath.

The Ogiek indigenous community has expressed frustration after a case which they want to stop the President Daniel arap Moi government from degazetting parts of their east Mau forest and allocating them to outsiders was once again rescheduled to April 23. The case which has been dragging at the Kenyan courts since March last year could not go ahead since the government has yet to file a replying affidavit.

The European Commission (EC) is to donate US $15.3 million in humanitarian aid to Burundi, a press release from the EC stated on Friday.

A hoard of civil society representatives from over 45 non governmental organisations have started meeting in Blantyre to discuss issues of current food crisis, macroeconomic framework and good governance ahead of International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission's visit next week.

Among rich country leaders, British Prime Minister Tony Blair has taken the lead in calling for increases in development aid, and greater attention to addressing global and African poverty. This message, contrasting to the indifference to Africa displayed by Blair's counterpart in Washington, won applause on Blair's recently completed trip to West Africa, but commentators also raised many hard questions about British policies.

The heads of three United Nations agencies have condemned the attack by a Sudanese helicopter gunship that killed 17 civilians and wounded an unknown number of others at a food distribution site near Bieh.

Half the world's 6,000 languages are under threat of extinction, a new edition of the 'Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger of Disappearing' warned Thursday to mark International Mother Language Day. The death of languages also spells the end of the culture which gave rise to them, making them "a living heritage we should cherish," said Koichiro Matsuura, director-general of the United Nations (news - web sites) Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO (news - web sites)), commemorating the special day his agency established three years ago. UNESCO plans to set up a monitoring system that will warn when an endangered language--classed as those no longer spoken by at least 30 percent of a community's children--is threatened with extinction. The agency is urging countries to protect languages as natural and cultural treasures.

Organizers of an ambitious new drive to control the parasitic carrier of sleeping sickness--which has turned vast swathes of Africa into an uninhabited desert--are worried that funds will not reach the estimated US$5-10 billion needed for eradication.