In recent years, social change activists of all stripes have increasingly incorporated visual art as a component of their strategies for building grassroots political movements. From the radical cheerleaders and the marching turtles of the anti-WTO protests held in Seattle in November of 1999, to the "puppetistas" imprisoned during last year's Republican national convention, this movement of "art from below" is changing the face of political protest and direct action.

One of the most controversial clashes of the 1990s between local communities, government and multinationals occurred in the oil rich Ogoni area on the Niger delta. The oil operator, Royal Dutch Shell, withdrew from the area in 1993 but for several years faced unrelenting criticism of its standards and relationship with the Nigerian government of General Sani Abacha. By 1998 Shell was claiming to have embarked upon a fundamental rethink of its corporate priorities and followed this claim up with a massive public relations blitzkrieg which has achieved a great deal in how the company is perceived.

Shell now faces its Annual General Meeting, followed by an international environment award, claiming that it is a reformed company which has become the champion of human rights and the environment. Such extravagant claims were always likely to face challenges and this week MOSOP and Friends of the Earth seem set to present separate challenges to Shell's 'born again' environmental status.

One of the most serious problems Shell faces is the question of whether it has actually achieved any meaningful reform of its practices in Nigeria. MOSOP (Movement of the Ogoni People) activists would argue that little has changed, challenging Shell on a number of occasions over the company's response over the last two weeks to a major oil blowout at an abandoned well in eastern Ogoni.

The latest incident comes just as Shell is taking on a new chairman and facing up to shareholders on Thursday. John Watts, the incoming chair, has already committed the company to a policy of not returning to operations in Ogoni till all parties are agreed. To make its claims about reform credible Shell needs to do more. It needs to show that it is capable of moving past the tense standoff which has existed between its subsidiary SPDC and the Ogoni people over the last two years of civilian rule.

MOSOP is now arguing that Shell can start to show that it has changed by making good on its promises to clean up the environment in Ogoni, starting with this latest major oil spill. Shell this week, as it has for several years, claimed that it is ready to 'clean up oil spills which occurred since it left in 1993', conveniently making no mention of spills occurring before 1993. Ogoni and other communities have compared past 'cleanups' by Shell to 'cover up' operations so one immediate question is whether Shell is able to show that this time it is willing to be unambiguous about its intentions and show that its international standards apply in Nigeria.

It is also time for Royal Dutch Shell to face up to questions over its failure to resolve the company's dispute with the Ogoni people. Is, as Shell claims, the sole barrier to progress the difficulties in dialogue with the local population or has Shell failed to win the confidence of the local people?

The most often cited comment from Nigeria correspondents is a lack of trust between the local people and Shell. Ogoni is not the only community that is deeply suspicious of Shell. The gap between its claims of progress in relations with communities and independent reporting is becoming increasingly worrying. Perhaps it is time for Shell to commit unambiguously to allowing qualified third parties to come in to examine and report upon disputes which are clearly harming the local people, Shell's reputation, and the people of the Niger delta.
Ledum Mitee (MOSOP)

Call for Letters of Intent. Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research Second Round 2001-2002 Deadline: 29 June 2001. Two types of grants will be awarded. Applicants must be enrolled in a Masters or Doctorate programme.

The American Bar Association seeks a Director to develop, manage, and implement ABA legal reform technical assistance projects in Africa. A JD degree or advanced degree in international relations or relevant field and at least five years of experience in international technical assistance work, preferably with focus on Africa, are required. Salary is commensurate with experience and excellent benefits.

The postgraduate Masters Programme is a flexible modular degree programme for full-time or part-time study, consisting of an introductory core course, specialised optional modules in different tracks and a research project submitted as a thesis. The programme is organised within the TropEd European Network for Education in Interna-
tional Health, an association of 26 universities in 13 European countries and collaborating institutions in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The core course and two optional modules are presently offered at Humboldt University. Further optional modules can be selected from a list of more than 100 courses offered by the TropEd partner institutions. Winter Semester: 10th September 2001 (Introductory week: 2nd September 2001)

A budget shortfall and donor fatigue has forced the United Nations' refugee program to launch a review of its worldwide activities in order to cut non-essential programs.

"Genetically modified organisms (GMOs), like all the new technologies, are instruments that can be used for good and for bad in the same way that they can be either managed to the benefit of the most needy or skewed to the advantage of specific groups," the UN Food and Agriculture Organization(FAO) Director-General Jacques Diouf said today.

Civil society organizations have an opportunity to speak with one voice when the Second Global Forum on Fighting Corruption takes place in The Hague, The Netherlands from May 28-31, 2001. The Humanist Institute for Co-operation with Developing Countries (Hivos) and Transparency International, in co-operation with a number of Southern anti-corruption organizations, have drawn up an open letter which will be presented to the second Global Forum’s plenary session of Government Ministers on May 31. We hope your organization will be in general agreement with the text of this letter, which can be found below.

Comstock outlines some of the starker scenarios that might result from strict adherence to the principle. Saunders and Ho appear to dismiss his scenario and paint a much rosier picture, but they do acknowledge the importance of continuing research, although with substantial constraints on the basic side. Along the way they get into the question of feeding a growing world population, and I will take that as my starting point. It is important to do so, because the initial assumptions concerning this issue can influence the discussion in critical ways.

Biotechnology background papers and events.

"Killing journalists is the ultimate and most grisly form of censorship," Judith Blanks, spokeswoman for the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, said on World Press Freedom Day (May 3).

Tunisia: Telecoms updates; South Africa: World Wide Wireless; South Africa: Telecommunications Regulations Draw Fire. South Africa: Country Launches First Internet Sports Betting Site. South Africa: Virgin's Move Could Be Good News for Consumers.

Several countries with poor human rights records should not have been voted onto the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, Human Rights Watch said today.

Thirty nations have now ratified the treaty creating the International Criminal Court, half the 60 needed to make the court functional. The court would be the first permanent tribunal to handle cases of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The United States signed the treaty in the waning days of the Clinton administration but chances of ratification are slim since Bush administration officials say they will not send it to the Senate for action.

Statement by the Women's Caucus of the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA). In order to ensure that a gender perspective will be included in the forthcoming UN World Conference on Illicit Trade of Small Arms and Light Weapons In All Its Aspects July 9-20, 2001, The Women's Caucus of the International Action Network on Small Arms [IANSA] has prepared a statement showing how the world's women and girls are affected by the proliferation and diffusion of small arms. They would like to have both individual and group support for their statement.

McSpotlight gives critical information and analysis on a wide range of topics and campaigns relating to Mcdonalds and other multinationals.

The Nigerian human and environmental right group MOSOP has today called on oil multinational Royal Dutch Shell to immediately cease making misleading
statements regarding the major oil and gas blowout which has occurred in the Yorla oilfield in eastern Ogoni in the oil rich Niger delta. "In the past two days Shell has alternated between blaming the local people for this disaster by accusing them of vandalisation and in a contradictory position declaring that all the abandoned oil wells in Ogoni are a 'time bomb' due to lack of maintenance," said Ledum Mitee President of MOSOP speaking from London today.

In a major report released today, Freedom House
finds that Internet freedom exceeds levels of press freedom in most countries, including some closed societies governed by censorious regimes.

On April 24, 2001, the UN Commission on Human Rights that met in Geneva, approved by overwhelming majority the creation of an Intersessional Working Group and the appointment of an expert to study the Draft International Convention on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.

Dr. Jacques Diouf, Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), today said that "political will to fight hunger on a sustainable basis and a firm commitment to invest in agriculture and rural development are critical elements of any effort aspiring to achieve sustainable alleviation of hunger and poverty in Africa."

A Federal High Court in Lagos has ruled that although every Nigerian has a constitutional right to inspect the assets declaration made by public officers, the right is not enforceable until National Assembly prescribes the conditions for it exercise.

UNHCR must learn when to concede that it alone cannot be successful in the battles that must be fought with governments to ensure that refugee protection is ensured. The refugee camps along Guinea's border with Sierra Leone have been located too close to the border for far too long. The cross-border attacks have led to a security situation where access to the refugees is limited, resulting in the inadequate protection and assistance for the refugees. Yet such a situation might have been avoided if UNHCR had effectively engaged its partners at an earlier stage to lobby and pressure the Guinean government.

HAR's mission is to facilitate the recovery of abused children, women and their families through training, research, advocacy and provision of psychosocial suport services.

What is Monitoring is now available on the HURIDOCS Web site. This practical manual is intended for documentalists and information workers of human rights organisations. It deals with the following issues: what is monitoring, purposes of monitoring, types of monitoring, methods of monitoring, and data analysis. This volume has been written by Manuel Guzman and Bert Verstappen. It is at the moment available only in English, and can be printed in HTML and PDF formats.

Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Director of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), today announced the appointment of two independent experts, Elisabeth Rehn (Finland) and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (Liberia), to spearhead the organization's efforts to assess progress of the world's women, particularly those affected by conflict. Heyzer also announced that Victoria Brittain (UK), internationally acclaimed correspondent and Associate Foreign Editor of the Guardian has agreed to document the findings of Rehn and Johnson Sirleaf for Progress 2002.

In this report, Peter Wobst considers how Tanzania's structural adjustment reforms of the late 1980s and early 1990s affected agriculture, as well as growth, equity, and poverty alleviation--in others words, the economic well-being of the people in this extremely poor country. The report also presents a computable general equilibrium model of the Tanzanian economy and an updated social accounting matrix.

The Zambian president, Frederick Chiluba, has defied his own high court and expelled his vice-president and eight other cabinet ministers from the ruling party for opposing plans for a constitutional amendment allowing him to cling to power for another five years.

The UN move to not reelect America to its human rights body indicates just how much the world has been outraged by George Bush's early decisions.

In a flurry of activity at the High Court last Thursday and Friday, Justice James Devittie handed down four decisions that seem to set a new precedent for the election petitions. He ruled for the petitioner in the constituencies of Buhera North, contested by MDC President Morgan Tsvangirai, Mutoko South, contested by Derek Muzira, and Hurungwe East, contested by Richard Chadya. He also denied the petition in the Shurugwi constituency brought by MDC candidate Gladys Matibenga against MP Francis Nhema.

Advocacy materials and actions from the Bretton Woods Project.

Welcome to a post-mortem of and a critical look at Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs) in Africa together with a proposed new recipe to make them better, avoiding their (sometimes now judged clumsy) pitfalls. Overall, I see the Report as an apology for market-based reforms, because the authors truly believe them to be the best option. In doing the latter, the Report tacitly calls on Western donors and on the private foreign investors to rethink their strategies and to support countries that adopt WB-sponsored macroeconomic policies. Without having any qualms about the brilliance of this Report, the first monumental problem I have with it is that it represents a typical cold economists’ account and analysis of an indeed complex matter. The warm analysis of the social consequences and costs of these reforms is nowhere to be seen!!

The African Women's Media Center (AWMC) will hold a five-day cyber training on reporting on HIV/AIDS for French-speaking African women journalists from June 11 to June 15, 2001. The Internet-based seminar is designed to equip French-speaking journalists with substantive knowledge about HIV/AIDS and provide practical tips on reporting on HIV/AIDS in Africa. Sessions will be live for four hours each day for five days.

In fall 2001, Nutrition Rights will be offered as a graduate course in political science by Professor George Kent of the University of Hawai'i. The course examines the meaning and the application of the human right to adequate food and nutrition. Participants should gain an understanding of recent developments in nutrition rights, and also develop skill in applying the nutrition rights approach in specific contexts. This is to be an on-line course, available to anyone who has reliable access to the Internet.

The course will be led by Sharryn Aiken, Legal Specialist, Refugee Studies Centre, York University, Toronto. Dates: 16-19 July 2001, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and 21 July, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Venue: AUC Main Campus, Hill House, 6th floor lounge. Entrance at Mohammed Mahmoud Gate. Deadline for applications: 31 May 2001.

The U.N., World Bank and International Monetary Fund, created at the end of World War II, today operate on badly outdated political and economic foundations and need to be overhauled before a crisis induced by globalization forces the changes required, a major new study warns.

Prepared by the World Institute for Development Economics Research of U.N. University, with support from the U.N.'s Division for Social Policy and Development and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Finland, the study calls for repeal of the Security Council veto accorded the five major post-war powers in the 1940s and the addition of other countries as permanent members of that body.

"Historical experience suggests that crises are the catalysts of change. The last time around, it was the aftermath of a world war and a worldwide economic depression that led to the foundation of the United Nation systems and the creation of the Bretton Woods institutions (the World Bank and IMF)," according to the study, New Roles and Functions for the U.N. and the Bretton Woods Institutions, edited and co-authored by Deepak Nayyar, Vice-Chancellor of Delhi University, India.

"The world need not wait for another crisis of such proportions to contemplate and introduce the much needed changes in global governance," the study says.

The U.N. suffers from a "democratic deficit" that was "an integral part of the original design" but needs to be remedied now, the study says, adding that the U.N.'s moral authority is "seriously undermined because its laws or principles are enforced selectively when it suits the interests of the rich and the powerful."

Circumventing the veto granted more than 50 years ago to the five permanent Security Council members and enlarging the membership of that body are "imperative" for the U.N.'s continued credibility.

"The process of globalization has given rise to new problems and governance needs," but the U.N. system has yet to adjust, the study says. "The responsiveness of the United Nations to issues of our times has been limited to global meets such as the Earth Summit or the Social Summit," useful fora for public concern but insufficient as solutions to the problems at stake.

It says the U.N. needs to become more representative, fostering the participation of global civil society to a greater degree, and more democratic in its decision-making, involving greater participation, transparency and accountability.

According to the study, the subject of a presentation at the UN May 2, East-West distinctions have dissipated with communism's collapse, while the North and South divide is more diffused, perceptions about development having been brought closer together.

"This represents a sea-change," but reform of the U.N. has stalled as its legitimacy, effectiveness and the credibility erodes. "The unipolar world has eliminated the erstwhile competition between systems," the study says. "As competition has vanished, the urge for cooperation has diminished. This has reduced both the relevance and the role of the United Nations."

Courtesy of Eberhard Wenzel, Griffith University, Australia

An international development organisation for African women is hereby seeking 3 African women who are motivated self starters, to fill the following posts: Volunteer Coordinator (part time 17.5 hours per week £22922.00 pro rata.Initially for 3 years. Finance and Administrative Officer Circa $16,000 – £18,000 (inclusive of London Weighting) Initially for 2 years. Personal Assistant to Director/ International Programmes Officer. Circa £18,000 - £20,000 (Inclusive of London Weighting)Initially for 2 years. The closing date for applications for all 3 posts is: Friday 25 May 2001.

COSATU welcomes the move by the South African Chamber of Business and Anglo American to provide cheap anti-Aids drugs to suffering employees. We view this as a huge step by the Business sector in the fight against this pandemic – something that the federation has been calling for. This is also part of the implementation of what Cosatu fought for at the Pretoria High Court against the international drug giants.

Benin yesterday got a new government, in the wake of a controversial presidential election, with many familiar old faces in the revamped line-up. Benin's President Mathieu Kerekou has begun his final five-year term as the west African country's head of state after retaining his post in a March election which his main challengers boycotted.

The latest environmental emergency in southern Nigeria's volatile Niger Delta has been brought under control by US specialists, Royal/Dutch Shell's Nigerian subsidiary said on Monday. The three specialists from the Houston-based Boots & Coots International Well Control company were flown in on Friday to the affected area, Yorla Fields, to deal with a blow-out at a well which shot jets of crude oil and gas 30 metres into the air for the better part of last week.

With the international focus on peace moves in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), an "explosive situation" in neighbouring Burundi is being largely ignored, regional analysts warned on Friday.

Rwanda and Zimbabwe, the major foreign powers on opposing sides in Congo's 2 1/2-year war, will push for a speedy end to the conflict in order to deal with problems at home, President Paul Kagame said Monday.

The UN Security Council on Thursday condemned the illegal exploitation of the natural resources and wealth of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and expressed serious concern at those economic activities fuelling the conflict in the country. The condemnation followed a day-long open discussion of a report by a UN panel of experts charged with investigating the illegal exploitation of Congolese natural resources and other forms of wealth.

Scores of journalists from around the world who gathered on Thursday in Windhoek, Namibia, to celebrate World Press Freedom Day have been prevented from reporting on anything other than a seminar they are attending. "This is an example of how little has changed in the region since the Declaration of Windoek in 1991," Rob Jamison of the independent 'Malawi Chronicle' told IRIN.

Angolan government troops have retaken the rebel-held town of Mavinga in the southern province of Cuando Cubango a state-run newspaper reported on Monday. "Angolan Armed Forces (FAA) recaptured Mavinga on 1 May, having caused various losses to Jonas Savimbi's terrorist forces," 'Jornal de Angola' said, quoting an unnamed military source. The report added that the government has also recaptured the nearby airport, vital for supplying UNITA and for the export of raw materials.

Amnesty International today expressed concern about reports that civilians in Sierra Leone are being killed and injured in unlawful attacks as fighting continues along the border with Guinea.

The UK Tory trade and industry spokesman, Alan Duncan, was under pressure last night to explain his alleged involvement in an elaborate operation to bust UN oil sanctions against apartheid South Africa. The claims come from two fellow oil traders who claim to have personal knowledge of his career before he entered parliament.

JENdA: A Journal of Culture and African Women Studies is an ejournal devoted to the promotion of the research and scholarship of African women to the global African community and friends of Africa. JENdA documents and responds to debates on women's history and studies in African social, cultural, political, and economic systems. It creates a forum for African women scholars, analysts and activists to participate on an equal footing with their contemporaries worldwide in debates, exchanges of ideas, and the creation and documentation of knowledge. JENdA: A Journal of Culture and African Women Studies is published by Africa Resource Center, Inc, an organization that dedicates resources and staff to the provision of information on and about Africa.

Hosted by the University of Natal, the DISA project aims "to make accessible to scholars and researchers world-wide, South African material of high socio-political interest which would otherwise be difficult to locate and use." As part of that effort, DISA has recently announced the online availability of three South African journals: _Clarion Call_ (1982-91), _Pro Veritae_ (1962-77), and _Sas_ (1956-90). The journals page also lists a large number of additional titles that will be made available in the future. These include many that had been banned by the apartheid government and that were printed and distributed underground. The three journals presently available may be browsed and read by issue as digital page images. Word searching and subject searching are also planned for future versions of the site. Once completed, this archive will undoubtedly serve as an invaluable resource for scholars of twentieth-century South Africa.

The exhibition will be held at the School of Oriental and African Studies Library, London. Monday 30 April – Tuesday 8 May.The art was produced by participants at SVTG art workshops, organised as part of the SVTG rehabilitation programme. The works to be exhibited were produced in February 2000 and have already been exhibited at the American University in Cairo and in Geneva as part of the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture.