In This Issue:
EVENTS
1. Environment
NEWS
1. Gender
2. Machreq-Maghreb/Appointments
3. Mechreq-Maghreb/NGOs
4. Youth
REPORTS & BOOKS & ARTICLES
1. Gender
2. Gender and Laws
3. Human Development Report
4. ICT for Development
5. NGOs
OTHER USEFUL LINKS
1. Gender
2. NGO/UN
RESOURCES

EVENTS
1. ENVIRONMENT:
          
First MENA Regional Conference on Water, Health and Environment (13-15 September)    
“The conference will present the most recent technological and scientific developments associated with health, water, environment, hydrology, ecology and all water related sciences.”
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/foodsecurity/rc/ItemDetail.do~10338...

NEWS
1. GENDER:
Sudan: Women from the South Prioritize Developing Infrastructure Pan African News Agency- April 7, 2005
“Southern Sudanese women have demanded the restoration of the non-existent infrastructure in the area as a matter of priority for the funding ahead of the international donors’ conference for Sudan to be held in Oslo in April 11, 2005. More than 50 women mainly from civil society groups identified education, healthcare, water, infrastructure and legal issues among other pressing development issues said that these issues required the most urgent funding. Sudanese women held a consultative meeting facilitated by the UN Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and the national Democratic Institute (NDI) in the wake of the Nairobi Peace Agreement signed on Jan. 9, 2005. The two day donor meting in Oslo is expected to fundraise 7.8 billion dollars over the next two and a half years.” See full story at: http://www.allafrica.com - www.awid.org 

2. MACHREQ-MAGHREB/APPOINTMENTS:
Program Officer, Cairo for the Financial Services Volunteer Corps
“The post holder will be responsible for project research, development and management, including managing project logistics and communication flow between the Cairo office, local counterparts, FSVC headquarters in New York and volunteer advisors. S/he will also be responsible for representing the organization in meetings with local counterpart organizations and U.S. government officials.” Contact:
agyptpo@fsvc.org
http://www.comminit.com/vacancy2256.html

3. MACHREQ-MAGHREB/NGOs:
Jordan: Draft Bill would Muzzle Civil Society
“A draft law before Jordan’s parliament would close a window of free expression and assembly for more than 120,000 members of the counties professional associations.” Human Rights Watch (HRW) is concerned with the new draft law which requires that professional associations get prior
written approval from the Interior Ministry to hold a public gathering or meeting.
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2005/04/06/jordan10340.htm  

4. YOUTH:
Meeting the Development & Participation Rights of Adolescent Girls
This United Nations effort addresses the situation of adolescent girls with the purpose of creating and environment for adolescent girls’ equal participation in leadership and decision making, in all
spheres of society. “The Malawi community members identified five barriers to obtaining equality for girls and then helped devise interventions.”
http://www.comminit.com/experiences/pds62004/experiences-1972.html Â...

World Bank’s Youth for Good Governance Program
“The aim of the Youth and Good Governance Program is to stimulate a dialogue on governance issues among youth by emphasizing the role they can play in demanding accountability from their government. Youth can be resilient, resourceful and responsive and there is a need to encourage and establish mechanisms in countries to involve youth in playing a role in addressing corruption and consequently improving governance in their countries.”
http://topics.developmentgateway.org

REPORTS & BOOKS & ARTICLES
1. GENDER:
New Publication from Oxfam’s UK Poverty Program: What Men and Women Want: A Practical Guide to Gender and Participation
“Are you working to improve things for men and women in your community or carrying out a participatory appraisal of an area’s needs and requirements?” This publication from Oxfam’s UK poverty program is a guide based on actual gendered participatory appraisal in Wales. It offers a thorough explanation of why looking at men and women’s different life experiences is an essential part of any participatory work. You can order this guide on Oxfam’s website:
http://www.oxfamgb.org/ukpp/resources/whatmenandwomenwnat.htm?ito=2132&i...

New Report, Amnesty International: Palestinian women carry the burden of Israel’s Occupation
“This report examines the impact on women of the spiralling violence and unprecedented level of restrictions of movements imposed by Israel on Palestinians in the Occupied Territories, as well
as increased violence against women in the family and discriminatory laws and practices. Sweeping restrictions have led to unprecedented levels of poverty, unemployment and health problems for the entire Palestinian population in the occupied Territories.”
http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engmde150162005

Progress of Arab Women, United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM)
"This comprehensive report serves as a toll for identifying unfulfilled promises and for revisiting current
strategies and programs of action for protecting the human security of the 140 million Arab women.”
http://www.siyanda.org/static/unifem_arabwomen.htm 

Women In Iran: Struggles for Spaces
This article locates the space of the women’s movement in Iran. It is chronologically based and follows the
women’s movement since the 19th century. The article traces the lives and activities of various women who have stood up for their rights.
http://topic.developmentgateway.org/gender/rc/ItemDetail.do~1036560?intc...

2. GENDER AND LAWS:
Gender, Sexuality and the Criminal Laws in the Middle East and North Africa: A Comparative Study
The Turkish-based NGO Women’s for Women’s Human Rights –New Ways has put out a study conducted by Dr. Sherifa Zuhur which examines the common aspects of criminal laws in the Middle East and North Africa related to sexuality, also providing a historical perspective and insight into the amalgamation of tribal, religious and colonial laws and their impact on modern codes of law. ”
http://www.wwhr.org/images/GenderSexualityandCriminalLaws.pdf

Turkish Civil and Penal Code Reforms from a Gender Perspective
“This publication, produced by Women for Women’s Human Rights (WWHR) - New Ways, includes the stories and results of two successful campaigns by the women’s movement in Turkey: The Campaign on the Reform of the Penal Code from a Gender Perspective, conducted between 2002-2004 and the Civil Code Reform Campaign in 2000-2001. It also describes the legal status of women in Turkey.” You
www.wwhr.org/images/CivilandPenalCodeReforms.pdf

3. HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT:
Arab Human Development Report 2004
The Third Arab Human Development Report is “courageous and impartial and has triggered the kind of constructive debate that we have long awaited,” says Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister Marwan Muasher. See the full story at:
http://topics.developemntgateway.org/poverty/ItemDetail.do~1035284?intcm...

Forces of Change in Contemporary Arab Culture
“The Arab Human Development Report, subtitles “Towards Freedom in the Arab World,” calls for reforms to spearhead an Arab renaissance. It argues that if the Arab people are to have societies of freedom
and good governance they will need to be socially innovative. Political restrictions on human development are identified as the most stubborn of all the impediments to an Arab resistance. The Arab media, authors and artists are breaking down old barriers and taboos in countries where freedoms of expression and censorship are in constant flux.”
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/culture?intcmp=905&intcmp=905

4. ICT FOR DEVELOPMENT (ICT4D):
ICTs and Economic Empowerment of Women in South Asia
“This videoconference seminar explored how ICTs could empower South Asian women by facilitating their
participation in economic activities. Women constitute on average 33% of the total labor force in the South Asia Region.”
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/gender/rc/ItemDetail.do~1034462?int...

5.   NGOs:
Lessons Learned and Good Practice: Community Based Organizations in Yemen.
“This paper discusses preconditions, good practice and operational lessons learned about organizational capacity development and empowerment processes analyzing the set-up and the institutional  organizational aspects of Community Based Organizations (CBOs).”
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/ngo/rc/ItemDetail.do~1036184?intcmp

OTHER USEFUL LINKS
1. GENDER:
Country Focus: Morocco
Access key gender resources:
http://www.siyanda.org/search/qlinx-countryfocus.cfm?code+Morocco

Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Ten Years After Beijing-Where Do We Stand?
“This link has highlighted all the critical areas of concern on gender issues that were taken up in the Beijing Declaration in its 49th session.” The site also provides information about the online discussion on these issues which is hosted by Women’s Watch.
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/gender/rc/ItemDetail.do~1036664?int...

GenderIT.org: A New Gender and ICT Policy Website
GednerIT.org is a website started by the Association for Progressive Communications Women’s Networking Support Program (APC WNSP). The site is a resource that helps women make ICT policy a
priority.
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/ict/rc/ItemDetail.do~1035721?intcmp...

2. NGOs/UN:
UNAMI – UN Iraq Page on Food Security
This is a web portal for UN agencies and NGOs working in Iraq. Contacts for this cluster: Tarek Al Guindi
tarek.elguindi@wfp.org
and Marcello Ladio-Jada
Marcello.Ladio-jada@wfp.org
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/ngo/rc/ItemDetail.do~1035897