IN THIS ISSUE

EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES
GENDER
Middle East Businesswomen & Leaders Achievement Awards
Sixth Asia Pacific Congress of Women in Politics
50th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (27 February-10 March 2006)
GLOBALIZATION
VI World Social Forum and II Social Forum of the Americas-Caracas, Venezuela, January 2006
World Social Forum: Critiquing the neoliberal agenda
HEALTH
Short course on public health In complex emergencies, 6-18 march 2006, American University of Beirut, Lebanon

NEWS
ENVIRONMENT
A round-up of the year's environmental achievements and disasters
GENDER
Gender Gap Alive and Well Online
New Egyptian Cabinet sees first veiled woman
Relationship of Gender to Faculty Use of Online Educational Tools
To strip or not to strip? Egyptian clerics debate sex
Women say no to war!
HEALTH
Assessment of the Missed Children of the September 2004 National Immunization Day - Egypt
'Failed' hospitals get six months to meet standards
Iraq needs up to $8 billion to revive neglected health sector
Millions Saved: Preventing Diarrhoeal Deaths in Egypt
Minister threatens to arrest 'every single hunter' in fight against bird flu
HURRIYAT
In Tunisia, the sound of enforced silence
Jailed Bulgarian nurse in Libya begs for help
Palestinians in Lebanon inch closer to recognition with 2005 work law
… and protest over aid reduction
Thousands of students protest against U.S. interference
ICT
ICT for Social Development (ICTSD)
POLITICS
Commission to submit 'just' draft election law on time
Next in Iraq: Coalition-Building
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Beirut Marathon Association picks new director
ESCWA: Iraq Task Force (ITF):Reconstruction in Iraq
Leprosy still casts the shadow of stigma across Lebanon
Moroccan graduates demand state jobs, snub private sector
Road deaths in Lebanon shoot up by 20 percent
The Role of Governments in Microfinance (Donor Brief No. 19)
TRADE & ECONOMY
Bahrain's 'honesty' keeps its economy freest in region
Boom in the Gulf Countries to enter fourth year
EFG-Hermes acquires stake Banque Audi of Lebanon
IMF projects a $940 million deficit for Palestinians in 2006
Lebanon yet to address crucial reforms
Lebanese NGOs criticize trade policy
MENA, OECD countries look for ways to boost investment and jobs in MENA
Politics influences World Bank loans
Region's tourism sector to generate $220 billion by year 2015

REPORTS & BOOKS & ARTICLES
CHILDCARE POLICIES
Can Parents Afford to Work? Childcare Costs, Tax-Benefit Policies and Work Incentives (2005)
ECONOMY AND TRADE
Learning from Experience with Performance Assessment Frameworks for General Budget Support
GENDER
Gender equality and basic adult education
GOVERNANCE
Case studies of good corporate governance practices
Freedom in the World 2005: The Annual Survey of Political Rights and Civil Liberties
ECitizenship for All
ICT
Knowledge maps: ICTs in education
New Bangladesh Model of Telecentres

RESOURCES
DONORS PROFILE
United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID)
GENDER
Gender, Governance and Women's Political Participation: New Section On UN-INSTRAW Website
HEALTH
Synergizing HIV/AIDS and Sexual and Reproductive Rights: A manual for NGOs