AFRICANEWS
Views and news on peace, justice and reconciliation in Africa
September 2001
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GHANAPresident John Agyekum Kufour of Ghana decried the appalling conditions women are subjected to in African. They lack access to education, adequate shelter and live in an unsafe environment. They are subjected to domestic violence, social exclusion, and harmful cultural practices.President Kufour expressed these sentiments on Monday September 3rd when he opened the First Caritas Africa Forum taking place in Accra, from September 1st -8th, 2001. Its theme is: "Gender and Partnership for Development".Women are excluded from socio-economic advantages. Recognition of their contribution is hardly mentioned. President Kufuor hoped that deliberations at the Forum would remove contrived obstacles, and religious and socially based preventives from developing the woman's God-given talents. He called on men to recognize that women are custodians of health and well-being of the family, which is the basis of the nation. He called for HIV/AIDS eradication campaigns with increased resources. He called on Africans to exhibit bold and imaginative leadership, human uplift, good governance and poverty eradication. Most Rev. Charles Palmer-Buckle, Vice-President of Caritas Internationalis said that the First Caritas Africa Forum is in response to the Church's call for greater global solidarity and sensitivity to the poor and marginalized, namely, women. Rev. Fr. Peter Lwaminda read a message from the President of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), Archbishop Laurent M. Pasinya, of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Pope John Paul II sent a goodwill message to the participants. His Holiness hoped for a powerful affirmation of women's rights and duties in building the Church and society. For more details, please contact Ben Assorow, Communications Dept. (NCS) TANZANIACivil Society Organizations (CSOs) have expressed their dissatisfaction with the marginal involvement of citizens in the Consultative Group (CG) Process. The CG meeting is intended to review progress of development policies and programs, including the impact of international aid and loans, and chart the way forward.In a statement singed by 32 civil organizations, the CSOs say, "Because the people of Tanzania - and particularly those who are impoverished - are at the heart of these efforts, the meaningful involvement of civil society in the CG process is indispensable." They say they "would have expected the CG process to be an occasion for real public engagement and an opportunity to make policy level decision-making transparent and accessible to the men, women and youth of this country. But this has not been happening. The issues under review have not been subject to a broad public debate. Nor is there evidence that the deliberations are adequately informed of the perspectives of the large majority of Tanzanians." They raise a number of issues, including the short timeframe and lack of substantive information concerning the 2001 CG forum. They question, among other anomalies, the arrangement whereby the 'informal' meeting that involves CSOs takes place on September 10th and 11th, after the 'formal' Donor/Government session on September 7th and 8th. The CSOs also raise concern about the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP). They recommend that the government and donor partners should recognize that civil society, including Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and gender networks, need to contribute meaningfully to the CG discussions. Women, men and youth of Tanzania should be actively involved in the process through meaningful public consultation and debate, the CSOs say. (Source: CISA) EthiopiaThirty students were still on hunger strike outside the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) offices in Nairobi. They started their strike on, September 4. They want the UNHCR to give their cases special consideration. They cite insecurity and vulnerability as being very serious on their part.By September 7, many had collapsed and taken for medical attention by charitable organizations. In June this year, another group of students from Ethiopia staged a week-long strike at the same venue. KenyaUnite Nations Conference on Trade and development (UNCTAD) has said that aid to Africa needs to be doubled to US$20 billion, and be maintained, if the continent is to grow.The report, Economic Development in Africa: performance, prospects and policy issues say that projections for the continent's growth in the coming decade are not good, and do not point at a reversal of the trend. Aid flows have over the decade, fallen from 37 per cent of total flows to developing countries to 27 per cent at the end of the decade. The report was launched on September 11 by Dr Augustine Fosu, research Director African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) in Nairobi, Kenya. The reports suggests the establishment of an independent body by creditors and debtors to assess the debt sustainability of African with an undertaking by donors to write of debt deemed as unpayable. At the same time they call for a moratorium on payments pending the decisions of such a body. The report states that African products are still facing a number of extremely serious barriers in accessing Northern markets. It also state that the 20 years of Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAPs) have also not been successful in establishing conditions for sustained growth.
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