Collective for Research and
Training on Development Action (CRTD.A)
Independent
Resource and Information Services (IRIS)
Development e-Brief
November19,
2004: Issue 18
IN THIS ISSUE:
EVENTS
1. Gender
NEWS
1.
ICT
2.
NGOs
REPORTS
& BOOKS & ARTICLES
1.
Gender
2. Health
3.
ICT
4. Machreq/maghreb
5. NGOs
6. Trade/Economics/Microfinance
7. Youth
OTHER
USEFUL LINKS
1.
Gender
2. NGOs
3.
Trade/Economics/Microfinance
EVENTS
1. GENDER:
Video Meeting --
Jobs, Trade, Gender and Governance. Lead: “A growth strategy for the
Middle East and North Africa region was addressed by speakers from the Bank and
academia in this B-SPAN event. They offer analysis and solutions to regional
development issues, such as employment challenges, described as the “overriding
issue,” and trade and investment. A “paradox” exists regarding gender, says one
speaker, since women have benefited greatly from improvements in education and
health, but their participation in the labour force remains low. Governance
approaches are also explored for the region, where the aggregate index of
quality has been characterized as lower than any other”.http://info.worldbank.org/etools/bSPAN/presentationView.asp?%20EID=577&PID=1137
When Women Gain, So
Does the World. This is the Institute for Women's Policy Research's 8th
international conference it will be held in Washington, D.C. 20-21 June, 2005.
The theme of the conference will centre on the issue that investing on women not
only improves women's status alone but is critical to the economic and social
realms.
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/gender/rc/ItemDetail.do%20~1024760~intcmp=700?itemId=1024760&intcmp=700
1. ICT:
IT4Youth in West Bank Wins Award as Best Practice Program.
It has been reported in
a OneWorld article that:
"IT4Youth, a joint initiative between the Welfare Association,
a |
Palestinian |
foundation, |
and |
the |
International |
Youth |
|
Foundation (IYF), will be awarded |
a |
US$30,000 prize for |
|||||
being a best practice program”. |
|
|
|
|
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/youth/rc/ItemDetail.do~%201024243~intcmp=700
2. NGOs:
Winners of the 2004 UNESCO Literacy Prizes. Lead: “Winners of the
2004 UNESCO Literacy Prizes, including the International Reading Association
Literacy Award, have been announced. For its focus on culture, the most
interesting winner was L’Edikasyon pu Travayer, a non-governmental organization
in Mauritius”.
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/gender/rc/ItemDetail.do%20~1024222~intcmp=700
1. GENDER:
Diversity Makes the Difference!: Gender
Considerations for Promoting An Equitable Access to and Fair Sharing of Benefits
Arising From the
Utilisation of Biodiversity. This paper aims to “understand the interlink
ages between societies and biodiversity. The paper discusses gender
considerations basedon the principle that social equity means that the costs and
benefits of conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity will be
equitably shared and evenly distributed. The paper highlights the fact that the
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) stresses the importance of gender
equity in connection with the use and distribution of genetic resources”.
http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC16229
Quick Guide: CEDAW. Siyanda has posted a number of articles
related to CEDAW. In sum: “How can the Convention on the Elimination of All
Forms of
Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) continue to serve as an instrument for the
protection of women's human rights worldwide twenty-five years after its
adoption?” One such article is “Gender, the Millennium Development Goals, and
Human Rights in the Context of the 2005 Review Process”
http://www.siyanda.org/
Mainstreaming Gender in Urban Development: Activity
Description and Synthesis. Lead; “This is a discussion of urban development
in the Middle East and Northern Africa revolving around the dynamics of gender.
The primary goal of the organization’s
compilation of this project was to create a tool kit for those involved in
development decisions”.
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/gender/rc/ItemDetail.do%20~1024314~intcmp=700?itemId=1024314&intcmp=700
Gender, Education and Child Labour in Lebanon.
Lead: This study examines the topic of gender, education and child labour in
Lebanon, and argues that despite the limited availability of related information
at the national level, there are indications of the existence of some factors
and variables that impede the full realisation of the development of children in
Lebanon. These include: cultural and socio-economic factors; gaps in the
existing educational system; existence of child labour; and gender inequality.
You can also find on the Eldis website a similar study regarding Egypt.
http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC16374
2. HEALTH:
Lebanon - Health Sector
Development. New World Bank project information is now available regarding
Lebanon and the health sector. From the introduction: “Despite in overall public
health status life expectancy over the decades, Lebanon still faces a number of
significant health challenges. Over half the population still lacks formal
health insurance coverage …”
http://www-wds.worldbank.org/servlet/WDS_IBank_Servlet?pcont=details%20&eid=000104615_20041026094450
3. ICT:
Access to ICT by young people:
Issues and recommendations. Lead: This presentation confronts the myth that
children are Masters of Technology, uncovering various misconceptions associated
with children and ICT use and replacing them with empirical findings and
specific concerns recently expressed in public debate.
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/ict/rc/ItemDetail.do~102%204496~intcmp=700?itemId=102%204496&intcmp=700
Pulse Poll topic: The Internet is a
force that destroys cultural diversity. Comment: "On the web distance and
culture are bypassed and a human experience is what matters and connects one
person to groups or to another individual. Ultimately it is beneficial in [that]
cultural fusion is already taking place on many levels...the net further
enhances the fusion and creates a united world community...on the downside it
enhances disconnected and mechanically minded communities."
http://www.comminit.com/pulse/pulsecomments/sld-2789.html
4. MACHREQ/MAGHREB:
New ESCWA Publication Economic and Social
Developments in the ESCWA Region. ESCWA has published the “Survey of
Economic and Social Developments in the Region: 2003-2004”, it aims to promote
regional dialogue with “a view to retaining human and financial resources within
the region and repatriating funds for the purpose of economic development”.
ESCWA Weekly News 46 (http://www.escwa.org.lb)
Agreement Supports Training for Iraq’s Senior Civil
Service. From the article : “The Bank signed a $7 million grant agreement
with Iraq’s Ministry of Planning and Development Cooperation to support training
to will help Iraq’s civil service play a leading role in the reconstruction and
development process and set the stage for economic reforms, including social
protection measures, in the medium term. The Second-Capacity Building Project
builds on the first phase of a training program, launched in February, that
aimed at building procurement and fiduciary skills, considered critical to
managing internationally financed development projects”.
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,co%20ntentMDK:20279370~menuPK:34464~pagePK:64003015~piP
Education in the Middle East and North Africa: the current
situation and future challenges. Lead: “this paper investigates the
educational development in the Middle East and North Africa. The paper reviews
similarities between countries within the region, as well as comparisons between
other developing countries”.
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/poverty/rc/ItemDetail.do%20~1024250~intcmp=700?itemId=1024250&intcmp=700
5. NGOs:
NGO Strategies to Engage Business: Trends,
Critical Issues and Next Steps. This report is based on 33 interviews with
NGO leaders and thinkers as well as a meeting of 13 NGO leaders, and explores
the current issues and challenges confronting the engagement of NGO's with the
corporate sector. “The report aims to identify trends, future strategies for
engagement and competencies that need to be developed”.
http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC16332
Linking Corporate Social Responsibility, Good Governance and
Corporate Accountability through Dialogue. This paper “examines the
possibility of developing an international institutional arrangement for the CSR
agenda. It argues that this is needed because there is not yet any forum in
which the full range of actors (governments, civil society and businesses, big
and small, rich and poor) can come together to explore and build understanding
on some of the most difficult areas within the CSR agenda, and that this holds
back progress in some important areas and therefore the potential for CSR to
contribute positively to the pursuit both of public policy and business goals”.
http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC16254
6. TRADE/ECONOMICS/MICROFINANCE:
Rating ABSA, Egypt. Lead “The
microfinance industry started in Egypt in the early 1990s with support from
several sources, notably the Social Fund for Development (SFD), the US
development agency, USAID, and the Credit Guarantee Corporation (CGC)...”
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/microfinance/rc/ItemDet%20ail.do~1023967~intcmp=700
7. YOUTH:
Youth InfoNet. This is “a
one-stop monthly electronic source for new publications and information on youth
reproductive health and HIV prevention, presented in two parts: Part I. Program
Resources. Summaries of tools, curricula, program reports, unpublished research
findings, and other”.
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/youth/rc/ItemDetail.do~1024113~intcmp=700
1. GENDER:
Country Focus: Lebanon. Siyanda
has access to key gender resources on its website: http://www.siyanda.org/search/qlinx-countryfocus.cfm?code=Lebanon
2. NGOS:
Civil Society Toolbox: Innovative
Practices. This is a toolbox that is part of the Civil Society Organizations
and Participation Programme (CSOPP) of the United Nations Development programme
(UNDP). Lead “As part of the Bureau Resources and Strategic Partnerships (BRSP),
the Civil Society Division works with CSOs…”http://topics.developmentgateway.org/ngo/rc/ItemDetail.do~10%2023885~intcmp=700
3. TRADE/ECONOMICS/MICROFINANCE:
2005 International Year of
Microcredit Website This is the official website of the 2005
International year of Microcredit. “The purpose of the year is to further
include financial sectors and increase the public's awareness and
understanding of microcredit and microfinance”.
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/microfinance/rc/ItemDet%20ail.do~1024237~intcmp=700
Development e-Brief
Information Sources
Development
e-Brief receives
and comprises of material from various sources for its publication. Should
you wish to refer to these sources/ sites directly, the list includes
publications from: AVIVA,
www.aviva.org ,
AWID:
www.awid.org
, Democracy Digest:
www.freedomhouse.org
, Development Gateway:
www.developmentgatway.org
, Dignity:
www.dignity.org
, e-Civicus:
www.civicus.org
, Eldis:
www.eldis.org ,
ESCWA:
www.escwa.org.lb
, GDB:
www.developmentex.com
, Global Knowledge
Partnership:
www.globalknowledge.org
, IGTN:
www.IGTN.org , ILO:
www.ilo.org
One World:
www.oneworld.net
, Siyanda:
www.siyanda.org
, The Daily Star:
www.dailystar.com.lb
, The Drum Beat:
www.comminit.com
, The Soul Beat:
www.comminit.com
, The World Bank:
www.worldbank.org
, UNDP:
www.undp.org ,
Wicejilist:
www.wicej.addr.com
, WLP:
www.learningpartnership.org
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