March 31

AFRICA: NEW MAP OVERLAYS CONFLICT, CLIMATE CHANGE AND AID

Africa Climate Change Aid Conflict and conflict resolution Trackbacks (0)

A pilot version of an online mapping tool has been launched in Africa which enables researchers and policymakers to identify how climate change vulnerability, conflict, and aid intersect.

Researchers from the Strauss Center's Climate Change and African Political Stability (CCAPS) programme, United States, integrated data from areas of climate change vulnerability and active aid-funded projects in Malawi, and mapped this information onto the locations of Malawian conflicts up to 2010.

The result is a dynamic tool that can help policymakers, researchers and aid groups plan for climate change mitigation activities and deliver aid more effectively... From SciDev article by Bernard Appiah

March 14

... Children In An Urban World. UNICEF

Children Trackbacks (0)

The State of the World’s Children 2012: Children in an Urban World was launched on 28 February 2012. More than half of the world’s 7 billion people now live in urban areas.  Cities are known to generate economic growth – but, as the report reveals, not all children are benefiting from urban expansion. In this increasingly urban world, the absence of a sustained focus on child rights means that some children are being left behind

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From UN Pulse

March 14

African Immigrants In China

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Go east: African immigrants in China  Written by Kaiyu Shao

In the recent year, the attention of major media organisations was spontaneously drawn to a new phenomenon - an increasing number of African emigration is now aiming for China as their new destination, and most of these immigrants concentrate on Guangzhou, a relative economically prosperous city in south China. 

Since China has always been an emigration country and has not developed a mature immigration administrative system, there is no official data on immigrants in China. However, according to Chinese media, there are now between 20,000 to 200,000 African immigrants living in Guangzhou. The Guangzhou Academy of Social Science, a research institution with governmental background, declared that the number should be around 100,000.(2)

The following paper will firstly discuss the causes for this new trend, outline the lives of African immigrants in China and, finally, describe the Chinese attitude towards the phenomenon...

 Kaiyu Shao is on the staff of Consultancy Africa Intelligence's Asia Dimension Unit

March 09

POLITICAL CONTEXT OF THE IRAN CRISIS By Paul Rogers. Source: Oxford Research Group

Iran Nuclear power United States of America Israel-Palestine Trackbacks (0)

Conclusion
While there is much uncertainty, given the complexities of the political context in all three countries, it is reasonable to conclude that there is a particular risk of some kind of military confrontation in the six months to September. This is in spite of the many voices in the United States, Western Europe, and even Israel, that are calling for restraint. It is certainly likely to be
a time of considerable tension, and in such circumstances the so-called “AIM” factor becomes important – Accidents, Incidents and Mavericks. Any one of these factors might exacerbate a crisis, and this means that it is particularly important to work for an easing of the tensions. Ifthat happens and a conflict is avoided in the coming months, then there is a good chance that
negotiations in a calmer atmosphere next year might meet with success.

 http://www.oxfordresearchgroup.org.uk/sites/default/files/FebEn12.pdf

March 09

THE SECOND TRANSITION? Building A National Democratic Society... ANC

Policy ANC South Africa Trackbacks (0)
... and the balance of forces in 2012 A discussion document towards the National Policy Conference,
Version 6.0 as amended by the Special NEC 27 February 2012