CIVICUS will convene its fifth biennial World Assembly in Gaborone, Botswana from 21-25 March 2004. The World Assembly is a primary venue for civil society and other stakeholders to exchange information about their achievements and challenges. Hundreds of citizen groups and CIVICUS members will explore options to enhance citizen engagement in decision-making at all levels of governance, as well as examine issues of social and economic justice in a globalised world. Through learning exchanges and plenary sessions, participants will look at ways to strengthen the governance and legitimacy of civil society organisations and defend the rights of civic association. There will be four main themes: (1) fuelling civic energy; (2) livelihood insecurity: innovative solutions seeking to open doors; (3) democratising power: civic engagement in decision-making; and (4) keeping the peace or fanning the flames. Cross-cutting themes include HIV/AIDS; gender equity and equality; young people; capacity-building; and socially marginalised groups. To read the World Assembly call for proposals, or for more information about the World Assembly, go to http://www.civicus.org or email David Kalete, Director of Programmes, [email protected]. The deadline for proposals is 30 September 2003.

A Civil Society Organisation (CSO) concerned with good local governance would like to engage a Finance Officer immediately. Reporting to the Chief Executive and working closely with the Finance Committee and the Management Committee, the Finance Officer shall be responsible for, amongst other duties, Developing budget proposals in liaison with the CEO and delegated officials; Identifying and developing strategies for financial assistance.

A new survey of young children living in camps for displaced people in the Liberian capital Monrovia indicates that nearly 40 percent of them suffer from malnutrition. World Vision said on Monday it had conducted a nutritional survey of 2,112 children under the age of five in 11 camps for displaced people from late June to the end of July. This found that 39.8 percent of them suffered from acute malnutrition.

Zimbabwean civic leaders called at a recent symposium for an end to political violence, the repeal of repressive legislation and the opening up of political space, while also calling for the African Commission on Human and People's Rights to immediately release the report of the findings of its mission to Zimbabwe.
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Even if they no longer hold the whip hand in Burundi, armed rebels have shown that they still have a lethal grip on it. Even as the government and the largest rebel movement fine-tuned their proposals to recharge the transitional process, renewed fighting flared around Bujumbura. Humanitarian organisations reported that another 15 000 people had been displaced. Those responsible are the National Liberation Front (FNL) of Agaton Rwasa and renegade elements of the Forces for the Defence of Democracy (FDD).

Acting on a United Nation's (UN) request, Switzerland has frozen two million Swiss francs (?1,3 million, $1,5-million) in the bank accounts of two associates of Liberian President Charles Taylor, the Swiss justice ministry said on Wednesday. The move followed a request by the UN-backed court investigating war crimes in Sierra Leone last month, which triggered a search of Swiss banks for any assets linked to the Liberian leader.

"Today" newspaper editor Masautso Phiri and reporter Wilfred Zulu may face contempt of court charges following a 3 July 2003 application to the Lusaka High Court by lawyers representing Vice President Nevers Mumba. The charge is connected to an article published by the weekly in its 11 to 17 June edition entitled, "Is Chief Justice Sakala compromised on Nevers Mumba?" The article commented on a High Court case in which an opposition member of parliament, Edith Nawakwi, is challenging the legality of Mumba's 28 May appointment as vice president.

Population growth rates in developed and developing countries are becoming increasingly skewed, posing challenges to governments worldwide, according to the 2003 World Population Data Sheet released on Tuesday. Published by the Washington-based Population Reference Bureau (PRB), the survey estimates a 193 percent population increase in Central Africa--the fastest-growing region in the first half of the 21st century--compared to a mere 6 percent gain in Northern Europe and a population decline in the rest of Europe.

This paper argues that achievement of the Millennium Development Goals of Education for All (EFA) by 2015 will not only require a level of international resources and commitment not yet seen, but will also require better tools for monitoring educational progress at the country level. The authors estimate that more than 37 million young adolescents aged 10-14 in sub-Saharan Africa will not complete primary school. Their estimates are based on data from nationally representative Demographic and Health Surveys from 26 countries, collectively representing 83 percent of the sub-Saharan youth population.

A programme to rehabilitate more than 7,000 child soldiers who fought in Sierra Leone's decade-long civil war is in danger of stalling because of a serious shortfall in funding, the UN children's fund (UNICEF) warned on Tuesday. UNICEF said that US $1.4 million is needed immediately and a further $2.5 million would be required in the "near future" if their critical re-education and re-training programmes were to be completed.

This paper investigates the national and community level interventions that offer promise for increasing primary education access for children who have been orphaned or made vulnerable in areas heavily affected by AIDS in the eastern and southern Africa region. Some of the lessons learnt are that: Initiatives should target all vulnerable children in AIDS-affected areas and should create affordable schooling opportunities; non-formal education should be prioritised in addition to formal education and that initiatives should be developed with community participation and cater to community needs.

Several organisations have pledged support for the Government in rehabilitating street children. Eleven non-governmental organisations dealing with children said they would begin programmes to support street families. Their representatives said they would form an alliance with private companies to ensure more than 1,500 children countrywide were rehabilitated.

The Federal Government has joined hands with the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) to develop the Strategy for Acceleration of Girls Education in Nigeria (SAGEN), a plan of action designed to ensure that equal number of boys and girls were in the education system by 2005.

A household-level recovery from the past year's food security crisis in Malawi is being complicated by deepening levels of poverty, observers say. In a recent interview with IRIN in the capital Lilongwe, World Food Programme (WFP) country representative, Gerard van Dijk, said "poverty, combined with HIV/AIDS" had worsened household vulnerability.

Demographic projections by the Population Reference Bureau for the first half of the 21st century show that the Democratic Republic of the Congo leads countries in "middle" Africa that are expected to experience the fastest population growth in the region. The bureau's "World Population Data Sheet" for 2003 showed that the Congo, with an estimated population of 56.6 million, would have 181 million people by 2050. Overall, the central Africa region's population will grow to 193 percent of its current size by 2050, followed by western Africa, which is expected to grow to 142 percent of its 2003 population. The population of southern Africa, a region that has been adversely affected by HIV/AIDS, was projected to fall by 22 percent.

The ruling United Democratic Front in Malawi has threatened to deal with "The Nation" newspaper reporters and warned the paper not to cover its convention scheduled for August 8, 2003.

As the first beneficiaries of the Universal Primary Education (UPE) complete the primary cycle this year, government has a challenge to take them on to secondary level. It is estimated that this year, 1.6 million children will leave primary education as a result of UPE.

We are pleased to announce that Mango's highly-regarded finance training programme for NGOs will be returning to Lusaka, Zambia in August 2003. No previous financial management experience or finance qualifications are required for attending the courses - just a desire to understand how financial management contributes to successful programme management. Course information and contact details are available by clicking on the link provided.

The Human Rights Diploma Programme is an academic programme aimed at strengthening capacity for the promotion, protection and advancement of human rights activities to meet a specific need in human rights advocacy and activism. It builds upon existing theoretical and practical experiences and equips the participants with the capabilities for protecting, enforcing and evaluating the impact of human rights. The Human Rights diploma programme covers a number of substantive fields. These include international human rights law and organisations, where the evolution of international human rights law and practice as well as its current implementations are covered. It also includes domestic instruments for the protection and promotion of human rights which seek to analyse and compare the ways and mechanisms used by various countries to protect human rights. It further analyses the role of state and non-state actors in the enforcement, promotion and protection of human rights, and the use of information and communication technologies in human rights work.

Intermón Oxfam is looking for a Country Representative for South Sudan. Sudan has been undergoing a conflict for more than 40 years, although some well-founded expectations for peace process between the secessionist South and the North are rising today.