The Treatment Action Campaign's newsletter (Equal Treatment) is now available to all organisations and individuals in South Africa working in the areas of HIV/AIDS, health, law and human rights. Parts of the newsletter are available online at www.tac.org.za. If you would like to be added to the mailing list for the full hardcopy please email Claire at [email protected]. Please include your organisation's name and postal address, and the name and title of the person the letter should be addressed to.

YFAR is an acronym for Youth For Africa Rebirth, founded in Nigeria in 2005. The purpose of this project is to bring Africans from around the world together to campaign for a new image for Africa and to bring about reforms in every area. If you would like to participate in this effort and be part of the developing team, please mail a letter of support to [email protected].

Rwanda has launched its first nationwide condom-promotion campaign that aims to promote constant and correct condom use among all Rwandans as part of the fight against HIV/AIDS, AFP/Yahoo! News reports. The campaign also aims to reduce cultural and religious resistance to condoms and is aimed at youth, inmates, commercial sex workers, refugees, and clergy members, who generally do not support the use of contraception.

EDITORIAL: Haiti: A coup regime, human rights abuses and the hidden hand of Washington
COMMENT AND ANALYSIS:
- Africa and the WSF: From Bamako 2006 to Nairobi 2007
- Ugandan aid cuts: Good riddance to ‘phantom’ aid
- Open source: Changing the rules of the game
LETTERS: Debating the new diaspora
BLOGGING AFRICA: African blogs discuss claims that same sex marriages are "Unafrican"
PAN-AFRICAN POSTCARD: Morales: “Long live cocoa, no to the Yankees”
AFRICAN UNION MONITOR: AU survives crucial test in week of high drama
CONFLICTS AND EMERGENCIES: News snippets on Sudan, DRC, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia and Nigeria
HUMAN RIGHTS: Nomination process for African court slammed for lack of transparency
REFUGEES AND FORCED MIGRATION: UNHCR welcomes release of more Sudanese in Egypt
ELECTIONS AND GOVERNANCE: Nigeria – the state of democracy
WOMEN AND GENDER: Mozambique ratifies Protocol on women’s rights
DEVELOPMENT: The worrisome state of the microcredit movement
CORRUPTION: Chad Assembly urges tough stance in World Bank row
HEALTH AND HIV/AIDS: Caution urged in removal of user fees
MEDIA: Cardosa killer sent to jail in Mozambique
PLUS…Advocacy and campaigns, Internet and Technology, Courses, Seminars and Workshops, Jobs and Books and Art.

EDITORIALS: Hopes are high that a new wave of women leadership will result in real changes for the life of African women. But will it? Salma Maoulidi investigates the case of Tanzania
COMMENT AND ANALYSIS: Focus on Free and Open Source Software (FLOSS)
- Soenke Zehle examines the practicalities, politics and debates surrounding the emerging FLOSS movement
- Sokari Ekine says switching to FLOSS is not so much a change in software as a change in culture
- Karoline Kemp looks at the benefits of freeing yourself from the grip of Microsoft domination
LETTERS: Readers debate the new Diaspora and South Africa under Thabo Mbeki
BLOGGING AFRICA: Sokari Ekine reviews what African bloggers are saying about Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf
PAN-AFRICAN POSTCARD: Tajedeen Abdul-Raheem wants to know if Mama Ellen can deliver liberty to Liberia?
AFRICAN UNION WATCH: Irungu Houghton on civil society engagement with the African Union
CONFLICTS & EMERGENCIES: “We will shut you down,” militants tell oil companies in the Niger Delta
HUMAN RIGHTS: How can the African Union maintain its credibility in Darfur when it holds a summit in Khartoum?
REFUGEES & FORCED MIGRATION: UNHCR granted more time to interview Sudanese refugees in aftermath of Cairo massacre
ELECTIONS & GOVERNANCE: Calls to address Ethiopian post-election crisis; the politics of space in South Africa; on the campaign trail with the Ugandan president
WOMEN & GENDER: Campaign update from the Solidarity for African Women’s Rights Coalition
DEVELOPMENT: World Social Forum kicks off in Bamako, Mali; Africa Spends US$4bn a Year On Western Expatriates
CORRUPTION: Kenya spends 800 million on luxury vehicles
HEALTH & HIV/AIDS: Lessons from an African response to the HIV/AIDS crisis
EDUCATION: Chomsky joins academic freedom row in South Africa
MEDIA & FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION: Libyan cyber-dissident Al Mansouri completes a year in prison
NEWS FROM THE DIASPORA: Corporates and mainstream media gloss over Martin Luther King’s denunciation of America
INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY: Africa Open Source 11 wraps up in Uganda
FUNDRAISING & USEFUL RESOURCES: How to make the transition from fundraising to development
COURSES, SEMINARS & WORKSHOPS: Strategies for ratification and rights realization
PLUS…Jobs, Books and Arts

SANGONeT is a national NGO providing various information communication technology (ICT) services to civil society organisations. This position presents a vital opportunity for an individual passionate about shaping the role and application of ICTs for development through policy advocacy and sensitization. The incumbent will be responsible for informing the strategic ICT policy focus and activities of the organisation; networking and liaising with key government, private sector and civil society stakeholders; and developing, planning and hosting ICT forums in various Southern African countries.

Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has been defending his move to run for a third term as campaigning is stepped up ahead of next month's general elections. Both he and his biggest challenger, Dr Kizza Besigye, have been touring the country to try and secure votes in the country's first multi-party elections in 20 years. Elections are due on 23 February.

EDITORIAL: Gerald Caplan examines Rwanda and Darfur, drawing some conclusions on the lessons that haven’t been learnt
COMMENT & ANALYSIS:
- Msia Kibona Clark investigates the relationship between African Americans and the ‘new Diaspora’ of African immigrants to the US
- Yifat Susskind examines the "man-made" components of the HIV/AIDS crisis and their impact for African women
- What is African Studies? What motivates it? What’s the political dimension? Henning Melber reviews the field
LETTERS: Readers respond to the Mustapha Mahmound Park massacre
BLOGGING AFRICA: African Shirts, Passion of the Present, Black Star Zero, Subzeroblue and more...
CONFLICT & EMERGENCIES: Congo conflict worst for 60 years, but world does nothing
HUMAN RIGHTS: Any quiet victories for human rights in 2005?
REFUGEES: Latest on the Mustapha Mahmound Park massacre in Cairo
ELECTIONS & GOVERNANCE: You can’t chase a freedom fighter from a house like a chicken thief, Museveni says
DEVELOPMENT: Countdown to the WSF meeting in Mali
CORRUPTION: South African deputy president in hot water for free flights
HEALTH & HIV/AIDS: Uganda’s not so successful Aids policy
EDUCATION: Condom teaching equals “immoral lifestyles” claim Tanzanian bishops
MEDIA/FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION: Do Internet companies need to be regulated to ensure they respect free expression?
ADVOCACY & CAMPAIGNS: Turning up the heat on the US government over Darfur
INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY: Connecting to the internet through your nearest lamp post in Senegal
PLUS: e-newsletters, fundraising, courses, jobs, books and arts…

Reports indicate that violence is escalating in Darfur with fresh attacks on villages. While the death toll in these attacks is unknown, upwards of 7,000 people have recently been displaced, joining the ranks of the 2.5 million internally displaced. In response to this, Africa Action is urging for an escalation of pressure on the U.S. government to take necessary action to stop the genocide in Darfur. They are calling for a UN resolution that will give the African Union troops on the ground a stronger mandate to protect civilians and authorize a multinational intervention from the UN to stop the violence.

If there's one struggle that's looking on the up at the moment, writes Raj Patel on his blog Voice of the Turtle, it's the fight to get Ashwin Desai's job back at the Centre for Civil Society. Patel explains why Desai, a veteran of the anti-apartheid struggle and author of ‘We are the Poors’, has been banned from the University of KwaZulu-Natal for his uncompromising honesty. Desai applied for funding earlier this year to undertake research on the history of race and sport in South Africa, but the Vice-Chancellor, Malegapuru William Makgoba, instructed the selection committee at the University of KwaZulu-Natal not to consider Desai's application. Visit Voice of the Turtle for the full story and sign a petition in support of Desai by visiting http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/567835610?ltl=1136454112

As the Court’s activities move forward on the ground in Africa, the Coalition for the International Criminal Court continues to raise awareness about the International Criminal Court, build civil society support and push more ratifications and implementation of the Rome Statute in a number of countries in sub-Saharan Africa. For a detailed list of activities in these countries, follow the link.

The Sudanese National AIDS Control Programme (SNAP), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and other partners have launched a campaign focusing on the impact of the disease on children. They said as many as 300,000 people under age 25 in Sudan were living with the HI virus.

A Multimedia Training kit developed by Highway Africa defines Advocacy Journalism as the promotion of a position on an issue or cause in a single-minded manner, or tackling an issue by highlighting your own position in relation to it. It is therefore easy to see how the idea of advocacy journalism as the subjective coverage of an issue came about. Advocacy, although promoting a certain position, does so with the aim of achieving certain goals, usually influencing public policy and resource allocation decisions within political, economic, and social systems and institutions - that directly affect people's lives. This article in the Public Agenda of Accra and reposted at www.journalism.co.za examines the issue.

On 10 December, three days before the opening of the WTO Ministerial in Hong Kong, Global Call to Action against Poverty campaigners across five continents mobilized to demand that the World Trade Organisation Ministerial delivers trade justice for the world’s poor. A wide array of actions from rallies to peoples’ caravans to public performances took place, all with the objective of putting a spotlight on trade injustice. To find out more about what happened in your region and around the world, follow the link.

This site aims to build understanding of the real economic situation of Africa's most populous country, with the aim of lifting Nigeria out of debt and poverty. The site includes news from inside Nigeria, and analysis of the economic situation and the latest debt negotiations. If you would like to receive the regular newsletter, go to the subscribe
section on the homepage.

The Zambian National Civil Society MDG/GCAP Campaign is holding a special interview with Zambia's Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry - Honourable Dipak Patel who is also chairperson for the least developed countries delegation at the WTO. The interview will take place on Thursday, December 8th--two days before international White Band Day 3, which will see a host of events around the world designed to put a spotlight on trade injustice.

The WE ALL HAVE AIDS Campaign is a show of solidarity among, and an acknowledgment of, many of the world’s most accomplished, devoted and inspiring AIDS activists and scientists of the last 20 years. Barefoot and determined, each participant has left a meaningful mark in cement, but more importantly in the fight against HIV/AIDS and the destructive STIGMA associated with this devastating disease. Visit the website to find out more.

The Kenya Civil Society Coalition on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) has launched a campaign for a common platform to secure trade justice for Africa. At the forthcoming World Trade Organisation (WTO) Inter-Ministerial Conference, slated between December 13 and 18, the Global Call for Action Against Poverty (GCAP- Kenya), urges that the delegation to represent Kenya at the talks and put emphasis on the country’s right to food security and freedom from dumping.

Please follow the link to find a petition to EU leaders to act on the human rights situation in Zimbabwe so that justice prevails.

The Universal Ratification Campaign is a worldwide complementary effort devoted to urging members to redouble their efforts to promote universal acceptance of the International Criminal Court. Local actions are needed to promote awareness of the International Criminal Court; increase media coverage; urge governments to ratify or accede to the Rome Statute; adopt effective implementing legislation and ratify the ICC Agreement on Privileges and Immunities.

We ask you to visit our Ratification Campaign page where you can send a letter to the President of Chad urging Chad to ratify the Rome Statute.

This CICC Ratification Campaign page on Chad is accessible at the following link (and also in French: http://www.iccnow.org/francais/ActionCalendar.htm).