Launched in March 2008, this international fundraising and awareness initiative is designed to benefit hungry schoolchildren worldwide. "Fill the Cup" draws on the involvement of high-profile actors and athletes to educate people about the problem of hunger, and to encourage them to donate online in order to "fill a cup" with porridge, rice, or beans. The ultimate goal is to increase the chances of hungry schoolchildren to enjoy better health and education, and a promising future.

The Chinese and African Perspectives on China in Africa is a research project initiated by FAHAMU, the network for social justice issues, with funding from OXFAM Novib and OSI. China’s engagement in Africa has expanded and intensified in recent years. But much of the current debates and research has been informed by a Northern perspective. Fahamu’s China in Africa programme therefore seeks to develop an African perspective by strengthening the civil society voice in the emerging Africa-China discourse.

Sustaining South Africa’s Wild Coast (SWC) campaign, a loose coalition of organisations continue to lobby the government to overturn the decision to permit open cast dune mining in the Pondoland Wild Coast region. The SWC argue that not only was the decision-making process flawed but mining in the region would have grave consequences for its ecology. But the campaign continues to face a number of obstacles, from stakeholders with different agendas to accusations of the campaign being ‘a white elitist concern’, to approving authorities lacking sufficient clout to make a difference. Azad Essa speaks to the SWC communications officer, Val Payn, to get a better understanding of the issue.

For the seventh consecutive year, Dignity is proud to invite applications to the Annual Global Linking and Learning Programme. The Programme will take selected participants on a ten day intensive – enjoyable - learning journey that will equip them with knowledge of the key elements of human rights based development, and enhance skills for its practical application. Participants will see the unity between human rights and development and become more committed to the work ahead to achieve the unified human rights and development vision of human dignity for all.

Under the supervision of the Programme Manager for the Learning and Training Services (LTS), the Learning and Training Officer develops and implements learning and training activities that contribute to more effective staff learning and training in the UN System. The Learning and Training Officer works in an inter-agency organizational environment to identify good practice as well as learning needs, and acts as a catalyst to address needs and disseminate good practice. In doing so the College strives to be a “centre of excellence” for learning in the United Nations System. Deadline: 31 October 2008

The humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe is deteriorating and will continue to worsen into next year, according to the top United Nations humanitarian official, who has called for urgent aid to avert increased human suffering in the Southern African nation. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes said that an estimated 3.8 million people would be classed as food insecure between now and the end of the year.

Donor contributions for contraceptives and condoms for HIV prevention amounted to $223 million in 2007—a mere 5 per cent increase over the 2006 total of $212 million, according to a new analysis by UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund. This is despite a growing unmet need for such supplies, as more couples use modern methods of contraception and world population continues to increase.

In his new book Ending Aid Dependence, Yash Tandon reviews the possibilities for change in the architecture of aid. The author explores the extent to which many developing countries reliant on aid wish to escape dependence, and yet are constrained from doing so. Proposing that moving away from dependence should be at the top of the political agenda of all developing countries, this timely book cautions countries of the global South from falling into the aid trap and endorsing the collective colonialism of the OECD. The book will be launched on Tuesday November 4, 2008, at Chatham House, 10 St James's Square, London, SW1Y 4LE. If you would like to apply to attend please email Donald Temple at [email][email protected] stating your name and affiliation. Only receipt of a confirmation email from Chatham House allows entry to their meetings.

Lovers of literature and human rights will gather across the world this Sunday, October 5th, for commemorative readings of the poems of Mahmoud Darwish. In Africa, readings will take place in Kenya, Sudan, Senegal, South Africa, Egypt and Zimbabwe.

The concept of South- South cooperation is in the process of transformation. It is no longer limited to the government driven model of collaboration among the countries of the South to influence collectively the global, political and economic scenario. It has become broad based and includes not only the government but the private sector, educational, research institutions and civil society organizations as well. Today South-South cooperation is not an option but an imperative for the developing countries to meet their common challenges.

Millions of people around the world live in informal urban communities where a lack of resources leads to degradation of the environment. Deteriorating environmental conditions, in turn, create more poverty. When participants from IDRC's eight "Focus Cities" met to compare notes, they mapped out ways in which small practical gains could start to reverse that cycle — providing incomes for individuals and families while helping to create cleaner, healthier neighbourhoods.

In pre-Internet times, peer-reviewed journals were the best way to disseminate research to a broad audience. Even today, editors and reviewers cherry-pick papers deemed the revelatoriest and dispatch them to interested subscribers worldwide. The process is cumbersome and expensive, but it has allowed experts to keep track of the most prominent developments in their respective fields.

The Intellectual Network for the South (INSouth) is now launched in the public domain. A pre-launch was done by H.E Mr. Benjamin W. Mkapa during the last meeting of the South Intellectual Platform project on 8th August 2008 attended by almost 60 delegates from various Missions of developing countries to the UN in Geneva. The Network brings together intellectuals from the global South amongst policymakers, research and academia, the media, the private sector and civil society.

The Kenyan Equity Bank, One of the world’s first cellphone-to-cellphone cash-transfer systems, intends to expand its activities to southern Sudan by the end of the year. The system, called M-PESA, allows customers to transfer cash via their mobile phone, through an agent or store which supplies the cash. To send cash, a customer has to buy E-money which is then loaded on to his account and then he can send to a recipient who receives a text message with a code telling him to go and collect money from an agent within his proximity.

The International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) is pleased to announce that we are recruiting for the post of Senior Researcher in Forestry and Land Use.We are looking for an inspiring forestry leader to develop and manage a programme of research and partnership building to improve the sustainability and local livelihood benefits of forestry. If you believe that forestry involves multiple goods, services and stakeholders and that locally-owned decision-making and international support are vital to improve forest investment and stakeholders empowerment, by joining the team you will be able to directly influence the setting up of a global forest partnership initiative.

Gender equality and advancement of women is addressed by the Commission on the Status of Women of ECOSOC, and dozens of other governmental and non-governmental organizations. Nevertheless, disparities continue worldwide, from the glass-ceiling in the nations claiming equality principles, to more stringent issues as unequal access to education, health care and decisionmaking positions in many cultures and world regions. This study is designed to collect judgments about the answers to a list of questions.

Archived, online coverage of the XVII International AIDS Conference (AIDS
2008) is now available from kaisernetwork.org, the official webcaster of AIDS
2008.

The distorted world trade regime is an obstacle to development, the leader of the Seychelles told the General Assembly, calling for increased justice and fairness to recognize the specific needs of small island nations. “We should abandon ‘solutions’ which continue to enrich the rich and impoverish the poor and the vulnerable,” President James Alix Michel told the body’s annual high-level event.

Open source software (OSS) has now become a well recognised and utilised brand. A brand that, if we were to get a broad sweeping perception poll on, would generally stand for free, fair and cost effective. However, despite this growth, the battle between open source and traditional software still rages on whereby the pros and cons for each can be endlessly debated.

For the last two months, investors at the Nairobi Stock Exchange (NSE) have watched in horror as the market dropped to a three years low. The NSE 20 shares index, which is used to gauge the general performance of the market, dipped to a 4,000 low from about 5,400 in mid July (a 26% decline).