The World Social Forum organizing depends on the goodwill of activists and individuals committed to bringing into existence, the other world that we aspire to build. We therefore call upon all individuals wishing to offer their skills and competencies in support of the WSF2007 to fill in the questionnaire on our website and await our feedback. For instance, you could volunteer in various capacities (translation, technical, electrical, architecture, mobilization, hospitality, medical, ushering, construction etc), whether on-site (in Nairobi) or remotely. Specific areas of need are very varied:- during, before, and even after Nairobi event.

"Nine months ago, I became Africa’s first elected woman president. That moment was seen, around the world, as one of hope and possibility for Liberia. Our people, in a free and fair election, gave my government the greatest opportunity that can come to any leader: the chance to rebuild a nation on the ruins of war."

Cellular providers stand to make a better profit margin from community service telephones (CSTs) than they do from other service offerings, says Nashua Mobile MD Mark Taylor. The reason CSTs offer larger profit margins per minute is because of the disparate interconnect regime between the cellular operations and Telkom, he said. Unlike the individually-held SIM card where the user may make one or two calls per day, CSTs are used by a number of people each day, he notes.

In his first press conference as Secretary-General-designate of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon pledged his commitment to deal with the “daunting challenges” facing the world, from the recent nuclear test by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to the humanitarian crisis in Sudan’s Darfur region. Shortly after the 192 members of the General Assembly appointed Mr. Ban to succeed Kofi Annan when he steps down on 31 December, he also outlined to reporters “three main areas” that he will focus on as the eighth Secretary-General of the UN, adding his hopes for a “constructive dialogue” with the media in the years ahead. “There are daunting challenges to peace, development and human rights,” he said.

Highlighting the important role of cartoons in forming public opinion, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today called on cartoonists to help society “promote peace and understanding,” while warning that their work can also encourage intolerance as shown by the deadly furore earlier this year over caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad.

New research by the Control Arms Campaign: Amnesty International, Oxfam International and the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) has found that Bullets manufactured in Greece, China, Russia and the USA have been found in the hands of rebel groups in the Ituri District of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which is under a UN arms embargo.

In this second podcast in our series on trade justice, Pambazuka News spoke to environmental activist Marcelo Calazans in Brazil on the day a Quilombola community reclaimed land from a destructive monoculture eucalyptus plantation. The Quilombolas are the descendants of slaves brought by the Portuguese from Angola and Congo. For more information on monoculture eucalyptus and Quilombolas check the Alert Against the Green Desert Movement website

As the November 2006 Congressional elections approach, observers predict that the balance of power between the political parties may hinge on foreign policy issues, such as the war in Iraq. However, while African issues have not yet figured prominently in campaign debates, the continent’s challenges highlight global concerns, which the U.S. cannot afford to ignore.

The Asian Political and International Studies Association (APISA), the Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO) and the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) are pleased to announce the Africa/Asia/Latin America scholarly collaborative initiative encompassing joint research, training, publishing and dissemination activities by researchers drawn from across the global South, and to call for applications for participation in the South-South comparative research seminars they are organising within the framework of the initiative.

The Asian Political and International Studies Association (APISA, the Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO) and the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA), will convene an international workshop within the framework of the Africa/Asia/Latin America Scholarly Collaborative Program.

It's the Nobel Prize season once again. Exactly two years ago, we were celebrating the announcement of Prof. Wangari Maathai as winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize. Prof Maathai's Nobel brought the number of African recipients to 13. Except for the 1951 Nobel Prize for Medicine that was awarded to the South African doctor Max Theiler, and the 1999 Nobel Prize for Chemistry awarded to the Egyptian-born Ahmed Zewail, all the others have been either for Literature or Peace.

Policy-makers state that economic growth is vital to poverty reduction and that trade is critical to growth. But is the relationship that simple? In countries across the world, debates rage as to who loses and who gains as changes in trade policies open or protect national markets. The media can inform people on whether trade reforms can help tackle poverty.

Global Call for Action against Poverty (GCAP) campaigners are uniting in solidarity for a global Month of Action from the 16 September to 17 October 2006.The South African NGO Coalition (SANGOCO) is a leading member of the SA GCAP, joining millions of people around the world to Stand Up Against Poverty. We are organising a host of activities in South Africa, culminating with the final activity on the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on 17 October.

Mr. Akbar Ganji, an Iranian investigative journalist and human rights activist, and Mr. Arnold Tsunga a lawyer and a radio commentator from Zimbabwe, will receive the 2006 Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders (MEA) on Wednesday 11 October 2006, 17h30. Mrs. Louise Arbour, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights will present the award during a ceremony at the Bâtiment des Forces Motrices in Geneva (Switzerland), within framework of the International North South Media Festival.

President Mogae of Botswana is due in New York tomorrow to promote his country’s diamonds, amid increasing concern over the eviction of the Bushmen from the Central Kalahari. The president’s visit comes only weeks after the Bushmen wrote to Leonardo DiCaprio, star of the forthcoming film ‘The Blood Diamond’, asking for his help in their struggle to return to their land.

The Open Society Justice Initiative, an operational program of the Open Society Institute (OSI), joins with Central European University (CEU) to announce the Justice Initiative Fellows Program for 2007-2009. The aim of the program is to support and expand a network of lawyers and activists working internationally on human rights-related issues. Established in 1996, the Justice Initiative Fellows Program has graduated 155 fellows from more than 20 countries. The Justice Initiative Fellows Program is a two-year program of study and practical work experience. In 2007, a maximum of ten applicants will be selected to participate in the program. Applicants from the following regions are eligible: Central and Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, Africa, East- and Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Central/South America.

Chad's oil industry, with its output of 160,000 barrels a day, is tiny compared with Venezuela's and Russia's. But Chad - the world's fifth poorest country according to UN statistics - wants to exert more control over its natural resources. The president, Idriss Déby, recently announced he was kicking the US oil company Chevron and Malaysian player Petronas - who together own 60% of the consortium running Chad's $4bn pipeline - out of the country for non-payment of taxes, a charge both companies deny.

The Human Rights Council this afternoon suspended its second session until 27 November when it will take action on all the draft proposals that it could not consider given their high number and the insufficient time available in order to guarantee the due and balanced consideration of all proposals. When the Council concludes taking action on the draft proposals at the end of November, it will immediately open its third session.

Wrapping up UNHCR's week-long Executive Committee meeting on 6th October, High Commissioner António Guterres said governments were obviously concerned about the plight of the world's 23 million internally displaced people, preserving the institution of asylum amid global migration flows, and the struggle of millions of refugees returning to post-conflict societies. In a press conference at the conclusion of the annual meeting of his agency's 70-nation governing body, Guterres cited the desperate situation of some 2 million uprooted people in Sudan's Darfur region to illustrate the urgency of addressing the problem of internal displacement.

Top quality training on human rights is now available for free online, thanks to a partnership between Fahamu and the OpenCourseWare Consortium. Through the partnership, the Oxford University accredited course 'An Introduction to Human Rights' has been made available on the Fahamu website. The course is designed to provide users with a comprehensive definition of human rights and how these rights are monitored and enforced.