IN THIS ISSUE:
EVENTS

1. Gender
2. ICT
3. NGO Work

NEWS

1. Middle - East
2. Disability

REPORTS & BOOKS & ARTICLES

1. Trade/Economics/Microfinance
2. Youth
3. NGO Work
4. Poverty
5. Gender

EVENTS

1. GENDER:
Gender & Media (GEM) Summit - Sep 12-15 2004 - Johannesburg, South Africa. Lead: “The purpose of the Summit is to provide a forum to actively challenge and advocate for gender equality in and through the media. The Summit programme will aim to cover a variety of issues including mainstreaming gender in media content and training, media monitoring, and skills training”. Contact: info@genderlinks.co.za https://www.comminit.com/events_cal/2004/2937-event.html

2. ICT:
NAWeb 2004 - The Web-Based Learning Conference - Oct 1619 2004 -Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. This conference aims to “focus on innovative and practical uses of the World Wide Web in teaching and learning, extending the reach of existing campuses and creating "virtual" campuses of a new and unique nature. https://www.comminit.com/events_cal/2004/2775-event.html Contact: hall@unb.ca

3. NGO WORK:
Call for Submissions: National Endowment for Democracy New Arabic Resource Database. “The Middle East and North Africa Program at the National Endowment for Democracy is soliciting submissions to a new Arabic-language resource database that will serve as a resource for democrats and nongovernmental organizations in the Middle East and North Africa. The Program is in the process of identifying and cataloguing how-to manuals, reference publications, and other related materials (mainly online) that address a wide array of democracy topics, including freedom of information, political processes, democratic ideas and values, strengthening political institutions, accountability, human rights, rule of law, civic education, NGO strengthening and capacity building, freedom of association, free markets, and conflict resolution. NED welcomes submissions, including addresses of Web sites and/or documents, preferably in Arabic”. To make a submission, e-mail: http://ned.org./

NEWS

1. MIDDLE - EAST:
Palestinian Authority: “The United States is losing interest in the Middle East peace process with the result that the prospects of creating a viable Palestinian state are gradually disappearing, a new British government assessment of the Palestinian crisis warns”. http://www.developmentex.com/index.jsp

Egypt's "Torture Epidemic" Prompts Fine for Minister. Lead: “A Cairo court fined Egyptian Interior Minister Habib el-Adli after a prisoner was tortured in a Cairo prison, the Egyptian Human Rights Association for the Assistance of Prisoners (HRAAP) stated. Adli was fined for the torture of Mostafa Ibrahim Amin, detained for membership of an Islamist group”. http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L21485436.htm

2. DISABILITY:
Unleashing Hidden Talents. Lead: “The Bank has embarked on an institution-wide push to foster more inclusive policies toward people with disabilities in developing countries. Integrating issues related to disability involves incorporating the needs of disabled people into existing Bank projects as well as those that are in the planning stage. Part of the challenge is to demystify disability as an issue in development, says Judy Heumann, advisor on disability and development in the Bank’s Human Development Network. "The aim is to make sure the needs of disabled people are addressed across the board -- in education, housing, transport, the environment, across all the sectors," she says”.
http://web.worldbank.org/ WBSITE /EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,conten tMDK:20230052~menuPK:34457~pagePK:64003015~piPK:64003012~theSitePK:4607,00.html

Breaking the Cycle. Lead: “Many people in developing countries are locked in a vicious cycle of poverty and disability, says Daniel Mont, a social protection specialist with the Bank’s Disability and Development group. He and other members of his team are part of an international program to improve the collection of data on disabilities in developing countries. While the "best guess" estimate puts the level of disability at about 10 percent in most developing countries -- or about 400 million people --the lack of data makes it difficult to measure. The Bank is working in partnership with other organizations to improve collection of data on disability issues by producing survey questions and working with national statistical offices to create more detailed measurements.” http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,conten%20tMDK:20230076~menuPK:34458~pagePK:64003015~piPK:6400%203012~theSitePK:4607,00.html


REPORTS & BOOKS & ARTICLES

1. TRADE/ECONOMICS/MICROFINANCE:
Recruiting, Training, and Retaining Excellent Staff. Lead: “In order for microfinance institutions to successfully attract clients, recruiting, training, and retaining excellent staff is extremely important. You must have well-motivated staff who are really interested and passionate about their work.” http://topics.developmentgateway.org/microfinance/rc/ItemDetail.%20do~1008654~intcmp=00001

2. YOUTH:
Vulnerable Youth in a Volatile Region. This is article from the World Bank concerning extreme poverty in the Middle East and North Africa region. It is said to be low, whereas, infrastructure development is high, and there are visible signs of progress in social development. “Yet the region faces many challenges, among the greatest of which are increasing the inclusion of young people and improving the welfare of vulnerable children. In a learning workshop organized by the Bank’s regional office, staff and regional representatives shared information on children and youth, presenting new analytical work on risks related to their welfare; and discussing collaborative strategies for moving forward. The program, titled “Reaching Vulnerable Children and Youth in MENA,” brought to Washington development partners from Egypt, Morocco, Yemen and Jordan, who shared experiences on education, unemployment, social protection and HIV/AIDS, as well as other issues affecting youth and disadvantaged children in the region.”
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,conten%20tMDK:20230011~menuPK:34457~pagePK:34370~piPK:34424~th%20eSitePK:4607,00.html

Children & Young People as Citizens - Partners in Social Change. This is a free publication that examines children's different backgrounds in South and Central Asia and demonstrates a diversity of ways children have organ wised themselves and influenced their own situations. “It highlights the many ways in which children let their voices be heard and create change in their lives”. http://www.comminit.com/ma2004/sld-9544.html

3. NGO WORK:
Making the Most of the Media: Tools for Human Rights Groups Worldwide. This is an Arabic language media guide for human rights organisations in the Middle East and North Africa. This was initially a Forefront publication, a network of recipients of the Reebok Human Rights Award. It compiles “the practical experience of human rights leaders and journalists from around the world who shared their strategies, successes and lessons for improving media coverage of human rights issues”. Topics that are included are; organising press conferences, conducting interviews, writing press releases, participating in talk shows, and using the Internet for promoting human rights issues. There are other Forefront publications, available in English, French, Spanish and Arabic, such as: "Institution Building for Human Rights Groups," "Practical Strategies," and "Generating Local Resources." Contact Publications@forefrontleaders.org to learn more about other publications, or visit: http://www.forefrontleaders.org/

Culture Matters: Working with Communities and Faith-Based Organisations: Case Studies from Country Programmes. United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). This paper reports on efforts by UNFPA's to develop culturally sensitive programming in the area of gender equity and equality, and reproductive health and rights. It specifically examines the more “inclusive programming approaches that encompass culture and religion and the roles played by local power structures and institutions in mobilising communities to become active partners in development”. There are separate chapters relating the experiences of the UNFPA in Brazil, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Islamic Republic of Iran, Uganda and Yemen. http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC15292

4. POVERTY:
Strategies and Tools against Social Exclusion and Poverty. This article discusses STEP, a global programme for combating poverty and social exclusion in the framework of the follow-up of major world social development summits. “The ILO/STEP programme contributes to the extension of social protection, the fight against social exclusion and poverty”. http://topics.developmentgateway.org/ngo/rc/ItemDetail.do~10085%2082~intcmp=00001

Tunisia Country Assistance Strategy. Lead: “although Tunisia continues to make progress in economic and social development, this strategy document says that key challenges remain in the areas of unemployment, education and social programs as the country works to meet the goals of the Tenth Economic Development Plan” (2002-06). http://www-wds.worldbank.org/servlet/WDS_IBank_Servlet?pcont=details&ei%20d=000012009_20040713125947

5. GENDER:
Gender Gulf in the Gulf. In the latest issue of the “Arab Reform Bulletin” it is noted that despite the fact that women have made considerable progress toward equality of political rights in some Gulf States, they are held back by continued discrimination and strong social sentiment against women's participation in politics. The survey further explains, that, while the ruling elite in the Gulf states generally supports political rights for women, "social customs make it particularly difficult for women to be elected" with the result that prospects for women's political emancipation in the GCC countries "remain slim.
http://www.ceip.org/publications/ARB-7-19-04.asp?p=18from=pubdate

Press Release: “Women’s right to Adequate Housing Land”. Summarized in this three page press release is the consultative meeting between the UN Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, Mr Miloon Kothari and women’s rights defenders in the Arab World. This meeting was held in Alexandria and will be followed by another such meeting in November 2004 in the Pacific Rim Consultation in Fiji. For more information, regarding the press release contact Joseph Schechla at: http://hic-mena.org/

Interim Report of Task Force 3 on Education and Gender Equality: Executive Summary. Produced by: Millennium Project (2004). This paper relates the main issues raised by the United Nation's Taskforce on Gender and Equality report. “It is designed to facilitate consultation with civil society, experts and the international community on the priorities and strategies of the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on education for girls, in preparation of the final report to be completed in December 2004. http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC14650

Gender Management Systems Series, Gender and Development Resources, Commonwealth Secretariat (2004). Lead: “This series of booklets provide a variety of gender mainstreaming resources for use by governments, policy makers, development workers and others. Information available in the booklets include discussion and analyses of gender issues, practical information etc”. http://topics.developmentgateway.org/gender/rc/ItemDetail.do~10%2008480~intcmp=00001