Net News January - June 2001

Dear All

Our latest Chapter 2 Product aims to inform you of the latest developments in civil society in the most user-friendly manner - see the attached pdf file, or below. Net News contains highlights of coverage and analysis from the Social Justice Advocacy Digest for the last few months. This edition covers the first half of 2001, from January to June.

the problem
No time to sift through mountains of material, to find information crucial to your work …
the answer
Recent research shows that most non profit organisation see a role for a "knowledge broker" - someone who can routinely sift and sort through all the available information and give them the most relevant and valuable nuggets. No problem, the Digest and Net News are here to do that for you…
The Digest introduces you to material through email alerts once a month (because email is the quickest way to get this info to you and research shows that email is more popular than the Net). And if you ever need up to date info anytime inbetween alerts, it's all waiting for you on the web!
NetNews is a round up and analysis of digest coverage of civil society over the last few months. This will be sent out by email and in print form, for those who don't have electronic access.
These are part of our efforts to support and assist you in your work. For further detailed information on any of the NetNews items, see the Digest at www.advocacy.org.za/digest.asp Please notify us if there are any factual inaccuracies or misrepresentations in these summaries.

Samantha Fleming
Chapter 2 Network
www.advocacy.org.za
Tel: +27-21-461-2559

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Net News January - June 2001

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Anti-Corruption
South Africa has seen an unprecedented public focus on issues of corruption over past months, primarily due to the shenanigans associated to the controversial government decision to invest in the mult-billion rand Arms Deal. The Political Information and Monitoring Service (PIMS) started up a website in January, to provide comprehensive analysis of the Arms Deal saga. Early in the year, President Mbeki emphasised that putting a stop to corruption was high on ANC agenda for 2001, with stiff warnings that "…if we catch anyone stealing from the people, we will expel them from the ANC and then have them arrested." The multi-billion rand Arms Deal is still playing itself out, with civil society voices rising in protest, notably the Coalition for Defence Alternatives (CDA) and the Campaign Against Military Spending (CAMS). Since the initiation of the controversial public phase of enquiry into the Arms Deal, which began in June (and will resume on 16th July in Pretoria), we have heard testimony from Minister of Trade and Industry, Alec Erwin, admirals from the SA Navy and Armscor.
In Africa, it seems that corruption is on the increase, as revealed in a survey of bureaucratic structure and performance in over 20 African countries. Many senior bureaucrats feel they lack "ownership" of their countries’ development strategies.
Internationally, there has been some focus on corruption too, with the Second Global Forum on Fighting Corruption in Holland, in May, and the World Bank’s report on the role of media in curbing corruption. Transparency International is demanding less talk and more action against corruption.

Bills in Parliament
Three services (provided by civil society organisations, not government) continue provide insights into the workings of parliament:
Plain language summaries of all Bills, Acts, Policies, Amendments – see the PIMS Monitor. This service has a weekly email alert service to notify subscribers of new legislation added to the web database.
Minutes of Parliamentary Committee meetings – see the Parliamentary Monitoring Group. Government officials were recently quoted in a Sunday newspaper, as saying the PMG website was more useful than the government sites.
In Parliament - a Chapter 2 service of a weekly email about upcoming meetings in Parliament, which we encourage you to attend – it’s your constitutional right!

Bridging the Digital Divide
In South Africa, with 70% of households being within 15 minutes walk of a phone, we are making progress with Universal Access. A recent webchek study has revealed that even lower household incomes are starting to use the web more. This means the web is becoming more accessible, and most importantly, more useful to South Africans.
Several initiatives have opened doors to previously unconnected South Africans in the last couple of months, notably two centres in Calitzdorp and Carnarvon where connectivity was facilitated through the work of Nelson Mandela and Naspers; schools in Gauteng who are benefitting from a new provincial intitiative called Gautengonline; Microsoft’s Digital Villages, the 5th of which was opened in the first half of 2001; IBM’s donation of 8 braille workstations to the SA Blind Workers Association; and other similar initiatives which continue to work on closing the Digital Divide in South Africa.
Some policy developments in government have made progress, albeit slow, in the field of telecommunications access and rollout. We have commitment to the importance of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to development, from President Mbeki, as articulated in his State of the Nation address, and followed by the formation of two task teams (national and international) to assist government in this area. Finally, a single competitor to Telkom will be allowed in South Africa, at the end of Telkom’s exclusivity agreement. And new e-commerce legislation is on the cards, as Minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri and the Department of Communications have been consulting with stakeholders in past months, and will attempt to get new e-commerce legislation passed by the end of the year.
In Africa, internet use is growing. As articulated by expert, Mike Jensen, a "recent rash" of internet cafes and service providers have emerged, using a variety of wireless and other technologies to circumvent restrictive government policies. Although we are still way behind the rest of the world (1 in 250 Africans is an internet user; against 1 in 35 world average), Mike estimates numbers of computer users are growing by as much as 20% per month. Radio and Net convergence is also on the increase across Africa, with 22 radio stations currently broadcasting via the Net.
Bridges.org focussed attention on the fact that Bridging the Digital Divide is about more than just providing hardware and software, but also includes consideration of cultural and other person-centred issues.
Internationally, the last few months have seen the production of the final Dot-Force report, produced by the Dot-Force initiative begun in Okinawa last year by the G8 meeting. In addition to the formal report, other commentaries have been released, including one by the Public Voice, which assembles comments and proposals from the public. The developmental portal OneWorld opened up a public email forum on their site, for discussions around the Dotforce initiative and work. Other international ventures include the UK Department for International Development’s second white paper on ‘making globalisation work for the poor’.
Meanwhile, the World Bank has seen some strong criticism, from South Africa specifically, for it’s Development Gateway, an intended portal for information in developing countries. Criticisms are levelled at the Bank for for not listening to civil society perspectives about their development information needs, and for adopting policies that further isolate and marginalise the voice of the poor.
New Research and Resources on the Digital Divide includes a Bridges.org comparison of e-readiness assessments in developing countries. Reporters without Borders have investigated restrictions on free circulation of information particularly where Governments have sought to control the internet in their countries. The report is entitled "Enemies of the Internet". The IDPM at the University of Manchester has published several short online papers on ICT and Development, including issues of e-commerce, software development, training programmes, and information systems without IT.

Budget Information
Before the Government Budget was announced by Minister Trevor Manuel, the Budget Information Service of Idasa released supporting documentation to assist civil society in understanding the Budget Process. These documents included the Budget Dictionary - helping to understand words and concepts surrounding the government budget; and a brief on Understanding the Budget Process, which explains how government money is allocated as well as the various relevant actors.
Other briefs released include commentary on the following issues:
-Provincial Health Budgets, noting that provinces with well-established health facilities continue to allocate over 20% of their discretionary funds to health;
-Allocations for employed people with disabilities who receive tax cuts, and recipients of the disability grant, which has increased from R540 to R570, but also noting that the majority of disabled people (who constitute up to 10% of our population) are not employed and do not receive a grant and thus will remain on the margin, excluded from many basic services;
-The fiscal allocations to fight Aids - R296 million; and
-Whether more could not be done to eliminate the suffering of children in poverty

Children and Youth Rights
South Africa saw the release of the largest ever national survey of South African youth between 12 and 17 years old, which encouragingly showed that young South Africans are overwhelmingly optimistic about the future of our country. Fears of the youth include that they may not live to realise their dreams, and that HIV/Aids is a dark cloud on the looming horizon. Other reports have also been released over the last couple of months, dealing with youth’s sexual experiences, reproductive health and HIV/Aids. Among these are the Medical Research Council (MRC) report showing doubling of child rape incidences amongst girls under 15. Human Rights Watch also released a report on sexual violence encountered by girls in South African schools. A chartbook on 15-19 year old adolescents’ health across 11 Sub-Saharan Africa has become available, highlighting factors critical to adolescents’ healthy transition to adulthood.
There has been hope that the current shake up of the Welfare system in South Africa could result in more desperately needed money for destitute children, also articulated by the Budget Information Service (BIS) Brief on (government) budgetary commitment to alleviating poverty and suffering of children. The current child support grant which has recently been increased to R100, is reaching a negligible 7% of the children who need it the most. This need is further highlighted by a UNICEF report on Least Developed Countries modest progress in the fight against poverty for Children.
The upcoming months will hopefully see the introduction of a new child justice system in South Africa, with the proposed tabling of a new piece of legislation which aims to create a fair and just system for children in conflict with the law.
In Africa there are more than 120 000 children (under the age of 18) currently participating in armed conflicts across Africa, some no more than 7 or 8 years old. Activists are fighting to ensure the protection of children in war, and focus on child-centred interventions to "put children first".
Internationally, an assessment has been undertaken of the impact of the the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history – the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) - with particular regard to how the UNCRC has actually improved childrens’ lives. Also internationally, the Global Movement for Children (GMC) has been mobilising in UN member states for the protection of the rights of children – the "SAY YES for Children" Campaign.

Civil Society
One of the prominent areas in which international civil society has had an impact, has been the South African court case against the big pharmaceuticals, already discussed under HIV/Aids. Amongst other efforts, a worldwide internet petition collected 250,000 signatures of support within a matter of weeks, calling on the court case to be dropped. Civil society attempts to voice their protests at interntional meetings may well have to take on a different nature in the future, as a trend of ‘meeting online’ has begun with the world bank’s rescheduling of a June meeting in Barcelona, now to be held over the Net.
New sites and resources include Solidarity Voice, which is committed to opening up opportunities for civil society in Africa to engage in peace-building, development and governance, and not just leave this to government or inter-governmental institutions.
A new project for the youth, Mandate the Future, encourages discussion and participation amongst youth around the world. The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has seen developments in Palestinian civil society, sharing their difficulties with trying to defend the rule of law, and mobilising international support in an online forum called On the Record.
Democracy
International work in the field of democracy includes a June conference hosted by International IDEA, on the topic of ICTs and Democracy. They have also hosted a ‘democracy assessment’ questionnaire on their website, which you can fill out and critically assess your own democracy. The role of online publication in democracy was highlighted in a news article emphasising that the internet is Africa’s corrupt politician’s nightmare, because censorship of news distribution is beyond the reach of political dictators’ iron claws. Radio was also cited as being critical to the development of democracy – independent radio can only flourish on democratic soil, and by its very nature and extent of its reach (88% of the South African population listen to radio), it is the most democratic of technologies.
There has been some focus on e-democracy, with examples and encouragements for developing countries entering the milieu of e-democracy. Recent publications include "lessons to be learned from developing countries". After the fiasco of the US elections in November last year, e-voting is on the cards for the US.

Development
Two new international resources on development have emerged recently. The first is the World Bank’s 5th annual edition of World Development Indicators, a comprehensive overview of the world economy, this time including social indicators of poverty and global environmental issues. The second is a new website focussing on international development goals. This site focusses on visual targets for the reduction of poverty, improvements in health and education, and protection of the environment. Easy to use maps and graphs are the focal point of the site.
Otherwise, two useful portals for development jobs have been profiled; the Communication Initiative at www.comminit.com and DevNet Jobs at www.devnetjobs.org

Rights of Persons with Disabilities
In South Africa, there has been some progress in establishing the rights of people with disabilities. In the fight against unfair discrimination in the workplace, Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana launched a document entitled the Draft Code of Good Practice on Key Aspects of Disability in the Workplace, which sets guidelines for how workers should deal with disability-related issues in the workplace. The government budget for 2001 has some good news for disabled people who are employed and receive tax cuts, and the recipients of the disability grant, which has increased from R540 toR570. However, unemployed people with disabilities do not receive a grant and will therefore remain marginalised, excluded from many of the basic services that government delivers. Practical assistance was given to the SA Blind Workers Organisation, in the form of 8 workstations from IBM, to help with the production of braille literature, including study material, exam papers, magazines, recreational reading matter, conference documentation etc.
Internationally, US citizens have hailed new laws, which spell out how government websites must accommodate people with disabilities, as one of the most significant civil rights milestones for people with disabilities. We also profiled an American partnership which supports people with disabilities to learn more about how to use technology to improve the quality of their working and home lives.

Economy
South Africa has recently seen the launch of the worldwide World Bank Boycott in our country. This campaign focus on empowering citizens to demand a say over how their money is invested, and campaigning against World Bank structural adjustment policies. The related Drop the Debt campaign has gained momentum, as activists have focussed on developing countries’ need to spend money to combat HIV/Aids, rather than being drained by debt payments to rich financial institutions. Also in South Africa, questions of ethical trade and impacts on employment conditions were interrogated by the Centre for Rural Legal Studies in a report on farmworkers.
The ‘Everything but Arms’ deal, which came into operation in March, allows Least Developed Countries to have duty-free, quota-free access into the European market for all their products with the exception of arms, has been hailed by some as a breakthrough into the EU’s notoriously protected markets, but others say it is a political gesture, and not much more than a token.

Education
South Africa has received profile on building resources for schools and education. Former president Nelson Mandela, 82 years old, has been hailed as raising 31.5 million US dollars for schools and clinics in SA since 1992. Also bringing resources to schools is the Shuttleworth Foundation, aimed at assisting education initiatives especially with administrative burdens. Specifically they are building a ‘school tool’ to help with timetabling, evaluation and tracking. Also in South Africa, a report has come out discussing the transitions and tensions that school children experience, with particular reference to the role of families in children’s education.
Our neighbours in Africa, most particularly Botswana, have shed some light on the effect of HIV/Aids on education in southern Africa. This report also includes recommendations to mitigate the worst effects of HIV/Aids on the school system. An important report to consider, since Aids has been named as the single biggest killer of teachers in South Africa this year, with too few teachers being trained to fill the gap.
Two other International reports revealed more about the role of poverty in the worldwide education crisis, and the importance of strengthening the education system through intersectoral partnerships of government business and civil society.
A plethora of educational resources were profiled in the last few months, viz. in Africa, the Multimedia Education Group at the University of Cape Town; World Links connecting the developing world; Commonlink creating opportunity for African schools; Forum for African Women Educationalists improving education for girls and women. Internationally, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) created a stir by announcing that it will provide education materials free on the web; Oneworld (the development portal) launched a new educational portal; and the International Exchange Network attempts to connect educationalists in the North and South.

Environment
Global environmental trends show a frightening acceleration of ecological decline. What is even more frightening is the loss of political momentum on environmental issues, which has only escalated with the Bush Administration coming into power. In 1996, one US citizen was responsible for producing as much greenhouse gas as 19 Indians, 30 Pakistanis, or 269 Nepalese. Elsewehre, there have been calls for demonstration against Shell for poluting and destroying Ogoniland. 5000 supporters have expressed their disgust against the environmental award given to Shell by WEC. Using old advocacy strategies, but new tactics, environmentalists have used cyberspace (internet and email) to increase their support.
The ‘ambitious’ Aarhus Convention has brought spotlight to environmental democracy – the rights of citizens to access to information and public participation in decision making about environmental matters. Some of the convention is mirrored in the South Africa NEMA – National Environmental Management Act, which provides for citizens right to know and participate in environmental issues affecting them.
South Africa is set to host the Earth Summit 2002, the World Summit on Sustainable Development.
New Resources include a new African Conservation Portal, bringing together conservation groups and NGOs for discussion and debate; and ENERGIA, a network to strengthen the role of women in sustainable energy development.

Food Security
International focus on food security includes research showing that women produce 60 to 80% of the food in most developing countries but women farmers receive only 5% of agricultural extension services offered worldwide. Future Harvest is a project focussing global attention on food problems with the aim of finding solutions. Natural disasters such as drought, flood, hurricane and war wreak havoc on developing economies, and some effort has been made to increase understanding about Emergency Seed Provision (ESP) which is touted as a helpmeet in these kinds of situations. Research on the impact of HIV/Aids on food security, shows that the rural labour force in many countries may be reduced by as much as 26% in a few years time.
In Africa, one third of sub-saharan African population is undernourished, highlighted in the UN’s World Hunger Map.

Gay and Lesbian Rights
In South Africa, a milestone in fighting discrimination against gays in application for life insurance was won in March, when an insurance company eliminated a so-called ‘lifestyle’ question from applications for life insurance.

Gender
South Africa is hosting a Gender Summit in August in Johannesburg. Broadcasting is being shaken up, with WomensNet’s new EnGendering Broadcast project, as well as a fresh news website which is being set up by African women journalists who aim to counter bias in western and male-dominated news. Also in SA, the CSVR has launched a Justice for Women Campaign.
Internationally, the UNRISD (UN Research Institute for Social Development) continues to release research from their project which assesses how contemporary debates on rights and democracy have strengthened womens struggles for greater gender justice, including analysis on whether democracy has empowered women. A new glossary on macroeconomics from a gender perspective provides a concise introduction to gender dimensions of current economic thinking. Further research shows how new trends of opportunities for women to work, benefits society. Modern technologies make flexi-time, high paying, work at home, feasible for women.

Governance
International research has indicated that leadership and state capacity are crucial in determining how skilfully a regime can negotiate and build consensus around the response to globalisation, poverty and inequality. Other research in this area that we have profiled focus on e-governance issues, such as can be found on a new resource website entitled Digital Governance. The IDPM at University of Manchester has recently compiled a comprehensive guide to understanding and building e-governance capacity, by exploring challenges of implementation through real-world case studies.
In South Africa, a new electronic resource on local government is out, covering the complex process of the local government elections held in SA in 2000.

Health
Several health-related developments in South Africa have received mention over the past few months. The Health Systems Trust produced the SA Health Review, providing an overview of policy developments in South Africa. A Harvard article highlighted the difficulty of realising the constitutional right of access to health care services in South Africa, citing poverty, income disparities and the high burden of disease as complicating factors.
Also in SA, there have been two encouraging stories of increasing health care in remote areas. The first is in the Eastern Cape, where doctors at six clinics involved in a pilot project receive detailed laboratory tests (via their cellphones) on the same day as samples are sent off. The SMS and web system is easy to use and will be expanded to other areas. The second story is of the Transnet Phelophepa Health Care Train, which spends 36 weeks delivering health services to remote rural areas across the country. The Health Systems Trust profiled the national telemedicine project in South Africa, which promises to have far-reaching effects in improving access to specialist services for rural communities, and improving the quality of health care.
These efforts need to be increased and widened to serve the entire population. Respected researchers have criticised the government's lack of spending on social services, saying that the arms deal has been a major constraint on social spending in SA over the last few years.
In Africa, the second Africa tele-health conference was held in Uganda in April, highlighting how telecommunications resources and appropriate health information infrastructures can be utilised to boost health conditions in Africa. Big news in April was the Heads of State Summit on Aids, TB and other related infectious diseases in Nigeria. Worldwide, only 20-25% of all TB patients have access to effective diagnosis and treatment and, every 40 minutes TB kills one South African. Former Archbishop Desmond Tutu has been actively supporting the campaign promoting treatment of TB as a basic human right. Africa Action promotes a campaign entitled Africa’s Right to Health. Malnutrition and hunger are still some of Africa’s biggest worries – 50% of disease related deaths among infants could be avoided if infant malnutrition was eradicated. Doctors without Borders have a Bracelet of Life campaign. The Bracelet of life is used to test whether a child is suffering from malnutrition. Campaign supporters around the world wear the same colourful Bracelet of Life to raise awareness about hunger.
April also saw the first ever Africa Malaria Day. 1 million Africans still die of malaria each year.
A proliferation of resources and websites both South African and international include the SA Health Knowledge Network – a one-stop shop for evidence-based health information set up by the SA Health Info Consortium; while internationally, Health Information for Development is compiling a global directory of health information resource centres; the ID21 has created a searchable database on the internet of summaries of relevant health policy research; and internet based resources on malaria are growing.

HIV/Aids
The first half of this year was dominated by the controversial court case which saw big pharmaceuticals up against the South African government and the Treatment Action Campaign. Civil society action from around the world was influential in mobilising support within a matter of weeks, to pressurise big pharmas to give up their case. There was widespread coverage of the inhumane attitude of "patents" before "patients" and the pharmaceuticals dropped their case. Although this stopped short of setting a legal precedent that could be used elsewhere in the world, the case nevertheless demonstrated how international outrage and disgust at the pursuit of profit, can have an impact on the actions of corporate giants. Well-articulated in the words of a NY Times article, the shifts that occurred in the last few months indicate that "Patent laws are malleable. Patients are educable. Drug companies are vincible. The world's AIDS crisis is solvable."
The debate about drugs has obscured and sidelined fundamental issues about the difficulties and cost of treating HIV/Aids in the developing world, not only in terms of monetary cost, but also the complications of working within weak health infrastructure systems, too few doctors and nurses and under-equipped medical facilities. These issues have remained peripheral because of the focus on drug pricing, but we need to return to basics of health care.
Nevirapine was finally registered for use in South Africa in April this year, but government has been slow in providing the drug free of charge to pregnant women. R31.9 million of the government's HIV/Aids budget allocation during last financial year remained unspent, and an additional R125 million has been allocated for this year. The national health department's reasoning for not spending last year's funds included bureaucratic process of getting money to provinces and related paperwork.
Since May, some provincial governments (Gauteng and Western Cape) have offered free nevirapine to prevent HIV positive women from transmitting the virus to their babies. This has been well received, despite the national health department not providing anti-retrovirals in public facilities, citing cost and follow-up care as problems. The North West province has begun distributing Diflucan (also known as Fluconazole) at public hospitals free of charge.
In Nelspruit however, government has pushed to close a rape counselling and treatment programme entitled GRIP (Greater Nelspruit Rape Intervention Project) that has provided counselling to over 188 rape victims and free anti-retroviral medicine to those who agree to take an HIV test, saying that the programme creates expectations that the government should provide anti-AIDS drugs it could ill afford.
At last weeks UNGASS on HIV/Aids Health Minister Tshabalala-Msimang agreed that developing support structures for Aids orphans should be in place by 2003, including counselling, access to schooling, good nutrition and protection from abuse. In terms of prevention of HIV/Aids, targets that were set for 2003 are a 25% reduction of HIV among 15-24-year-old age group, and a 20% reduction of the number of babies born with HIV virus.
As we have commemorated the 20th anniversary of Aids in June 2001, activists continue to speak out and call on governments to provide adequate health care to citizens in terms of prevention and treatment of HIV/Aids. The last few months sadly saw the death of Nkosi Johnson, the world's youngest Aids activist.
Business in South Africa has made public statements about the impact of HIV/Aids on the workforce, with corporates such as Anglo-American, Coca-Cola, and DaimlerChrysler beginning to offer anti-retroviral drug therapy to their workforce. Still, leading business figures such as Clem Sunter are alarmed at the slow and ill-informed attitude by the business sector towards the presence of HIV/Aids in our society.
HIV/Aids education programmes are high on the agenda in many countries, especially in Africa. A variety of methods are being propogated, including soap operas, television and radio dramas, discussion forums on aids-related stigma. Another unique method is the education circus for young people, increasing awareness about HIV/Aids. Togo has introduced a public art campaign, using billboards, murals and t-shirt designs to raise awareness. A group of actors in South Africa are running workshops that use Boal drama techniques to inform and equip people with understanding about HIV/Aids. Radio, as the medium with the widest reach, is one of the best and most cost-effective ways to reach a wide audience in developing countries, particularly to promote HIV/Aids education. UNAids has published a radio handbook to help with health programming and teaching in health communications.

Human Rights
In South Africa, the National Survey on Human Rights Awareness has been made available by Nipilar. A new trust has been created by a group of Durban-based artists and human rights activists, called Artists for Human Rights. They aim to promote development of artists and talent, and creation of a human rights culture in South Africa.
Internationally, HURIDOCS has developed brief and practical manuals to help human rights organisations in their monitoring and documentation of human rights issues, and the Human Rights Education Associates (HREA) have initiated distance learning opportunities for human rights workers. A new international human rights and peace network has started up in Nepal, called HURPEC.

Land Reform
Land reform is in a state of flux across the continent, with discussion and dialogue occurring in many countries in Eastern and Southern Africa which have implications for the promotion of democracy and development. However, fears around issues of equity have slowed implementation in this area.
Various disputes in the last few months have arisen because Land claims are not being processed quickly enough. The Extension of Tenure Act (1998) entitles people living (particularly on farms) for an extended period of time, to remain on the land. Implementation of this act has been problematic and issues of evictions complicated. Recently there has been coverage of people living in Alexandra Township who were evicted without proper housing to move to, and residents have complained at the insensitivity of government in dealing with their needs.

Local Government
Health systems Trust is supporting the transfer of primary health care from provinces to local government through research and monitoring as well as providing training and support to local councillors.
Kwazulu natal has a current affairs newsletter and a website www.profilekzn.co.za

Media
In Africa, World Press Freedom Day was celebrated in May, and participants at a conference developed a Charter on Broadcasting in Africa, which can be used in advocacy for broadcasting policies. An annual 'Reporters without Borders' survey of worldwide media freedom announced that nearly one third of the world's population is living in countries without press freedom. AllAfrica Global Media, the largest distributor of African news and information, has teamed up with an international technology firm to help bridge the digital divide. Africa Action, a new non-profit merger, has developed out of the oldest US organisations covering African Affairs, and Is devoted to education to change US policies, to support justice in Africa.
In South Africa, Mediaworks is piloting a media access centre for youth and women, to encourage community media projects and empower civil society organisations with better communication and media production skills. Radio is recognised as playing an important role in South African villages and recently community stations have been encouraged to promoted community based sustainable tourism projects.
Internationally, an online film festival called Media that Matters can be found on the Media Rights website. Also on the international scene, IMAP has launched a website to preserve independent media, arts and culture and submissions are welcome.

Political Analysis
In South Africa, Epolitics provides the latest on political intelligence and analysis, policy and political trends. This year's editions have focussed on the state of the country's nation building, looking at government policy, the Home for All campaign, and South African's sense of national identity. A further edition covered issues of corruption in SA, interrogating whether SA is more corrupt now than prior to 94. Results showed that there are problems with implementing the new mechanisms to fight corruption. An upcoming edition will cover the efficacy and processes surrounding Private Public Partnerships (PPP), a hot an dynamic venture in SA. Subscribe to epolitics (free) via the website www.epolitics.org.za
Internationally, a new political information gateway websites produces analysis on the interaction between international politics and the internet.

Poverty Eradication
In South Africa, the Human Sciences Research Council is home to a new South African Regional Poverty Network (SARPN), which aims to strengthen links, promote discussion and facilitate exchange of information between stakeholders involved with poverty issues across Southern Africa. In Southern Africa, research has indicated that the Sustainable Livelihoods (SL) approach brings fresh insights and is a useful tool to analyse support required to assist the poor. Armed conflicts have been identified as the single most important determinant of poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa. In South Africa, approximately 45% of the population, that is 18 million people, live below the poverty line. An Oxfam report suggests that people living in poverty are generally left out of decision making, don't feel respected and are thus cynical of attempts to boost their participation.

Racism
Discussion about racism has focussed on the upcoming World Conference Against Racism, happening in August/September in Durban, South Africa later this year. There are several concurrent and related conferences and seminars occuring at around that time, including the Youth Summit, Voices of the Victims, the UNRISD Conference on Racism and Public Policy, and the NGO Forum. For more details, see www.racism.org.za

Refugees Rights
The rights of refugees is of concern in Africa, with particular regard to the 50 million people worldwide who are either caught up in conflicts or living in protracted refugee situations. Discussion has recently centred around refugees need for reproductive health services, as a baseline study to determine reproductive knowledge among young refugees in SA shows that although there is general awareness about HIV/Aids, specific knowledge about transmission and prevention is "alarmingly low". Focus has also been drawn to the rights of refugees to freedom of expression, not adequately safeguarded by current conventions and most often overridden by political considerations. UNHCR has developed a new service which expands on and replaces "Refugees Daily", combining daily updates of primary news and other relevant stories.

Resource Mobilisation
Changemakers.Net is a pioneering project dedicated to social entrepreneurship for non-profit organisations. It identifies and invests in social entrepreneurs, providing inspiration and opportunities for those interested in global social change. Project Literacy, a SA project, has been profiled on Changemakers net, for using innovative strategies to encourage sustainability.

Rights of the Aged
Human rights are not just for the young, yet many older people's rights are forgotten or disregarded. HelpAge International documents the neglected needs and contributions of older people, and how neglect amounts to an urgent problem, especially in developing countries where many older women live in poverty.

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For further details on any of the above subjects, see the Social Justice Advocacy Digest at www.advocacy.org.za/digest.asp

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