Thirteen African countries have, or should have attained Universal Primary Education (UPE) by the target date of 2015, but 31 African countries will not have reached the goal unless they change their education policies. This is according to a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) report that supports the "Dakar+5" Africa Forum organised by UNESCO's Regional Office for Education in Africa. Those countries lagging behind in achieving universal education should base their policies on programmes that have proved effective in other African nations. Successful projects entail reform of key elements of education policy, including better distribution of educational funding, regulating the flux of pupils, improving the recruitment, training and remuneration of teaching staff.

This Report describes the proceedings of an event aimed at facilitating open, inclusive debate amongst the Zimbabwean diaspora in the UK and others concerned about the continuing crisis in Zimbabwe, its regional and international implications, the role of civil society in the struggle for democratic governance, human rights, justice and peace, and the possible strategies for change. The Open Forum 2005 on Zimbabwe, South Africa and the Region was organised in London on 4 June 2005 by the Britain Zimbabwe Society in association with a number of associated organisations. It was conceived as an inclusive, non-partisan, nongovernmental forum.

The Sudanese Development Initiative (SUDIA) is an international non-governmental organization working to facilitate linkages between people, knowledge, and resources, with a view to strengthening the self-reliance of vulnerable communities from East Africa and the Horn. SUDIA has been operational in Sudan since 2002, designing and implementing rehabilitation and development projects in collaboration with various international donor agencies. In response to the on-going crisis in Darfur, SUDIA has initiated an action-research project that will look beyond the immediate humanitarian and relief needs of the population and pave the way for post-conflict reconstruction initiatives that integrate humanitarian, development and governance concerns in a holistic manner.

Publish What You Pay (PWYP) is an international coalition of more than 280 non-governmental organisations (NGO), which is seeking to ensure that natural resource companies publish the payments they make to all national governments and authorities. The campaign was launched in mid-2002 by groups such as Global Witness, Save the Children, CAFOD and the Open Society Institute. PWYP aims to build greater accountability between governments, oil companies and civil society for the management and allocation of extractive industry revenues which can provide the basis for successful growth and poverty reduction in some of the least developed countries in the world.