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“Disappointment for what should have been an important event in view of the next UN summit to evaluate the progress sof the so-called Millennium goals for development adopted by the 192 members of the UN in 2000”, said the Italian Coalition Against Poverty (GCAP) about the G20 and G8 summits which just concluded in Toronto. While the millennium goals (MG) risk falling by the wayside as world leaders have to adopt realistic approaches to solve very practical and serious problems, GCAP notes that the “G8-G20 have not even evoked the commitments they took at previous summits…The urgency of an intervention in support of weak economies and of regulating an out of control finance has not led to any agreements postponing everything to the next Seoul and Nice summits while international speculators are all too pleased”. Activists said the two final declarations ‘shine for their inconsistencies”. The leaders did not discuss any commitments to help development, offering muted voices over climate change goals postponing any action to the Cancun conference; there was no action taken on introducing a tax on financial speculation or a tax on banks, which were responsible for the crisis paid by citizens. The only commitment was made in the filed of healthcare, the Muskoka Initiative, which will allot some USD 5 billion in favor of maternal healthcare, though the usual critics say that is only 5% of what is actually needed.

“The only accord is that there is no accord,” writes Andrea Baranes, from the Campaign to Reform the World Bank (CRBM). The G20 in Canada, which was intended to coordinate a response to the worst financial crisis in modern times, has shone especially for the divisions among its components engaged in the strenuous defense of its own interests: “isolated proposals, vetoes, autonomous initiatives,” which, said Baranes, are reflected in the “weakness of the final communiqué, which does not suggest any concrete commitment”. “Let us remember – adds Baranes – that the G20 in the words of its backers, is a more restricted forum than the ‘inefficient UN’, where the presence of 192 countries and bureaucratic procedures do not allow countries to respond quickly enough to economic and financial crises. (…) This here G20 has finally removed its mask of efficiency and coordination. Before the crisis, one might be forgiven for thinking that the prevailing message is ‘save yourself’”. In a more optimistic light, one might say that the Toronto summit has forced leaders to re-examine the G20 model and that it might be necessary to review its governance and international architecture. It should be noted that the experts commission led by the Nobel winning economist Joseph Stiglitz at the UN has long proposed a list of responses to the financial and economic crisis. Issues about which the G20 has given itself the sole legitimacy to decide, only to fail in maintaining its commitments”. The CRBM – along with dozens of other Italian NGO’s, unions, the Missionary Students’ League – was among the promoters of the ‘005 campaign’, which asked heads of state from the G20 the introduction of a 0.05% tax on the value of every financial transaction able to generate an workable mechanism to oppose the economic crisis, supporting employment, social policies, cooperation and environmental policies and such. Many studies have confirmed that such a tax on every financial transaction would be able to generate some USD 655 billion every year. In light of the failure to reach an accord at the G20 to introduce this tax, the NGO’s now demand that Europe adopt the measure by itself and approve it as soon as possible.

While the goal of gender equality is embraced by almost all countries, the perception that men are - and should be - favoured in employment and education remains widespread, especially in poor nations or predominantly Muslim countries, according to a survey released Thursday by the Pew Research Center's Global Attitudes Project (GAP).

The poll, which was conducted in April and May in 22 of the world's most populous and influential nations, also found majority - and mostly overwhelming - support in every country for the proposition that women should be able to work outside the home.

With the exception of Pakistan, Egypt and Jordan, strong majorities ranging from 60 percent to 92 percent of respondents in each country said they thought a marriage where both spouses have jobs and take care of the house and children was more satisfying than a more traditional arrangement in which there was a stricter division of labour between husbands and wives.

But the survey also found sometimes substantial differences between men and women, both on these questions and on the degree to which the ideal of gender equality was actually being achieved in their countries.

Pluralities or majorities of respondents in the wealthier countries, as well as in some developing countries, for example, said that men generally have a "better life" than women. In only two countries, Japan and South Korea, pluralities of just under 50 percent said women had a better life.

And in 13 of the 22 countries, substantially more women respondents than men - ranging from 10 percent to 27 percent more - said that men enjoyed a better life in their countries.

It was 15 years ago that U.N. Conference on Women's Beijing Platform for Action declared that "shared power and responsibility should be established between women and men at home, in the workplace and in the wider national and international communities".

The survey, which was co-sponsored by the International Herald Tribune, sought to test how widely this proposition has been accepted around the world.

Overall, some 24,000 respondents were asked a series of questions about gender relations as part of a much larger survey by GAP about their attitudes on a variety of topics ranging from U.S. President Barack Obama to China's global influence to global warming.

In addition to Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, South Korea, and Japan, countries covered by the survey included India, Indonesia, and China in Asia; Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico in Latin America; and Kenya and Nigeria in sub-Saharan Africa.

It also covered Turkey and Lebanon in the Greater Middle East; Spain, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and Poland in Europe; and the United States.

In India, China, and Pakistan, urban dwellers made up a much higher percentage of respondents than in the other 19 countries where the survey covered a more representative sample of their national populations.

On the question of whether women should have equal rights with men, from 85 percent to 99 percent of respondents answered affirmatively in the U.S., Europe, Latin America, Turkey, Lebanon, and most of Asia.

In only six countries was support for equality less than 85 percent: Pakistan (where 79 percent favoured equal rights), Kenya (73 percent), Indonesia (64 percent), Jordan (61 percent), Egypt (60 percent), and Nigeria (45 percent).

In all six countries, however, the survey found major gaps in the views of men and women respondents - the widest in Egypt, where 76 percent of women supported equal rights, compared to 45 percent of Egyptian men. Nigeria, the only country where an overall majority (54 percent) of respondents rejected gender equality, a majority of women respondents (56 percent) said they favoured the idea.

Despite the strong consensus for equal rights in 21 of the 22 countries, strong majorities of 60 percent or more in 14 countries of the 22 countries - the U.S., the four Western European countries, the three Latin American and two African countries, Turkey, Japan, Pakistan, South Korea - said that more needed to be done in their nations to achieve equality.

By contrast, majorities in Jordan, China, India, and Indonesia said most changes ensuring equality in their countries had already been made.

Majorities ranging from 58 percent (Jordan) to 97 percent (U.S., Western Europe, and China) in all 22 countries said women should be able to work outside the home.

When asked, however, whether men should have preference in getting jobs during difficult economic times, many respondents outside the U.S. and Western Europe agreed. Agreement with that proposition was highest in India (84 percent), followed closely by Pakistan (82 percent). Some three out of four respondents in Nigeria, Egypt Indonesia, and China also agreed that men should be given preference.

As with similar questions, however, the gender gap on this question was also quite wide. While 91 percent of male respondents in Egypt said men should be given preference during tough times, only 58 percent of Egyptian women agreed; in Russia, the gap was 59 percent to 38 percent, and in Jordan, 77 percent to 57 percent.

Remarkably, it was the reverse Japan where 48 percent of women said men should be given preference, but only 33 percent of men agreed.

Strong majorities in 18 of the 22 countries disagreed with the notion that a university education is more important for a boy than a girl. Disagreement was particularly intense in Lebanon (97 percent) and Spain (93 percent).

On the other hand, a solid majority in India (63 percent), while about half in Pakistan (51 percent), Egypt (50 percent), and China (48 percent) agreed that a university education is more important for a boy than a girl, while sizeable minorities in Jordan (44 percent) and more than a third in Japan, Poland, and Nigeria took the same view.

Significant gender gaps on this question appeared in the survey, especially in predominantly Muslim countries. The biggest gaps - 25 percentage points - were found in Egypt and Jordan.

In 19 of the 22 countries, a marriage where both spouses have jobs and share responsibilities in the home was preferred by majorities ranging from 56 percent (Indonesia) to more than 90 percent (Lebanon, Spain, and France).

Pluralities in Egypt and Jordan of nearly 50 percent also preferred more egalitarian marriages, but, nearly four out of five respondents in Pakistan said they preferred a moretraditional marriage.

Remarkably, support for more egalitarian marriage in the U.S and Britain (71 percent) was not as great as in a number of poorer countries, including Russia (74 percent), Turkey (72 percent), China (78 percent), Brazil (84 percent), Mexico (76 percent), and Kenya (81 percent).

The desirability of more egalitarian marriages has increased in seven of the 11 countries that were surveyed on the same question in 2002 - by between five and nine percentage points four of the five European countries and in Mexico, by 10 points in Jordan, 13 points in the U.S. and by a whopping 28 points in Lebanon.

During the same period, however, support for more traditional marriage grew in three countries - China, from 12 percent to 21 percent; Pakistan, from 63 percent to 79 percent; and Nigeria, from 21 percent to 38 percent.

The dire threat of Iran is widely recognised to be the most serious foreign policy crisis facing the Obama administration. Congress has just strengthened the sanctions against Iran, with even more severe penalties against foreign companies. The Obama administration has been rapidly expanding its offensive capacity in the African island of Diego Garcia, claimed by Britain, which had expelled the population so that the US could build the massive base it uses for attacking the Middle East and Central Asia. The Navy reports sending a submarine tender to the island to service nuclear-powered guided-missile submarines with Tomahawk missiles, which can carry nuclear warheads. Each submarine is reported to have the striking power of a typical carrier battle group. According to a US Navy cargo manifest obtained by the Sunday Herald (Glasgow), the substantial military equipment Obama has dispatched includes 387 'bunker busters' used for blasting hardened underground structures. Planning for these 'massive ordnance penetrators,' the most powerful bombs in the arsenal short of nuclear weapons, was initiated in the Bush administration, but languished. On taking office, Obama immediately accelerated the plans, and they are to be deployed several years ahead of schedule, aiming specifically at Iran.

The Arab press reports that an American fleet (with an Israeli vessel) passed through the Suez Canal on the way to the Persian Gulf, where its task is 'to implement the sanctions against Iran and supervise the ships going to and from Iran.' British and Israeli media report that Saudi Arabia is providing a corridor for Israeli bombing of Iran (denied by Saudi Arabia). On his return from Afghanistan to reassure NATO allies that the US will stay the course after the replacement of General McChrystal by his superior, General Petraeus, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen visited Israel to meet Israel Defence Forces Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi and senior Israeli military staff along with intelligence and planning units, continuing the annual strategic dialogue between Israel and the US in Tel Aviv. The meeting focused 'on the preparation by both Israel and the US for the possibility of a nuclear capable Iran,' according to Haaretz.

The increasing threats of military action against Iran are of course in violation of the UN Charter, and in specific violation of Security Council resolution 1887 of September 2009 which reaffirmed the call to all states to resolve disputes related to nuclear issues peacefully, in accordance with the Charter, which bans the use or threat of force.

What exactly is the Iranian threat? An authoritative answer is provided in the April 2010 study of the International Institute of Strategic Studies, Military Balance 2010. The brutal clerical regime is doubtless a threat to its own people, though it does not rank particularly high in that respect in comparison to US allies in the region. But that is not what concerns the Institute. Rather, it is concerned with the threat Iran poses to the region and the world.

The study makes it clear that the Iranian threat is not military. Iran's military spending is 'relatively low compared to the rest of the region,' and less than 2 per cent that of the US. Iranian military doctrine is strictly 'defensive,... designed to slow an invasion and force a diplomatic solution to hostilities.' Iran has only 'a limited capability to project force beyond its borders.' With regard to the nuclear option, 'Iran's nuclear program and its willingness to keep open the possibility of developing nuclear weapons is a central part of its deterrent strategy.'

But Iran's threat goes beyond deterrence. It is also seeking to expand its influence. As the Institute study formulates the threat, Iran is 'destabilising' the region. The US invasion and military occupation of Iran's neighbours is 'stabilisation.' Iran's efforts to extend its influence in neighbouring countries is 'destabilisation,' hence plainly illegitimate. It should be noted that such revealing usage is routine.

Thus the prominent foreign policy analyst James Chace, former editor the main establishment journal Foreign Affairs, was properly using the term 'stability' in its technical sense when he explained that in order to achieve 'stability' in Chile it was necessary to 'destabilise' the country (by overthrowing the elected Allende government and installing the Pinochet dictatorship).

Beyond these crimes, Iran is also supporting terrorism, the study continues: by backing Hezbollah and Hamas, the major political forces in Lebanon and in Palestine - if elections matter. The Hezbollah-based coalition handily won the popular vote in Lebanon's latest (2009) election. Hamas won the 2006 Palestinian election, compelling the US and Israel to institute the harsh and brutal siege of Gaza to punish the miscreants for voting the wrong way in a free election. These have been the only relatively free elections in the Arab world. It is normal for elite opinion to fear the threat of democracy and to act to deter it, but this is a rather striking case, particularly alongside of strong US support for the regional dictatorships, particularly striking with Obama's strong praise for the brutal Egyptian dictator Mubarak on the way to his famous address to the Muslim world in Cairo.

The terrorist acts attributed to Hamas and Hezbollah pale in comparison to US-Israeli terrorism in the same region, but they are worth a look nevertheless.

On May 25 Lebanon celebrated its national holiday, Liberation Day, commemorating Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon after 22 years, as a result of Hezbollah resistance - described by Israeli authorities as 'Iranian aggression' against Israel in Israeli-occupied Lebanon (Ephraim Sneh). That too is normal imperial usage. Thus President John F. Kennedy condemned the 'the assault from the inside, and which is manipulated from the North.' The assault by the South Vietnamese resistance against Kennedy's bombers, chemical warfare, driving peasants to virtual concentration camps, and other such benign measures was denounced as 'internal aggression' by Kennedy's UN Ambassador, liberal hero Adlai Stevenson. North Vietnamese support for their countrymen in the US-occupied South is aggression, intolerable interference with Washington's righteous mission. Kennedy advisers Arthur Schlesinger and Theodore Sorenson, considered doves, also praised Washington's intervention to reverse 'aggression' in South Vietnam - by the indigenous resistance, as they knew, at least if they read US intelligence reports. In 1955 the US Joint Chiefs of Staff defined several types of 'aggression,' including 'Aggression other than armed, i.e., political warfare, or subversion.' For example, an internal uprising against a US-imposed police state, or elections that comes out the wrong way. The usage is also common in scholarship and political commentary, and makes sense on the prevailing assumption that We Own the World.

Hamas resists Israel's military occupation and its illegal and violent actions in the occupied territories. It is accused of refusing to recognise Israel (political parties do not recognise states). In contrast, the US and Israel not only do not recognise Palestine, but have been acting for decades to ensure that it can never come into existence in any meaningful form; the governing party in Israel, in its 1999 campaign platform, bars the existence of any Palestinian state.

Hamas is charged with rocketing Israeli settlements on the border, criminal acts no doubt, though a fraction of Israel's violence in Gaza, let alone elsewhere. It is important to bear in mind, in this connection, that the US and Israel know exactly how to terminate the terror that they deplore with such passion. Israel officially concedes that there were no Hamas rockets as long as Israel partially observed a truce with Hamas in 2008. Israel rejected Hamas's offer to renew the truce, preferring to launch the murderous and destructive Operation Cast Lead against Gaza in December 2008, with full US backing, an exploit of murderous aggression without the slightest credible pretext on either legal or moral grounds.

The model for democracy in the Muslim world, despite serious flaws, is Turkey, which has relatively free elections, and has also been subject to harsh criticism in the US. The most extreme case was when the government followed the position of 95 per cent of the population and refused to join in the invasion of Iraq, eliciting harsh condemnation from Washington for its failure to comprehend how a democratic government should behave: under our concept of democracy, the voice of the Master determines policy, not the near-unanimous voice of the population.

The Obama administration was once again incensed when Turkey joined with Brazil in arranging a deal with Iran to restrict its enrichment of uranium. Obama had praised the initiative in a letter to Brazil's president Lula da Silva, apparently on the assumption that it would fail and provide a propaganda weapon against Iran. When it succeeded, the US was furious, and quickly undermined it by ramming through a Security Council resolution with new sanctions against Iran that were so meaningless that China cheerfully joined at once - recognising that at most the sanctions would impede Western interests in competing with China for Iran's resources. Once again, Washington acted forthrightly to ensure that others would not interfere with US control of the region.

Not surprisingly, Turkey (along with Brazil) voted against the US sanctions motion in the Security Council. The other regional member, Lebanon, abstained. These actions aroused further consternation in Washington. Philip Gordon, the Obama administration's top diplomat on European affairs, warned Turkey that its actions are not understood in the US and that it must 'demonstrate its commitment to partnership with the West,' AP reported, 'a rare admonishment of a crucial NATO ally.'

No sane person wants Iran to develop nuclear weapons; or anyone. One obvious way to mitigate or eliminate this threat is to establish a NFWZ in the Middle East. The issue arose (again) at the NPT conference at United Nations headquarters in early May 2010. Egypt, as chair of the 118 nations of the Non-Aligned Movement, proposed that the conference back a plan calling for the start of negotiations in 2011 on a Middle East NWFZ, as had been agreed by the West, including the US, at the 1995 review conference on the NPT.

Washington still formally agrees, but insists that Israel be exempted - and has given no hint of allowing such provisions to apply to itself. The time is not yet ripe for creating the zone, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated at the NPT conference, while Washington insisted that no proposal can be accepted that calls for Israel's nuclear program to be placed under the auspices of the IAEA or that calls on signers of the NPT, specifically Washington, to release information about 'Israeli nuclear facilities and activities, including information pertaining to previous nuclear transfers to Israel.' Obama's technique of evasion is to adopt Israel's position that any such proposal must be conditional on a comprehensive peace settlement, which the US can delay indefinitely, as it has been doing for 35 years, with rare and temporary exceptions.

At the same time, Yukiya Amano, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, asked foreign ministers of its 151 member states to share views on how to implement a resolution demanding that Israel 'accede to' the NPT and throw its nuclear facilities open to IAEA oversight, AP reported.

It is rarely noted that the US and UK have a special responsibility to work to establish a Middle East NWFZ. In attempting to provide a thin legal cover for their invasion of the Iraq in 2003, they appealed to Security Council Resolution 687 (1991), which called on Iraq to terminate its development of weapons of mass destruction. The US and UK claimed that they had not done so. We need not tarry on the excuse, but that Resolution commits its signers to move to establish a NWFZ in the Middle East.

Obama's rhetorical commitment to non-proliferation has received much praise, even a Nobel peace prize. One practical step in this direction is establishment of NFWZs. Another is withdrawing support for the nuclear programs of the three non-signers of the NPT. As often, rhetoric and actions are hardly aligned, in fact are in direct contradiction in this case, facts that pass with little attention.

Instead of taking practical steps towards reducing the truly dire threat of nuclear weapons proliferation, the US must take major steps towards reinforcing US control of the vital Middle East oil-producing regions, by violence if other means do not succeed. That is understandable and even reasonable, under prevailing imperial doctrine.

U.S. President Barack Obama may have squeezed in the last word as the G20 summit wrapped up recently in Toronto, but it was China that came away looking like the summit's winner.

Indeed, the U.S. president kept up the pressure many foreign governments were trying to put on China to help rebalance the world's economy. He reminded Beijing's leaders that the U.S. government expects the growing superpower to allow its currency, the yuan, to rise and to reduce the country's massive trade surplus.

"My expectation is that they're going to be serious about the policy that they themselves have announced," Obama said, referring to Beijing's recent pledge to end the yuan's two-year peg to the U.S. dollar.

"A strong and durable recovery also requires countries not having an undue advantage," Obama said at his post-summit press conference Jun. 27, demanding "currencies that are market-driven." The G20 summit, from Jun. 26 to 27, brought together leaders of the world's 20 largest economies.

China has long faced criticism from developed countries, particularly the United States, that it keeps its currency artificially low and that this helps fuel its export-driven economy by keeping production costs down.

But thanks to a recent announcement that its currency will be allowed to rise against the dollar, yuan revaluation remained in large part a sideline issue at the summit.

Indeed, China scored a big victory by having a line removed from the final G20 statement that said it would stop pegging the yuan to the U.S. dollar - a line that many G20 leaders had hoped to keep.

New reports said the line had been included in the statement until just prior to the summit's final day, but was removed at the request of the Chinese. Economists have argued that the yuan is undervalued by about 20 percent against the dollar and that a revaluation is needed to help balance the world economy.

"Leading up to the summit, senior Chinese officials warned that 'finger-pointing' would undermine the objectives that world leaders had set out for the meeting," wrote the 'Economic Observer', a weekly newspaper in China, adding that Chinese President Hu Jintao walked away from the meeting "a winner."

Hu reiterated at the summit that China will not be bullied into relaxing currency controls.

"It is appropriate to address trade frictions appropriately through dialogue and consultation and under the principle of mutual benefit and common development," Hu said in Toronto.

For China, the biggest obstacle to global economic recovery is Western countries shielding their producers from competition from emerging economies. "We must take concrete actions to reject all forms of protectionism and unequivocally advocate and support free trade," Hu said.

Indeed, reforming the global financial regulatory system was the central focus of conversation at the summit.

China is expected to surpass Japan as the world's second biggest economy, and it will be transferred International Monetary Fund (IMF) voting shares accordingly. China believes the current voting structure favours Europe and the United States over rapidly-growing developing nations.

European countries, loath to see their voting share diluted, are putting up stiff resistance to reform. China currently has the sixth largest voting share at 3.7 percent, compared to the United States' 17 percent share.

Another big topic of conversation at the summit was the so-called "bank tax." European leaders - including Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron - called for fiscal restraint and for a new levy on bank profits.

Here, China scored another victory by supporting Canada's counterproposal, which called for enforcing tougher standards on banking capital. In return, Canada expressed its support for international financial institutions that "better reflect the emerging economies of the world," and therefore gave a boost to China's call for international financial institution reform.

Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at Renmin University, said G20 members still have a long way to go before true reform to the international financial system occurs.

"There were discussions of international financial reform (in Toronto), but actually I think none of the G20 countries have been seriously dealing with it," Shi said. "The international community has been calling for reform since the financial crisis, but I can't see any improvements."

Zhang Xiaojing, an economics professor and the director of the macroeconomics department at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Economics, said China is increasingly accepting the role of leader of developing nations, spearheading calls for change in the global economic order through groups like the G20.

"The G7 and G8 no longer have an exclusive say over world affairs. China has become a much more powerful player and is beginning to have a strong voice in the international community," Zhang said.

A proposed anti-counterfeit trade deal between 10 countries and the European Union (EU) could create "a new set of barriers to the export of generic medicines to low income countries".

This warning comes from Rohit Malpani, senior advisor at Oxfam America, who spoke to IPS on the eve of the ninth round of negotiations on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) taking place from Jun 28 to Jul 1 in Lucerne, Switzerland.

ACTA is aimed at tackling the trade in fake products -- from luxury watches and cosmetics to car parts and medicine - and those persons infringing on intellectual property (IP) rights by strengthening powers of customs officials in signatory countries to seize counterfeit goods.

International trade of IP-infringing products is worth over 150 billion euro per year, according to estimates of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), representing rich countries.

Instigated by the U.S. and Japan in 2006, the ACTA negotiators now include the EU, Australia, Canada, Korea, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore and Switzerland.

But, critics warn, by not clearly distinguishing between fake medicines and legal generic drugs, which are often subject to patent dispute, the agreement could lead to the wrongful seizure of generic medicines en route to developing countries.

"ACTA is not just focusing on issues related to trademark law - that is, medicines that are illegally and deceptively mislabelled - but will also include patent law, which means that generic drugs will be covered," explains Joel Lexchin, MD, professor in the school of health policy and management at York University, Canada.

A patent involves the exclusive right, granted by a government, to use an invention for a specific period of time.

According to Lexchin, ACTA's inclusion of patents "could substantially impede the flow of generic medicines. For instance, a company could claim that its IP rights have been violated in the production of a generic drug." That drug could then be seized by customs officials when it enters the country.

According to the World Trade Organisation's (WTO's) Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs), WTO members must grant exclusive patent rights on medicines.

However, they can in some circumstances allow the production of lower-cost, generic versions of patented drugs in exchange for royalties paid to the patent holder.

But, crucially, TRIPs only allows such medicines to be sold in the domestic market of the developing country that produces it. Problems thus arise when low income countries, which cannot make their own generics, import them from larger developing countries like India, and in transit they enter a country where the patent is active.

"Under ACTA, a multinational pharmaceutical company can say to customs officials in the transit country: 'That product infringes our patent in this territory, so even though the medicine is safe and can be legally exported from one developing country to another, we still want you to prevent it from reaching its destination','" Malpani explains.

Such seizures occurred after the European Commission (EC) issued a crackdown on IP infringement which led to shipments of generic drugs being wrongfully intercepted.

Companies from India - dubbed the "pharmacy of the developing world" for its leading generics sector - had HIV, cardiovascular disease and common infections drugs, on their way to African countries, turned back by overzealous EU customs officials.

A famous case concerns the antiretroviral medicine, abacavir, shipped from India with Nigeria as destination but intercepted in the Netherlands. GlaxoSmithKline, the patent-holder, did not wish to initiate a legal action but Dutch customs authorities still referred the case to the criminal courts.

Felix Addor, deputy director general of the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property, told IPS that such outcomes mean the broad approach is unworkable.

"Initially we did not see how you could discriminate between different IP rights. But having analysed the various transit cases, we now advocate that ACTA should either exclude patent-protected goods entirely or at least exclude these products from any border measures.

"We expect that this decision will ultimately be supported by other delegations."

Swiss pharmaceutical companies deny civil society accusations that the industry wants to use ACTA to crack down on competing generics.

"It is neither the policy nor the practice of our member companies to encourage authorities to use IP law enforcement to prevent the flow of legitimate generic products," says Bruno Henggi, head of public affairs at Interpharma, which represents major Swiss multinationals including Novartis and Roche.

"We advocate that ACTA excludes patents from its scope. Our companies contribute to improving access to medicines in developing countries via large-scale donation programmes, preferential pricing and voluntary licensing, as well as through extensive participation in not-for-profit partnership activities."

If ACTA includes patent-protected generics and more developing countries sign up to the agreement, generics will be obstructed. This will cause "competition to be delayed, (hence) medicine prices will increase," Malpani predicts.

"Ultimately, high prices for medicines encourage counterfeiters to sell those very fake medicines that ACTA is trying to stamp out."

The justification that ACTA will tackle fake medicines, which account for almost 10 percent of world medicine, is widely rejected. Wilfully mislabelled medicines are already illegal under TRIPS, and patent infringement "has nothing to do with fake or dangerous medicines", Malpani argues.

Lexchin adds that, "the public health problem related to counterfeits is that substandard medicines will be used or medicines will contain contaminated or substituted ingredients."

The way to address this, though, "is through better regulation of the pharmaceutical supply chain from producer to end user, particularly by strengthening regulatory authorities in developing countries".

Weapons traffic contributes to underdevelopment, says Nigerian president to G8

The below cost sale of small caliber weapons from industrialized countries to underdeveloped ones is one of the main causes of underdevelopment in Africa. Such is the truly astute and perceptive opinion proffered by the president of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, who attended the G8 and G20 summits in Toronto over the past weekend. In reaching his discerning and sharp observations, Jonathan noted “the proliferation of the possession of light weapons among the civilian population represents one of the factors that are hampering economic growth in the countries of Africa”. Appealing to the G8 countries such that they adopt more controls in the international weapons trade, concentrating more on reaching the elusive Millennium Development Goals (MDG), president Jonathan said that the lack of security prevents the launch of economic activities able to stimulate growth and wealth creation. “I note – said the Nigerian president – when, as a student, I read books written by authors who accused European countries of maintaining Africa underdeveloped through slavery and other exploitation; today, slavery has become a history subject, but the widespread use of western weapons and their trafficking imposed by criminal organizations contribute to maintaining the countries of the continent underdeveloped”. [AB]

Within 20 years over a billion victims of climate change by Kalpit Parajuli

The study by an Indian research company reveals the dramatic decline of Himalayan water sources. For researchers, the production of wheat and rice in China and India will decline to 50%. In Nepal, thousands of people have already abandoned their land because of food shortages and flooding caused by melting glaciers.

Within the next 20 years more than 1.3 billion people will be affected by drought. The Himalayan reservoirs and rivers that cross Bangladesh, China, India and Nepal will suffer a depletion of 275 billion cubic meters of water, because of melting glaciers and pollution. This was revealed by a study of the Strategic Foresight Group, a research company based in India.

The document, published June 28, reveals disturbing scenarios. According to researchers in the next 20 years wheat and rice yields in China and India will drop by 50% because of more frequent droughts, while the food demand of the population will increase by 20%. "The availability of fresh water - states the report - will fall in all four countries due to climate change, reduced rainfall and other natural disturbances, such as pollution". By 2050 over 200 million people will move from the Himalayan region because of lack of food and water.

According to media reports the depopulation of the Nepalese Himalayas has already begun. The newspaper Gorkha Patra, has calculated that over 10 thousand people have fled their lands because of the decrease in harvest due to the early melting of snows and the irregularity of monsoon rains.

Solukhumbu district, in the foothills of the Himalayas, hundreds of residents of villages around the ice Lake Imja (pictured) have left their homes because of the flooding of the basin.

Bidur Upadhya, an expert on climate change, tells AsiaNews: "The frequency of drought has increased 3 times compared to past decades and agriculture is in serious crisis. Crops depend on how much rain falls in the monsoon season. Countries like Nepal, Bangladesh and India, are no longer able to feed their population due to rapid population growth and decreasing productivity of agricultural areas".

"Farmers - says Bhusan Tuladhar, of the Nepalese government's Committee on Climate Change - are forced to change the type of seed based on changes in the monsoons. Currently the only thing we can do is adjust our habits according to climate change. "

From September 27 to 28 Nepal will host a meeting of the Alliance of Mountain Countries. The event was born from the initiative of the governments of Nepal and Bhutan to study measures needed to cope with the melting of Himalayan glaciers.

Asia's fast-ageing population will make up more than half of the world's dementia patients in 40 years, with China shouldering the biggest chunk.

With very few skilled nursing homes, daycare facilities or plans to build many more, health experts say the region is ill-prepared to cope with the sharp increase in patients needing such specialised and intensive care.

"Asia will bear the burden because of the ageing population in China ... figures in China will be tremendous," Dr. David Dai, coordinator of the Hong Kong Alzheimer's Disease Association.

"We are not prepared. The whole of southeast Asia is not prepared," gerontologist Dai said in an interview.

More than 35 million people suffer from Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other forms of dementia, a number expected to almost double by 2030 and pass 115 million by 2050, according to Alzheimer's Disease International (ADI).

Alzheimer's, the most common form of dementia, robs people of their memory and thought processes and, eventually, bodily functions.

In Asia, 13.7 million people had Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia in 2005. That is expected to grow to 23.7 million by 2020 and 64.6 million by 2050.

China alone will have 27 million sufferers by 2050 and India 16 million, according to ADI.

About 10 percent of those in their 70s can expect to have dementia, and 30 percent of those in their 80s.

"Everyone will experience this, every family. It is now common to live to your 80s," said Peter Yuen, director of the Public Policy Research Institute at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

In the United States, the annual amount spent by the government, private insurance and individuals to care for people with AD, is projected to jump more than six-fold to $1.08 trillion by 2050, according to the Alzheimer's Association.

Yuen, whose mother has Alzheimer's, told a recent AD symposium in Hong Kong that four years of daycare and two years of residential care in a general nursing home in Hong Kong would cost HK$540,000 (US$69,000) per patient.

But even that is an underestimate for 82-year-old Aw Bek-sum, whose children have had to fork out HK$15,000 (US$1,920) each month to take care of her since she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's four years ago. The sum covers daycare, visits to the doctor, a domestic helper and household expenses.

"It's devastating for families with AD patients. There is just not enough support," Yuen said

He proposes long-term financing or some form of pooled insurance for patients who are chronically ill so that services will be made available once the ability to pay is assured.

Hong Kong has 110,000 patients but only 299 places in four daycare centres, and not a single residential care facility.

Many end-stage sufferers are put into general nursing homes where staff are not trained to care for them.

"In nursing homes, their conditions get worse because they are normally tied down and they don't have any social interaction, then they die quickly," Dai said.

"Very few private nursing homes are dedicated to the care of the AD sufferer, although some homes will accept a few AD sufferers if they are not behaviourally challenged," said Philip Poi, head of Geriatric Medicine at Universiti Malaya.

"Malaysia is starting to appreciate there is a problem, but currently, caregiving is provided mainly by the informal carers such as the spouse or child."

China has up to 8 million dementia patients, but very few hospitals in the country have independent dementia units. By 2030, one in every four Chinese will be over 60.

"Because of China's ageing population, the government sees stronger demand for care and medical facilities for the old. It's possible that in the next few years, China will establish more facilities and organisations for old people and dementia patients," said Zhang Shouzi, deputy manager of the Beijing Geriatric Hospital's dementia unit.

THE pessimistic definition of India-Pakistan relations is succinct. The two nations are walking on different pavements on either side of a street that has caved in and become an abyss. The two are always in each other's sights, but there is no meeting point; neither has the psychological or emotional resources to mark out a zebra crossing since the traffic lights cannot be trusted. Nor does the distant horizon bend towards a common focal point.

Over the last six decades, a narrow dividing pathway has become an eight-lane highway. The best you can do now, if you are bursting with the spirit of peace, is exchange pleasantries through officials; the worst is apparent in terrorist violence.

Dr. Manmohan Singh is attempting something audacious in an attempt to sweeten an arsenic-laced history. Aware of such lethal road rage, he is, inch by imperceptible inch, trying to build a bridge above the traffic. It is one of those Japanese projects, in which a skyscraper hotel is built behind the walls of secure and hidden space, and then, when the moment is right, airlifted and planted from above on a clearing, an empty space that has served so far as a symbol of hope.

The people are permitted some vague knowledge about the grime and sweat that is going on behind the scenes, but the effort will mean something only if and when the finished product is visible.

A bridge, however commendable, must be more than it seems to be. It may float through the air, but it must be anchored in rock. The question is as old as 1947; how firm is the ground beneath your feet? Can it deal with sappers and saboteurs nursed by differing ideals of nationalism?

A sense of injustice and denial is so deeply embedded in the consciousness of Pakistani nationalism -- after all, the "K" in the acronym stands for Kashmir -- that it is difficult to see how Islamabad can reach a final settlement without taking that which Delhi cannot give, some part of the Muslim-majority valley. This is a classic impasse between an irresistible object and immoveable force.

Since there are, wisely, no secrets anymore, India's Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao has publicly outlined the contours of an interim arrangement, a crucial part of a longer process, around the Singh-Musharraf formula of soft borders, trade and travel.

Two questions arise. Is an interim agreement better than no agreement? Will it be a stage en route to a common destination, or will the two nations remain on separate pavements until either the immoveable shifts in Delhi or resistance collapses in Islamabad?

The soft border options were, after all, in place when Mumbai was attacked; and organisations like the Lashkar-e-Taiba continue to receive patronage and encouragement from wide swathes of the Pak establishment.

During her visit to Islamabad, Nirupama Rao was far more considerate to her hosts than her counterpart was when he came to Delhi. She called terrorism unacceptable, but expanded it to a general principle, rather than specifically demanding that Pakistan do something about those who use the Kashmir dispute as an excuse for surrogate war.

Nor did she compare the manner in which Pakistan sentences terrorists accused of war against the United States within six months, with those facing far more serious charges vis-à-vis India.

On the day of Home Minister P. Chidambaram's visit to Islamabad for a Saarc meeting, IB intercepts picked up conversations between terrorists operating in the Kashmir valley and their handlers across the border. If this is what happens when the border is officially hard, we need to worry a little about what will happen if the LOC goes soft.

Perhaps Delhi's tactic is to keep the left hand of foreign office as distant from the right hand of the home ministry as possible. This is a palliative, not a cure.

Maybe the mistake being made is not in the level of dialogue, but in the level of expectations. Neighbours must talk; that is a no-brainer. But it takes more than words to convert a conversation into a love affair.

The objective environment for peace will not emerge until there is a fundamental change in objectives. The fundamental flaw is easily identified. Before you can sign off on a soft or hard border, you have to first agree on a border. India has made up its mind.

If the Line of Control were turned into the international border, India would celebrate. Pakistan, for obvious reasons, would not. But as long as this basic question is not resolved, the only thing that Delhi and Islamabad can do is agree to disagree.

After Mgr Ravasi's visit to Baku, a member of the Vatican delegation that went with him talks about the situation of the Church in the former Soviet republic. The age of religious persecution has been replaced by one of support and respect. The Catholic community is as tiny as it is active. The Sisters of Mother Teresa provide an example.

Azerbaijan is a predominantly Muslim country, but one that tries "to remain proactively secular and minority-friendly" and where the small Catholic community is able to make its contribution to society. For Fr Theodore Mascarenhas, who is in charge of the Asia, Africa and Oceania desk at the Pontifical Council for Culture, Azerbaijan shines as "an example of what a modern Muslim country can be", a country he officially visited on 14-18 June, accompanying Mgr Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, who had been invited by the Azerbaijani Minister of Culture and Tourism, Abulfas Garayev.

Fr Mascarenhas spoke to AsiaNews about the situation of the Catholic Church in the former Soviet republic. In Baku, Catholics number about 450, and the Vatican established a missio sui iuris in 2000.

A history of persecution binds Christians and Muslims. "The original Church of the Virgin Mary's Immaculate Conception was ordered destroyed by the Soviet government in 1931," Fr Mascarenhas said. "The new church was built on land given by the Government of Azerbaijan and inaugurated by President Ilham Aliyev and the Vatican Secretary of State Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone in 2007. A year earlier, Mgr Guggerotti had consecrated it," he added.

A representative of the Caucasian Muslim Office took the Vatican delegation to the new Bibi Heybat Mosque, which contains the tombs of descendants of Prophet Muhammad. The original building was knocked down during Soviet times.

Azerbaijani authorities and the Holy See are currently engaged in talks to settle legal issues arising from the country's 2009 Law on Religious Freedom, which requires that all religious communities re-register, a situation that contradicts Catholic Canon Law. Nevertheless, the Catholic Church is "supported by the government", which not only tolerates but also helps the country's 70 ethnic minorities.

"Even though Catholics are a tiny minority, they are trying to contribute as much as they can to the country," the clergyman said.

One example is the work of Mother Teresa's Sisters, who "symbolise the government's openness to a Christian presence but also show the impact of Christian love in a Muslim society."

In Baku, five Sisters of Mother Teresa, four from India and one from the Philippines, run a House that is home to 14 people, most of them Muslim.

At the end of the visit, Fr Mascarenhas came away with the image of a country "committed to a multicultural model of inter-religious harmony, serving as a bridge between East and West, an example that many Muslim nations could follow if they truly want to be modern." (NC)

March takes place during a 24-hour general strike called by the BNP to protest bad government by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. It is the first time since 2007. A former foreign minister is among the arrested.

Police yesterday arrested about 200 people during a demonstration in Dhaka. They were detained for violating a ban on processions in thoroughfares.

Tejgaon police chief Tapan Kumar Ghosh said that many members of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) were among the arrested, including former Foreign Minister Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury.

The march was part of a 24-hour general strike organised by the BNP to protest against what it calls the "failures and excesses" of the government, which has been run by the Awami League since 2009.

Yesterday's action was the first since 2007. Shops, schools and markets were closed. Public transit was also partially affected.

BNP secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain told AsiaNews that he was satisfied by the turnout. He added that the strike was designed to put pressure on the government to stop persecuting opposition leaders and workers, interfering in the justice system and politicising the public service.

Prime Minister and Awami League leader Sheikh Hasina slammed the action, saying, "The BNP and its stooges are out to frustrate democracy and create anarchy."

The events triggered by the arrest of the three leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami party, accused of offenses against Muhammad. According to the deputy secretary-general it is "a political conspiracy against Islam and Muslims." Islam abused for political purposes.

More than a hundred activists of Jamaat-e-Islami (Jel) were arrested yesterday during demonstrations which took place across the country, following accusations of blasphemy directed at leaders of their party.

Jel is a fundamentalist Islamic opposition party that aims to conform "human activity" to the teachings of Allah revealed to Muhammad. Yet three of their leaders - Matiur Rahman Nizami (pictured), Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed and Nayebe Ameer Delwa Sayeed Hossain - have been accused of blasphemy and arrested on June 29.

The allegations date back to March 17 when at a public meeting Matiur Rahman Nizami compared his political sufferings to those the Prophet Muhammad. The Jel leader claims to be persecuted by the Awami league, the ruling party since 2009. The accusation of blasphemy against him came from Mohammed Syed Rezaul Haque Chandpur, Secretary General of the Bangladesh Tariqat Federation, which is part of the government alliance. Observers note that both sides are waving the banner of Islam, but their intentions seem to be more political than religious.

Matiur Rahman Nizami, together with the other two Jel exponents, have repeatedly refused to appear before the Dhaka metropolitan court and we were arrested. Mohammed Qamaruzzaman, deputy secretary general of the party, spoke of "conspiracy against Islam and Muslims:" This is a political game, a false case fabricated to remove Islam from the country. "

The three arrested leaders will remain in jail for 16 days to answer investigators questions.

Around 67 percent ultra poor people, who take micro-credit from different NGOs, spend their money for non-productive purposes, which ultimately do not help reduce their poverty, according to a survey released yesterday.

The World Food Programme (WFP) conducted the survey on different households in Bogra, Sirajganj and Pabna districts.

"We find this trend very worrying. It won't help them get out of poverty," said Michiel Meerdink, who presented the survey titled "Access to Credit" at an annual review workshop of Food Security for Ultra Poor (FSUP) at the Spectra Convention Centre in the capital.

The survey found that 50 to 75 percent ultra poor people have outstanding loans from various sources while 40 percent of these people took loans from different microfinance institutions.

This means, around 20 percent of the total micro-credit borrowers take loans from the NGOs, said Michiel, project coordinator of FSUP.

FSUP is a 43.50 million euro (around Tk 450 crore) project that started in January 2009 and will end in December 2013.

The project targets 135,000 ultra poor households in rural areas of Rangpur, Bogra, Sirajganj, Pabna, Gaibandha, Netrokona, Sunamganj and Kishoreganj districts.

WFP, Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW), CARE and Interchurch Organisation for Development Cooperation (ICCO) are implementing the European Union (EU)-funded project with their partner NGOs.

Under the project, the ultra-poor households, whose monthly income is now only Tk 2,200, are provided with grants and income generation skills to uplift their status to non-poor from ultra-poor.

The project aims to increase their income by at least Tk 1,000 on top of their existing income, Rakib Hossain, programme officer of FSUP's WFP component, told reporters on the sideline of the workshop.

Under the FSUP project, they are now providing monthly subsistence allowance of Tk 500 to every household along with income-generating and life skill training.

At the end of the training, he said, each of the beneficiaries will be provided a grant of Tk 14,000, with which they will get involved in rearing goats, cows, poultry or other occupations like tailoring or invest in cultivation.

"There are no right or wrong answers, but it may be the time to rethink on the role of micro-credit for the ultra poor vis-à-vis asset transfer," said Michiel.

CARE is implementing the project in Kishoreganj, Sunamganj and Netrakona while ICCO in Gaibandha and IRW in Rangpur districts.

"Our projects can't solve the problems of the whole country, but are focusing on the highly food insecure areas with critical poverty levels," said Jorge Nieto Rey, team leader of programme coordination unit of FSUP.

As early as 1990, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) forewarned that "the greatest single impact of climate change could be on human migration". It has been predicted that millions of people will be displaced by environmental and climate factors such as riverbank and coastal erosion, floods, cyclones, salinity intrusion and drought. Current predictions of how many people will be displaced vary enormously - from tens of thousands to well into the millions. In 2008 alone, over 20 million persons were displaced worldwide by extreme weather events. While speculations and uncertainty dictate the exact number to be impacted, there is no doubt about the fact that many are already being displaced by environmental degradation and climate change. It is predicted that by 2050, 15-20 million people in Bangladesh will be displaced as a result of inundation of 13 per cent of the country's landmass. A dire prediction indeed, but given the particular geo-physical vulnerabilities of the country to climate and environmental factors, the threat is believed to be real and deserves priority attention.

The environment-climate-change-migration nexus is emerging as an increasingly important policy issue for Bangladesh, as in the wider region and globally. In Bangladesh the effects of climate change are not merely projections of what might happen in the future, but are in fact a reality, the impact well evident and real. A significant number of people are displaced by riverbank erosion and floods every year. Furthermore, there is increased intensity and frequency of sudden onset events such as devastating cyclones of the likes of Sidr in 2007 and Aila in 2008, displacing thousands and rendering them homeless and destitute. In the absence of a clear understanding and systematic process to distinguish economic from climate induced migrants and displaces, the apparent nexus between climate change and migration is often treated as coincidental.

The impacts of Sidr and Aila in terms of population displacement and mobility are reminders of the kind of challenges Bangladesh is likely to face increasingly in the future. More than one year after Cyclone Aila, large areas remain flooded and continue to be inundated by high tides and tidal waves. About 100,000 people still live on embankments and in makeshift shelters. Events such as Aila, and even slower environmental degradation such as riverbank erosion have complex but tangible effects on patterns of migration in the country. Over the long-term, climate change is expected to exacerbate the existing situation leading to increased forced displacement from environmentally vulnerable areas.

The unique geographical location of Bangladesh coupled with the distinctive development challenges that it faces, make it especially vulnerable to climate change. Bangladesh is already experiencing the growing phenomenon of environmental migration, with rural to urban migration increasing manifold and resulting in rapid and unplanned urbanisation in the major city centres such as Dhaka. The urban population growth rate is 2.5%, significantly higher than the 1.4% growth rate of the population as a whole, and Bangladesh's cities are projected to reach 51 million by 2015, or 32% of the population. Approximately 300 to 400 thousand new migrants come into the city every year from rural areas. As a result, the number of slum and squatter settlements has increased considerably. Such rapid urbanization, if not properly managed, can lead to issues of human insecurity as individuals compete over scarce resources.

Despite the profound effect of climate change on people and human mobility, very little is known about how these factors interact. Furthermore there is a need for Bangladesh to map the potential migratory movement triggered by environmental degradation and climate change, and to identify possible alternatives to rural to urban migration. Whether migration is used as an adaptive strategy or as a last resort to cope with sudden onset disasters, it should be ensured that this is well planned and managed, so that all those involved and affected - migrants, and source and destination communities - benefit from the phenomenon.

Bangladesh has taken a number of proactive measures in dealing with the effects of climate change, such as adopting the Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (BCCSAP) and the National Action Plan of Adaptation (NAPA). But despite growing evidence of population displacement and migration due to climate factors, migration and population displacement are yet to be mainstreamed into the environment and climate change policies and strategies. There is a need to address the growing phenomenon of environmental migration, and introduce policies that will regulate population displacement and migration in such a way that it minimises the risks and maximises the benefits of environmentally induced migration.

The human security challenges arising from climate and environment induced migration/displacement would require special attention as this can potentially lead to greater instability in the society. Especially in countries that will be most affected by climate change such as Bangladesh, where those affected are usually the ones who are least able to deal with it, even small climatic changes can have catastrophic consequences for lives and livelihoods. Climate change and environmental related effects exacerbate existing vulnerabilities related to factors such as poverty, age and gender.

It is critical to also view climate change through a human rights perspective alongside human security, and to integrate both these integral and inter-linked perspectives to climate change and environmental migration policies in order to ensure adequate protection of the affected population and communities.

The traditional approach to climatic events such as cyclones, floods, and droughts has been through providing emergency humanitarian relief. While such an approach is indeed necessary during sudden onset events, a more sustainable approach to address the needs of affected and vulnerable people is needed. Emergency assistance may provide temporary relief to the affected people, but fail to provide longer term security and to protect them from recurring vulnerabilities.

Migration is often seen as a failure of adaptation; to the contrary, migration can be an important adaptation strategy if managed right. Through timely and proactive strategies, migration as an adaptation measure can reduce vulnerability. Temporary and circular migration in the early stages of environmental degradation can benefit both the vulnerable areas and the people. Planned and temporary circular migration schemes would reduce the pressure on the fragile environment, while also allowing vulnerable people to diversify their livelihoods and invest their remittances in building their climate resilience. Such planned circular migration will reduce forced migration and protect fragile environments and curb unplanned movements that result in undesirable human security and developmental challenges such as rapid and unplanned urbanisation and urban poverty.

A holistic approach with a comprehensive national climate change policy which includes migration strategies will no doubt allow Bangladesh to adapt to the effects of environmental degradation and climate change, as well as minimise the negative impacts of forced migration arising from climate change.

[Rabab Fatima, Regional Representative for South Asia and Anita J Wadud, Programme Assistant, International Organization for Migration]

BANGLADESH, immediately after its emergence as a sovereign nation, was labelled as a 'bottomless basket case' by the then US secretary of state Henry Kissinger, still regarded as a guru of international politics and diplomacy. Bangladesh undoubtedly suffered terribly during those early years and some would argue that Kissinger himself contributed much to our misfortunes. The famine of 1973-75 that killed hundreds of thousands of people across Bangladesh, for example, was partly a product of dirty diplomacy in which Kissinger played the most critical part. It was also a consequence of misguided policies and massive administrative failures and pure inefficiency and mismanagement. Needless to say, through their collective hard work, ingenuity and innovation, Bangladeshis marched ahead and proved the prophets of doom utterly wrong. The country achieved remarkable economic growth and social development over the last four decades.

At the time of gaining independence the per capita income in Bangladesh was only about $100 per annum. Due to the protracted liberation war, it inherited a shattered infrastructure and a largely devastated economy. A divided dysfunctional bureaucracy was in need of major overhaul. Jute, the most important foreign currency earner of our economy at that time, was fast losing its lustre in the international market as substitutes took over. The intense cold war rivalry between the two superpowers during the 1970s and much of 1980s made charting a balanced diplomatic path for Bangladesh quite difficult and challenging. Most importantly, as Bangladesh was trying to get off the ground, a massive unique and unparallel information-communication revolution was sweeping the world. The information-communication revolution, on the other hand, paved the way for unleashing the mighty forces of globalisation that started to reshape the world economy and, ultimately, international diplomacy, politics and power structure. Collapse of the Soviet Union and the emergence of a world dominated by a single superpower changed the dynamics of global diplomacy forever. For small countries like Bangladesh these were profound changes and posed critical challenges on its path of reconstruction and development.

Looking back we may find it surprising that Bangladesh somehow managed to tackle and navigate through all these myriad challenges and not only survived but made impressive progress. Our per capita income is currently well over $600 per annum - still modest in comparative terms; however, a six-fold increase in four decades deserves to be viewed as impressive. Our longevity or life expectancy at birth increased from 45 years in the 1970s to 65 years by 2006. Moreover, the discrepancy between men and women in terms of life expectancy at birth almost disappeared over the last few decades. Our Extended Programme on Immunisation has achieved so much success that the percentage of children fully immunised increased from a mere 5 per cent during the 1970s to more than 95 per cent by the start of the twenty-first century. Despite the fact that we spend less on health care as a percentage of our GDP (only about 3%) than most other developing countries, our infant mortality rate declined from over 100 per 1,000 live births during the 1970s to 56 per 1,000 live births by 2006. The under-five mortality rate also dived significantly - from 130 per 1,000 live births in the 1970s to 65 per 1,000 live births by 2006. The maternal mortality ratio also declined modestly.

Bangladesh achieved all these impressive gains despite the fact that its population more than doubled since independence. Nevertheless, we have not faced any major famine since the early 1970s and our economy continues to grow by 5 to 6 per cent annually. Although jute and jute goods lost much of their export value over the years, Bangladesh witnessed the dramatic surge of a new export-oriented sector, the readymade garment manufacturing industry, thanks to globalisation and the information-communication revolution that made it economically needed and technically viable to relocate labour-intensive part of the production chain to low-income countries with cheaper labour cost. With a modest start in the 1980s, our RMG is now a $10 billion foreign exchange earning industry with room for further robust growth. So is the case with our human resource export sector. Although we continue to export primarily unskilled or low-skilled human resources, our remittances continue to grow. The total annual remittance from overseas Bangladeshis is currently hovering around $9 billion or more.

In the midst of all these positive developments, the population sector seems to be the most critical drawback for the country. For example, although our total fertility rate (number of children born to a woman of reproductive age) declined quite significantly over the last four decades - from 6.4 in the 1970s to 2.7 by 2006, our population will continue to increase over the next ten to twenty years before it stabilises around 2030. By 2050, if current trends continue, Bangladesh is likely to have a population of more than 240 million. Clearly, our population programme needs to be thoroughly restructured and reenergized. On the other hand, a grotesque unplanned urbanisation centred on one single city seems to be the price that we have paid for our development so far. That single city - the capital Dhaka - experienced a ten-fold population increase within four decades and emerged as one of the fastest growing mega cities in the world by the new millennium.

Dhaka-centric development is perhaps the most significant drawback for Bangladesh. The population of Dhaka increased from less than a million in the 1970s to more than 13 million by the dawn of the twenty-first century. A city that was too small to be noted even in 1975, Dhaka emerged as one of the fastest growing mega cities in the world by 2001. Dhaka's population of almost 15 million is expected to surpass 23 million within the next decade. Almost 40 per cent of the population of Dhaka, like so many other mega cities in the developing world, lives in slums characterised by poverty, deprivation, disease and environmental degradation. Nevertheless, more than 300,000 people continue to flock to Dhaka from across rural Bangladesh each year further swelling the slum population. Since our 'development' is almost exclusively Dhaka-centric, the mega city can also boast of wealth - a lot of it. The rich and powerful in Dhaka, constituting perhaps less than 0.1 per cent of the population, according to some estimates, controls more than 25 per cent of the wealth. There are more than 9,000 RMG factories in the country; not surprisingly more than 60 per cent of them are located in Dhaka and its suburbs. It is reported by public sector officials concerned that more than 200 private cars are added to the already-chocked streets of the mega city of Dhaka. Although the price is beyond the reach of most people (at least in terms of legitimate earnings), everyone wants to have a piece of Dhaka - a real estate that would cost somewhere from Tk 4,000 to Tk 10,000 or more per square feet. In other words, to buy a modest apartment in a posh area of the capital could cost one Tk 2 crore or more. If someone saves Tk 20,000 each and every month, it will take him/her more than 83 years to save enough to buy a modest apartment. That does not, however, mean that these apartments lack buyers. On the contrary, these apartments are snapped with regularity. It seems that the demand for such apartments often outstrips supply.

Why such rush for real estate in Dhaka? The answer is clear. Dhaka is the political capital of Bangladesh, the seat of its only government. All political power is concentrated in Dhaka - with the executive, the legislative and the judicial branches vying with each other for space in the mega city. The all-powerful bureaucracy, the executioners of the will of those in power, is also concentrated in Dhaka. No one wants to be outside of Dhaka, not even the Bangladesh Navy. All the diplomats, diplomatic missions, United Nations agencies, multilateral organisations like the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, understandably, are headquartered in Dhaka. Naturally, international and local (at least the major ones) non-governmental organisations also call Dhaka their homes. Dhaka is also the financial capital of Bangladesh with headquarters of all the banks and other financial institutions.

Dhaka is also the commercial capital of the country. All the banks, industries, and commercial enterprises have their head offices in the mega city. So is the case with all the private universities and international and regional educational institutions. More than fifty private universities operate in the city ranging in size from two thousand to more than five thousand students. Most of the big tertiary level hospitals, some forming part of a chain, are also concentrated in Dhaka. Hundreds of diagnostic centres and clinics, all part of a bourgeoning private sector, dominate the health care industry in the mega city. So is the case with various consulting firms, print and electronic media - they are all concentrated in Dhaka. Dhaka's almost unparallel growth, devoid of any overarching plan, can easily be explained in terms such unparallel concentration of political, industrial, commercial and financial power.

The question is: should we continue with such Dhaka-centric growth and development? Clearly, Dhaka does not have the infrastructure to accommodate the multitudes of people being drawn to it each year. Its water, sewerage and waste disposal capacity is too limited to serve the needs of 15 million people already here. So is the case with electricity, perhaps the most important ingredient of modern living. The electricity need of the mega city of Dhaka is far higher than the supply and the situation is not likely to improve much in the foreseeable future. Dhaka's transportation is a nightmare. It is highly unlikely that things will improve substantially with new overpasses, underpasses or elevated highways or trains. With 300,000 to 400,000 people flocking to Dhaka each year, these planned infrastructural developments could hardly keep pace with the increased population (and that of motorised vehicles) in the city. Recent catastrophic events (fires, building collapse, etc) have clearly demonstrated the fragility of the city's infrastructure. Authorities are now discovering that there are more than 5,000 'highly at risk' buildings in Dhaka that were possibly constructed without permission and definitely without following existing building codes. The number could be much higher once all areas of the city are surveyed properly. It is time that we recognised the unsustainable nature of Dhaka-centric growth. At the same time, it must be recognised that as the population of Bangladesh grows (likely to reach 220 million by 2025), more and more people will flock to Dhaka making the city highly environmentally and structurally compromised.

Moreover, such Dhaka-centric growth is denying the fruits of our development to be shared more equitably with other parts of the country. In a democracy socioeconomic development must be shared as widely as possible. So is the case with political power. Bangladesh, with a population of 160 million and growing, cannot be appropriately 'governed' from Dhaka. Devolution to the local level would make our democracy stronger and our development more equitably shared within the country. For example, consider the scenario of Bangladesh having four provinces with their own legislatures and elected governments and capital cities. In this case, different political parties could be in power in different provinces and in the central/federal level. This will substantially reduce the political 'heat' generated by 'do-or-die' scramble for power in the lone centre of power - Dhaka. Political parties will be forced to learn to live with each other. More political leaders will share power at the provincial and federal levels making them more accommodative and, ultimately, cooperative. Bureaucracy will be dispersed across the country. While provincial bureaucracies will directly manage all departments (health, education, agriculture, etc) in their respective provinces, the federal bureaucracy stationed in Dhaka - much smaller in size - will be responsible for setting only the broader policies and guidelines that the provinces must follow and implement.

All businesses, corporations and industries will be forced to have a presence in each provincial capital. So will be case with foreign embassies, UN agencies and international NGOs and multinational corporations. Provincial capitals can hardly be ignored by any of these entities. The result will be creation of jobs and opportunities in each of these provincial capitals. Provinces will compete to attract businesses by ensuring them electricity, water, sewage facilities and other infrastructure. Such competition will make provincial politicians more accountable to their local electorates. Competition for business will also make provinces exert greater efforts in further developing their infrastructure and, thus, bringing the fruits of development closer to people all across Bangladesh. Being centres of power, the provincial capitals will also grow attracting people, businesses and entrepreneurs.

In other words, Dhaka will cease to be the only centre of power and the only attraction to the multitudes of people seeking jobs and opportunities. As the bureaucracy gets distributed among the provinces, so is decision-making power. Such devolution of power will make it much easier for people to influence and shape decisions that affect their lives. Clearly people's participation in the decision-making process that affects their lives is the essence of democracy. Devolution, thus, will further strengthen our democracy. It will help thousand flowers to bloom all over the country. With distribution of power, Dhaka will cease to be the epicentre of all decision-making and, consequently, of being the only centre of gravity attracting everyone - from politicians, entrepreneurs, bureaucrats, diplomats and philanthropists to criminals, con men and the corrupt. Dhaka will be liveable again with smaller population and a sustainable environment.

Are our politicians prepared to seriously consider meaningful devolution? Are they ready to share power, privileges and perks? Are we prepared to share and distribute our fruits of development more equitable across the country? Continued Dhaka-centric growth does not seem to indicate a willingness to share either power or the benefits of development. However, such a Dhaka-centric growth is not sustainable. It is time that we seriously discuss and debate the rationale for meaningful devolution of power and thereby ensuring more equitable development and a stronger people-centric democracy.

A study by the Department of Urban and Regional Planning of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) has dreadfully quantified the overall loss of wetlands in the capital city at 40 percent in the last two decades. This was revealed in a roundtable organised by Save Environment Movement (SEM), Jano Udyog Jatiya Committee and Institute for Environment and Development.

The widespread loss of wetlands has had telling effects on the environment of the metropolis. The drainage channels have been lost, flood-flow zones clogged, water logging has exacerbated and ground water recharge has been reduced.

The causes are far too obvious to be cited: indiscriminate filling up of low lands by expropriation and grabbing by application of force or under the guise procured authorisation through collusion with authorities. Because these are khas lands and public resource, they have been easy targets for grabbing by influential people. Vested quarters have maintained slums in these vulnerable areas or set up commercial outlets to let out through sheer muscle power against which something as nebulous as an environment authority has had no defence against whatsoever. Neither the Department of Environment (DoE) nor RAJUK nor DCC with its complement of ward commissioners ever raised a finger against such degrading acts of upsetting ecological balance of the city.

Now the task is three-some for the government consisting of surveying the lost wetlands, reclaiming them as far as practicable through excavation and eviction, taking adequate precautions to preempt any further clogging of lowlands and finally networking them to connect with the surrounding rivers.

Experts have very rightly focussed on protection of existing wetlands and water bodies to save eastern Dhaka from floods that it is so prone to. At least 40 percent of the drainage catchment area must be 'delineated and protected as wetlands and water bodies under the Wetland Conservation Act 2000', asserted a BUET expert. Of the 40 percent, a substantial percentage may be provided for by means of ponds or lakes, some of which might have gone derelict needing re-digging and rest to be freshly dug out and aesthetically maintained. Principally though, we need 46 square km of protected natural wetlands for retention of storm water. Rain water harvesting may be dovetailed to the overall programme as a way of checking water logging as well as a source of potable water. In a word, there must be a thorough-bred action plan, mooted, discussed and adopted by the government.

WIDESPREAD recognition and public perception prevail that corruption has become the part and parcel of our socio-economic life, simply a culture in Bangladesh. Individual morality, family values, social norms, economic machinery, political discipline, and statutory institutions all have perversely adjusted with the reality of corruption. General people fear to find any corruption free public space and suspect that anticorruption regime could control corruption within a tolerable range.

People's feelings are not meaningless, as Paulo Mauro, an IMF scholar who finds that when corruption becomes rampant and persistent, it establishes multidimensional bad equilibrium with society, economics and politics, and strategic complementary exits everywhere. People believe"If I reject corruption others would not follow me, rather I will miss my share". In other words, people do not trust themselves, and could not trade off their own corruption benefit with the greater benefit of the society and state.

Does it mean that public offices are counterproductive or stigmatised in Bangladesh? Instead, neglecting major national and international recommendations of privatisation and reduction of treasury functions, governments have been increasing the number and scope of public servants. This article accepts that our government is well aware of the deleterious effects of corruption and committed to eradicate it. But it appears that governments get trapped within the maze or monopoly of public servants, or overvalue the contribution of public services.

It is conceived that corruption and performance have been intertwined and thus broad spectrum "zero tolerance" anticorruption initiatives stumble in Bangladesh as they precipitates complementary negative effects on administration and economics. Moreover, people question the morality and legitimacy of the anticorruption leadership. Therefore, government should study the performance continuum and should select strategic spaces within the public service to install site specific intervention and leadership.

This article proposes a hypothetical two dimensional matrix of corruption and performance with qualitative magnitude of low, medium and high of both. Performance here includes every lawful service done lawfully, risk taken to establish the public right and to resist the working influence. On the other hand, corruption means all direct or indirect personal gain either cash or kind through violation, manipulation, misappropriation and deprivation of public offices and citizen's rights. The matrix has nine grids. Every grid has its own continuum ranging in quality, quantity, objective and modus of performance or corruption.

Cash Cow ranks high in performance as well as in corruption magnitudes. They are corrupt but do work, and thought popular when people are not much aware of their rights and take the public works as charity and acts of magnanimity. They usually prevail where strong tradition and perception of corruption exist like in police, land registration, meter reading and custom offices. Sometimes, service takers prefer them to avoid procedural complication, minimise service costs, ensure extra speed, and to appropriate or rent public property or utilities.

Black Cash Cows exploit from people, have less opportunity to incur loss to government like in police, and do not usually hesitate to injure people if their demand is not met. White Cash Cows cause illegal benefit to people but exploit the public funds like in customs, land registration and other revenue offices and harass people for the cause of the government. Very often they make their business smooth by making good public relations, playing tricks and maintaining relationship with employers.

In the performance and corruption matrix, take "Tortoises" as opposite to Cash Cows, low performer and low corrupt. They fear or dislike the risk or hardship of performance and have variable level of greed typically low. Sometimes they hibernate when corruption is risky or pass them safe and clean to build their career. But, they hardly become good performers. When the organisational oversight is very low, people are less aware, individual authority is very high and procedures are too wide, they become opportunists. White elephants are just opposite to opportunists. They perform in affluence and excel in appropriating public resources and facilities, and frequently participate in foreign or rewarding activities. For them, government costs much more than they contribute.

"Malignants" are extremely corrupt. They work only for wrongful gain. Practically, they belong to some powerful segment. They are less in number but very harmful. There should be periodic scan and effective alarm system in administration for their early detection. Extermination or incision is preferred option for Malignant; at best they might be isolated or kept quarantine. Government should remember that "Malignants" are not only dangerous for people and administration but also too dangerous to tarnish the image of the government.

Patriots are opposite to Malignants, they are high performers and low to zero corrupt and are thought to be the backbone of the administration. Patriots are either morally strong or financially solvent or both. They have two major styles; Greens consider other's corruption softly, but Reds declare zero tolerance and full fledged war against corruption. Frequent transfer or withdrawal from appointment accompanies the red patriot. Genuine Patriots in extreme adversity might become rational, working less to reduce risk, but never skew towards corruption. It is often regretted that Patriots are going to be extinct, or endangered.

Rationals operate between Tortoise and Patriot. They contribute their level best to the public service keeping their security and welfare matters to basic level. They are optimistic and cherish to eliminate corruption but maintain a rational status quo believing that their effort could not eliminate corruption overnight, but wait for slow recovery. Rational employees could be best regarded as the mainstream of bureaucracy, and could be treated as a good interface or interim space to truncate corruption to a practical level. Better Alternatives are one grade higher in corruption and performance to Rationals. They love performance but with their due share. They do not injure people or clients if corruption demand is not met.

Broadly, Patriot, Rational and Better Alternative make a good trinity for anticorruption campaign, whereas White Elephant, Malignant and Opportunist form the corrupt trinity and are the root of corruption culture. Cash Cow, Mediocre, and Tortoise could be left for development and correction. In fact, performance styles are not permanent; they transform or change over time, space, and contexts. For example, today's patriot might be a Cash Cow before. Transformation happens in any direction, usually vertical, but towards the adjacent grid. It means that a tortoise might move to an Opportunist or a Rational, but rarely to a Malignant or a Patriot. Thus for confidence, performance records, previous character and job place reputation of an employee should be considered for a pretty good period of time, for instance five years.

This analysis bears much implication to fight against corruption. It helps unmask the representation of corrupt public employees. Anticorruption regime could formulate their strategies regarding each group. This article suggests that Maligants and Patriots should not be seen in one angle and not to be prosecuted under same provisions. Patriot might do some wrong but should be protected. It strongly argues that performance of the corrupt trinity must not be seen with compassion as their performance does not matter positively to the nation. It is flagrantly obvious that the fortune they develop weighs arithmetically much more than they deserve, the injury they commit to nation is geometrically higher than they contribute, and the damage they add to morality is logarithmically greater than the charity they provide to the society. Worst from them is to listening their self narrated story or epic of great performance, and to see their names as saviours of the nation.

The development partners should release their promised funds for Bangladesh, as the country requires $15 billion per year to achieve the millennium development goals (MDGs) by 2015.

Speakers at a dialogue on 'MDG 8: Partnership for development' made the appeal yesterday.

They said resource constraint has become one of the major drawbacks for Bangladesh in attaining the MDGs on time.

They criticised the developed countries for their failure to provide committed assistance to the least developed countries (LDCs).

The developed countries promised to give 0.7 percent of their gross national income to the LDCs to help them achieve the MDGs.

Planning Minister AK Khandker, Member of the Planning Commission Dr Shamsul Alam, government officials, experts and representatives of the development partners attended the discussion at the National Economic Council in Dhaka.

According to a joint needs assessment report of the government and the United Nations Development Programme, Bangladesh requires more than $104 billion during 2009-15 or annually $14.9 billion to attain all the MDGs by 2015. The annual per capita cost stands at $98.

The official development assistance (ODA) inflow into the country has been declining sharply over the years.

The MDG Progress Report 2008 shows the ODA inflow into Bangladesh has gone down significantly -- from $1.24 billion in 1990 to just $110 million in 2006.

"It's unfortunate that the developed countries have so far failed to provide their promised ODA to us," said AK Khandker.

The planning minister urged the developed countries to come forward and cooperate with the LDCs in exploiting the potential of international trade and to accomplish their obligations as the signatories to the MDGs.

"The ODA is required for building the much needed infrastructure," said Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, secretary to Economic Relations Division.

Stefan Priesner, UNDP resident representative, also said the international community should increase the ODA to help the poor countries achieve their MDGs.

On poverty and hunger, the minister said corruption is one of the main challenges for achieving the MDGs.

"We are trying hard to eliminate corruption from the government and other organisations concerned to pave the way for achieving the MDGs by 2015."

Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, chairman of Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation, stressed increasing farm and industrial production, and creating employment to help attain the MDGs.

John Aylieff, representative of World Food Programme, said Bangladesh has received impressive results in reducing poverty.

The country made notable progress in attaining the MDGs during 1990-2000. The advancement is evident in human development, such as attainment of gender parity in primary and secondary school enrolment.

Bangladesh is making strong stride in reducing poverty, already bringing down the poverty gap ratio to 9 against the 2015 target of 8 with annual reduction rate of 1.34 percent.

Bangladesh has done remarkably well with regard to infant and child mortality rate, containing the spread and fatality of malaria and tuberculosis, reforestation and access to safe drinking water.

However, maternal health still remains as a major challenge. The country is also struggling to protect wetlands and bio-diversity.

THE formation of the National Rural Development Council (NRDC) headed by the prime minister, as reported in some newspapers, is the accomplishment of a long cherished expectation in the realm of rural development.

The coordination and supervision of socio-economic activities and infrastructure development in the rural areas is, in fact, a vision to ensure sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction. This is consistent with the declared promises to turn Bangladesh into a middle-income country by 2021, the golden jubilee year of Bangladesh's independence.

The attainment of this vision is possible through faster agricultural growth, broad-based rural development, targeted employment generation and strengthening of social safety nets as strategies to achieve poverty reduction objectives. The NRDC can bring the Charter of Change into reality and attain new heights of excellence by achieving Digital Bangladesh.

More interventions and investments are necessary to make the rural economy vibrant, restore peace and discipline in the countryside and modernise the way of living in rural areas. Farming is a way of life for nearly 65% of our population, and rural families comprise a substantial majority of the population. For these families, land represents a fundamental asset, a primary source of income, security and status.

More than half of these families lack either access to land or a secure stake in the land they till. They are landless or marginal farmers who survive on the mercy of nature or at the compassion of the owner of the land. As a result, acute poverty and related problems of hunger, social unrest, humiliation and environmental degradation persist.

Obviously, there are enough opportunities to make radical changes provided commitments could be translated into realties and good governance could be restored in the rank and file.

Immediately after independence, the Vietnamese government began the policy of "land to the tiller" and transferred ownership to about one million tenant farmers, which converted Vietnam into a food exporting country. Similarly, the government of West Bengal carried out major land reformation and made substantial changes in share-cropping, making West Bengal a food surplus state. There are hundreds of examples, even in CIRDAP member states, where land reforms made significant changes in rural livelihood.

The NRDC must bring changes in the system to help poverty reduction through effective interventions like restriction on land ceiling and distribution of surplus land to real farmers. The maximum limit in ownership of arable land was 125 acres during Pakistan regime, which has now been brought down to 28 acres.

The surplus land has not been taken into the account of the government for distribution to landless or deserving farmers. Similarly, khas land, water bodies and vested properties have been grabbed by non-farmers and land-grabbers in connivance with land department officials and local influential persons.

If the government cannot make substantial changes right now the number of farmers will decrease drastically, whatever the subsidies or incentives provided by the government in cash or in terms of facilities.

Secondly, the utilisation of fallow lands for production of crops must be taken on priority basis. The country is losing at least 220 hectares of land everyday, and 1% of land every year due to soil erosion and indiscriminate housing in rural areas. It is imperative to formulate a rural housing policy with the restriction of housing on agricultural land and water bodies. The project "One House, One Farm" should ensure that every decimal of land is used for agriculture, horticulture or aquaculture.

Thirdly, price stabilisation and agricultural marketing need to be considered on priority basis. Price stabilisation of essential consumer items is a very challenging assignment for an elected government due to its political sensitivity. The public at all levels, irrespective of purchasing power and affordability, raise a hue and cry even for marginal increase of prices. Price control is, thus, a critical issue related to production, marketing and international trade. It is also connected with the agricultural marketing mechanism where large numbers of middlemen are involved in forming syndicates to control market prices.

NRDC might consider involving more cooperative societies in the marketing of agricultural produces to ensure fair price to farmers and also keeping the price level stable without leaving any scope for traders to form syndicates and manipulate the market prices.

Fourthly, one of the major interventions is to ensure good governance in land administration. The corruption in the office of the tehsilder and sub-registrar is so open that it cannot escape the eye of any prudent citizen. These officials in connivance with some touts manipulate the records indiscriminately for depriving farmers and the poor of their legitimate ownership of khas land or vested property. The computerisation of land records and removal of the old staff involved in land record and land revenue should be completed quickly to limit the scope for corruption.

Besides, increased productivity and adaptation to climate change pose a challenge for the NRDC in increasing the productivity per hectare. Food safety remains the prime concern because of the adulteration of food items, including vegetables, fish and fruits.

Interventions like safety nets programs for the poor should not be continued for long, except in case of emergency. There should be an institutional approach to ensure sustainability, and institutions working in research, capability building and agricultural modernisation should be encouraged to contribute more. There are many researches and training organisations like Bard, RDA, BARC, BIDS, BIISS, Cirdap, Brac, BAU etc, which should be allowed to operate at full capacity.

In addition, improved health care, nutrition, family planning services and free education must be provided so that the rural population knows that the government is concerned about their welfare

In fact, the NRDC must work in active cooperation with all other ministries/divisions under the direct supervision of the prime minister to generate awareness throughout Bangladesh in favour of the Charter of Change to send the poverty to the museum by 2021.

The vision has been to create a society, no matter which part of the globe, where women can reach their individual and collective potential, have an equal voice to nurture harmonious and peaceful communities. The members of Soroptimist International, a global organisation of women, has been for decades, initiating endeavours to transform the lives of girls and women all over the world. Soroptimist International has 3000 clubs in 125 countries. In the current scenario in Bangladesh, where reports of young girls being tormented to the point that they must take their lives, it is incumbent for an organisation like Soroptimist International to try to do something to prevent such unacceptable tragedies. On June 25, 2010 at the premises of the national Press Club where they held a press conference. Speakers included activists Maleka Begum, Advocate Salma Ali, Salma Khan, Taleya Rahman, Najma Siddiqui, as well as Dr Badiul Alam Majumdar, Syed Abul Moqsud and Ramendu Majumdar.

The Soroptimist International Club of Dhaka, Bangladesh is affiliated with Soroptimist International of Great Britain and Ireland (SIGBI) and has undertaken activities in the past to improve the conditions of women in Bangladesh. The specific objectives of Soroptimist's programmes are to ensure that women and girls enjoy equal rights, live in safe and healthy environments, have access to education and have leadership and practical skills.

"There have been numerous laws guaranteeing security for women but they have rarely been implemented", declared Professor Najma Siddiqui, Executive member of Soroptimist. "Violence against women that include acid throwing, gang rape, stalking has reached alarming proportions. We women have to unite and strive for justice, we shall not take it anymore. Women form the poorest and most vulnerable segment of society. We have to stand alongside this silent majority, the women and girls who cannot speak out for themselves as circumstances do not allow them a voice in society." Hence the catchphrase- 'women against violence'.

Taleya Rahman, Executive Director of Democracy Watch shed light on some disturbing facts and figures." During the last four or five months, 68 women have been assaulted for dowry and 18 have been tortured mercilessly. Acid was thrown on a three year girl, and a 16 month infant has been raped."

But do the victims, their families and in fact society as a whole possess the courage to stand up against those responsible for committing horrendous acts of brutality against women? Probably not. There have been cases in the capital city itself where neighbourhoods have remained silent as organised groups of local hoodlums engaged in acts of stalking and even physical aggression against young girls. Take the case of Pinky who committed suicide after being unable to bear the humiliation anymore. Her suicide note read, "when my tormentor pulled my scarf and harassed me physically in front of the house, onlookers at the scene laughed. Nobody protested." People oppress the weak and fear the strong that is the law of society nowadays.

"Guardians are terrified for the safety of their daughters," said Dr. Maleka Begum, teacher of Women and Gender studies at the University of Dhaka. " They do not even allow their daughters to walk in the roof of their own houses lest they attract attention from unwanted people. Such is the lack of security in neighbourhoods that girls are even barred by their families from standing in front of the windows."

According to Soroptimist, the social, cultural and economic disparity of women and the perpetrated norms of subjugation of women who are unable to move out of the traditional family setting needs to be clearly understood before striving for action. Speakers at the conference emphasised on this issue. " Even educated fathers and mothers generally put the blame on their daughters if they suffer from stalking or eve teasing." Pointed out Dr Maleka Begum, "In our society this tendency has always been prevalent, the trend of blaming girls for crimes they did not commit. On the other hand the actual crimes are let off very easily. As a result, victims of injustice have nowhere to turn to, not even their own parents and they become psychologically demoralised."

"As a teacher, I always try to look out for my students and ask them to report cases of harassment which they have often done. I personally deal with their guardians and convince them that it is not the girl's fault that they are the victims of crime. In this way these girls know that they have somewhere to turn to when injustice is committed against them. This is very important; girls who have suffered need some support that is currently unavailable."

"I request editors of newspapers to inform potential victims through their respective papers about a hot line that shall be managed by us, the Women's Social Movement. We shall take total responsibility for operating the hotline and take the necessary steps for helping the victims. But for that, the newspapers have to inform the public that such a hot line exists," said the speaker. Dr Maleka Begum even gave out her personal cell number at the conference and requested attendants to report any incident relating to violation of women's rights.

Eminent women's rights activist and President of Women for Women Salma Khan said, "The fundamental reasons that create breeding grounds for the oppression of women need to be taken into account for the purpose of ending injustice against women. Economic discrimination of women, social and political bias and the overall culture of female subjugation has to end. Women have to reach the frontlines. The overall social attitude concerning women have to change and men must also step in to make a difference."

According to Soroptimist, even CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against women) was not clear on the issue of violence and it was only after the 1995 Beijing conference that the issue of violence was forced to the forefront. Incidentally, CEDAW adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly, was widely regarded as an international bill of rights for women.

Syed Abul Maksud, columnist also spoke at the conference, providing his own views regarding stalking and violence against women. "Bangladesh should follow the footsteps of Malaysia. In Malaysia, the authorities whip perpetuators of gender violence. Our legal system should accommodate such strict punishments that shall deter criminals from committing these activities." Needless to say, the organisers and the other speakers of the conference did not approve of such a revolutionary view. However, the murmurs of agreement coming from some sections of the audience could not be ignored either.

Speakers at the conference also emphasised on the identification of the unseen but powerful forces that often derail action, on the face of which even law-enforcing agencies are unable to act.

For years, Beijing has used diplomacy to secure energy supplies, opening the way for its state-owned companies. Now New Delhi wants to do the game. India, the third largest emerging economy in the world, is developing a new energy strategy against Chinese competition. This comes after it lost out to China for at least US$ 12.5 billion in contracts in the past year.

Indian Oil Minister Murli Deora travelled to Nigeria, Angola, Uganda, Sudan, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela this year, leading a record number of delegations to get oil for India's 1.2 billion people.

India's energy use is expected to more than double by 2030 to the equivalent of 833 million metric tonnes of oil from 2007, whilst China's demand may rise 87 per cent to 2.4 billion tonnes, the Paris-based International Energy Agency said.

India so far has faced an uneven contest to close the gap with China, which can dip into US$ 2.4 trillion of foreign currency reserves to buy stakes in oil and natural gas fields from Iraq to Uganda, compared with India's US$ 250 billion in foreign exchange reserves.

State-owned Chinese companies spent a record US$ 32 billion last year alone acquiring energy and resources assets overseas.

Beijing's 19 June decision to allow the yuan to appreciate will further strengthen the hand of Chinese companies buying overseas.

Against this, India's oil import bill has climbed six-fold in the past decade to US$ 85.47 billion for the year ending in March.

Economists note that New Delhi has lost out to its main rival because it has treated the matter as essentially economic, leaving the job to its oil companies. Yet, oil is highly political.

China has virtually taken over Africa through promises of aid, investment and loans in exchange for energy supplies, in a continent that produces one eighth of the world's crude oil.

State-owned China National Petroleum Corp beat India on major lucrative contracts coming after but with a bigger offer. In August 2005, it agreed to pay US$ 4.18 billion for PetroKazakhstan Inc., then China's biggest overseas oil deal. A month later China National Petroleum again outbid India's Oil & Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) in buying assets of EnCana Corp in Ecuador for US$ 1.42 billion.

However, New Delhi is learning. ONGC agreed in 2005 to spend as much as US$ 6 billion on roads, ports, railway lines and power plants in Nigeria in exchange for 600,000 barrels a day of oil for 25 years.

Last February, Indian Oil Minister Deora persuaded Saudi Arabia to double crude shipments to India, to about 800,000 barrels a day.

ONGC and other state-controlled Indian oil companies were part of a group in March that agreed to develop reserves in Venezuela's Carabobo blocks during a visit by Deora.

"One of the advantages the big Chinese oil companies have is government support," Gideon Lo, a Hong Kong-based energy analyst, told Bloomberg. "It's an open secret" that the "government establishes high-level contacts with oil-producing countries. Once this is done, the oil companies can come in and negotiate."

PetroChina Co., which vies with Exxon Mobil Corp. as the world's biggest company by market value, wants 50 per cent of its oil to come from overseas by 2020, Chairman Jiang Jiemin said in March. Less than 10 per cent comes from abroad now.

"The financial firepower that the Chinese companies have is a factor," Tom Deegan, Hong Kong-based head of energy and infrastructure at lawyers Simmons & Simmons, said. "They have access to capital and finance through Chinese banks which have the liquidity, which perhaps Indian companies don't." Chinese state-owned companies can indeed afford losses because of government support.

Sinopec bought Addax Petroleum Corp last year for US$ 7.9 billion, gaining licenses in Nigeria, Gabon and Cameroon.

For now, India's pockets do not appear to be as deep as China's but it is well gearing up to use its political influence to get what it wants.

"Our beloved country, the Democratic Republic of Congo, is celebrating the golden jubilee of its independence. The Congolese people are called to use all their energies to reconstruct its identity and establish a new social order which can respond to their deepest aspirations," said the Bishops of Congo in a message sent to Fides, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the country's independence, which is celebrated today, June 30.

In recalling the 50 years of national history, the bishops give thanks to God for the work of missionaries and "because the Church, Family of God in the DRC, has during the past 50 years been at the service of the Congolese people through the proclamation of the Gospel and its multiform action geared towards the integral development and salvation of man."

On a political and social plain, the message notes that the hopes born with the independence (achieved without a war of decolonization) have not been met. Bishops speak openly of a "shattered dream" and "missed opportunities" arising primarily from "a vision and a practice of politics contrary to the ideals of independence and a democratic society." The bishops noted in particular that the first 50 years of history in the independent Congo have been characterized "by violence and atrocious, destructive wars. The last decade has seen the incalculable consequences of armed conflicts that have bloodied the entire nation. We will never forget the millions of deaths, victims of wars, or the millions of displaced persons."

"The Catholic Church itself has been wounded in many of its members and its structures. She has shared the fate of the Congolese people, sharing in their sufferings as well: bishops, priests, consecrated persons, and lay faithful have shown their love for this people, paying with their lives," says the message.

Bishops call for greater security with the creation of a truly national army "capable of defending the people and territorial integrity of the country,” and the strengthening of the judicial system.

On an economic level, the bishops denounce the poverty in which most Congolese are forced to live as a consequence of an economic policy that "does not place the Congolese person at the center of its concerns,” and instead pursues the work of stripping the country's enormous natural resources for the benefit of foreign interests.

In order for the DRC to emerge from this situation, the bishops are calling on Catholics to make commitments on a social, political, and economic level, reminding politicians to serve the people, stressing the vital role of education in shaping a new mindset based on respect for the common good and keeping one's word, the value of hard work, love of work, and patriotism.

On the occasion of the national jubilee, finally, "the Church calls for the release of political prisoners and the erection of a memorial in Kinshasa and in each province, for our millions of victims of the violence that has been carried out in a blind and merciless manner upon a large proportion of the population." (L.M.)

Violence carried out by the feared "maras" (youth gangs) of Central America continues to claim lives in the capital of El Salvador, San Salvador. On the afternoon of Sunday, June 20, 17 people were killed in attacks on public transport, 14 of them burnt alive. According to authorities, 3 other people were shot to death and at least 15 were wounded in two attacks in the north of the capital, in the municipality of Mexico. The root of the problem is known: the extortion in public transport. This year alone, 80 workers have been killed and 15 buses burned, however, there had never been a bus burnt with passengers inside, as occurred on June 20. After the first case of a bus being set on fire, some gang members stopped another bus on the same route and opened fire on passengers, killing two girls and a man. The President of El Salvador, Mauricio Funes, announced the arrest of 7 persons for their alleged involvement in the attacks, acts which he described as "pure terrorism."

The Archbishop of San Salvador, Archbishop José Luis Escobar Alas, thanked the authorities for having taken the initiative to facilitate the legal means to fight crime, noting that the fight against this scourge must be accompanied by comprehensive plans for the social reintegration of offenders. The Archbishop spoke in the usual press conference held every Sunday, saying: "We are pleased that the government is taking an active part in the process and that they are speaking of simplifying the juridical means to reinforce authority. However, this must be a thorough process, proposing plans that are genuinely effective, concrete and timely actions that can really bring control to the situation."

The population of the surrounding area where these violent incidents have taken place has publicly declared: Saturday, June 26, over 500 Salvadorans marched to demand an end to violence. The march, during which participants wore white and carried banners, took place in the municipality of Mejicanos, an area in which the events occurred, located about 3 kilometers from San Salvador. Along with the residents, there were also students and other people from adjacent municipalities of Cuscatancingo and Ayutuxtepeque. (CE)

Ahmed Ramadan, aged 13, works 11 hours a day in a bakery in Cairo’s Kherbet Kheirala slum, where he says he works with hazardous machinery in unpleasantly hot surroundings, and is ill-treated by his employer. “I wake up at 6am every morning and hurry to the bakery to get the chance to work that day. The bakery uses four different children but only takes on the first to arrive,” he told the news service of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. If Ahmed manages to arrive first, he earns 15 Egyptian pounds (US$2.6) for the day, which mainly goes on helping his family pay rent and utility bills. His friend Tareq Al Sayed, 14, has been working as a carpenter for the past three years manning an electric saw. He works12 hours a day and earns 30 Egyptian pounds ($5.2) a week. A 2001 national survey on child labour commissioned by the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood and the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics revealed that 2.7 million children aged 6-14 (21 percent of all children in that age group) work. The child protection officer with the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Egypt blamed the phenomenon in part on poverty, lack of awareness, and dropping out of school because of violence or parents’ inability to pay fees, as well as a culture that condones child labor. Egypt is party to International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention 138 on the minimum age for work, and 182 on “the worst forms of child labor”, but a large number of children work. Egypt's law on child labor supposedly prohibits the employment of minors under 14, and occupational training for those under 12; protects minors under 17 from working in hazardous jobs; stipulates that working hours should not exceed six per day, including at least one hour of rest; stipulates that minors must not work more than four hours at a time, and must not do overtime or work on weekends or official holidays; and stipulates that minors should not work 8pm-7am. (AP)

Honour killings and dowries continue to claim victims in India by Nirmala Carvalho

A man and woman of different castes commit suicide because their marriage "is impossible." 24 year old girl throws herself from the 28th floor of a building after the torture suffered at the hands of her husbands and in-laws who demand the payment of a dowry.

A young couple committed suicide yesterday in Samalkha, 50 km from Delhi, throwing themselves under a train. According to police, it is yet another case of "honour killing". Deepak and Teena, 25 and 18, were from the same village and wanted to get married, but belonged to different castes.

The young man was part of the Saini community while the girl belonged to the Luhar. caste The parents told police that they had repeatedly tried to convince young couple not to meet because their relationship "was impossible."

It is only the latest of many honour killings that continue to unfold in India. On June 20, Mandeep Nagar, 23, and Ankit Chaudhury, 22, helped by a third man, killed their sisters because they were mixing with people of different caste, thus exposing them "to the insults of the whole village. We could not bear the humiliation".

"Honour killings" in India are traditionally the killing of a member of the family by relatives when they humiliate them, for example, marrying a person of a different caste. According to the United Nations Population Fund 5 thousand honour killings take place each year worldwide, most of them in India.

Another cultural scourge that afflicts the country is the dowry system. Nishi Jethwani, 24, yesterday threw herself from 28th floor of a building in Mumbai after undergoing mental and physical torture at the hands of her husband and in-laws, who wanted the payment of a dowry.

Despite being abolished by law in 1961, according to the Indian National Crime Records Bureau the dowry system caused 8172 deaths in 2008 alone. Payment of dowry amounts to millions of rupees (tens of thousands of Euros) and often many families can not afford it, killing their daughters before the birth to avoid the risk of a marriage that they could not afford.

"Radicals of the FPI (“Front Pembela Islam,” Islamic Defense Front), are taking advantage of the weak central government, rocked by scandals of corruption and misrule, which have affected political, financial, military leaders. This explains how militant Islamists have once again reared their heads and gained ground. The government itself fears them. The radicals also count on support from the political world," Fides learns from Fr. Emmanuel Harja, priest of the Diocese of Jakarta and Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Indonesia, who commented on the latest developments of the "Islamic campaign against the Christianization of the country,” launched in Bekasi (a town near Jakarta) by various radical Islamic groups, led by the FPI (see Fides 30/6/2010). Fr. Emmanuel says: "It's often violent militants who openly encourage hostility against all Christians. We ask the government to stop them and ensure freedom of religion and faith in all religious communities. It 's a matter of justice and respect for fundamental rights."

The alarm for the campaign of Islamic groups has now reached the "Crisis Center" of the Bishops' Conference. Fr. Ignazio Ismartono, SJ, Director of the Center, tells Fides: "The Church's line is this: not to react on her own to the provocation by radicals, but to always seek ecumenical fellowship and full harmony and cooperation of other religious leaders, starting with Muslims. Also, we always try to act in cooperation with all other civil society organizations, with organizations for the protection of human rights and political parties that defend democracy. Everyone, at this time, is condemning the sectarian approach of the FPI, renewing the assumption that Indonesian society is based on the motto 'unity in diversity', expressing loyalty to the five principles of Pancasila which are the basis of civil society.”

"It should be noted - continues Fr. Ismartono - that at the root of the matter it seems to me that there is a problem that affects the relationship between Islamic groups and Protestant Christian groups, within their spheres of action and influence. At the basis of it is the question of human relationships and respect for others." "Every religious community – the Jesuit tells Fides - should not propagate their faith so fanatically. This approach only leads to a reaction of fanaticism in other communities. It's a vicious circle that we must emerge from. Today, the important thing is to let tensions cool down and hope that through common sense, everything can get back on the track of peaceful coexistence."

In the meantime, there is a rising opposition among Indonesians towards the FPI. In addition to several civic organizations, a coalition of members of different parties in the House of Representatives issued a formal request to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to stop the action of the FPI and declare it an “illegal organization.” The FPI, it emphasizes, is involved in too many violent incidents and there is overwhelming evidence for its indictment. (PA)

Indonesian Islamic extremist groups have launched a campaign “against the Christianization of Indonesia” and "the adoption of Sharia in the country.” In the past several days, Bekasi, a town at 30 km from Jakarta, has been hosting a conference for over 200 leaders of radical Islamic groups, including the Islam Defender Front (FPI), the "Bekasi Movement Against Apostates,” and the “Islamic Ummah Forum.”

The conference was centered "on the alarming phenomenon of Christianization, which occurs not only in Bekasi, but throughout Indonesia," said Habib Rizieq, leader of the FPI, in his speech. In a statement of 32 recommendations, Congress urges administrators of the city to "govern according to the principles of Islam and Sharia." These groups have created a new formation known as the "Bekasi Islamic Presidium,” which has already launched an appeal to all the mosques of the city to "fight Christianization."

The campaign has generated concern in local Christian communities. According to Fides sources, "even the police fear such groups that often promote or incite violent actions. It must be said, however, that Bekasi is turning into a battleground between opposing extremes: fueling the tension is also the work of proselytism performed by numerous Protestant denominations, in Jakarta and its surroundings."

The major Muslim groups in Indonesia have repudiated claims of the Congress of Bekasi, reaffirming the value of a secular state: "If we call for the Sharia in Bekasi, other religious communities in other provinces could do the same, calling for policies based on the principles of faiths," said Iqbal Sulam, Secretary General of "Nahdlatul Ulama," one of the largest Indonesian Muslim organizations, with 60 million followers. "Islam is a blessing for the whole universe and it is a duty for all Muslims to respect believers of other faiths," he added.

Archbishop Johannes Pujasumarta, Secretary General of the Conference of Bishops, in an interview with Fides, said: "With the Muslim leaders and those of other religions, we recently reaffirmed our desire to work together to build a society based on harmony and peace, asking the government to work towards this same goal, which preserves the common good. We intend to continue on this path, without responding to provocation and without fueling tensions. We reiterate that we are always willing to dialogue. Dialogue is the only way and the right way to be Indonesians, respecting the pluralism of the nation."

As Fides has learned from the Indonesia Christian Communication Forum (ICCF), in 2009-2010 in the area of Bekasi, there have been six incidents of attacks on churches or Christian institutions. Recent episodes confirmed the latent tension: an offensive video against the Koran and Islam was circulated on the Internet by a Christian student in early May led to an attack on a Catholic school in Bekasi. Days ago the religious services in a Protestant church were prohibited by Islamic militants; also a sculpture of three women, believed to be obscene, was removed from a public place of Bekasi, following the protests of Islamic organizations. (PA)

Division among the Christian communities augments the drama of the faithful. Requests for programs to facilitate the return of refugees. The Immigration Minister asks the EU, U.S., Australia to reject asylum applications by Christians.

Christian leaders in Iraq, concerned about the outward flow of faithful who leave the country, are asking the government better protection for minorities, while Baghdad is calling on Western countries not accept asylum applications from refugees of minorities. The idea is to discourage their departures, but the real solution of the problem lies in the assurance of security and basic services to the population, which are still lacking.

On 26 June, 76 representatives of various Christian denominations in Iraq gathered in Qaraqosh - in the north, near Mosul - to take stock of the plight of communities afflicted by persecution and emigration. Religious leaders and politicians have appealed to the authorities, demanding greater protection for minorities, respect for human rights and a greater number of Christian representatives in national and local institutions. Among the demands, constitutional amendments to strengthen the rights of Christian minority, funding programs to facilitate the return of refugees, the establishment of a National Commission for Minority Affairs to promote peaceful dialogue between ethnic and religious groups and increased investment in infrastructure and the most underdeveloped areas populated by minorities.

The Chaldean archbishop of Kirkuk, Msgr. Louis Sako was also among the participants. The archbishop has reiterated the importance that "Christians do not leave Iraq, but witness their faith to their country." At the same time, however, he has highlighted some challenges which need to be urgently addressed by Christian leaders, instead of waiting for political intervention. First of all, the internal divisions in the community: "We are small churches that need to unify our voices. So far there has been no common position on migration. This is a shame and an obstacle. We will remain divided as long as we look only to our personal interests: money and power. We will remain vulnerable until our differences only represent conflicts. We are lacking collective action, "said Msgr. Sako.

During the meeting, Al-Athil Najifi, governor of Nineveh Province - where most Christians are concentrated - has announced his commitment to preventing the exploitation of minorities and establishing a mechanism for inclusion of all elements of civil society.

The central government is also concerned about the high levels of emigration. So far however, they have failed to develop any real policy to encourage returns or increases the level of security. The latest initiative was announced on June 23 by Iraqi Minister of Immigration, Abdel Sultan: Baghdad has asked the European Union, U.S. and Australia to reject asylum claims from Iraqi Christians who come from minority groups.

The idea is to discourage departures in order to "preserve the ethnic and religious diversity of the country." This has provoked the immediate protest of the Iraqi Human Rights organisation: "It is a violation of the Iraqi Constitution, which guarantees the right of the individual to live anywhere they choose, and universal human rights," said the president Hasan Shabaan. (LYR)

Following the referendum on democracy, Roza Otunbayeva was sworn in as Kyrgyzstan's new president. She becomes the first woman head of state in a Central Asian republic. Bao Tong, a former top official in the Chinese Communist Party, looks at the Kyrgyz people's desire for democracy after only a couple of decades of freedom and weeks of tragic inter-ethnic violence. This example should be a warning for the leaders of all countries.

Roza Otunbayeva has been sworn in as the new President of Kyrgyzstan, the first Central Asian woman to fill that post. She had been the caretaker president since in April, when her predecessor President Kurmanbek Bakiyev was forced into exile by a popular revolt. Last Sunday, more than 90 per cent of Kyrgyz voters backed a new constitution in a referendum to give more powers to parliament and reduce those of the president, marking a turning point in the country's road to democracy. For Bao Tong, a former top Chinese official, last weekend's constitutional referendum in neighbouring Kyrgyzstan amid widespread inter-ethnic violence in the south, is full of lessons for China.

In an essay written for the 89th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Bao Tong, a former aide to ousted late premier Zhao Ziyang, contrasted these two events, the Kyrgyz referendum and the CPP anniversary, to warn his country's ruling Communist Party that it should heed Kyrgyzstan's example.

"Kyrgyzstan has decided by referendum to become a democracy, bringing hope of long-term stability," Bao said. "The people of Kyrgyzstan have produced a new election law, with some determination, on the basis of a nationwide referendum," he added.

Last April, people took to the streets forcing then President Kurmanbek Bakiyev to flee abroad. His administration had come under fire for concentrating powers in his hands and for widespread corruption.

"A people that do not fear a universal referendum will have nothing to fear from universal, direct elections. In their fearlessness, they [the Kyrgyz] have found a level road to long-term peace and stability," wrote Bao Tong, from his Beijing home, where he has been under house arrest since his release after a seven-year jail term following the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy movement.

Bao, Zhao and the latter's supporters had fallen from grace for refusing to crush violently the protests, as their successors would do.

In China, state-owned media spoke favourably of Kyrgyzstan's referendum, describing the strong support provided by the United Nations to the changes, which entail parliamentary elections before the end of the year.

"The adoption of a new constitution is an important step towards promoting the rule of law and establishing a legitimate, democratically elected government," China's official news agency Xinhua said, quoting UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.

Xinhua also reported remarks by Kyrgyz interim president Rosa Otunbayeva, who hailed the result as the beginning of "a true people's democracy," ending a system that was "authoritarian and familial."

In the weeks leading up to the referendum, clashes between ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbeks left hundreds dead and forced more than 400,000 ethnic Uzbeks from their homes.

Inspired by the Kyrgyz experience, Bao lashed out at the method of choosing "designated successors" as incumbent North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is apparently preparing to do, and as former supreme leader Mao Zedong failed to do in his political career.

"It is too risky and altogether too unstable to hand over the supreme power to govern a people to a non-system," Bao said.

By contrast, the 1911 Revolution led by Sun Yat-sen had "opened a new window" for the Chinese people. "In a country that wanted to call itself a republic, the people were the ultimate masters," he wrote. "And so the idea of full and direct elections was lodged deeply in people's minds . . . . This was a new principle."

However, with the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the tentative steps towards democratic elections were abandoned in favour of single-candidate elections, in which the candidate was preselected by the Communist leadership.

"One can see at a glance the indescribable genius of the single-candidate election," Bao wrote. "It is quite simply that essence of our country's history-the system that was abandoned in favour of the traditional royal family, the system-without-a-system in which the keepers of power decide who will succeed to power."

Earlier this week, Chinese President Hu Jintao called on Party members to "play an exemplary role," at a time of continuing public anger over rampant corruption in their ranks, growing calls for political reform, and sweeping social changes.

Then again, observers have pointed out for years that corruption is a direct consequence of the lack of democracy and the right to criticise those in power.

“To save the lives of some 300 Eritreans who are now being held in detention centre in Sebha, the Italian government must act immediately using all diplomatic means and all the political pressure of that the case demands”. Such is the appeal from Jean Leonard Touadi, an Italian MP, concerning the episode of the 300 or so illegal Eritrean migrants who were involved in a mutinous episode in the Libyan detention centre of Misratah, after Libyan authorities forced them to sign repatriation papers twp days ago. The Italian government, says the MP, continues to remain in “embarrassing silence” even before such an obvious (sic) violation of international law. He adds that Rome should “reflect on the relevance of the accords for push-backs made with the Libyan government”. For his part, Mario Lana, president of the Lawyers Union for the Protection of the Rights of Man, has not hesitated to describe the episode as a potentially “humanitarian disaster”, because the migrants are for the most part people “who could experience all kinds of violence if they returned to their country”. Humanitarian organizations denounce that after the revolt, the 300 or so Eritreans, were loaded up on closed containers in trucks, without food or water and deported to the middle of Sebha – about 900 km. south of Tripoli – from where they will be sent back home to Eritrea. [AB]

The Saudi king and US president says the two-state solution is the only one that will bring peace, by guaranteeing a homeland for Palestinians and greater security for Israel.

"Two states" for "two peoples" is the only solution that will bring peace to the Middle East; it will guarantee Palestinians a homeland and strengthen Israel's security, US President Barack Obama and Saudi King Abdullah said in Washington. The Saudi monarch is in the United States on an official visit, the first since the new US administration took over. The two leaders also discussed Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan, stressing several times the ties of "friendship" between the two countries.

Arab nations are troubled by Obama's failure to gain any concessions from Israel, which has pursued its settlement policy in the West Bank, and raised international tensions with its attack against a ship carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza.

The US president and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are scheduled to meet next Tuesday in the White House.

Obama and King Abdullah discussed various strategic issues, including Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan, as well as "the importance of moving forward in a significant and bold way in securing a Palestinian homeland that can live side by side with a secure and prosperous Israeli state."

However, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said earlier on Tuesday that problems with the talks, and divisions among the Palestinians, meant no Palestinian state would be founded by 2012.

Obama and King Abdullah "expressed their hope that proximity talks between Israelis and Palestinians will lead to the resumption of direct talks with the aim of two states living side-by-side in peace," the White House said.

King Abdullah only spoke briefly after their meeting, thanking Obama for his hospitality and praising the friendship between their two countries.

"I would like to say to the friendly American people that the American people are friends of Saudi Arabia and its people, and they are friends of the Arab and Muslim people," Abdullah said through an interpreter, something the Washington Post underscored several times.

The meeting between US and Saudi leaders was also marked by a major change in communication approach. Arab News reported that Saudi Arabia's Washington Embassy used popular social networking site Twitter to give updates during the king's visit. In addition, the embassy has put its social media content to YouTube.

Caritas will soon publish a study on the plight of Pakistani children trafficked to the United Arab Emirates to work as camel jockeys.

"Most of the victims interviewed were minors sent by their parents to earn money abroad," Amir Irfan, national coordinator of Caritas Pakistan's livelihood program, told ucanews.com.

"They were ... poorly fed to keep their weights down, tortured for mishandling the camels and returned to Pakistan disfigured."

The Caritas study on these trafficked children from the rural areas of southern Punjab province began in 2009 and will be published later this year, said Irfan.

The study is part of Caritas efforts to raise awareness of human trafficking in Pakistan.

"Bonded labor is the worst form of human trafficking in the country," Caritas executive secretary Anila Gill told about 100 students and staff of Forman Christian College in Lahore on June 30.

"The victims are mostly poor and are lured into sexual activities ... We often forget the causes that lead people to become sexual workers. This needs to be changed," said Gill during the Caritas program, titled Human Trafficking and Modern Day Slavery.

Gill urged her audience to spread the anti-human trafficking message in educational institutions and churches.

About 10,000 women are presently working in Lahore's red light district, according to research done by Caritas. Women from Bangladesh and Myanmar have also been trafficked to Karachi where they work in brothels.

The US Trafficking in Persons Report 2010, released June 14, lists Pakistan as a Tier 2 country in human trafficking.

Tier 2 countries are those whose governments do not fully comply with the US' Trafficking Victims Protection Act but are making significant efforts in this regard.

“Yes to reconciliation”...While North Korea's nuclear arsenal and celebrates 60 years since the outbreak of the war in Korea, the Church does not tire of proclaiming the prophetic announcement of reconciliation: “This is our belief - that even if ‘hope for reconciliation’ seems to be impossible to humanity, it is not impossible to God.” These are the words of Bishop Francis Xavier Ahn Myong-ok, Bishop of Masan and President of Caritas Korea, in an interview with Fides, calling for "rebuilding mutual trust" as necessary for reestablishing bilateral relations on new foundations. Caritas Korea has recently launched a strong appeal for humanitarian aid to once again be sent to the North.

Your Excellency, the political tension on the Korean Peninsula is high. Is there hope for reconciliation?

When we review the history of human being, it has been continuously tension and conflict. Therefore, we understand this situation is just temporary problem and that we can expect ‘hope for reconciliation’. It is not all but many Korean people still think there is ‘hope for reconciliation’ like before. The Korean Catholic Church also prays for changing this situation as soon as possible. This is our belief that even if ‘hope for reconciliation’ seems to be impossible to humanity, it is not impossible to God.

Personally, I think the trust should be restored between North and South. We should raise the will of mutual symbiosis and coexistence through this trust. Humanitarian exchange and support should take priority based on loving our neighbor as the next step. This is not desirable exchange and support that rich do poor an act of charity. Exchange and support starting from a sincere benevolent spirit should be achieved, not through tearing down mutual dignity. This is also a goal of Caritas Korea's activity.

North and South should cooperate each other for settlement of peace in the Korean peninsula and for development of North Korea on economy and society. In order to do this, we need to make an effort for constant communication and to raise the mutual understanding. Furthermore, we both raise the awareness of living in coexistence by diminishing the multidimensional gap between North and South.

Finally, we should sort out the task of unification together. It must be based on peace. We would not like a unilateral unification. In addition, as it will be a huge project along with all Korean people's participation, we need more concrete and systematic preparation.

People who express that opinion have been existent all that times. However, we are the faithful and we believe in our God who gave up his life to save us. Believing in God also means finding a role model from his life. Jesus said love your enemies and even bless your enemies, because he is love itself. Actions of violence must be denied and practices of love – also through humanitarian aid - must carry on regardless of the circumstances. (PA)

School texts defame Christians, the Church and the Pope by Melani Manel Perera

The new textbooks offered by the Ministry equate Christianity and Western culture, accused of trying to destroy the Sinhalese culture. Archbishop of Colombo: "This is an attempt to bring disharmony between religious communities and to inculcate a defamatory image in the minds of students."

"The history and geography programs used in schools and published by the Ministry contain conclusions that defame the Catholic Church, the Holy Father and Catholics", denounces Mgr. Malcolm Ranjit, Archbishop of Colombo, who these days has met Bandula Gunawerdena, Minister of Education, to discuss the problem.

The new textbooks proposed by the Ministry equate Christianity and Western culture, accused of trying to destroy Sinhalese culture. According to these books, the message of goodness that Jesus brought and is no longer lived within the Church. Under the "religious renewal" section, Christianity is introduced as an obstacle to other religions and Catholic education institutes are seen as a way to propagate the Roman Catholic faith. Repeated complaints from Catholic principals and teachers in history and geography attracted the Archbishop's attention to this issue.

"This is an attempt to bring disharmony between religious communities and instil a defamatory concept in the minds of students," said Mgr. Ranjit, during his meeting with the minister. The archbishop urged the minister to review the publication of the texts, suggesting a review by an interfaith committee. He also confirmed his readiness to cooperate with the government in building society.

To date Gunawerdena has assured an immediate review of books and correction of errors.

More than year after the end of the civil war, no one has yet said what fate awaits hundreds of political prisoners held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. Prisoners say they wrote a letter to the Pope about their fate, but no one has seen it.

"Despite it being one year since the war was over the authorities have failed to address their [the prisoners'] concerns," said the Daily Mirror in an article that appeared on 29 June. In it, the newspaper writes that a group of Tamil political prisoners, detained for months under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, wrote to Pope Benedict XVI and Catholic Bishops in Sri Lanka, asking for help. However, the Church said it has not received any such letter. Bishop Harold Anthony Perera spoke to AsiaNews about it.

Hundreds of prisoners remain in detention, including women with children, young people and elderly. "The prisoners say they want to live in freedom and peacefully in this country like any other citizen," the paper says.

Prisoners complain that their repeated requests to President Mahinda Rajapaksa for justice have gone unheeded. For this reason, they want Pope Benedict XVI to intervene.

AsiaNews has not been able to speak to Mgr Malcolm Ranjith, archbishop of Colombo, but his secretary, Fr Quintus Fernando, said that the archbishop did not receive any such letter. He added that he called the prison chaplain of the archdiocese who also knew nothing of the letter.

Mgr Perera, chairman of the Catholic National Commission for Justice, Peace and Human Development, told AsiaNews that he had no knowledge of the letter either.

The mystery thus remains intact. Whether real or not, the letter's appeal perhaps was meant to raise awareness about the prisoners' plight, and provoke a debate, reminding people that hundreds of people still remain in jail, a cloud of uncertainty hanging over them.

Thirteen-year-old Jacinta Okello and her fellow primary school classmates call it "doing bad manners". But when you ask her what she knows about sex, she breaks into a shy smile, looks to her feet and giggles.

At 13, Okello should actually be in secondary school but she, just like thousands of other pupils in the system across the country, was a late starter.

And as Okello and other late entrants become young adolescents while in primary school they cannot access teenage sex education because they fall out of the ‘age-appropriate’ bracket set by the ministry of education and sports national guidelines on HIV/AIDS.

It is a policy that does not meet the sexual and reproductive health needs of the next generation and exposes them to health risks, critics say. Rights activists are now calling for policy changes that will allow adolescents still in primary school to be taught sex education.

Henry Ntale, Behaviour Change Communication and Advocacy Manager of the Naguru Teenage Information and Health Centre is one such activist.

From the number of young adolescents visiting the health centre daily, there is a need to disseminate the relevant information based on age - not education - levels, Ntale says.

"The ministry assumes that all kids in primary school are still young and not sexually active. So they give them information based on that assumption. It is our concern that when we use the age-appropriate information, those mature boys and girls in primary school need that information," he says.

The teenage centre is open to young people aged between 10 to 24 years. Approximately 85 adolescents visit for medical checks and 40 for HIV testing on a daily basis. Of these, 60 percent are in school.

Uganda has one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates in Africa at 25 percent with many primary school-going teenage girls leaving school because of this. Dropout rates for girls from the primary school system are as high as 50 percent, according to a 2006 report, ‘Unintended Pregnancy and Induced Abortion in Uganda: Causes and Consequences’ by the Guttmacher Institute.

Currently primary school sex education only teaches content regarded suitable for children aged between six and 12 years.

"You don’t give the same messages to infants as you do those in upper primary. We make the younger children appreciate certain values in society like sharing. But as you get higher up the education chain, you start dealing with complex issues of dealing with stigma and discrimination, of compassion of those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS," says ministry of education and sports spokesman Aggrey Kibenge.

But with the introduction of free primary school education in 1997, many over-age children joined the education system, defying the traditional primary school age bracket.

Today, it is common to find children as old as 17 sitting in a primary school classroom. According to the Uganda Educational Statistics Abstract (2007), a total of 433,632 new entrants joined primary one at seven years, 78,405 joined at nine and there were 516 12-year-olds in primary one.

But according to Kibenge, these figures are negligible compared to the 7.5 million children currently under the free primary school education system. He says policies cannot be created based on minority demand.

"What is the option in terms of the emphasis that we should be giving in our messages at primary school level? Treat the teenagers in primary school as the exception? Are you going to design policies on the basis of the exception?" he asks.

But Ntale says this should be done: "We recommend age-appropriate information regardless of the education level of the child. We rather give them the information and skills to stay safe."

"Young people are too young to know, but again, they are too young to die. You rather let them know than let them die," Ntale says.

But Kibenge insists that the education ministry is giving the appropriate sex information to the right group at the right time. This includes teacher training programmes on sex education and the introduction of story books for pupils on several themes to enhance their awareness on matters concerning HIV/AIDS.

For now this means that Okello has to wait till secondary school next year to access appropriate teenage sex education. Her mother, Jovita Okello, says her daughter should know more about the changes in her body than she does now – but Jovita Okello does not know how to educate her daughter about it.

"My daughter started her menses when she was only 12. I did not know how to tell her about the changes in her body. So I just told her she should not let anyone touch her body parts because now, she could get pregnant and also contract HIV," she tells IPS.

She hopes that the primary school system will provide her teenage daughter with the appropriate sex information in a society where parents consider discussion about sex a taboo.

Despite the adoption almost a decade ago of a national gender policy that aims to ensure fair participation of men and women in the development process, most of the Zambian government's policies still remain gender blind, say civil society and women's rights associations.

Critics say the most glaring of these policies is the country's national budget that fails to disaggregate resource allocation and incentives by gender. Gender is also not one of the considerations in setting targets for various programmes like access to land and credit by government.

"Gender equity cannot be achieved in the absence of pro-active policies, and such policies have to be mainstreamed into every sector and programme, the various impediments that prevent women from participating fully and equitably in development have to be removed," Sheeba Zulu, a Lusaka-based women's rights activist says.

Government adopted the National Gender Policy in March 2000 to be used as a major yardstick for measuring government commitment to gender mainstreaming. Also, through the policy, government committed itself to changing many stereotypes that impinge on women's participation in national development by taking appropriate legal and administrative measures to eliminate discrimination.

But this has not happened, Zulu says: "Impediments, such as lack of access to land and credit, unequal opportunities for employment, wage disparities and marginalisation in decision-making processes have to be redressed."

Zulu also critcised the current Land Act which for not being gender sensitive as it does not recognise that women have been long-disadvantaged when it comes to access to land.

However, most civil society organisations say women are unable to contribute effectively towards national development because of inequalities in resource allocation and access to resources. The Zambia Federation of Women in Business (ZFAWIB) say women still face challenges in accessing money from financial institutions because of the conditions that are attached there.

"Most of these financial institutions have insisted on difficult requirements and complex documentation including collateral, which most women don't have. Most women have difficulties completing documentation to get funds from the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC) and other lending institutions," Susan Kawandani, the ZFAWIB Ndola district co-ordinator, says.

"There is also a feeling that lending to women to enable start business or recapitalise their business is a risk. These financial institutions need to review their lending requirements to enable as many women as possible to borrow money."

But the CEEC says 40 percent of its funds have been set aside for women entrepreneurs but women have failed to come up with workable business plans that would allow them to obtain funding from the commission.

Michael Kaingu, minister of community development and social services, says government has, in this year's budget, set aside about one million dollars for his ministry for the empowerment of women throughout the country. Another million dollars has been set aside in the ministry of gender.

Kaingu says he is waiting for women to form groups or associations, according to his department's deliberate policy, so that the money can be released as it "is meant for boosting their economic status."

He added that the Women Empowerment Programme, one of the funds under the CEEC, has now been reverted to his ministry because of the sometimes stringent conditions, almost similar to that of a commercial bank, that women were required to meet.

Sara Sayifwanda, the minister of gender, says government has now simplified the application process for obtaining loans under the CEEC and has tasked the district commissioners to handle loan applications to enable women to access the funds.

However, Queen Mumba, who chairs a women's self-help programme in Lusaka's Mtendere township, says the involvement of district commissioners, whom many perceive to be ruling party members, does not inspire confidence.

"The fact that most of us think and believe that district commissioners are stooges of the ruling party makes it even worse," she says. Mumba cited the 8 million dollars set aside for youths in the ministry of sport, youth and child development before the 2006 elections, saying that not many youths benefited from it.

But Sayifwanda says her ministry is currently building capacity for women to enable them to develop their business ventures through the provision of access to investment funds. "The policy calls for targeted actions to facilitate the increased involvement of women in leadership positions in all the sectors of the economy," she says.

But Sly Mbewe, executive director at Action for Development (AfD) says gender equity cannot be achieved in the absence of pro-active policies.

"Such policies have to be mainstreamed into every sector and programme. The various impediments that prevent women from participating fully and equitably in development have to be removed," he says.

Mbewe added that such impediments such as lack of access to land and credit, unequal opportunities for employment, wage disparities and marginalisation in decision making processes have to be redressed.

"And there can be no complete poverty reduction agenda without mainstreaming gender into it. Unless this is done Zambia's poverty reduction agenda will be undermined and compromised."