Significant new investments in the fight against the AIDS pandemic could have positive impacts on broader health systems in Africa if governments handle them right. A study of six countries -- Argentina, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Uganda -- by the International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC), titled "Missing the Target 6 - The HIV/AIDS Response and Health Systems" indicates that new investment in AIDS services has exposed existing fragilities in health systems.

Amplify Your Voice is currently hiring a team of front page bloggers for our site, and are down to one position left. We are hoping to find a talented young woman from Africa who might be interested in this position, as sexual and reproductive health is such an issue for young women on the continent.

The new year was an occasion for the world’s pundits to review the global economic shock and its impact, including its implications for China and Africa. Former Chief Economic Advisor to the IMF Professor Nouriel Roubini was one who did not mince his words.

‘‘The global financial system in 2008 experienced its worst crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s. ...Unfortunately, . The entire global economy will contract in a severe and protracted U-shaped global recession that started a year ago. The U.S. will certainly experience its worst recession in decades, a deep and protracted contraction lasting at least through the end of 2009. Even in 2010 the economic recovery may be so weak -- 1 percent growth or so -- that it will feel terrible even if the recession is technically over.

JASS (Just Associates), a fast-growing global organization dedicated to strengthening the voice, visibility and collective organizing power of women, is looking for an experienced African women’s rights activist with at least 7 years of experience working on HIV/AIDs in Southern Africa and beyond. Application deadline: January 26, 2009.

JASS (Just Associates), a fast-growing global organization dedicated to strengthening the voice, visibility and collective organizing power of women, is looking for an experienced Senior Manager of Finance & Operations (SMF&O) with at least 10 years of experience, including at least 4 years working with an international organization with multiple offices and partners. Deadline for application submission: January 26, 2009.

Two days before Christmas, Myanmar's mission to the UN got a gift with no strings attached. In the dimly-lit Indonesia Lounge next to the General Assembly chamber, Nigeria's Permanent Representative Joy Ogwu handed her counterpart from Myanmar Kyaw Tint Swe a check for $500,000. This was Nigeria's response to the UN's plea for funds to continue to respond to Cyclone Nargis, which hit in May.

Public buildings in England and Wales are pumping out 11m tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, more than Kenya's entire carbon footprint, the Guardian can reveal. Unpublished findings of an energy efficiency audit of 18,000 buildings including ministerial offices, police stations, museums and art galleries reveal that the 9,000 buildings audited so far produce 5.6m tonnes of CO2, with one in six receiving the lowest possible energy efficiency rating.

Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) has emerged as a pre-eminent tool for states emerging from intra-state conflict. Much research on the subject has focused on the specifics of ‘DDR design’ and its applicability as part of wider ‘political’ processes - the authors of this paper claim there is little recognition of their potential value as implementers of the process. Surely NGOs, as representatives of civil society, are ideally placed to play a vital role in post-conflict society rebuilding?

The UN refugee agency on Tuesday condemned an attack on a vehicle carrying staff of an Italian aid agency that left one person dead and another injured in the strife-torn Congolese province of North Kivu. "UNHCR deplores the cold-blooded murder of a staff member of the Italian NGO, Voluntary Association for International Service (AVSI)," a spokesperson said, adding that armed men had on Monday ambushed the vehicle near Rutshuru town, which is located some 70 kilometres north of the provincial capital, Goma.

Men, women, children and infants are piled on mats in overcrowded cells. Food is strewn all over the kitchen and the toilets are overflowing. Children dig in rubbish bins. Yellow biohazard bags are piled high just outside the door, suggesting serious medical issues and there's no sign of proper medical facilities. Conditions in the centre amount to inhuman and degrading treatment.

Should the amount of aid that African countries receive from Europe be linked to their efforts to prevent their nationals moving to this continent? France, the outgoing holder of the EU's rotating presidency, has suggested that it should. During recent discussions involving both African and European governments, the French have advocated a two-year cooperation programme that would simultaneously try to encourage legal migration -- normally that involving skilled or highly-educated professionals, whose services are desired by European firms -- and curb 'irregular' movement.

Berghof Conflict Research (BCR) is offering opportunities for supervised PhD social science research starting in 2009, on topics related to BCR's programme areas. Applications, including a research outline (maximum 6 pages), references, CV, and supporting documents should be sent to [email][email protected] by 31 March 2009. Please note that due to the forthcoming holidays we will be able to reply to your requests by 12 January 2009 at the earliest.

Metropolis TV is an innovative global media project that is about discovering similarities and differences between people and cultures in a globalizing world. A network of more than 50 correspondents from all over the world contributes to
The project on a weekly basis. Until now, Metropolis TV has explored 25 world wide themes and more than 200 reports have been produced from countries such as Nicaragua, Bolivia, Kenia, Zambia, Iran, India and Indonesia.

Hong Kong may be in a recession, and China's fast-paced growth is rapidly slowing, but that has not diminished the attractiveness of China to foreign companies. That is one of the conclusions to be drawn from the latest figures from InvestHK, the Hong Kong department that promotes the city as a place to do business. Hong Kong is a often bridgehead for those wanting to set up a business in mainland China.

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping has announced in China that his country was ready to promote bilateral ties with Sierra Leone. In a meeting with foreign affairs minister Zainab Bangura, Jinping said China would assist Sierra Leone in the area of trade, education and health, adding that diplomatic ties between the two countries started 37 years ago.

Practical application of and academic interest in human rights has grown exponentially over the last decade. Activism – its ethical imperatives, its particular constituencies, its social and political impact, and even its organisational structure - has become the subject of rigorous scrutiny. This journal aims to capture learning and communicate the lessons of practice across professional and geographical boundaries, within and beyond the human rights mainstream, and to provide a vehicle for innovative national and local practitioners world-wide who currently lack a platform for sharing their expertise internationally.

This 66-page report describes how laws in over three dozen countries, from India to Uganda and from Nigeria to Papua New Guinea, derive from a single law on homosexual conduct that British colonial rulers imposed on India in 1860. This year, the High Court in Delhi ended hearings in a years-long case seeking to decriminalize homosexual conduct there. A ruling in the landmark case is expected soon.

Sanusha Naidu provides a round up of this week's developments on China and Africa, at a time when China celebrates 30 years of market reforms.

In what would be the first active deployment of its warships beyond the Pacific, China appears set to send naval vessels to help in the fight against hijackers in the pirate-infested Gulf of Aden. A vice foreign minister and a leading naval strategist were quoted in Chinese state media on Wednesday as saying that Beijing is close to mounting a naval mission in the gulf.

Five major events are planned to take place over 10 days with speakers from: Bolivia, Canada, England, Guyana, Haiti, India, Iraq, Ireland, Palestine, Peru, Spain, Tanzania, Trinidad & Tobago, Turkey, US, Venezuela. These events are organised by the GLOBAL WOMEN'S STRIKE and INTERNATIONAL WOMEN COUNT NETWORK. All are welcome.