IN THIS ISSUE:
EVENTS
1. Gender
NEWS
1. Gender
2. NGOs
3. Machreq/Maghreb
4. ICT/Tech.
REPORTS & BOOKS & ARTICLES
1. NGOs
2. Machreq/Maghreb
3. Gender
WEBSITES & RESOURCES
1. NGOs
2. Gender
3. Human Rights

EVENTS
1. GENDER:
Gender, Citizenship and Governance
CRTDA is announcing its fourth annual course in gender and governance. This is an internationally focused training course organized jointly with the Royal Tropical Institute. The objectives of the course are to provide a gender analysis of the governance agendas and institutions it aiming at promoting strategies to ensure that gender equality is prioritized in government schema. The event will be taking place in Beirut from 23rd February – 3rd March, 2005.
http://www.macmag-glip.org/events&workshop_nov04.htm

NEWS
1. GENDER:
Bahrain Hosts ESCWA Workshop
“In cooperation with the Central Informatics Organization in Bahrain and the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, (ESCWA) organized the Second National Workshop for Users and Producers of Gender Statistics from 13th-14th Dec., 2004 in Manama. The purpose of the workshop was to review the national publication: Women and Men in the Kingdom of Bahrain: A Statistical Portrait.”http://www.escwa.org.lb/

New Report: “Gender, Minorities, and Indigenous Peoples”
“The report was launched on the 12th of January, 2005 at the United Nations, New York. There was a panel debate for the debut of this report calling for action to address multiple discrimination. The event was promoted in cooperation with the UN Division for the Advancement of Women.” Copies of the report can be downloaded from the Minority Rights Group International website: http://www.minorityrights.org/

UNIFEM: Women Must Be at the Heart of Rebuilding Shattered Communities
The Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) states: “The special protection of females requires attention.” For more on this statement see:
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/gender/rc/ItemDetail.do~1028621?int...

2. NGOs:
Giving Voice to the Unspoken
“A 20-minute video production shows the hands-on aspects of Participatory 3-D Modeling, a community mapping practice fully integrated with Global Positioning and Geographic Information Systems.” http://topics.developmentgateway.org/ngo/rc/ItemDetail.do~1029061?intcmp...

Iraq Launches New NGO Ministry
"A new ministry of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) has been created in Iraq to build national and local aid agencies and civil society groups. Dawood Pasha, Director-General of Iraq's new ministry was recently interviewed by IRIN in Baghdad about plans to regulate NGOs which includes training of staff and sustaining a positive image of NGOs in Iraq, in the midst of a failing security situation where international agencies are being driven out of the country.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?

NGO Claim Win as World Bank Extends Rules Review
“Groups fighting for a more equitable global economic system are claiming
victory over the World Bank after the international public lender said it would
extend the deadline for consultations on some of its lending rules and standards
and release more information to the public. Friends of the Earth, a global group
that was spearheading a series of boycotts of the World Bank’s consultation
process, said boycotts by non-governmental organizations forced the institution
to extend the process till the end of April 2005.” full story:
http://www.civicus.org/new/content/emad/mekay.htm

3. MACHREQ/MAGHREB
Arab Economies Should Explore Outsourcing Ties with Europe
“This editorial suggests that Arab economies should follow the example of India, China and Mexico, who have prospered by initially engaging the world’s advanced industrial economies through outsourcing relationships which in turn has created jobs.”
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/mdg/rc/ItemDetail.do~1028843?intcmp...

Job Opportunity: Director, Middle East North Africa Initiative
"The Consultative Group to Assist the Poorest (CGAP) a leading microfinance consortium, supported by 29 donors, is recruiting a high potential individual to manage its microfinance program in the Middle East/North Africa region. The initiative's goal is to accelerate the development of microfinance by offering training, resources and advocacy to governments, donors and important regional actors. http://www.cgap.org/portal/site/cgap/

4. ICT/TECH.
Role of ICT in Tsunami Relief and Recovery
“Within hours after disaster struck countless blogs and online diaries were set up providing eyewitness accounts, news, updates as well as information on donating and volunteering. Aid agencies harnessed the web to launch emergency appeals for tsunami victims and the response has been overwhelming. One such initiative is the Disasters Emergency Committee, which is an umbrella organization established by a coalition of 12 charities to accept online donations. A missing persons site set up by the Red Cross crashed after receiving 650,000 hits in its first 24 hours.”
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/ict/highlights/viewHighlight.do~act...

Telecenter Distance Learning
“The telecottage is a unique infrastructure-intelligence base serving the local community. Its components are: modern communication technology, office equipment, computational and educational technology, community space and organizational capacity.”
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/elearning/rc/ItemDetail.do~1028431?...

REPORTS & BOOKS & ARTICLES
1. NGOs:
Assessing and Strengthening Civil Society Worldwide: A Project Description of the CIVICUS Civil Society Index
“This report provides a detailed account of the project’s approach, conceptual and analytical framework and research methodology of the CIVICUS (World Alliance for Citizen Participation) Civil Society Index (CSI) Project. The report discusses the issues around conceptualizing and assessing civil society in a comparative manner in countries around the world.” To order email CIVICUS: info@civicus.org

New Publication: The Role of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in the Arab Countries.
"ESCWA published a document that includes a series of studies concerning "The
Role of Non-Governmental Organizations in Arab Countries in the
Implementation of Recommendations of International Forums and in their
Follow-Up in the 1990s: Towards a Code of Conduct." This study examines
shared tendencies and different paths taken by various Arab governments, on the
local and the national level, and NGOs on the basis of various socio-economic
and cultural specifics distinguishing each country. http://www.escwa.org.lb/

2. MACHREQ/MAGHREB:
New Publication: Facing Globalization in Selected ESCWA Member States
“The study aims to monitor trends in the work of women and its preconditions in light of globalization in two Arab States disparately affected by it: Jordan and Lebanon with regard to the division of labor between males and females.” http://www.escwa.org.lb/

3. GENDER:
Annotated Bibliography on Violence Against Women: A Health and Human Rights Concern
This publication has been produced by the World Health Organization's Global Commission on Women's Health. It was prepared by Rights and Humanity in collaboration with Women's Health and Development. http://topics.developmentgateway.org/population/rc/ItemDetail.do~1028258...

Gender Differences in Time Use Among Adolescents in Developing Countries: Implications of Rising School Enrolment Rates
"Research questions addressed in this paper: 1) How does time use change during transition to adulthood. 2) Does gender role differentiation intensify during the transition? Population Council Policy Research Division Working Paper no. 193, 2004."
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/population/rc/ItemDetail.do~1028224...

Gender and Migration in the Arab States: The Case of Domestic Workers “This report examines the migration of women in the Arab states, focusing particularly on domestic workers. The studies reveal the key causes of personal, social and economic vulnerability of women domestic workers. This publication presents an International Labor Organization (ILO) review of four country studies: Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates. It is based on several years of collaborative work (2000-2004) between in country researchers: the ILO office in the Arab states, International Migration Program and the Gender Promotion Program in ILO headquarters.” http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr/cfm?doc=DOC1676

WEBSITES & RESOURCES
1. NGOs:
Civil Society Organizations: Promoting Pro-Poor Policy and Social Inclusion
“The course is designed to help civil society organizations make the rapport between policy processes and policy actors more effective by cultivating a better understanding of policy entrepreneurships and policy making at the local, national and international levels. The central objective is to improve the quality and use of policy research produced by experts in Civil Society Organizations (CSO).” http://www.ceu.hu/sun/SUN_2005/courses_in_2005.htm

Communication for Healthy Living (CHL)- Egypt
"The health and communication project aimed at enabling families and communities to protect and maintain their health. The family-focused project, conducted in collaboration with local community development associations, is an effort to improve a wide range of health indicators: family planning, reproductive health, child health, infectious diseases including HIV/Aids and practices in support of health reform. http://www.comminit.com/africa/experience/pds122004/experiences-2848.htm...

Directory of Development Organizations
“The directory of Development Organizations 2004 has been prepared to facilitate international cooperation and knowledge sharing in development work among NGOs, research institutions, governments and private sector organizations.” http://topics.developmentgateway.org/ict/rc/ItemDetail.do~1028726?intcmp...

UN Opens its Official Document System to the General Public via Internet
The United Nations has launched its Official Document System (ODS), a full-text web resource for official UN documentation. The ODS covers all types of documentation originating from duty stations worldwide, including selective documents of the regional commissions such as the Economic And SCommissionforWesternAsia (ESCWA).” The ODS is available at http://documents.un.org

2. GENDER:
Gender Manual: A Practical Guide for Development Policy Makers and Practitioners
This manual is the basis of the 2002 introductory paper on gender mainstreaming covering The Beijing Platform for Action, Gender Mainstreaming in Practice,Examples of Mainstreaming Definitions and Policy Evaporation in Good Practice http://www.siyanda.org/static/dfid_gendermanual.htm"

Toolkit in Promoting Gender Equality in Education
The GENIA toolkit provides a collection of practical resources for gender focal points in Asian Ministries of Education (MoE). UNESCO, 2004 http://www.siyanda.org/static/unesco_genia.htm

3. HUMAN RIGHTS
Business and Human Rights Resource Center
“This website aggregates information pertaining to corporations and development, the environment, labor and health. It includes positive initiatives by companies as well as reports raising concerns.” http://topics.developmentgateway.org/trade/rc/ItemDetail.do~1029147?intc...

Human Rights Education On-line
The Electronic Resource Center for Human Rights Education Association (HREA) is an online repository of human right education and training materials, on-line forums, databases and links to other organizations and resources. Available resources will be sent to those who register their email addresses: http://www.hrea.org/erc/index.html