The World Health Organisation (WHO) established the Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH) in 2005 to provide advice on how to reduce health inequalities. The WHO website provides the Commission's final report, published in August 2008 and links to related documents. The report's recommendations were: 1. Improve daily living conditions; 2. Tackle the inequitable distribution of power, money, and resources; 3. Measure and understand the problem and assess the impact of action.
The Report of the Durban Review Conference is now available (A/CONF.211/8).
The conference was held in Geneva from 20-24 April 2009. Included in
the report is the outcome document and the resolution adopted by the
review conference. UN Pulse Permanent Link: Durban Review Conference Report
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has released a new report, Catalysing
Low Carbon Growth in Developing Economies: public finance mechanisms to
scale up private sector investment in climate solutions (pdf), outlining "[w]ays of triggering multi-billion dollar, low carbon technology investments in developing economies" (news release).
This
report from the National Business Initiative and Incite Sustainability
estimates South Africa's
total carbon emissions at 440-million tons, as businesses moves towards greater
transparency of their greenhouse gas emissions.
The
United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation World Report
advances development strategies in favour of poverty eradication, environmental
action and sustainable, human-centred governance.
This
report from the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
reveals that municipalities seem to have a "poor" ability to
accurately plan and spend their budgets.
This
review from Partnership Africa Canada shows that the Kimberley Process
regulating world trade in rough diamonds is failing owing to governments'
indifference to blatant smuggling, human rights abuses and money laundering.
Will
climate policy in future be conducted through trade measures? A worrying
scenario is that the current approach – negotiating climate change
multilaterally, through the United Nations (UN) – could be replaced by domestic
action and border...
Since his
retirement as president of the country and joint Nobel Peace Prize winner with
Nelson Mandela, former president F W de Klerk has very commendably devoted
himself to promoting South
Africa internationally. As a lawyer, his
point of...
The
elections in Namibia
during November will mark the 4th round of national democratic elections since
independence in 1990. The preceding 3 have generally all been classified as
‘free and fair' and there is little to indicate that the 4th will...
In South Africa,
October is a red month. It is a month during which the South African Communist
Party (SACP) engages in different campaigns as part of what it calls Red
October. This year, the two main campaigns revolve around corruption and the...
This site provides free access to the text
of this journal article by Mitchell A. Seligson which was published in
the Journal of Democracy, Volume 18, No. 3 (July, 2007), pp. 81-95. The
15 page article considers recent increases in popularity of left wing
political parties in Argentina, Bolivia,
Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela and the
increasing importance of populism. It uses evidence from public opinion
surveys (derived from Barometer de la Americas led by Vanderbilt
University and Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP). to
consider the extent of the left wing support in Latin America.From Intute.ac.uk
The Iran 2009 presidential election archive
was created by Princeton University, Iran social sciences project. It
provides free access to a wealth of data relating to the 2009 Iranian
presidential elections. This includes election results by constituency,
statements from the main candidates, political parties and other
organisations and full text electoral laws. Users should note that some
items are offered in Persian only. Sources of data and copyright are
noted on the website.From Intute.ac.uk http://www.princeton.edu/irandataportal/
This site provides free access to a House of
Commons Library briefing note SN/SG/5064 which was published in May
2009. The 19 page report offers detailed statistics on the performance
of the BNP in UK general elections from 1992-2005, local elections from
2002-9, European parliament elections and London Mayor elections. It
also includes ward-by-ward BNP electoral data for 2008 local election.From Intute.ac.uk
The platform, HIV/AIDS Learning and Resource Service, is accessible at http://health.uneca.org.
TAP was piloted in three African countries, Burkina Faso, Ghana and Mozambique and generated crucial lessons in voluntary testing and counseling, drug resistance, prevention of mother-to-child transmission, public-private partnerships, and socio-economic determinants of adherence to HIV treatment.
Using the platform, and in the context of its post-TAP learning agenda, ECA has planned a series of electronic discussion forums on various issues, including stigma and discrimination, confidentiality, prevention amongst HIV+, cultural factors in the spread of HIV, and men who have sex with men (MSM) and HIV/AIDS in Africa. UN Pulse: Permanent Link: Knowledge Platform for HIV/AIDS in Africa
impact of immunization on achieving the Millennium Development Goals
challenges in meeting the immunization-related global goals
development and use of vaccines
cost of scaling up immunization
The second part describes over 20 vaccine-preventable diseases and reviews progresses made since 2000 in protecting populations through the use of vaccines.
This site was created by the Guardian
newspaper. It offers free access to news stories, comment and online
films relating to the history of the Berlin Wall. Many of the materials
commemorate the 20th anniversary of the fall of communism in Eastern
Germany in 1989. They include images of the destruction of the wall and
eye witness oral history accounts. Copyright and technical information
is displayed on the website.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/berlinwall
The Comparative National Elections Project
(CNEP) is a rich source of data on citizens, political communication
and election campaigns worldwide. It comprises national election
surveys conducted in over 19 nations since 1990. Users to the website
can read information about the research and download many examples of
datasets and questionnaires. Countries covered by the different surveys
include Germany, Britain, the United States, Japan; Chile, Greece,
Indonesia; South Africa; Spain and Uruguay. There is also a
bibliography of associated publications and articles. Information on
methodology and coverage is provided on the website.
http://www.cnep.ics.ul.pt/
Ethics and global politics is an open access
academic peer reviewed ejournal published by Co-Action Publishing with
support from The Swedish Research Council, The Swedish Council for
Working Life and Social Research and the Department of Political
Science at Stockholm University, Sweden. It publishes articles and
reviews covering global politics. There is a particular focus on
innovative policy solutions that are cross disciplinary and cover
contemporary problems such as climate change, globalisation, poverty
and international migration. All archives from volume 1, 2008 can be
viewed via the website.From Intute.ac.uk
The International Labour Organization (ILO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) have released a new study finding that informal employment in the developing world suppresses countries' ability to benefit from trade opening (news release)
This article from the Centre for Constitutional Rights
outlines the overlap between constitutional, administrative and labour law
provisions regarding disputes between public sector employees and their
employers.
This working paper by Ebrahim Fakir, under the auspices of
the Development Bank of Southern Africa's development planning division,
considers governance in South Africa.
Three months ago the Directorate for Priority Crime
Investigation (better known as the ‘Hawks') was formally launched. The Hawks
replaced the Scorpions as South Africa's premier criminal investigation unit
and in so doing assumed custodianship...
The prospect of prosecutions for grave international crimes
is an important weapon in the arsenal of human rights protections. The past two
decades have seen important developments in this regard. Today the actions of
states and their military...
On September 14, the anniversary of the collapse of Lehman
Brothers, US President Barack Obama made a speech on Wall Street promoting his
reform of financial regulation.
How can we improve the lives of the more than three-billion
people living in natural resource endowed countries? The question appears
paradoxical in that countries ‘blessed’ with oil and minerals have been endowed
with a natural advantage in a...
The Centre on Housing Rights and
Evictions (COHRE) is an independent, non-governmental, not-for-profit
human rights organisation. COHRE is registered in the Netherlands, and
coordinates its global activities from its headquarters in Geneva,
Switzerland.
COHRE is the leading international human rights organisation
campaigning for the protection of housing rights and the prevention of
forced evictions.
The report of the Conference on World Financial and Economic Crisis and its Impact on Development has been issued (A/CONF.214/9). The report provides details of the conference which was held in New York from 24-30 June 2009 and include resolutions, outcome document and summaries of round-table discussions.
Resistance MP3 is a sound archive of digital
recordings of socialist/ Marxist lectures and talks. They have been
collected by supporters of the Socialist Workers Party and many of the
files relate to the annual conference on Marxism sponsored by them.
Topics covered include the class struggle, modern socialism,
anti-capitalist movements, labour movements, communism and radical
thought. Contributors include: Alex Callinicos and Paul Foot. Some
materials are offered from the late 1960s onwards. Although most date
from approximately 2002 onwards. Technical and copyright information is
displayed. From Intute.ac.uk
Sub-Saharan Africa has been hit hard by the global recession, but signs
of resilience remain. While South Africa and some other middle-income
countries were caught in the turbulence of international financial
markets, and oil exporters saw government revenues plunge, some
countries with wider commodity bases have so far escaped the worst of
the crisis. With many families affected by the crisis, however,
progress toward the Millennium Development Goals has receded.
Download the report (full-text, pdf) from the website.
2009 Human Development Report has been launched. Entitled
Overcoming barriers: Human mobility and development (full text, 3.9 KB) the report focuses on migration, both within and beyond borders.
The report investigates migration in the context of
demographic changes and trends in both growth and inequality. It also
presents more detailed and nuanced individual, family and village
experiences, and explores less visible movements typically pursued by
disadvantaged groups such as short term and seasonal migration.
The Millennium Development Report 2009 has been published. The (report )
summarizes progress towards the eight Millennium Development goals in
each of the major geographic regions. More information on Millennium
goals is available from the (MDG Website ).
Free access to a 49 page book by Colin
Delany which was originally published as a set of articles on the
website e.politics during spring/ summer 2009. It offers an assessment
of the online campaign of Barack Obama during the 2008 American
presidential elections. Topics covered include the use of online fund
raising, volunteers and website design. Messages are drawn for future
online campaigners.
http://www.epolitics.com/learning-from-obama/
Walking the Tightrope:Youth Resilience to Crime in South Africa (September 2009) This report by the Centre for Justice and Crime Prevention investigates the premise that young people in South Africa are significantly more likely than adults to be either victims of crime or offenders.
Development Indicators 2009 (September 2009) The 2009 Development Indicators publication is a midterm review document by the Policy Unit in the Presidency. Approved by Cabinet, the indicators provide a framework to present aggregate data on progress in human development.
OPINION:
INSTITUTE FOR SECURITY STUDIES Containing Dirty Diamond Dealings in Zimbabwe: Can the Kimberley Process do it Alone? According to research by US-based policy analyst, Taya Weiss, “trillions of dollars are siphoned through lawful and unlawful transactions involving diamonds. She also suggested, rather more controversially, that “terrorists and smugglers are...
SOUTH AFRICAN INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS The Africa South America Summit, 27-28 September 2009. The second Africa South America summit, hosted by President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela formed the third part of a triangle of events, starting with the General Debate at the opening of the 64th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York,...
INSTITUTE FOR SECURITY STUDIES Police Fetishism, Inequality and a Culture of Violence. On the 14th of September, members of the South African Police Services (SAPS) killed six alleged would-be cash heist robbers in a shootout in Pretoria. The story was paraded in the media like a national sports team returning home with a trophy....
INSTITUTE FOR DEMOCRACY IN SOUTH AFRICA Informed citizens are empowered to participate. Last year, information came to light that the Kenyan parliament, one of the few in Africa that has complete control over its own budget, paid its members the equivalent of about $10 000 (R74 300) a month, of which only about 20 percent was...
Highlights from this issue ACTION ALERTS - South African shackdwellers under violent attack in Kennedy Road
FEATURES - S'bu Zikode condemns ANC invasion of Kennedy Road settlement - Sabella Ogbobode Abidde on impending miltary assault in the Niger Delta - Alemayehu G. Mariam on Meles Zenawi's 'contempt for the truth' - Report reveals pollution from North Mara gold mine - Ngugi wa Thiong'o makes the case for translation + more
COMMENT & ANALYSIS - Gambian President Yahya Jammeh's threat to kill human rights defenders - Okello Oculi on Makerere, Mazrui and Tajudeen - Peter Dwyer on South Africa's climate of rebellion + more
PAN-AFRICAN POSTCARD - L. Muthoni Wanyeki celebrates progress on the Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
ADVOCACY & CAMPAIGNS - Solidarity for Abahlali baseMjondolo - Petition to relocate African Commission
"African Prospects,
published digitally each month, provides trenchant comment, analysis
and opinion on Africa and global affairs. In short, it encourages
informed debate on matters affecting Africa and seeks to bring a better
understanding of a very complex continent to a wider readership through
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commentator on African affairs, African Prospects has a team of top
writers, educating and informing readers from a unique perspective.
Politics, business and economy, art and culture are covered
extensively. The publication is required reading on Africa in the 21st
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