IN THIS ISSUE:
EVENTS

1. Disability

NEWS

1. NGOs
2. ICT

REPORTS & BOOKS & ARTICLES

1. Trade/Economics/Microfinance
2. Youth
3. NGOs
4. ICT
5. Gender
6. Poverty

EVENTS
1. DISABILITY:
Disability in Developing Countries -Sep 20-24 2004. Melbourne, Australia. In this course the aim is to introduce students to some of the major issues surrounding disability in resource-poor settings. Different constructs of disability, disease and wellness within different cultures will be defined to generate a greater understanding for students. http://www.comminit.com/events_cal/2004/2663-event.html

NEWS
1. NGOs:
Egyptian Human Rights NGOs Study New Government Council. On June 26-27 approximately 170 participants met to discuss how non-governmental human rights organizations could relate to the National Council for Human Rights established by the Egyptian government. Certain Egyptian human rights activists have questioned whether this government-created group could be considered as "an attempt to constrict civil society and human rights organizations" which operates independently of the government. http://www.hrinfo.net/en/reports/2004/pro4207.shtml

2. ICT:
Grameen Bank-Village Phone Wins Petersberg Prize - The Grameen Bank-Village Phone has won the 100,000 euro Prize. It was chosen from a field of more than 200 nominees for the Development Gateway Foundation’s Petersberg Prize. The Prize recognizes Grameen's significant achievement in the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) to improve people's lives. The “Village Phone” program enables Women entrepreneurs to start providing a wireless payphone service in rural areas of Bangladesh. http://www.developmentgateway.org/prize

REPORTS & BOOKS & ARTICLES
1. TRADE/ECONOMICS/MICROFINANCE:
G8 Commits to Microfinance Action Plan. Lead: “On June 9, the G8 countries approved an action plan that seeks to enable private sector growth in developing countries”http://topics.developmentgateway.org/microfinance/rc/ItemDetail.%20do~1005233~intcmp=00001

Paper Urges Easing of Israeli Measures and Stepped-Up Palestinian Reform at the Request of the Palestinian Authority. The Bank has released a paper called “Disengagement, the Palestinian Economy and the Settlements”, which takes a look at the potential impact of Israel’s disengagement plan on the Palestinian economy. According to the paper poverty and alienation will increase if Israel’s restrictive policy does not improve.
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,conten%20tMDK:20217834~...

2. YOUTH:
Youth at Risk, Social Exclusion, and Intergenerational Poverty Dynamics: A New Survey Instrument with Application to Brazil. The authors address the problems and risks faced by poor and excluded youth between the ages of 10-24. They develop a survey instrument that addresses poverty in a broad sense, including hunger, early pregnancy, fatherhood, and violence. http://topics.developmentgateway.org/youth/rc/ItemDetail.do~100%205830~i...

UNICEF: What Young People Think. Prior to the Glocal Youth Parliament, UNICEF conducted a survey called “What Young People Think”. Its aim was to “identify the priority problems that young people face today, promoting their participation in decision-making, and enlightening children on their rights and freedoms”http://topics.developmentgateway.org/youth/rc/ItemDetail.do~100%206201~intcmp=00001

Young People We Care! A Book of Ideas to Help Young People Supporting Each Other in Their Communities. This book was designed to “encourage/ help groups of young people support either young children or their peers who are living in communities and households that are affected by AIDS”. Additionally, it can also be used by home-based care organisations who want to engage youth in their home-based care. http://www.comminit.com/ma2004/sld-10220.html

A Modest Proposal - On Street Children. In this documentary the focus is on young members of the “Argentine People's Children National Movement” ("Movimiento de los Chicos del Pueblo"). This Movement integrates former street and homeless children, children living in risky situations, teachers, and a variety of social and cultural workers. http://www.comminit.com/Materials/sld-6058.html

3. NGOs:
New International Journal of Not-for-Profit Law Published by the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law, the new IJNL features a special section on accountability & transparency, with articles by Kumi Naidoo, David Kennedy, H. Peter Karoff, and others, as well as features on anti-terrorism legislation. http://topics.developmentgateway.org/ngo/rc/ItemDetail.do~10064%2026~int...

4. ICT:
E-Library Increases Access to Research. According to this article; “ the breadth of information offered by the Bank e-Library has more than doubled, providing a wider array of key economic and social research users around the world”. In addition the article states that “over 1,900 Policy Research Working Papers were recently added to the 1,300 publications”.
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,conten tMDK:20218519~menuPK:34463~pagePK:64003015~piPK:6400 3012~theSitePK:4607,00.html

5. GENDER:
Women and Men in Rural Finance in the Syrian Arab Republic: State owned banking vs. self-managed microfinance.
This document states that “there is a serious concern about social equality, equal opportunities and the effectiveness of financial institutions to provide service outreach”. http://topics.developmentgateway.org/microfinance/rc/ItemDetail.do~10052...

The Impact of Social Institutions on the Economic Role of Women in Developing Countries. Produced by: OECD Development Centre, 2004. In this paper the authors dispute the view that the “socioeconomic role of women in developing countries will be substantially improved through increased access to education, health, credit, formal legal rights and employment opportunities, in conjunction with economic growth”. http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC15046

6. POVERTY:
Addressing Economic Disparities. Produced by: Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (2003). “Rising income inequality in the Pacific region has increasingly become a matter of concern for policymakers. This paper examines the issues relating to income disparities in the region and makes recommendations for addressing these issues”. http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC15019