Save the Children, a leading US and international child focused relief & development agency has immediate vacancy, which will provide you the opportunity to be an integral part of exciting Food Security Project in Nampula province.

I have spent most of the week since the terrorist attacks in the US attending exhumations of massacre victims in Matabeleland in Zimbabwe. Not only did Firoze Manji articulate perfectly my own reactions to the attacks and the US response; every individual here who expressed a view shared the same sentiments. This is hardly a scientific cross-section, but it suggests that many of the natural constituency of your newsletter is at one on this issue. So it is disappointing that you felt unable to publish Firoze’s article as an editorial.

No one suggests that the US supported the Matabeleland killings in the 1980s (which claimed many more lives than the recent terrorist attacks), unlike the apparently endless list of atrocities where there was US complicity: Angola, Chile, Guatemala, Vietnam, Cambodia, East Timor and so on. But Mugabe’s regime was until very recently regarded as a reliable military ally in the region. The extermination of thousands of his own (black) citizens was a little local difficulty and certainly no business of the US. Recent attacks on white farmers are of course a different matter. But I suspect that even white corpses are less important to the US than the tottering Zimbabwean economy and the rapacity of the leadership here when it comes to strategic minerals in the DRC. The US is anxious to see the back of Mugabe now and is promoting the idea that he should be granted an amnesty for past human rights violations. My guess is that next time a US diplomat proposes that line to a Zimbabwean human rights group, s/he will be asked about the prospects of an amnesty for Osama bin Laden.

There is of course a difference between the two cases, but is not the one that the US draws. Zimbabweans propose that Mugabe should be dealt with judicially, reinforcing the rule of law. The US intends to kill bin Laden without any legal sanction or process. I understand (though mercifully I have been beyond the reach of CNN et al) that Bush has refused to give the Taliban evidence of bin Laden’s involvement in the attacks as a precondition to expulsion or extradition. After all, who needs evidence? As Firoze correctly points out, the US has shown contempt for international legal and human rights standards and refuses to respect court judgments against it. It has done its best to sabotage the development of institutions such as the International Criminal Court, which might offer a means of tackling certain types of terrorism.

People here feel a sadness and empathy over the killings in the US. I don’t presume to speak on their behalf, but Zimbabweans have known too much violence and tragedy over the generations to do anything other than share in that loss. It is a pity that the West – or at least its official spokespeople – are apparently incapable of exhibiting that same common humanity.

At the request of UNDP and Markle, I am leading a team searching for innovative and practical examples of the use of information and communications technology in the fight against HIV/AIDS in developing countries. I have searched the newsletter for examples, but I would certainly appreciate your own recommendations of particularly good examples from Africa. The examples will be made available publicly on a UNDP website and shared with WHO and the UNAIDS best practices collection. And, they will be used by a new global public and private coalition that will mobilize public and private partners to support the use of ICT for HIV/AIDS. You can e-mail a short description or a contact e-mail
address, or, if you prefer, you can enter the information directly into the UNDP data base.

Une source très intéressante d'infos sur l'Afrique.

The Bush Administration should signal its allies not to use the fight against terrorism as cover for their own domestic campaigns against political opponents, Human Rights Watch urged today in a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell.

The Bertelsmann Foundation wants to take up societal problems, develop model solutions with scientific experts and practitioners alike and implement these models in selected areas of society. The Bertelsmann Foundation defines itself as an operating foundation working conceptually. It formulates and initiates its own projects, managing them all the way to their practical implementation. In doing so, the Bertelsmann Foundation cooperates closely with competent partners in scientific, state and private institutions. Both social policy and corporate policy considerations played an equal part in the decision to establish the Bertelsmann Foundation in 1977.

In 2000, the Arca Foundation continued its focus on US policy toward Cuba, building on decades of experience in supporting citizen participation in policy debates and peaceful change in the hemisphere. Our grantmaking has emphasized issues and countries where a shift in US policy or public opinion can make a significant, if not decisive, difference.

Suspected UNITA rebels attacked a power station on the outskirts of the Angolan capital, Luanda, early on Tuesday - bringing the rebel movement's current wave of attacks closer to the capital than ever before.

There was no activity in Guinea-Bissau's courts on Tuesday as magistrates began a 30-day strike against the dismissal by President Kumba Yala of four members of the Supreme Court, including its president and vice president.

Sudan has taken steps to crack down on members of Osama bin Laden's terrorist network still in the country, United Press International (UPI) reported on Friday.

UNHCR has recorded 6,241 new Liberian refugees in western Cote d'Ivoire since early May following renewed fighting between pro- and anti-government forces in Lofa County, northwestern Liberia, a UNHCR official said.

The Southern African Migration Project (SAMP) wishes to announce the
publication of Migration Policy Series No. 22 on "Immigration, Xenophobia and Human Rights in South Africa" in partnership with the Roll Back Xenophobia Campaign of the South African Human Rights Commission. The paper provides a comprehensive and reliable guide to South African attitudes towards migrants, immigrants and refugees and is available online or in hard copy.

Media liaison, training and crisis communication specialists, Quo Vadis Communications, offers a stimulating two-day course for company executives, the NPO sector and anyone tasked with handling the media in their organisations.

The Gender Advocacy Programme invites you to attend its conference: Basic Income Grant- "Changing Women's Realities". The conference is aimed at enabling participants to understand the need to introduce Basic Income Grant and how it is envisaged to work and develop and strengthen lobbying and advocacy strategies for the introduction of the Basic Income Grant.

The Electronic Community is a nonprofit organization that seeks to empower geographically diverse civil society organizations throughout Africa to actively participate in the process of African development by providing them with the technical tools, training and Internet presence they need to effectively achieve their development goals; while enhancing the internal capacities of the communities and environments within which each civil society organization operates.

Ahead of the UN Special Session on Children in New York later this month, UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy spoke to IRIN on the establishment of a new agenda for children's rights, and her expectations for the 19-21 September conference.

The UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) has said it has established a board of inquiry to investigate and report on allegations of misconduct by members of the mission. The establishment of the board follows allegations appearing in Italian media that a former UNMEE peacekeeper was being investigated by the Italian military prosecutor's office over accusations of having allegedly had sex with underage girls while serving in the mission area.

A large-scale offensive was launched over the past days by the rebels of the UNITA (National Union for the Total Independence of Angola) in the central provinces of the nation. As referred by MISNA sources, though the number of victims is unknown, the toll is undoubtedly dramatic. There are also numerous reports of missing people.

Recently released documents have shown the role of the United States in blocking international action against the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. Africa Policy says that the documents reveal the "systematic indifference to African lives", as well as the fact that there has still been no official American investigation of responsibility for US actions and inactions at the time. These, it adds, "are a revealing commentary on the continuity of structural racism embedded in US foreign policy making".

The United States and Israel, faced with an implacable wall of support for Palestine, pulled out of the U.N. World Conference Against Racism Monday.

Civil society groups have been unable to forge a final declaration or programme of action to fight racism after five days of intensive talks alongside a similarly fractious meeting of their governments. The Aug. 28-Sep. 1 NGO (non-governmental organisation) Forum, held in tandem to the Aug. 31-Sep. 7 World Conference Against Racism, was marred by disorganisation and irreconcilable disputes over the wording of the declaration and action plan.

At a press conference in Durban, South Africa, today Amnesty International's Secretary General Irene Khan said the focus of the WCAR must be about human rights – the right of all persons to be treated equally without any racial or other bias or discrimination.

With one day remaining in the conference, the negative coverage of the World Conference Agianst Racism (WCAR) has reached a crescendo. We share the sense of missed opportunity that surrounds the conference, and yet whatever the last day brings, the notion of "failure" would be too simple and misleading. Indeed, if the goal of the conference is to raise consciousness about race and intolerance the signs of success abound. The greatest success has been the mobilization of victims of racism from communities around the world who have put their plight on the international agenda.

The west needs to apologise to its former colonies in Africa for the worst excesses and oppression of the imperial days.

An international conference ‘Implementing the ICC, for policymakers, lawyers and the military’ will be held from 19 – 21 December 2001 in the Peace Palace, The Hague. With the number of ratifications rapidly growing the establishment of the ICC seems to come faster than anticipated. Therefore it is of great importance that the central themes of the conference focus on the design and the consequences of the establishment of the ICC for target groups mostly affected by the functioning of the new court. These target groups are policymakers, lawyers and the military. For additional information, please email the organisers.

The state government of Bahr al-Jabal, southern Sudan, on Monday declared flood-affected districts in and around Juba town to be "disaster zones", Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA) reported on Tuesday. Local government officials said some 17,000 people had been made homeless after the Nile river burst its banks following heavy rain, dpa reported.

The difficult human rights situation of women in the DRC and the need to increase women's representation in the peace process have spurred UNIFEM and the Office of the Facilitator of the Inter-Congolese Dialogue to call for the equal participation of women at the dialogue, to be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 15 October.

We were very sad to learn that Peter Oakley, Research Director of the International NGO Training and Research Centre (INTRAC), died suddenly last weekend whilst on a work visit to Indonesia. It would appear, from first reports, that the cause was heart failure. There are many in the NGO sector who have had contact with Peter in many different ways and over different periods of time. His death is a great loss to all who dedicate their lives to social justice. Peter has contributed so much and inspired so many. The international NGO community will miss his sharp mind and clear insights (as well as his great sense of humour). Our thougts are with his family, Maria Cristina, Taciana, Gabriella and Louise, and with his colleagues at INTRAC.

A deadly fire that devastated the Pretoriuskop area of the Kruger National Park over the past two days has been brought under control.

Nigerian Information Minister Jerry Gana warned on Wednesday that Mount Cameroon, across the border, could erupt again soon and pose a serious health hazard to Nigerian border communities.

At least 30 people, including six children, have died in bush fires fanned by high winds across South Africa's bushveld over the past two days, police said this week.

The leading cause of death among teachers in the Central Africa Republic is HIV/AIDS according to a UNICEF study. The teacher shortage has forced numerous school closures, impacting the quality of education throughout the country.

The International Development Research Centre reports on how SchoolNet South Africa is bringing technology to schools around the country. 'As part of our mission, SchoolNet SA has chosen to focus on the use of ICTs to redress some of these injustices of the past, in order to bring about equitable distribution of resources and knowledge.'

This World Bank report shows a strong correlation between socioeconomic status and malnutrition. Levels of malnutrition decrease as socioeconomic levels increase and vice versa. About 27% of children under five in developing countries are malnourished. Available as PDF file [37p.].

Over the last two years, North Africa, and to some extent the whole southern coast of the Mediterranean, has become a 'dead end zone' for Black African migrants. "Passing through North Africa, migrants are treated like slaves" for having committed the only 'sin' of deserting the misery, persecutions and conflicts of their countries in search of a better life, a disturbing development of European Union Migration policy.

Below is a report from Denise Moorehead, Director of Communications and Public Policy at the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC), Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, on the first days of the main conference and a parallel session on community-based education for children regardless of race, ethnic group or class distinctions.

Based in Kampala, Uganda, Raising Voices is a non-profit international organization that works in partnership with local organizations in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania to prevent violence against women and children. Their website includes information on programmatic tools developed by Raising Voices to strengthen violence prevention efforts at the grassroots and current efforts underway within the Region.

In March 2001, a capacity building, training workshop was implemented by Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industries and Forestry (MAAIF) Planning Department funded by FAO under the programme of Integrated Support to Sustainable Development and Food Security. This historic workshop generated much consciousness on gender disaggregated data (GDD) by transforming the quality of information gathering and processing. The dynamics of gender in relation to statistical information, the institution of the family in terms of division of labour, resource allocation among men and women, boys and girls, has gained particular significance.

The best interests of the child are served when the mother and the father are involved in their upbringing. Changing family roles, however, are influencing the socialisation of children. Why then, is consideration of the roles that men play often absent from development programmes targeting children?

Is participation always a good thing? Should every development project be participatory? Is participation sometimes not appropriate? Is a more critical approach needed?

Fifteen months after British troops intervened in the Sierra Leone crisis, much has changed for the better. To achieve this, the British, who ruled Sierra Leone as a colony until its independence in 1961, have established what amounts to a de facto trusteeship.

This is a series of useful lesson resources on various topics related to modern-day slavery. The two-pagers on "Bonded Labour" and "Slavery from the past..." can be used by teachers as illustrative materials in civic education, history or other social science classrooms.

Morris Walunywa is unemployed. So his older brothers, who wanted to help find him a job at the prison, did the natural thing: They pooled their meager savings of $65 and bribed the prison's chief officer to give Mr. Morris a job. The officer pocketed the money, promising to enroll Morris. But when the list of recruits was later posted, it didn't include Mr. Walunywa's name.

Amnsety International has condemned Tunisia - currently hosting the
Mediterranean Games - for its treatment of around 1,000 political prisoners
languishing in jails where they are subjected to a wide range of abuses.

When a Kenyan asks for a little tea, he may or may not have a hot beverage in mind.

More than 280,000 Nigerians have at one time or another been displaced by conflicts or natural disasters over the past two years, according to figures from humanitarian organisations and the media.

Forest dwellers from seven African countries this week appealed for compensation for livelihoods compromised by government activities, and for vindication of their human rights, AFP news agency reported.