IN THIS ISSUE:

NEWS

1. Machrek-Magreb
2. Disability
3. NGOs

REPORTS & BOOKS & ARTICLES

1. ICT
2. Youth
3. Gender

WEBSITES

1. Trade/Economics/Microfinance
2. Gender

NEWS

1. MACHREK-MAGREB:
ESCWA Discusses Role of Palestinian Diaspora in Rehabilitation and Development Process. The Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Palestine International Institute (PII), held an expert meeting on the Role of the Palestinian Diaspora in the Rehabilitation and Development Process in the Occupied Palestinian Territory in Amman from 29-30 July 2004. “The meeting, in which representatives of civil society institutions and the private sector participated, aimed at drawing up plans and mechanisms for the role of Palestinian communities abroad. Discussion revolved around four points, including the role of experts in the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Palestine; the role of the private sector; the role of civil society institutions and the Palestinian Diaspora; and Palestinian and Arab political and media rhetoric”. ESCWA Weekly News: 16/08/2004 (www.escwa.org.lb)

ESCWA Reports on Repercussions of Israeli Occupation on Palestinian Population. Lead: “ESCWA Executive Secretary Mervat Tallawy held a press conference to present a report on the “Economic and Social Repercussions of the Israeli Occupation on the Economic and Social Conditions of the Palestinian People in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Including Jerusalem of the Arab Population in the Occupied Syrian Golan” on 30 July at the UN House, Beirut. The report indicates that during 2002-2003, there were 785 fatalities and 5,130 injuries, with 16,000 Palestinians being displaced. About 423,000 settlers live in the Palestinian territory within settlements, representing a source of great concern about the possibility of establishing an independent and contiguous state. The report reveals the extent of physical damage to the Palestinian economy, which was calculated to be $370 million between 2002 and 2003, with cumulative losses totaling $1.1 billion since October 2000”. ESCWA Weekly News: 09/08/2004 (www.escwa.org.lb)

IRAQ: The World Bank plans to embark on its first reconstruction projects in Iraq since the toppling of Saddam Hussein by October, Faris Hadad-Zervos, the World Bank's Head of Mission for the Iraq program said this week. GDB: 12/08/2004 (www.developmentex.com)

Training Programs for Iraqi Civil Service. Lead: “thirty civil servants from various Iraqi ministries were awarded certificates at a graduation ceremony marking the conclusion of a two-week training course on financial management, procurement and project management. Financed by a contribution grant from the European Union to the Bank-administered Iraq Trust Fund, the course is the latest in a series of some 20 training activities launched since February to prepare Iraqi civil servants for managing internationally funded reconstruction projects”.
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,conten%20tMDK:20236702~...

2. DISABILITY:
Supporting the Arab Decade for Persons with Disability on ESCWA Agenda. ESCWA and partners organized, in Support of the Arab Decade for Persons with Disabilities, 2004 - 2013, an Expert Group Meeting (EGM) to Discuss a Unified Arab Position on the International Convention on Disability, at its premises in Beirut, 2 – 4 August 2004.“The Meeting aimed at developing capacity-building in the Arab countries in areas of policy, programmes, and planning concerning the materialization of the “Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities”; and at developing a unified position towards the preparation of an Arab Plan of Action to support the implementation of the Arab Decade for Persons with Disabilities, taking into consideration Arab countries current achievements and situations.” ESCWA Weekly News: 16/08/2004 (www.escwa.org.lb)

3. NGOs:
Grants through the Bank. Lead “The Bank offers a limited number of grants to facilitate development projects --primarily those that encourage innovation, foster cooperation and to increase participation by local stakeholders. Grants are either funded directly or managed through partnerships. This site offers information about a range of mechanisms through which the Bank distributes grants, including competitions in the Development Marketplace, social funds, and grants to promote innovation in information and communications technologies”. http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/OPPORTUNITIES/0,,contentMDK:200...

REPORTS & BOOKS & ARTICLES

1. ICT:
Information and Communication Technology for Development: USAID's Worldwide Program. This is a presentation of the ICT for Development program of the U.S. Agency for International Development. USAID, May 2004. The report can also be ordered on paper for US$3.00. (PDF, 619 KB, 60 pages.). It is however reported to be a “fairly glossy” representation of their work. http://topics.developmentgateway.org/aideffectiveness/rc/ItemDeta%20il.d...

2. YOUTH:
Service-Learning: Promoting Employability, Empowerment, and Social Entrepreneurship among Youth. As a part of the Youth Employment Summit Campaign's (YES) Global Knowledge Resources of best practices, YES is showcasing a working paper entitled," Service Learning: Promoting Employability, Empowerment, and Social Entrepreneurship among Youth.
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/youth/rc/ItemDetail.do~100%209021~i...

Youth Explosion in the Developing World Cities. The Woodrow Wilson International Centre has issued a comparative urban studies project that draws relationship between urbanization, youth, poverty, and conflict. The project touches upon “youth unemployment and its reasons in the developing world, youth migration”.
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/youth/rc/ItemDetail.do~100%209180~i...

Young People at Risk in an Urbanizing World. This article relates the UN Human Settlements Program, which gives an overview of the risks that urban youth faces today in the Developing World. Such as “Migration from rural to urban areas,combined with economic and social hardships, decreasing employment opportunities for youth.
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/youth/rc/ItemDetail.do~100%209182~i...

3. GENDER:
Men on the Elimination of Violence against Women - The Phillipines. This article relates a programme, which sought to involve men in efforts to eliminate violence against women (EVAW), included a series of workshops in 3 cities in Nov and Dec, 2001. “Its objectives included: selecting strategic segments of the adult male population for involvement in the prevention/elimination of VAW; engaging these groups in the creation of awareness regarding the issue of VAW and in planning local actions; promoting understanding of EVAW among the broader population in order to bolster the actions of the identified male groups. The programme addressed men, particularly members of the police force and elected male village heads ("barangay chairmen")”.
http://www.comminit.com/experiences/pdskdv62002/experiences-1409.html

Gender in Monitoring and Evaluation in Rural Development: A Toolkit, This toolkit by Fort, L., Martinez, B. L., and Mukhopadhyay, M., shows how to implement a gender-sensitive monitoring and evaluation system for rural development projects.
http://www.siyanda.org/static/fort_gemruraldev.htm

How to Guide: [Sexual and Gender-Based Violence] SGV Programme Monitoring and Evaluation. This tool provides 'how to' guidance on monitoring and evaluation for programmes tackling sexual and gender-based violence (SGV) in refugee settings. http://www.siyanda.org/static/vann_howtoguide.htm

A Quick Guide to Using Gender Sensitive Indicators: A Reference Manual for Governments and Other Stakeholders.
This guide provides definitions, key features, limitations of, and recommendations for improved development and monitoring of gender-sensitive indicators are addressed in this guide.http://www.siyanda.org/static/beck_guide2indicators.htm

Globalisation and the Gender Division of Labour: Case Study of the Garment and ICT Sectors in Lebanon and Jordan (Arabic). UNESCWA, 2001. This study “explores the impact of globalisation on the gendered division of labour in the traditional garment and the modern Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) sectors in Lebanon and Jordan”. The study is divided into six chapters which provide an overview of the situation of working women in these sectors.
http://www.siyanda.org/docs/unescwa_genderdivision.doc

Female-Headed Households in Selected Conflict-Stricken ESCWA Areas. This study written by El-Solh, C., 2001, explores the complex links between poverty, conflict and female household headship in Lebanon, Palestine and Yemen. It attempts to reveal whether female-headed households are different through an examination of cross-cultural data. http://www.siyanda.org/docs/femaleheaded_households_in_selecte%20d_confl...

Gender, Citizenship and the Role of NGOs in Conflict-Stricken ESCWA Countries: Yemen Case Study. This case study is in Arabic, and is written by Al-Sharjabi, A., 2001. It highlights Yemen and the role of NGOs in introducing the concept and practice of citizenship with a gender-sensitive orientation. To view this document perform a search at: http://www.siyanda.org/search/

Gender, Citizenship and the Role of NGOs. This covers ESCWA Countries affected by Conflicts, using Lebanon as a case study. It is in Arabic and explores the intersection between gender, citizenship, conflict and the role of NGOs in Lebanon. It focuses on the legal background in Lebanon that women’s rights activists claim, “perpetuate gender discrimination and inequality between male and female Lebanese citizens”, and reveals the results of a survey aimed at analysing the role of women’s NGOs in this endeavour. To view this document perform a search at: http://www.siyanda.org/search/

WEBSITES

1. TRADE/ECONOMICS/MICROFINANCE:
Imp-Act. This website relates the work of Imp-Act, which is “a global action-research programme designed to improve the quality of microfinance services and their impact on poverty by developing impact assessment systems. A section of the website provides general resources on impact assessment.
http://www.developmentgateway.org//ict/dg-contribute/item-detail?item_id...

2. GENDER:
The UN ESCWA Women's Centre -Lebanon. “The UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UNESCWA) division - Women’s Centre was established in 2003 to improve Arab women's economic, social and political status. The Centre works to achieve this through creating greater awareness of gender related issues, monitoring developments, analyzing the situation of Arab women and providing technical assistance…http://www.escwa.org.lb/divisions/ecw/main.htm