APC is seeking professional:
* Spanish-to-English translators (native English speakers)
* English/Spanish-to-French translators (native French speakers)
* Spanish-to-Portuguese translators (native Brazilian Portuguese speakers)
* English-to-Arabic translators (native Arabic speakers)
for occasional freelance work. We'd like to hear about your areas of experience working with texts particularly related to internet, civil society and gender issues for an international audience.

Some of the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) to forums for community-based organizations (CBOs) in developing countries, whatever the subject, are regarding funding. The 'Basic Fund-Raising for Small NGOs serving the developing world' guide is meant to provide very basic guidelines for small NGOs in the developing world regarding fund-raising, and to point to other resources.

People living with HIV/AIDS in developing countries who are in urgent need of an improved version of the AIDS drug lopinavir/ritonavir continue to be denied access to it by its sole manufacturer, Abbott Laboratories, according to the international medical humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).

No less than a quarter of annual development aid -- about 20 billion dollars -- is being used by donor countries to fund technical assistance of sometimes dubious worth, says ActionAid International in a new report. According to the report it typically costs about 200,000 dollars a year to keep an expatriate consultant on staff. School fees account for more than a third of this expense, which could be reduced with greater use of local advisors.

Just a line to say that if you're interested in China, the environment and/or tech stuff, you might like to take a look at this new site, (sorry to spam you if you're not interested!). It's a project of opendemocracy.org edited by Isabel Hilton. It's interesting for a number of reasons, not least that it's worked out a comfortable way to use chinese and english on the same page, but also because it's the only site i've seen that actively seeks to host a conversation between non-official China and the outside world. One reason that's rare is because of the translation costs implied. Anyway - take a look.

Amnesty International welcomes the many substantive outcomes of the first session of the new Human Rights Council, meeting in Geneva 19-30 June 2006, which has laid important groundwork for a stronger and more effective United Nations (UN) human rights political body.

There is a crying need for an international agency for women. Every stitch of evidence we have, right across the entire spectrum of gender inequality suggests the urgent need for a multilateral agency. The great dreams of the international conferences in Vienna, Cairo and Beijing have never come to pass. It matters not the issue: whether it’s levels of sexual violence, or HIV/AIDS, or maternal mortality, or armed conflict, or economic empowerment, or parliamentary representation, women are in terrible trouble. And things are getting no better.

President Kufuor will attend the plenary session of the Second conference of Intellectuals from Africa and the Diaspora to be held in Salvador. The conference themed "The Diaspora and Africa Renaissance" is a follow up to the first conference held in Dakar in October 2004. The conference aims at reviving and harnessing the contribution of intellectuals in Africa and the Diaspora. It also aims at broadening mutual understanding and fostering greater cooperation for development between Africa and Diaspora countries.

Banking institutions have been urged to start rural mobile banking services to attract more people into the banking industry and help the country instil a savings culture; much lacking in Uganda. The service that involves making banking transactions through a combination of banking technologies such as Point of Sales Services, Automated Teller Machines, Mini-ATMs (Movable ATMs) and mobile phones does not necessarily require bankers to visit banks.

Where can IDPs turn for justice when their own governments fail to provide for their security and well-being? This newly released Guide to International Human Rights Mechanisms for Internally Displaced Persons and their Advocates is designed to assist IDPs in using international and regional human rights mechanisms to bring attention to their plight and where possible to secure redress.

Citizens may soon be able to complain to the United Nations when their governments are not treating them well, if the administrations agree to a host of new economic, social and cultural rights. At present, countries are sovereign in the services and benefits they provide for their nationals. In future, however, groups or individuals who have been denied such rights may have recourse to the U.N. if they fail to make their case at a national level.

The Development Gateway Foundation is calling for nominations for its US$100,000 prize for outstanding achievement in the use of information and communication technologies to improve lives in developing countries. Sponsored in part by Intel Corporation, this year's Development Gateway Award is focusing on initiatives that empower or improve the conditions of youth.

This article on the website of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) discusses the work of Population Media Center and the Sabido methodology of entertainment-education. According to the article, radio and television melodramas captivate wide audiences in every part of the world, and in developing countries, positive social messages are increasingly being interwoven into the narratives. The article proposes that this has resulted in dramatic behaviour changes...

New Economic Foundation's Steve Mandel writes, in the preface to this extremely well-timed and strongly argued paper: "Debt sustainability has, until now, been narrowly assessed according to a country's ability to pay in terms of its export earnings, regardless of other demands on public funds. This prevents governments in many developing countries meeting the basic needs of their citizens. A new approach to debt sustainability that takes this into account is urgently needed."

There is a need to link up the thousands of communications technology initiatives littered across the developing world, but is another UN technocracy the right answer?

Born as part of an intelligence military system, Internet has become an essential means of communication and information with great democratic potential as an organizational tool for social movements challenging the domination of political and economic power.

In the global economy where neo-liberal values of privatisation and market competition are dominant, it is crucial for those committed to public education to reaffirm the principle that education, including higher, technical, and professional education, is a right and not a merchandise.

Environment and development groups have slated the World Bank's Clean energy and development: towards an investment framework for its perverse definition of 'clean' energy, letting Northern polluters off the hook and neglecting the needs of the rural poor.

World Bank president Wolfowitz announces his move to disband the Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development (ESSD) network within the Bank. It will be merged with the Bank's infrastructure department and report to the current head of the infrastructure department.

Human rights groups in Nigeria are in an uproar over the unconstitutional removal of the Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission. Mr. Bukhari Bello. Over 30 groups have made their stance clear, arguing that not only does this undermine the country’s constitutionalism, but it also subverts the rights of Nigerians.

Sequel to the removal of Mr. Bukhari Bello, by Federal Government as Executive Secretary of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), International Human Rights bodies including Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) yesterday (26 June) said they have withdrawn support from the National Human Rights Commission.

Meanwhile, 30 Nigerian civil society organisations have released separate complaints to Judge Louise Arbour, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Mrs. Salamata Sawadogo, Chairperson of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights calling for the restoration of Bello to his position, an urgent international investigation of the independence of institutions for the protection of human rights in Nigeria, including the judiciary and the National Human Rights Commission and suspension of Nigeria from consultative relations with both bodies if the government fails to rescind its actions.

On Monday, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Justice Minister, Chief Bayo Ojo, SAN, issued a letter to Bello, informing him of his removal as head of the commission.

The Minister said government was displeased with his criticisms of harassment and intimidation of journalists by the security services and denunciation by African National Human Rights Institutions of recent attempt at tenure extension and America’s role at Guatanamo Bay.

Mr. Bello is the Chairperson, Co-ordinating Committee of African National Human Rights Institutions.

They noted with dismay that the redeployment of Bello came at the time when the United Nations Human Rights Council is holding its inaugural meeting adding that Nigeria is one of the 47 elected members to the council based on its pledge to respect the promotion and protection of the rights of its citizens in general, as well as support the strengthening and independence of the National Human Rights Commission.

Condemning the action, Mr. Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, Director of the Africa Programme, Open Society Justice Initiative contended that the statements issued by Bello were in capacity as Chairperson, Co-ordinating Committee of African National Human Rights Institutions and that it was a collective decision of all the council members. “The Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has run carts and horses through the Paris Principles. They have undermined stability of tenure of the members of the Commission, compromised the Commission’s institutional efficacy and independence, and chosen to subvert the protection of human rights in Nigeria. The High Commis-sioner for Human Rights and the African Commission cannot stand idly by while these happen,” he said.

Speaking at the joint press conference, Dr. Nana Tanko, Executive Director of OSIWA said: “Nigeria is supposed to be in the forefront for respect of constitutionalism in the continent. Now they have set a bad precedence what is expected of other African Countries that are looking up to it? “For any democracy to work, the protection and promotion of the citizenry is very crucial. Issues should be looked at beyond individuals. “The action of Nigerian government by removing Bello negates all the work that has been done over the years in the area of Human Rights in Africa. If such removal must be done, due process must be followed. We have done a lot to support the National Human Rights Commission over the years but at this point we have no choice but to withdraw our support. We can’t imagine doing all that we have been doing and the government comes and makes a nonsense of all we have done.”

Chinonye Obiagwu, Co-ordinator of the Legal Defence and Aid Project (LEDAP), observed: “We are appalled at the treatment of Mr. Bukhari Bello. This is not just an issue about Mr. Bello. It is about the rule of law, due process, and proper governance. “If we allow this to go unchallenged, it is going to be a return to anarchy. This is a call to the trenches. It is very clear that government is no longer sensitive to constructive decision-making. We ask all members of civil society to suspend collaborative activities with the Federal Ministry of Justice until it makes clear that it will no longer interfere with the National Human Rights Commission.” Obiagwu pointed out that the Abacha government, which established the NHRC, appointed Mohammed Tabir, who was very critical of their policies, but never removed him.

He revealed that for the past five years a bill to amend the NHRC Act to give it more powers and remove government control has been pending at the National Assembly.

The groups contend that: “In taking this decision, the Justice Minister did not notify or consult with the Chairperson or other members of the Council of the National Human Rights Commission. On Monday, 19 June, the Chairperson of the Commission, Honourable Justice Anthony Igu promptly visited the Justice Minister to protest this interference in the independence of the NHRC and to affirm that the allegations on the basis of which the Attorney-General claimed to have acted fell firmly within the remit of the Executive Secretary and were done at all times on the instructions of the Council of the NHRC. “Principle 3(a)(iv) of the Paris Principles, A/Res/48/138, requires the establishment of National Human Rights Commissions for the purpose of ‘drawing the attention of the government to situations in any part of the country where human rights are violated and making proposals to it for initiatives to put an end to such situations and, where necessary, expressing an opinion on the positions and reactions of the government.’ “Principle 6 of the Paris Principles requires governments to ‘ensure a stable mandate for the members of the national institution, without which there can be no real independence.’ “In Article 26 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which is domestic law in Nigeria, the government of Nigeria undertakes to ‘guarantee the independence of ….appropriate national institutions entrusted with the promotion and protection of the rights and freedoms guaranteed in the Charter.’”

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