IN THIS ISSUE:
EVENTS
1. Machreq/Maghreb
2. NGOs/Human Rights
3. Sustainable Development
4. Youth
NEWS
1. Gender
2. Human Rights
3. Machreq/Maghreb
4. NGOs
5. Trade and Commerce
REPORTS & BOOKS & ARTICLES
1. Gender
2. Machreq/Maghreb
3. Socioeconomics
OTHER USEFUL LINKS
1. Civil Society
2. E-government
RESOURCES

EVENTS
1. MACHREQ/MAGHREB:
Broader Middle East and North African Trade and Investment Conference
"The US government and Jordanian government will host a major regional conference in cooperation with other G8 export credit agencies that addresses key trade, investment and finance issues in the Broader Middle East and North Africa.
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/afghanistan/rc/ItemDetail.do~103743...

2. NGOs/HUMAN RIGHTS:
Protecting Children’s Rights in Egypt
The Land Center for Human Rights (LCHR) is calling for a new Egypt where everyone carries the responsibility and should prioritise the protection of children’s rights, particularly in Egypt.
www.lchr-eg.org  

3. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT:
Virtual Forum for Consultation with Civil Society
The Office for Sustainable Development and Environment (OSDE) of the Organization of American States (OAS) is hosting a Virtual Forum for the Consultation with Civil Society to facilitate a discussion
on necessary actions to promote equality in health and environmental and sustainable development.
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/ngo/rc/ItemDetail.do~1038171?intcmp...

4. YOUTH:
Stop the Violence Against Children
"The submission process to the UN Study on Violence Against Children is open to the public: civil society
organizations including child and youth led organizations, United Nations, NGOs, academic and professional associations or unions. Submissions from youth led organizations and young people are particularly welcome." Submissions should be made by 30th of June 2005.
www.violencestudy.org/a71

NEWS
1. GENDER:
Bahrain: Women Chairs Parliamentary Session
"For the first time in the Arab World as woman has chaired a parliamentary session in the Gulf state of Bahrain. Alees Samaan, a Christian, also became the first non-Muslim to act as speaker in predominantly
Bahrain. The speaker of the consultative council was absent and so were his two male deputies. According to the council's by-laws the role of the speaker had to go to the most senior member of the council which happened to be Samaan."
http://news.bbc.co.uk 

Iran: Parliament Examines Bill to Allow Abortion
"The conservative dominated parliament started examining a draft bill that would allow abortion in the first
four months of pregnancy if the woman's life is in danger or the foetus is deformed. The bill states that abortion will require consent from parents and three doctors as well as confirmation of medical diagnosis from the Coronors office. Tens of thousands of women go through illegal abortions each year in Iran. According to present Iranian law the performer of the abortion can spend 3-10 years in prison and pay blood money (the judicial price) for the child. "The ban on abortion has not reduced it's occurrence but it has increased maternal deaths due to illegal abortion," said a male MP Nouraddine Pirmoazen."
www.ippf.org 

Iraq: Fear of Torture for Detained Woman
"Huda Hafez Ahmad al-Azawi is believed to be held by US forces near the Bagdad Airport. She has managed to send a message to her family in which she confirmed where she was being detained. She has not seen her family or a lawyer since her arrest on the 17th of February." She was taken from her home by US soldiers and members of the Iraqi National Guard. Jewellery and cash was taken from the home too. She was accused of "supporting the resistance." Thousands of Iraqis are detained in Iraq without charge or trial. Their legal status remains unclear and their fate.
www.aviva.org 

Israel: Challenging Power Inequalities
"An Israeli organization is working hard to develop women leaders for the future and ensure that these are
open minded, fair and peace loving individuals. Sanaa Zreik-Saleh director of Nisan for Young Women Leaders said that Nisan faces many challenges; one is the, "political situation that surrounds us and affects us a Jewish/Arab organization," and because they constantly need to work on maintaining their
vision of a real democracy and focus on issues of equality."
www.nisan.org 

Kuwait: Motion for Women's Vote Defeated by Islamist Lawmakers
"The plan to allow women to participate in local elections "was postponed indefinitely when Islamist and
conservative legislators abstained from a vote. The measure to enhance women's voting and participatory rights received preliminary approval on April 19th 2005 but a second reading of the bill and vote is required before the bill could become law. Only 155 of Kuwait's 950,000 or so citizens are eligible to vote in the elections. If women over 21 are allowed to register that number would rise to 38.9%."
http://news.independent.co.uk

Saudi Arabia: Clerics Rule Against Forced Marriage
"Saudi clerics took an unprecedented stand against forcing women into marriage, saying that father's
who try to force their daughters to marry should be jailed until they change their minds. Top clerics ruled that coercing women into marriage is a major injustice and un-Islamic. Saudi newspapers say that about half of all marriages end up in divorce." Sounds like the correct stand to take but what daughter in
Saudi Arabia is going to run to the court to put her father in jail and furthermore who is going to enforce it?
www.ippf.org 

Yemen: Woman's Execution Stayed-Pending Review
"The execution of Amina Ali Abdulatif, which was scheduled to take place on May 2 has been stayed pending a review of her case. Amina Ali Abdulatif was sentenced to death when she was 16 years old for the murder of her husband. Her sentence was a breach of the Yemeni Penal Code which expressly prohibits the use of the death penalty against anyone convicted of crimes committed when they were under 18.
www.aviva.org 

2. HUMAN RIGHTS
Turkish Rights Groups Fight Against 'Honor Killings' of Women
According to a report by Sebneb Arsu in the New York Times, a nationwide campaign in Turkey's aims to end honor killings.
http://topic.developmentgateway.org/culture/rc/ItemDetail.do~1038283?int...

3. MACHREQ/MAGHREB
Iraq: Relief and Recovery
This is an exclusive interview with Miguel Schloss, Board Member and Managing Partner of DAMConsult, LTD which “explores links between oil rich countries, corruption and transparency” as well as what is being done to address issues in the public and private sectors of civil society. “Mr. Schloss stresses that, ‘the fight against corruption and its ramifications in conflict should not begin or end with fulmination about ethics or the need for a new set of attitudes.’” Read full interview:
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/iraq/rc/ItemDetail.do~1034144?intcm...

National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation is Planned
The planned National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation will focus on the River Nile, handwriting, handicrafts, faith and ethnography according to Nevine Al-Aref of Al-Arham Weekly.
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/culture/rc/ItemDetail.do~1037907?in...

Publish What You Pay Website: Iraqi NGOs missing
The Publish What You Pay campaign aims to help citizens of resource-rich developing countries hold their
governments accountable for the management of revenues from oil, gas and mining resources. The Publish What You Pay coalition consists of over 250 NGOs worldwide. Of the non-governmental organizations that are signatories to the Publish What You Pay, none are Iraqi.
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/iraq/rc/ItemDetail.do~1035074?intcm...

West Bank Villagers Threatened With Expulsion
The Palestinian village of Aqaba, south-east of Jenin has had one of its mosque and a kindergarten torn down because they were “illegally built” according to Israeli security ordinances. Three Arab families were driven from their homes and lands according to the occupation law. Aqaba has the “bad fortune of lying on the edge of the Jordan Valley.” The extended annexation of the Jordan Valley appeared on a map in
Yediot Aharonot, published on April 15, 2005, “reportedly reflecting the territorial ambitions of Ariel Sharon.” The only recourse that the people of Aqaba have is the good will of people in Israel and the international
community. www.gush-shalom.org

4. NGOs:
Teachers Without Borders
"Teachers Without Borders is a non-denominational, non-profit, international NGO designed to close the
education divide through teacher professional development and community education. Teachers Without Borders works primarily, but not exclusively, in developing countries. It focuses is efforts in two main areas: creating or assisting to Community Teaching and Learning Centers and to educators through
its Certificate of Teaching Mastery as well as programs for youth, health and entrepreneurship. The organisation's services and programs focus on teacher training and community education.
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/elearning/rc/ItamDetail.do~344761?i...

5. TRADE AND COMMERCE
E-Commerce
"There is potential demand for a much wider variety of merchandise than can be stored by conventional stores. This is particularly true for cultural products such as music, literature and film but it would also include arts and crafts.
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/culture/rc/ItemDetail.do~1037524?in...
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REPORTS & BOOKS & ARTICLES
1. GENDER:
Sudanese Women's Priorities and Recommendations to the Oslo Donor's Conference on Sudan
The authors of the statement on gender equality and women rights in post-conflict Sudan issued at the Oslo's donor's conference on Sudan in April 2005 are Sudanese women delegates from all regions, representatives of the Sudanese government and the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement/Army, civil society and academic institutions. "Priorities are classified under several key themes:

• governance and the rule of law
• gender based violence
• capacity building and institutional development
• economic policy
• social services like education and health services"

Full report available online at: http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC1

Pathway to Gender Equality
“Pathway to Gender Equality” outlines how CEDAW and the Beijing Platform for Action can be used as a lens to understand and address the gender equality dimensions of the Millennium MGDs. In turn, this can help to ensure that the pursuit of the MGDs is based on principles of equal participation.
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/ngo/rc/ItemDetail.do~1037848?intcmp...

UNHCR Age and Gender Mainstreaming Pilot Project
This report looks into the pilot project which was launched in 2004. The three goals of the project are that the staff of pilot countries will promote gender equality and respect the rights of refugee women and children, apply and age and gender analysis to operations through a community development approach and operate policies relating to the protection of refugee women and children. The report is based on different country evaluations in Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Greece, India, Syria and Venezuela.
www.eldis.org

Yemen: A Country Perspective: Linking Beijing and Millennium Development Goals
This report was a presented at the Side Event of the 49th Session of the Commission of the Status of Women. Given by Rashida Al-Hamdani who is the Chairperson of the National Committee for Women of Yemen.
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/gender/rc/ItemDeatil.do~1038312?int...
700 

2. MACHREQ/MAGHREB:
Situation of and Assistance to Palestinian Women
This report is from the Secretary General of the UN. It summarizes the situation of Palestinian Women between October 2003 and September 2004.
www.siyanda.org/static/bouta_conflict.htm 

3. SOCIOECONOMICS:
A SEAGA Pocket Guide for Extension Workers
"This pocket guide aims to assist extension and other community-based workers to understand the management of resources within and between rural households. It has been developed to assist
people in applying a participatory and gender responsive approach in their planning with a service to rural men and women. The guide promotes SEAGA principles of giving priority to disadvantaged groups, focus on gender relations and the use of participation in development work."
http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr/cfm?doc=DOC1

WEBSITES
1. CIVIL SOCIETY:
Civil Society in Guyana
This website provides information on civil society activity in Guyana. There are lists of community based organisations and a directory including 75 NGOs. http://www.sndp.org.gy/csoc/

2. E-GOVERNMENT:
The First E-government Solution Center Launched: CIO, IBM and GBM have worked closely together over the last two years to build an end to end e-government infrastructure for Bahrain on a platform based on open standards. Bahrain is the first government in the Middle East to join a  growing number of governments around the world who are adopting open standards for their e-government initiatives in order to benefit from reduced costs and increase flexibility.
http://www.strategiy.com/inews.asp?id=20050510121135