---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 28 Aug 2001 21:39:17 -0700
From: Charlotte Utting <[log in to unmask]>
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Subject: [WASAN] FW: WEST AFRICA NEWSLETTER, vol.1, No.21, 24 Aug.,2001
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From: Liberia Institute of Journalism <[log in to unmask]>
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Date: Tue, 28 Aug 2001 12:09:31 GMT
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Subject: WEST AFRICA NEWSLETTER, vol.1, No.21, 24 Aug.,2001
International Center and Liberia Institute of Journalism
WEST AFRICA NEWSLETTER
Reporting on Human Rights, Democracy & Development
Vol. 1 No. 21 August 24, 2001
Please send this newsletter to anyone who is interested!!!
CONTENTS
1. EDITOR’S COMMENTS
2. RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY
3. REFUGEES
4. HEALTH/ ENVIRONMENT
5. DEVELOPMENT
6. MEDIA/TECHNOLOGY
7. GRANTS
8. WORLD BANK PIPELINE
9. ANNOUNCEMENTS
10. ABOUT US
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1. EDITOR’S COMMENTS
http://www.kabissa.org/lij
In our 20th edition we expressed our concerns about the
upcoming “UN Conference on Racism”, turning into an “UN Talk
Shop”. We feel that if participants were squabbling over five
star hotel accommodations, obviously much is not desire of the
end result of the Conference. We then urged the participants to
do something about racism and not only as mere critics.
The World Press Freedom Committee has lend its voice to the
debate by creating a “Talking Point” document for participants
and observers. The below text is the document:
There are two concrete proposals in the draft Action Program
that should be strongly resisted:
1. A proposal for governments to create standing national
consultation bodies to monitor, mediate and prepare codes of
conduct for the press. (Art. 22 bis 1, p. 28)
These would amount to State press councils to regulate the news
media. While this would be unacceptable, even if it were solely
to regulate racism and "hate speech" in the press, it seems
obvious that any such councils would inevitably be called upon
to broaden their mandates to regulating other subjects as well.
2. A proposal for the UN Human Rights Commission to draw up
an "international code of ethics for communications media" to
combat "unlawful dissemination of information that is racist,
discriminatory, xenophobic or relating to intolerance." (Art.
New 101 merged, p. 38).
Not only is any international ethics code a dangerous idea that
has been consistently opposed by press freedom groups when
proposed elsewhere, it is certainly not the business of any UN
agency to write, adopt or try to enforce. In any case, the
categories of "information" to outlaw are so broad and so
subject to differing interpretations that such a text would
certainly be used to repress in some countries forms of
expression that would be considered legitimate in others.
The whole philosophy of both the draft Declaration and the
Action Program as regards the press seems to involve state
dictation of news media behavior, in clear contradiction with
of Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The draft texts seem to assume that racial and ethnic tension
and hate can be wished away by banning its expression in the
press. It seems obvious that the only way of preventing it from
festering in obscurity and of spilling over into violence is to
be able to identify and combat it in the open.
It should not be the news media's assigned role to fight racism
or anything else. The main role of the press is to describe and
inform. If media outlets also want to work actively against
racial and ethnic hatred, that must be their free choice. This
happens to be a choice that quality media have historically
made, to great effect. If it were a legal requirement, it seems
evident that such statements would be generally seen as
official propaganda, thus rendering it ineffective.
There seems generally to be much fuzzy, therefore dangerous
wording.
In the draft Declaration, specifically unacceptable are:
Art. 27, p. 10 suggesting that legal recognition of free speech
somehow encourages racism;
Art. 91, pp. 17-18 saying that the prohibition of ideas --
however offensive -- could be compatible with freedom of
expression;
Art. 98, p. 18 saying that new forms of media should be "used"
to promote tolerance, etc.;
Art. 100, pp. 18-19 saying that "acts or omissions" by media
constitute acts of and incitement to racial discrimination that
should be "crimes punishable by law" (-- implying not only
that advocacy but also that failure to report or denounce
racial discrimination would be a criminal
offence).
In the draft Action Program, aside from the first two examples
cited above, specifically unacceptable are:
Art. 74 bis, P. 10, saying that the news media have
a "particular responsibility" not to disseminate prejudice
against Roma or to report about them in a particular way (--
it not being for governments or UN agencies to assign
responsibilities to the press);
Art. New 79 and New 6 merged, pp. 12-13, calling
for "stringent" legislation against racist propaganda or
publicity (-- a broadly worded ban that could easily be
stretched to include legitimate reporting of tensions or "hate
speech");
Art. 47 bis, p. 17, calling for States to "balance" freedom of
expression and "eradication of racist and hateful speech";
New 42 merged, p. 28, asking for States "to give impetus" to
a "voluntary ethical code of conduct and self-regulatory
measures (as if State "impetus" could be anything but dangerous
and restrictive pressure on the press);
22 bis, p. 28, calling on States to criminalize racist messages
over Internet; and other restrictive measures generally
advocated in pp. 28-29.
2. RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY
http://www.unhcr.org/
Liberia/Guinea
More than 120 Liberian refugees fleeing renewed conflict in
Liberia’s northern Lofa County have arrived in the Macenta
area of south-east Guinea over the last few days. On
Wednesday, UNHCR and local authorities transferred the refugees
to Kola camp, 35 kms north of the south-eastern town of
Nzerekore. The refugees, many of whom are in poor health, say
they fled when fresh fighting broke out in a village called
Batazou in Lofa on 10 August and hid in the bush for more than
a week before reaching the Guinea border. Among the new
arrivals were more than a dozen wounded refugees who received
emergency treatment in Macenta before being transferred to Kola
camp. The refugees say that many of them were separated from
other family members as they tried to reach Guinea. The
whereabouts of some 60 family members of the new group remain
unclear. Refugees told UNHCR that large numbers of people have
fled their villages and many more Liberians are likely to make
their way to Guinea.
3. REFUGEES
http://www.hrw.org
Refugee Rights Dropped from Race Summit
(New York, August 6, 2001) Human Rights Watch today condemned a
decision by states participating in a preparatory meeting of
the UN World Conference Against Racism to delete all reference
to the 1951 Refugee Convention from the conference program of
action.
4. HEALTH/ENVIROMENT
http://www.who.org
The World Health Organization will release the 2001 World
Health Report "Mental Health: New Understanding New Hope" on 4
October, 2001. The report will mark the highpoint of WHO's year
long campaign on mental health . For the first time in WHO's
history, World Health Day in April and the World Health Report
are both dedicated to a single topic -- mental health
Condoms effective in preventing HIV; effectiveness in
preventing other STIs less well documented
http://www.who.org
15 August 2001 | A new report reconfirms that condoms are
effective in preventing the sexual transmission of HIV. Recent
discussions about their effectiveness in preventing other
sexually transmitted infections should not distract from vital
efforts to promote condoms as the first line of defence against
HIV/AIDS.
5. DEVELOPMENT
http://www.undp.org
Ronaldo makes his return to the soccer pitch as Goodwill
Ambassador for UNDP
ON 19 AUGUST, INTERMILAN TAKES ON NIGERIA'S CHAMPION SOCCER
CLUB ENYIMBA IN A FRIENDLY MATCH TO BENEFIT ANTI-POVERTY
PROJECTS
Geneva/Milan, 15 August 2001- Ronaldo will make his return to
competitive football in his role as Goodwill Ambassador for the
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in a 19 August
match dedicated to the fight against poverty at the San Siro
Stadium in Milan. On that occasion, the InterMilan team will
face Enyimba, Nigeria's champion soccer club.
6. MEDIA/TECHNOLOGY
Bringing the digital age to Ghana's grassroots
http://www.undp.org/dpa/frontpagearchive/2001/august/13aug01/ind
ex.html
Monday, 13 August 2001: A new public-private partnership in
Ghana is launching the Mobile Telecentre To-Go (MTTG) to
introduce information technology (IT) and the Internet to
schools, health clinics, farms and local businesses.
7. GRANTS
Are you seeking funding for your organization? Listed are names
of Donors that could probably fund your project.
West African Women’s Crusade for Peace and Democracy, 14207
Georgia Ave. #T3, Silver Spring, MD. 20906
World Learning, 1015-15 Street, NW Suite 750, Washington, D.C.
20005-2605, e-mail: [log in to unmask]
World Wildlife Fund, 1250-24th Street, NW, Washington, DC
20037 website: www.worldwildlife.org
Zero Population Growth, 1400 16th Street, NW Suite 320,
Washington, DC 20036 e-mail: [log in to unmask]
8. WORLD BANK PIPELINE PROJECT
WORLD BANK PLEDGES MORE SUPPORT TO NIGERIA.
http://www.worldbank.org
World Bank Group Managing Director Peter Woicke told reporters
at the end of the three-day visit to Nigeria that he saw
progress in the country since military rule ended in 1999,
Reuters reports. "I think we should increase our presence in
Nigeria quite dramatically," Woicke said. "We don't necessarily
want to lend tons of money to Nigeria because Nigeria has lots
of resources and if a number of things are done more
efficiently I think Nigeria has substantial funds."
Burkina Faso: World Bank Approves US$45 Million Poverty
Reduction Support Credit
http://www.worldbank.org
WASHINGTON, August 24, 2001--The World Bank's Board has
approved a US$45 million Poverty Reduction Support Credit for
Burkina Faso. The interest-free credit will support the
implementation of the country's Poverty Reduction Strategy
Paper as discussed by the Bank's Board in June 2000.
GUINEA THIRD WATER AND SANITATION PROJECT-SUPPLEMENTAL CREDIT
CREDITAMOUNT: IDA-US$25 million equivalent
TERMS: Grace period = 10 years; Maturity = 40 years
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: This credit will supplement the ongoing
Third Water Supply and Sanitation Project. The objectives are
to improve sanitary conditions in the district of Kaloum by
increasing access to sewer services, and to reduce pollution of
the marine ecosystem from waste water discharge and septage
dumping. For more information, call Raymond Toye at (202) 458-
1653, fax at (202) 473-7917 or e-mail [log in to unmask]
9. ANNOUNCEMENT
The International Human Rights Law Group is once again urging
you to
participate in our "Day of Action for Women's Inheritance
Rights" by
joining our third annual e-letter campaign to raise awareness
around the
denial of the right of women to inherit land and other property
in Africa.
Disinheritance destroys the lives of millions of African women
and girls
every year, subjecting them to violence, poverty, and increased
vulnerability to HIV/AIDS.
Please read, sign, and forward the letter below
to Dr. Peter Piot, Executive Director of the Joint United
Nations Programme
on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). The letter encourages Dr. Piot and UNAIDS
to highlight
the role of the denial of women's inheritance rights in the
spread of
HIV/AIDS and to integrate the issue into the UNAIDS mission in
Africa.
For further information, please contact Marie-Elena John
Smith, Coordinator,
Africa Programs, E-mail: [log in to unmask] Website:
www.hrlawgroup.org
10. ABOUT US
http://www.kabissa.org/lij
The WEST AFRICA NEWSLETTER (WAN), is published online by the
Liberia Institute of Journalism (LIJ), at the Corner of Broad
and Johnson Streets, in Monrovia, Liberia, located in the
Koushouk Building, Suite # 2, Telephone number: 231-226-888-
229-014. This project is funded by the International Center,
731-8th Street S.E., Washington, D.C.
WAN is distributed free of charge. We do accept articles,
announcements, press releases and information for publication.
Please send them to the Editor Vinnie Hodges, at
[log in to unmask] You can SUBSCRIBE OR UNSUBSCRIBE by going to
our website: http://www.kabissa.org/lij
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7:00 PM WASAN business meeting
7:30 PM Program: TBA
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