Amandla

Analysis of multiple polls of the Iranian public

An interesting 38 page report published in February 2010 by the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) managed by the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland. It presents an analysis of opinion polls of the Iranian electorate taken before the 2009 Iranian presidential election. The aim of the report is to consider the hypothesis of fraud during the election. Information on the methodology used is provided. http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/pdf/feb10/IranElection_Feb10_rpt.pdf
From Intute.ac.uk

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has released an information note, How Close Are We to the Two Degree Limit? (pdf). The note warns that countries will have make more ambitious pledges on greenhouse gas emissions to keep temperatures from increasing more than 2 degrees Celsius (news release).

UN Pulse : 

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has released the UNEP Year Book 2010: New Science and Developments in Our Changing Environment. The yearbook reports on new environmental science and recent developments in our changing environment. It looks at progress in environmental governance; the effects of continuing degradation and loss of the world’s ecosystems; impacts of climate change; how harmful substances and hazardous waste affect human health and the environment; environmentally related disasters and conflicts; and unsustainable use of resources.

UN Pulse: Permanent Link: UNEP Year Book 2010

A new report on e-waste has been released the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The report, Recycling - From E-waste to Resources, (pdf), indicates that "unless action is stepped up to properly collect and recycle materials, many developing countries face the spectre of hazardous e-waste mountains with serious consequences for the environment and public health" (news release).

UN Pulse : Permanent Link: E-waste Report

A Case Study of Chad, Angola, Gabon, and Sao Tome é Principe / by Karin Alexander and Stefan Gilbert; Additional writing and background research: Christine Betzing & Justin Steyn

http://us-cdn.creamermedia.co.za/assets/articles/attachments/25968_oil_and_governance_-_book.pdf

http://www.polity.org.za/article/da-zille-state-of-the-province-address-by-the-western-cape-premier-western-cape-legislature-19022010-2010-02-19

From Polity.org.za

Maximising positive impact of the 2010 FIFA World Cup

This is part of the Toolkit Sport for Development developed by the National Committee for International Cooperation and Sustainable Development (NCDO) in the Netherlands. It reports on the International Symposium on the Impact of Mega Sports Events on Developmental Goals held in Stellenbosch, South Africa in March 2008 in preparation for the African Football World Cup in 2010. Its main objective was "to highlight socio-economic, health, and community development impacts of Mega Sports Events that will occur regardless any deliberate planning and to suggest strategies that will maximize the potential benefits and minimize negative effects".

As well as a 40 page document outlining the results of the symposium, entitled An African Football World Cup, at last!, the website contains presentations and papers from the symposium and links to further full-text resources. Papers are downloadable either as PDF files or as Word documents.

http://www.toolkitsportdevelopment.org/mega-events/

From Intute.ac.uk

This site provides free access to a useful 9 page guide by an associate professor of Political Science at George Washington University. It was released in February 2010 and provides succinct advice for political science students on how to write good essays and dissertations. The text is made available on the author's website under a creative commons license. http://www.henryfarrell.net/pol_science_essays.pdf               From Intute.ac.uk

... source of political features, news, and interviews, with a growing network of contributors located in various regions in Africa. And amongst our readers and contributors are decision-makers, professors, and policy influencers... Kevin Johnson-Azuara, Editor-in-Chief

Latest headline:

South Africa Government to Propose New Land Policy

 South Africa’s government will introduce a new draft policy on land tenure this year aimed at speeding up its program to give land to landless blacks, a government minister said Monday... [More]

UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) published Statistical yearbook for Latin America and the Caribbean, 2009. The report is only available online in both English and Spanish and can be downloaded from the ECLAC web site. The report focuses on

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has issued a report addressing the challenges posed by the global economic crisis. The report provides an analysis of the global financial crisis, highlighting the effects and means of addressing the issue.

From UN Pulse Permanent Link: UNCTAD Report- Responding to the Global Economic Crisis

From UN Pulse  Permanent Link: Trade and Environmental Review 2009/2010 UNCTAD Report.

Short history of the 1979 Iranian Revolution in which Muslim fundamentalists, under the leadership of the Ayatollah Khomeini, overthrew Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. Includes brief biographies of some of the participants as well as audio clips of comments made by them on the BBC Persian Service program.http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/revolution/

From: http://theipl.wordpress.com/the-link/

Strengthening Popular Participation in the African Union: A Guide to AU Structures and Processes
AfriMAP & Oxfam International
27 January 2010
The African Union (AU) has committed to a vision of Africa that is ‘integrated, prosperous and peaceful … driven by its own citizens, a dynamic force in the global arena.’ (Vision and Mission of the African Union, May 2004.)

This guide is an effort to take up the challenge of achieving this vision. It is a tool to assist activists to engage with AU policies and programmes. It describes the AU decision-making process and outlines the roles and responsibilities of the AU institutions.

This guide aims to help those organisations that wish to engage the AU but do not currently know where to start by providing an outline of the key institutions and processes and suggesting ways to influence them.

The Guide is divided into three sections:
• Part 1: A description of AU organs and institutions.
• Part 2: Suggestions on how to influence AU decisions and policy processes.
• Part 3: A summary of the debate to restructure the AU into a ‘Union Government’

The Africa Governance, Monitoring and Advocacy Project (AfriMAP) aims to  monitor and promote compliance by African states with the requirements of good governance, democracy, human rights and the rule of law. http://www.afrimap.org/

Mullahs, guards, and Bonyads : an exploration of Iranian leadership dynamics

This site provides free access to the full text of a book by David E. Thaler, et al which was published by RAND in 2010. ISBN 978-0-8330-4773-1. The 170 page book discusses issues relating to politics in Iran. It provides a grounding in the intricacies of the leadership structure, the system of policy making, power and politics in general. This includes background information on Islam and politics, radical Islam and the Iranian nuclear weapons policy. From Intute.ac.uk   http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2009/RAND_MG878.pdf

UNODC Survey on Corruption in Afghanistan

Beyond the midpoint: achieving the millennium development goals

With the theme, Rethinking Poverty, the 2010 issue of the Report on the World Social Situation seeks to contribute to rethinking poverty and its eradication. It affirms the urgent need for a strategic shift away from the market fundamentalist thinking, policies and practices of recent decades towards more sustainable development and equity-oriented policies appropriate to national conditions and circumstances. Read more and download the report (full report, pdf) or by chapters from the website.                                  UN Pulse Permanent Link: World Social Situation 2010