Tous les articles et traductions

Today’s food and financial crises have, in tandem, triggered a new global land grab. On the one hand, “food insecure” governments that rely on imports to feed their people are snatching up vast areas of farmland abroad for their own offshore food production. On the other hand, food corporations (…)

In recent years, information communication technologies (ICTs) and violence against women (VAW) have become intricately entwined. This paper examines how ’new ICTs’ - digital technologies like the internet, multimedia and wireless phones - facilitate or enable a culture of VAW in the areas of (…)

How do we ensure access to the internet is a human right enjoyed by everyone?
This is one of the critical questions asked by an annual publication that highlights the importance of people’s access to information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure – and where and how countries (…)

A new law that, if passed, will allow the Kenyan government to determine the content, style, manner and schedule of broadcasting, has drawn fierce resistance from the media industry.
The Kenya Communications Amendment Bill 2008, which is now in its final stages of the legislative process in (…)

Last year’s row between two pan-African policy bodies is feeding a split between regional and federal approaches to science, says Linda Nordling.
Research and innovation is an area that could benefit from coordinating projects and pooling resources between nations. So it was disappointing last (…)

The essential paradox about a globalised world is that as global business and micro politics have relentlessly spread across the globe, there has been a tendency for many people to get closer to the ethnic, national, religious and racial identities. This nestling within a known identity has been (…)

Peacekeepers must ensure security for women in post-conflict situations. Gender issues needed special focus, especially when sexual violence was routinely used as a tactic of war, said a top UN official during a Security Council meeting.
A comprehensive and sustainable peace is not possible in (…)

As many Latin American policy analysts have suggested, the election of moderate-left Fernando Lugo and his Alianza Patriotica para el Cambio coalition is yet another manifestation of a South American referendum in favor of a socialist-tinged democracy. Undoubtedly, Lugo’s inauguration marked a (…)

A mid-term assessment of where the world stands on its commitment to provide basic education for all children, youth and adults by 2015.
What education policies and programmes have been successful? What are the main challenges? How much aid is needed? Is aid being properly targeted? Read

The crisis that we are witnessing today is shaking the very foundations of neo-liberal capitalism. It is unfolding at an accelerating speed, and nobody is capable of saying where it will lead. This article does not try to follow its unfolding step by step, because it would be likely to be (…)

Concept of Human Development indicates that the real aim of development is to improve the quality of human life. It is a process that enables human beings to realize their potential, build self-confidence and lead lives of dignity and fulfilment. Economic growth is an important component of (…)

A dangerous new waste stream is rapidly emerging.
The UN estimates that some 20 to 50m tonnes of e-waste are generated worldwide each year, comprising more than 5% of all municipal solid waste. The fate of large quantities of this so-called e-waste is unknown. This “hidden flow” is the e-waste (…)

It would be a squint-eyed view to read in Obama’s victory just a historic moment for African-Americans in the United States of America (USA).
It should be granted that Obama’s entry through the front door of the White House rather than the back door, once reserved for black cleaners only, does (…)

This edition of SoE illustrates the immense challenges facing the mining sector in India: how to ensure ecological security together with inclusive development. It assesses the sector’s efficacy in promoting ’growth’ in mineral-rich areas, while scrutinising government initiatives in (…)

Winemakers in Spain could soon find themselves scrambling for juicy red grapes. People may also find olives and cheese missing from their salad plates.
The olive and grape farms that thrived in the balmy Mediterranean could become relics of the past with countries like Spain facing the (…)

In a bid to tackle the problem of electronic-waste (e-waste) in South Africa, the e-Waste Association of South Africa (eWASA) hosted a one-day conference on 7 November 2008 in Johannesburg.
The conference was aimed at providing a platform to discuss the successes and lessons learnt while (…)

Forced labour is often associated with slavery. That is correct. Forced labour is therefore often associated with the past. This is incorrect. Forced labour continues to manifest itself in new forms throughout the world, and certain contemporary forms are even increasing in numbers of victims in (…)

Building Communication Opportunities (BCO) is an alliance of development organisations concerned with information, communications and development issues. It was formed in 2004 with an initial three-year mandate to support activities which make use of information and communications resources and (…)

I would like to talk about the current crisis. How is it that so many people could see it coming, but the people in charge of governments and economies didn’t, or didn’t prepare?
The basis for the crisis is predictable and it was in fact predicted. It is built into financial liberalization (…)

The latest tightening of Israel’s chokehold on Gaza – ending all supplies into the Strip for more than a week – has produced immediate and shocking consequences for Gaza’s 1.5 million inhabitants.
The refusal to allow in fuel has forced the shutting down of Gaza’s only power station, creating (…)