A "Conference on International Criminal Court Ratification and
Implementation in the SADC Region" was held in Windhoek, Namibia, from
28-30 May 2001. The Conference was organised by the Ministry
of Justice of Namibia, the Parliament of Namibia, Parlimentarians for
Global action and the ICC Technical Programme Assistance (ICCTAP-Canada),
with the support of the Government of
Canada and the European Commission.

The Conference was attended by representatives of the legislatures,
governments, civil society and media from most SADC States.

At the end of the Conference a Plan of Action was adopted for ICC
ratification and implementation in the SADC region. The Plan of Action
contains specific steps to be taken at the regional level to enhance
ratification and ensure effective implementation of the ICC Statute.
Certain countries expressed at the Conference a new and favorable position
towards ICC ratification.

In addition, a very interesting common position on the crime of aggression,
proposed by the Portuguese-speaking member States of the SADC, found
consensus at the Conference and this will be submitted to the SADC Justice
Ministerial meeting in Gaborone, Botswana, at the end of the next month.

The civil society sector also drafted a Civil Society Plan of Action. The
Plan commits this sector to advocacy work and lobbying governments in the
SADC region to promptly ratify and implement the ICC Statute. It also
offers technical support to SADC governments for the drafting of
implementing legislation and seeks to empower citizens with knowledge about
the ICC.

At the closing plenary session of the Conference Adv. Anil Naidoo, Convenor
of the South African Coalition for an ICC, spoke on behalf of the civil
society sector and said that NGOs in the region are working hard to make
sure that a strong, fair and effective ICC is established by
'constructively engaging' government for the mutual benefit of both
parties. Later at the media conference, Adv. Naidoo stated that the ICC
will be established whether the USA ratifies the ICC Statute or not, and
despite efforts by the US to dilute the effectiveness of the Court. Milimo
Moyo a member of the civil society component talked about the effect
ratification by the DRC would have on the war there. She said that as the
ICC will not apply retrospectively, crimes which have been committed and
crimes which are currently being committed will not come before the Court.
She said however, that the message that will be sent by such a ratification
would have a profound effect on the war.

So far 32 countries have ratified the ICC Statute. Of these, three SADC
states, Botswana, Lesotho and South Africa have ratified. The ICC will into
being after sixty ratifications.

Africa-EXpo is now scheduled for December 2002 in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.Africa-Expo is a joint cultural-trade exposition with the fifty-five nations of Africa in order to present for the first time the cultural heritage of the continent and to provide an opportunity to sell each country’s manufactured products, arts, and handicrafts now and in the future. All the funds made from the events at the Expo will go to our charities: a children’s cancer ward in Johannesburg; an orphanage for little girls under five in Rwanda who have been raped by those who think that sex with a child will cure their AIDS; tribal women whose husbands have died of AIDS and who are the sole support of their families; a group of women attorneys in Nigeria who are working for rights for women in all African nations; and scholarships for poor American youngsters in the arts. No one who is on the Board of Directors receives any compensation. All are volunteers. No salaries are paid. There will be forty-five booths available for non-profit groups which will be available gratis upon application.

NOVIB and December 18 invite all migrant organizations and others involved with migrant issues to participate at a first round table on the preparation of this year’s International Migrant’s Day in The Netherlands. Interested groups should contact Leila Rispens-Noel of NOVIB before June 10 at [email protected] (Tel.: 070-3421869, Fax: 070-3614461). Note that the first meeting will be held before July 10. Time and place are to be confirmed. All NGOs and governments are invited to inform December 18 about scheduled activities, events and campaigns and eventual plans. December 18 is looking for groups interested to act as national contact for France, Belgium, Switzerland and Canada. Interested groups in other countries are also welcome to contact December 18.

Published earlier this year, this report from Oxfam "sets out the scale of the worldwide education crisis, identifies the causes, and sets out an agenda for reform." Divided into seven sections that examine data concerning education worldwide, the report discusses the critical connection between education and poverty globally, the progress made in achieving the goals set out at the 1990 UN conference -- Education for All, and the worldwide inequalities in education. The report also examines efforts at international cooperation on education, "partnerships for change," and presents a nine-page agenda for action. According to the report, the promises concerning education made at the 1990 UN conference have been "comprehensively broken," and, if current trends continue, none of the conference's quantitatively measurable goals for 2015 will be reached.