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  Poverty / Development / Economic, social & cultural rights: Jan.-May 2002  

See also other materials on poverty / development / economic, social & cultural rights

Jan.-May 2002:

A Guide for Potential Partnerships on Energy for Sustainable Development -...The creation of public-private partnerships on energy for sustainable development requires the active involvement of the private sector as strategic partners in building strong alliances to implement specific initiatives, and as sources of expertise, financing and experience. [page 3] (United Nations, Background Paper No. 3 for the World Summit on Sustainable Development, Fourth Preparatory Session, 31 May 2002) [to download this pdf file directly, click here: http://www.johannesburgsummit.org/html/documents/prep4_background_papers/energy_3.pdf]

Unions Push for Employers And Workers Role in NEPAD - The New Partnership for African Development will not succeed if workers, trade unionists and employers were not taken on board, a conference resolved yesterday (The Nation [Kenya], 31 May 2002)

Statement of the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights -...the Committee observes with concern the overall decline in living conditions, particularly in connection with pressures of globalization and the shrinking role of the State, as more and more social services are turned over to non-State entities who have no comparable commitment to the progressive realization of economic, social and cultural rights, nor to the protection of the environment. The Committee has observed, for example, that the right to health is violated by "the failure to enact or enforce laws to prevent the pollution of water, air and soil by the extractive and manufacturing industries." [para. 3] (United Nations, Background Paper No. 5 for the World Summit on Sustainable Development, Fourth Preparatory Session, 30 May 2002) [to download this pdf file directly, click here: http://www.johannesburgsummit.org/html/documents/prep4_background_papers/humanrights_background5.pdf]

No Water? Drink Coke! [India] - On 22 April, 2002, more than 2,000 irate protestors, consisting mostly of indigenous people and dalits (oppressed castes), gathered at the gates of the Hindustan Coca Cola factory in Plachimada, Palghat district, Kerala. Residents from the villages surrounding Coke's greenfield soft-drink bottling factory here say that Coke's indiscriminate mining of groundwater has dried up many wells, and contaminated the remainder. At least 50 villagers have maintained a picket outside the factory gate every day since the strike began. ( Nityanand Jayaraman, CorpWatch India, 28 May 2002)

Over a Barrel in Sudan: Is Talisman's oil-processing facility aiding development or funding war? (David Hecht, Fortune, 27 May 2002)

conference: The Americas Conference on Corporate Social Responsibility: "Alliances for Development" - 22-24 Sep. 2002, Miami, Florida (Inter-American Development Bank, Organization of American States, World Bank) posted to this website on 24 May 2002

UNDP's Equator Initiative To Spotlight Partnerships that Work -...Using the old ways and methods, there are indigenous people in the Amazon who can make natural rubber into a material that is virtually indistinguishable from leather. And now, models are parading skirts and handbags made of that mock-leather on runways in Paris, New York, and Rio. The initiative is a partnership between an entrepreneur, a non-governmental organization and a local people that has worked to protect the rainforest, provide steady incomes, and maintain traditional customs. (United Nations, 22 May 2002)

Starbucks changes its brew [Canada] - Starbucks will offer "fair trade" coffee at its Canadian outlets...Fair trade coffee has been available at Starbucks in the U.S. and the United Kingdom for two years. (CBC News, 21 May 2002)

HEALTH: Research Benefits the Few, Overlooks Prevailing Diseases - A sharp imbalance continues between the resources earmarked for researching diseases predominant in the industrialised world and for those prevalent in poor countries, but experts and activists are confident that the disparity can be reduced. (Gustavo Capdevila, Inter Press Service, 20 May 2002)

Poor areas got old Coke, workers say [USA] -...dozens of Coke drivers, plant workers and salespeople are accusing their bosses of inching up profits for almost a decade by pawning off expired soda cans and bottles on minority communities across North Texas...A spokesman for Coca-Cola Bottling of North Texas, which oversees the plants and workers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, called the accusations "irresponsible and offensive." (Greg Winter, New York Times, 19 May 2002)

UN Chief Calls for Urgent Action on "Digital Divide" -...Annan is urging both the public and private sectors to take action to "bridge the digital divide" that exists between the world's rich and poor (Glen Tarman, OneWorld, 16 May 2002)

Issue Brief: Global Empowerment of Women (Calvert Group, 15 May 2002)

Export at any cost: Oxfam's free trade recipe for the third world - A critique of Oxfam's trade report (Dr. Vandana Shiva, founder of the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology, 14 May 2002)

Making a Workable Tobin Tax: Interview with Joseph Stiglitz - As the world is becoming more integrated, globalization has occurred, we have more needs that need to be fulfilled at the global level, we have needs in terms of financing the war against AIDS and other international diseases, the war against terror, providing for a better environment...addressing poverty in developing countries. (interview of Joseph Stiglitz, Sonia Mikich, Monitor, 13 May 2002)

{···español} La pobreza y el trabajo infantil (editorial, Clarín [Argentina], 13 mayo 2002)

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES: U.N. Forum Meets For First Time - The U.N. Economic and Social Council's Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues today begins its first annual two-week meeting at U.N. headquarters in New York, bringing together indigenous leaders and civil society representatives...The body is charged with advising the Economic and Social Council on development, culture, human rights, the environment, education and health and with raising awareness, promoting the integration of U.N. activities related to indigenous peoples and preparing and disseminating information (UN Wire, 13 May 2002)

Food fortification promises improved health and productivity in developing nations - Important new alliance launched to increase access to nutrient fortified foods - The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) - a new alliance of public and private sector partners - was launched today in an effort to leverage cost-effective food fortification initiatives that promise to improve health, cognitive development and productivity in developing nations. (GAIN - Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, 9 May 2002)

Annan says public-private partnership key to securing better world for children (UN News Service, 9 May 2002)

CHILD LABOR: Panel Urges Education, Development As Solution -...Somavia [International Labor Organization Director General Juan Somavia] urged putting pressure on employers, especially those "who prefer to hire children instead of adults." (Michael Kitchen, UN Wire, 9 May 2002)

Interest Building for Sustainable Development Partnership Agreements - Interest and support continues to build for the idea of launching partnership initiatives [between governments, international organizations, the private sector, and community and citizen groups] at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (U.N. Johannesburg Summit 2002, 9 May 2002)

Energy Emerges as a Key Issue for Johannesburg - Beyond the debates over energy use and efficiency that have featured during the preparatory process for the World Summit on Sustainable Development is the fact that more than a third of the world's population does not have clean and affordable energy services [includes comments by Electricité de France, Tata Environmental Research Institute, Tokyo Electric, American Electric Power] (U.N. Johannesburg Summit 2002, 8 May 2002)

Need to turn 'black gold' to 'human gold' in Azerbaijan - A national conference recently called for Azerbaijan to develop a national employment strategy as a part of its poverty reduction programme....UNDP joined with the Ministries of Economic Development and Labour and Social Protection of Population in organizing the event. BP...provided financial support. (U.N. Development Programme, 8 May 2002)

New IUF Publication on The WTO and the World Food System: A Trade Union Approach - Access to adequate, safe and nutritious food is a fundamental human right, yet an estimated 820 million people are living in hunger. The agricultural workers who help feed the world are often unable to feed themselves, are twice as likely to die at work than workers in any other sector, and generally stand outside all systems of legal protection for their rights, health and welfare. Food processing workers are engaged in a constant battle to defend their unions, their employment and working conditions, their health and safety. (IUF - International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Associations, 3 May 2002)

Miners urged to lead the way on development issues: The mining industry must take the initiative in standardising its approach to social, economic and environmental considerations, according to a new report from the Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development (MMSD) project [includes comments by Rio Tinto] (Andy Blamey, Reuters, 3 May 2002)

The Promise of Gold: Tambogrande, Peru - A conflict is growing in Tambogrande about whether this mine [proposed open-pit mine, Canadian mining company Manhattan Minerals] should be established or not. Farmers and those dependant on agriculture are concerned that the mining operation will contaminate their irrigation system...Roughly half the townspeople in Tambogrande will have to relocate (Oxfam America, 2 May 2002)

Starbucks' struggle for moral ground: Program to aid poor coffee growers off to slow start -...Starbucks said it would pay vendors in origin countries a premium price -- up to 10 cents extra per pound -- if they can prove they're protecting the environment and meeting, if not exceeding, the minimum legal requirements for wages, benefits and working conditions...But Starbucks' well-wishers and detractors alike say that progress in the first four months of the two-year test program looks plodding at best. Some criticize the financial incentives as insufficient. Others say the verification process is flawed. (Bill Clifford, CBS.MarketWatch.com, 2 May 2002)

HIV/AIDS: Jeffrey Sachs Says African Economic Development At Risk - Economic success in Africa does not have a chance unless governments provide the necessary funds to combat the rampant HIV/AIDS pandemic on the continent, renowned economist Jeffrey Sachs told the U.N. Economic and Social Council yesterday. (UN Wire, 2 May 2002)

ASIA-PACIFIC: ESCAP Study Warns Of Growing Inequities From Globalization - Globalization is contributing to the widening of social and income gaps in the Asia-Pacific region, according to a new study by the U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN Wire, 2 May 2002)

Climate change could have wide effect on South Asian agriculture: UNEP - Changes in the global climate could negatively impact South Asian agriculture and the region's millions of people who depend on it, the top United Nations environment official said today. (United Nations, 1 May 2002)

WHO says genetic research could save millions of lives - Genetic research into new medicines could save millions of lives in the developing world within a few years, the World Health Organisation said yesterday...However, the WHO also warned that without greater funding of research into developing country diseases and less patenting of genetic information, these scientific advances could also lead to a widening of inequality between poor and rich nations. (Geoff Dyer, Financial Times, 1 May 2002) 

Conflict Prevention and Revenue-Sharing Regimes: Prepared for the United Nations Global Compact Policy Dialogue: Business in Zones of Conflict [refers to mining industry; oil industry; World Bank; Shell; BP; Angola; Statoil; indigenous peoples; Western Mining Co., Normandy Mining; Rio Tinto; BHP-Billiton; Social investment projects: Freeport McMoRan in Irian Jaya, Placer Dome in Papua New Guinea, Newmont & Rio Tinto in Indonesia; Natural resource funds in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Norway, Alaska/USA, Chad-Cameroon pipeline - ExxonMobil - Petronas - Chevron, Nigeria]  (Juliette Bennett, May 2002)

Indonesia: Gas Project Promises Income [contract for natural gas production in West Papua, a project between BP & Indonesia's state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina] - West Papuans Not Excited -...But many West Papuans feel that real benefit from the project is likely to go, as in the past, to Jakarta instead of their province, which remains among the poorest although it is home to a lot of multinational investments...Indeed, many activists have security and environmental fears about the natural gas project, given bitter experiences with past foreign investments drawn to the island (Prangtip Daorueng, Inter Press Service, 30 Apr. 2002)

What's wrong with the Oxfam Trade Campaign -...I have a lot of respect for Oxfam, and I do agree with many things in the Oxfam report, but I feel that it provides the wrong focus and wrong direction for the movement against corporate-driven globalization during this critical period. (Walden Bello, Executive Director of Focus on the Global South, 26 Apr. 2002)

EAST ASIA: Region's Poor Shortchanged by Trade Rules - Activists - East Asia's farmers, fishermen and women workers are being shortchanged by trade policies that offer few real opportunities to get out of poverty, activists with the international development agency Oxfam here say [includes reference to rice farmers in Thailand, coffee growers in Vietnam, fishermen in Philippines, women in Cambodia's garment industry] (Marwaan Macan-Markar, Inter Press Service, 25 Apr. 2002)

Internet users ripped off by Western companies - African Internet users are being forced by Western companies to pay the full cost of connecting to the World Wide Web, while European and American users pay nothing. This is one of the main hurdles blamed for the slow spread of the Internet in the world's poorest continent. (Katy Salmon, Inter Press Service, 25 Apr. 2002)

PRIVATE SECTOR: Researchers Say Quality Care Sacrificed For Profit - The quality of drugs, advice and care sold through the huge, mostly unregulated, private health sector in poor countries is often dangerously low, according to an article in the latest issue of the Bulletin of the World Health Organization. (UN Wire, 24 Apr. 2002)

ChevronTexaco seeks release of hostages in Nigeria -...Nigerian analysts fear the incident could signal the start of a new cycle of attacks on oil multinationals by local people in oil-producing areas demanding a greater share of Nigeria's mineral wealth (Reuters, 23 Apr. 2002)

Local NGOs in emerging economies - a vital community link (Miles Dodd, visiting Professor at the Graduate School of Business, Nihon University, Tokyo, in Ethical Corporation Magazine, 21 Apr. 2002)

ALBANIA: Homeless Children Work As Couriers Under UNICEF Program -..."The idea was how to use the marketplace, how to get businessmen and businesspeople involved in generating new resources and new thinking and new opportunities for these kids" (UN Wire, 18 Apr. 2002)

World needs global green tax - EU agency head:...EEA [European Environment Agency] Executive Director Domingo Jimenez-Beltran wants a global tax on environmentally harmful fossil fuels, with the proceeds used to help develop the world's poorest countries. (Robin Pomeroy, Reuters, 18 Apr. 2002) 

Comments from the European Commission on the Oxfam trade report (European Commission, 17 Apr. 2002)

TECHNOLOGY: U.N., Chinese Officials Urge Sharing Of Breakthroughs - A U.N. conference on technology and sustainable development opened Monday in Beijing with U.N. Undersecretary General Nitin Desai saying scientific advances that aid in balancing ecology and development should be made available to all. Specifically citing nanotechnology, biotechnology and information technology, Desai called for new international mechanisms to help share technological breakthroughs. (UN Wire, 17 Apr. 2002)

AFRICA: Private Sector Promises NEPAD Cooperation - A New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) financing conference closed yesterday in Dakar, Senegal, with more than 500 private sector representatives promising in a "Dakar Declaration" to set up international structures under which they can cooperate with NEPAD and to promote other actions in favor of the initiative. (UN Wire, 17 Apr. 2002)

IMF: Nobel Economist Blasts Fund, Other International Institutions - The International Monetary Fund has betrayed its mission by becoming "the fanatical champion of market hegemony," and the World Bank and World Trade Organization also do more harm than good to poor countries, one of last year's Nobel Prize winners in economics [Joseph Stiglitz] writes in a book that hits shelves today in France. (UN Wire, 16 Apr. 2002)

Support for biodiversity linked to poverty reduction, says UNDP:...Encompassing partnerships with governments, civil society, local communities, and the private sector, UNDP/GEF provides assistance for 285 protected areas around the world covering 23.3 million hectares. (U.N. Development Programme, 16 Apr. 2002)

Ecuador's oil pollution fears -...Oil waste is collected in vast pools often on agricultural land, making further cultivation impossible. (BBC News, 15 Apr. 2002)

African leaders meet in Dakar on business opportunities: African leaders [are meeting with] representatives of corporations from across the globe to present a unified vision for Africa's development and opportunities for doing business there. The event is organized by the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) (U.N. Development Programme, 15 Apr. 2002)

G8 starts environment talks, under fire on Kyoto: Environment ministers from the world's leading nations turned their back on global warming on the weekend and instead tackled the tricky topic of how to encourage the private sector to do more for the cause of sustainable development. (David Ljunggren, Reuters, 15 Apr. 2002)

Oxfam plays into hands of the anti-globalizers:...The report's coverage of the unfairness of many of the rules in international trade is mostly accurate and is a welcome reminder of the hypocrisy which underlies so much Western free trade rhetoric. However, Oxfam shows double standards of its own (Philip Bowring, International Herald Tribune, 12 Apr. 2002)

Starbucks shares cup of goodwill [USA]: Exec tells DU [Denver University] students, businesses the value of social responsibility -...leaders of the movement that blamed Starbucks for the plight of millions of coffee farmers mired in some of the planet's worst poverty say they now are broadening their campaign to target major "can" coffee companies such as Maxwell House and Folgers. (Bruce Finley, Denver Post, 12 Apr. 2002)  

Costa Rica has launched a "sustainable" coffee seal: Costa Rica has launched a "sustainable" coffee seal to be awarded to growers who protect plantation ecosystems, save energy, clean up waste-disposal, improve pest and disease control, provide healthy working conditions for pickers and reduce the use of chemicals. (Veronica Vega, Reuters, 12 Apr. 2002)

TRADE: Oxfam Critique of WTO Triggers Reactions from All Sides - Top officials from the United Nations and the World Trade Organisation rejected the analysis published Thursday by the humanitarian organisation Oxfam International about the inequities of the global trade system and the harm it purportedly causes developing countries. The report, part of Oxfam's "Make Trade Fair" campaign, blames WTO rules for relegating the world's poor regions and countries to misery, but at least one other humanitarian group says the report does not go far enough (Gustavo Capdevila, Inter Press Service, 11 Apr. 2002)

Case Study: BP and the Casanare Project, Colombia - With high oil production levels, and with a backdrop of a nationwide-armed conflict, BP decided it was time to improve and streamline the Tri-Sector Partnering model it had been applying since 1993, with the advisory support of BPD/NRC. The goal was to optimise the use of resources, so that that their operations generate long-term sustainable, non-oil dependent social and economic development in the Casanare region. (Michael Warner, Secretariat Coordinator, Business Partners for Development/Natural Resources, in Ethical Corporation Magazine, 11 Apr. 2002)

press release: The Great Trade Robbery: Rich world swindles millions from the benefits of trade as global wealth divide widens to all time high - OXFAM today accused the rich world of robbing the poor world of $100 billion a year by abusing the rules governing world trade and denying millions of poor people their best escape route from poverty. (Oxfam, 11 Apr. 2002)

Haiti: proof of hypocrisy - Farmers in Haiti have had their livelihood destroyed by competition from subsidised American rice. (Charlotte Denny, Guardian [UK], 11 Apr. 2002)

WEST AFRICA: New FAO project to tackle illegal fishing - A programme to combat fish poaching implemented by the Food and Agriculture Programme, is to target illegal trawling in West African countries including Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Senegal and Sierra Leone...Vessels from Europe, FAO said, trawl off the coasts of West African countries taking advantage of lack of surveillance aircraft....The fish is sold in supermarkets in wealthy countries to consumers who do not realize that they are buying food stolen from the poor (U.N. Integrated Regional Information Networks, 10 Apr. 2002)

Thailand may alter Malaysia gas pipe route - paper: Thailand is studying alternative routes for a controversial gas pipeline to Malaysia, due to opposition from villagers and environmentalists, a Thai newspaper reported yesterday. Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has ordered studies into alternatives by oil and gas firm PTT Plc... (Reuters, 10 Apr. 2002)

UNDP and Shell to assess social impact of major China pipeline project: The assessment will help maximize economic and social benefits in communities affected by the project and promote equitable development in areas adjoining the pipeline's route in western China...The study is one element of an overall environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) being conducted by Shell, the leader of the consortium currently in discussions with PetroChina over possible participation in the West -East Pipeline project. (U.N. Development Programme, 9 Apr. 2002)

GM activists call for ban to protect poor farmers - Environmentalists will press delegates at an international conference on biodiversity this week to ban a controversial form of genetic modification that deliberately sterilises crop seeds. (Steve Connor, Independent [UK], 8 Apr. 2002)

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: Consensus Eludes Preparatory Meeting - The third preparatory meeting for the World Summit on Sustainable Development ended Friday night with the lack of an anticipated agreement on consensus documents for the event prompting organizers to decide to meet again ahead of a planned ministerial meeting in May...Craig Bennett of Friends of the Earth said the text's references to "private-public partnerships" are "essentially opportunities given to corporations to deliver the implement of sustainable development. ... Do they really have the interest of sustainable development at heart? ... We are talking about corporations taking advantage of global trade yet not willing to be accountable globally..." (Jim Wurst, UN Wire, 8 Apr. 2002)

Bangladeshis scoop up dead fish:...Environment experts said that most lakes, canals and the Buriganga river around the Bangladesh capital had been polluted by harmful chemical and other wastes from hundreds of small and big industries which operate without waste treatment facilities. Many slum dwellers use the polluted water for drinking and washing, and suffer from a variety of diseases (Reuters, 8 Apr. 2002)

Public-Private Partnerships to Save the World? Friends of the Earth today slammed the UK Government, the EU, and governments from other industrialised countries for putting big business before people and the environment during the preparations for this year's "Earth Summit". The environment group warned that the Johannesburg meeting looked set to become "the world's largest trade fair", unless governments seized the opportunity to address the negative aspects of corporate-led globalisation. (Friends of the Earth, 5 Apr. 2002)

Viet Nam encourages expansion of the private sector: Viet Nam and UNDP are pumping in another US$2 million to help expand the private sector and thus create more jobs for the country's young population, reduce poverty and foster human development...It [the project] will give special attention to the role of small businesses, enterprises located in rural areas, and enterprises headed by groups that traditionally have had limited access to government assistance, including ethnic minorities and women. (U.N. Development Programme, 5 Apr. 2002)

The Jo'burg Memo - Fairness in a Fragile World - A Memorandum for the World Summit on Sustainable Development [a Memorandum for the World Summit by 16 authors from across the world, to contribute to the debate on both the desired outcomes of the Summit and the critical path for the sustainable development agenda in the next decade...the authors are drawn from NGOs, business, academic community, politics] (Heinrich Boell Foundation, 4 Apr. 2002)

Leading Toward A Better World? The Role of Multinational Corporations in Economic & Social Development of Poor Countries: Keynote Speaker - John Browne, Group CEO, BP (John Browne, Group CEO, BP, speech at Harvard University, 3 Apr. 2002)

UN and business unveil new project to open Jo'burg Summit to the world:...Virtual Exhibition is a joint project of BASD - Business Action for Sustainable Development - and UNDP - the United Nations Development Programme. Billed as "a multi-media showcase of sustainable development initiatives", Virtual Exhibition will use web technology to profile sustainable development projects from all over the world. It will also provide a worldwide webcast of proceedings during the Johannesburg conference and encourage participation in the summit via a series of online exchanges. (Virtual Exhibition, 3 Apr. 2002)

India's responsibility for GM safety — and equity: A decision by the Indian government to approve the commercial planting of genetically-engineered cotton gives it a heavy responsibility to take effective steps to ensure their safe and equitable application. (SciDev.Net, 2 Apr. 2002)

Enthusiasm and Some Concerns Voiced Over Partnership Proposals: The idea of using the World Summit on Sustainable Development as a launching pad for new partnerships between governments, the private sector, and community and citizen groups gained considerable momentum during a wide-ranging discussion of the concept at PrepCom III for the Summit [but qualifications expressed by EU, and concerns expressed by Third World Network and Women's Caucus] (United Nations website for the Johannesburg Summit 2002 - the World Summit on Sustainable Development, 2 Apr. 2002)

Pocketing Caspian Black Gold: Who are the Real Beneficiaries of Oil Infrastructure Development in Georgia and Azerbaijan? [section 1.5 entitled "Human Rights and Oil"; report refers to following companies in context of Georgia: Georgian International Oil Corp. (state-owned), Saknavtobi (state-owned, Georgia), Ramco Energy (UK), National Petroleum (Switzerland), Frontera Resources, Anadarko Georgia, Georgian-British Oil Company, National Petroleum LTD, Ninotsminda Oil Co., Canargo Energy; report refers to following companies in context of Azerbaijan: BP, Amoco, Pennzoil, Unocal, Exxon, Statoil, TPAO, Itochu, McDermott, Bechtel] (Manana Kochladze, CEE Bankwatch Network - Energy Project, Apr. 2002)

Europe's Double Standards: How the EU should reform its trade policies with the developing world (Oxfam, Apr. 2002)

"Great tasks need grand coalitions": Klaus M. Leisinger [Director of the Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development] on the pharmaceutical industry's responsibilities in development policy (epd-Entwicklungspolitik [epd Development Policy], Apr. 2002)

Compact Project Completed in Thailand: Acting under the umbrella of the UN Global Compact, the Employers Federation of Thailand (ECOT) and UNDP have completed a partnership project that marks the first collaboration in the country between the private sector and a UN agency. (U.N. Global Compact, Apr. 2002)

Report of the In-Depth Study Session on the World Trade Organisation for Human Rights Professionals: 1-2 February 2002 [includes sections on: "Trade liberalisation, Development and Human Rights";  "The Agreement on Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs), Traditional Knowledge, and Indigenous Peoples' Rights"] (Secretariat of the Study Session on the WTO / 3D Associates, Apr. 2002)

Companies in Conflict Situations: Mineral Extraction in the Democratic Republic of Congo [refers to H.C. Stark of Germany (a subsidiary of Bayer AG), Ulba of Kazakhstan, and Cabot Corporation of the United States; French companies Safmarine, SDV-Transintra, Martinair; OSLEG, a company owned by Zimbabwe's army; Zimbabwean investor John Bredenkamp's Tremalt Ltd] (Oxford Analytica, prepared for International Business Leaders Forum and TimeFORTUNE, Apr. 2002)

The private sector's role in development – a response to recent criticism: Business - a help or a hindrance to development? (International Business Leaders Forum, Apr. 2002)

More should be done to make globalization work for South Asia's poor: Despite the promises of globalization, about half a billion people in South Asia have experienced a decline in their incomes during the 1990s, according to the newly released Report on Human Development in South Asia 2001. By contrast, only a small minority of the educated urban population benefited from the region's economic growth. (U.N. Development Programme, 28 Mar. 2002)

M&S offers work to the homeless [UK]: Marks and Spencer will announce today 600 work placements to get homeless people off the streets and into permanent jobs. The initiative is believed to be the biggest so far by any of the 90-plus companies in the Business Action on Homelessness campaign. (Alison Maitland, Financial Times, 27 Mar. 2002)

THAILAND: Sex Trafficking Occurs Via Informal Networks, ILO, UNDP Say - Sex trafficking of children in Thailand is largely an industry run by small, informal networks and is also linked to poverty and education issues (UN Wire, 26 Mar. 2002)

GLOBALIZATION: ILO Panel Urged To Find Ways Poor Countries Can Benefit (UN Wire, 26 Mar. 2002)

How to develop win-win partnerships in developing markets: Established in 1998 at the initiative of the World Bank, Business Partners for Development/Natural Resources (BPD/NRC) has conducted a three-year exercise to see if business, government and civil society can get better results by partnering up in developing countries. [report on a project in India involving Integrated Coal Mining Limited, community leaders in the affected villages and local government officials] (Michael Warner, in Ethical Corporation Magazine, 22 Mar. 2002)

ILO's World Commission on Globalization begins work:...It will seek to harness the globalization process to foster growth and reduce poverty...Mr. Somavia [ILO Director-General Juan Somavia]  said..."Labour unions, citizens and, increasingly, enlightened business leaders around the world have made their point: we can no longer ignore the social dimension of globalization." (International Labour Organization, 22 Mar. 2002)

Uzbek east suffers man-made famine [Uzbekistan]:...The babies are among thousands of victims of an agricultural policy, fashioned by the Soviet Union and pursued enthusiastically by independent Uzbekistan, which is creating a desert, destroying the Aral Sea, poisoning land, and cutting harvests. And killing people. Cotton is the main culprit. (Sebastian Alison, Reuters, 22 Mar. 2002)

{···español} Paul Bernd Spahn: Professor de la Universidad de Francfort - 'La 'tasa Tobin' no perjudicaría a los mercados financieros' (El País, 22 marzo 2002)

Business, NGOs Offer Competing Visions At Monterrey - A distinguishing feature of the International Conference on Financing for Development is the direct involvement of business and nongovernmental organizations, which are grouped under the umbrella of "stakeholders," but are usually advocating opposing positions. (Jim Wurst, UN Wire, 21 Mar. 2002)

{···français} « Les biens publics mondiaux à l'honneur »: [la conférence de Monterrey] - La représentante de la CISL a souligné qu'en matière de responsabilité sociale des entreprises, la priorité devait aller aux respect des droits sociaux fondamentaux et au développement de la négociation collective. Elle a plaidé pour la négociation de codes de conduite et d'accord cadre au sein des multinationales sur la base des normes de l'Organisation internationale du travail et des principes directeurs de l'OCDE (CFDT - Confédération française démocratique du travail, 21 mars 2002)

Forest Policy Will Alleviate Poverty: Uganda's new policy on forestry can be best described as a the voice of the people. This is because it has evolved out of consultations and is expected to bring about poverty alleviation and enhance conservation. (Gerald Tenywa, New Vision [Uganda], 21 Mar. 2002)

Global market growth seen failing to feed poorest: Global market growth is failing to relieve hunger among the world's poorest people, scientists advising the United Nations' world food body said yesterday. (David Brough, Reuters, 21 Mar. 2002)

Corporate social responsibility to be a new form of cultural revolution: SAARC Secretary General - Corporate Social Responsibility in South Asia would be a new form of cultural revolution and the corporate sector should invest, keeping in mind the medium and the long term interests, rather than the short term. This was stated by Mr Q A M A Rahim, Secretary General, South Asian Association of Regional Conference at a meeting organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry...Mr Rahim said that development was a joint activity and should not be the sole responsibility or prerogatives of the governments. Stressing that issues such as economic welfare and upliftment, overall social improvements in sectors like education, health and sanitation, housing and employment required the full involvement and participation of all actors in the system... (Confederation of Indian Industry, 20 Mar. 2002)

Global Compact Supports Investment Advisory Council at Monterrey Meeting: In a landmark meeting, government and business leaders propose practical steps to increase foreign direct investment in Africa. (U.N. Global Compact, 20 Mar. 2002)

MYANMAR [Burma]: Grim outlook for Asia's final frontier of biodiversity - The very existence of the regime rests upon the exploitation of natural resources. The generals have allowed massive logging -- particularly of teak -- and the construction of gas pipelines and other development projects that have caused serious environmental damage. Uncontrolled fishing by Thai companies, to whom the junta gave concessions, has led to the impoverishment of people in fishing villages. The exploitation of natural gas and minerals and the implementation of large dam projects continues with little concern for the effect on the environment or on the populations in the areas being exploited. (Cesar Chelala [author of "Impact of the Environment on Children's Health," a publication of the Pan American Health Organization], in Japan Times, 20 Mar. 2002)

Monterrey conference critical in building momentum for action [International Conference on Financing for Development]:...The four-day conference, which opened on Monday, was expected to bring together more than 5,000 world leaders, international personalities, and representatives of the private sector, development banks and agencies along with the civil society. It seeks to create a powerful momentum for mobilizing resources from public and private sources for economic development and poverty reduction. (U.N. Development Programme, 20 Mar. 2002)

Corporate Social Responsibility in emerging economies:...Recently a survey conducted by the Confederation of Indian Industry shows that among its 3000 member companies in India, a mere 6.8% (206) have incorporated CSR into their agenda. In much of South Asia the number of organisations promoting CSR are few and far between. (Lakshmi V Venkatesan, in Business Standard [India], 18 Mar. 2002

Harnessing business for African development: Business for Africa was formally launched today at the start of the United Nation's International Conference for Financing and Development in Monterrey, Mexico...The group provides a forum for the private sector to interact with the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). The group will share information on trade and investment opportunities in Africa and encourage private sector involvement in sustainable development projects...Business for Africa comprises the ICC - the world business organization, African Business Roundtable, The Business Humanitarian Forum, Commonwealth Business Council, Conseil Francais des Investisseurs en Afrique, Forum Francophone des Affaires and the International Business Leaders Forum. (Business for Africa, 18 Mar. 2002)

Annan to meet business leaders and African presidents in Monterrey to boost investment:...The focus of the meeting will be how companies can work together with governments and the United Nations to increase foreign direct investment (FDI) in Africa and realise the aims of the recently established New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD). (International Chamber of Commerce, 18 Mar. 2002)

Diamonds: Forever or for Good? The Economic Impact of Diamonds in Southern Africa  - Occasional Paper of the Diamonds and Human Security Project investigating the extent to which diamonds contribute to development in South Africa, Namibia and Botswana, countries which have been the most vocal champions of "diamonds for development". (Ralph Hazleton, Diamonds and Human Security Project, website of Partnership Africa Canada, 18 Mar. 2002)

Poor countries hit by subsidised fishing, UN says: The United Nations environmental agency UNEP warned poorer countries that uncontrolled opening of their waters to subsidised fishing fleets from Europe and Asia could bring economic disaster [refers to problems of nations like Argentina, Senegal and Mauritania which had allowed in foreign fleets from European Union member states, Japan, South Korea & China] (Robert Evans, Reuters, 18 Mar. 2002)

Coffee in good conscience: Students campaign for roasters to provide only 'fair-trade' beans [USA] -...with the school [Western Washington University] considering bids for a new 10-year food-services contract, McDonald and the group he leads, Students for Fair Trade, are pushing for all coffee — including decaf and espresso drinks — on campus to be fair-trade certified. To be certified, third-party monitors must have confirmed that farmers were paid a fair price for their beans. (Jake Batsell, Seattle Times, 17 Mar. 2002)

Urgent need to kick-start R&D for killer diseases in poor countries: International experts call for new public initiatives and global support - Research and development of new medicines for diseases such as sleeping sickness, kala azar, and malaria that kill millions each year in the developing world is urgently needed, according to a group of 150 international experts meeting in New York this week. (Médecins Sans Frontières, 14 Mar. 2002)

Ten Brazilian Dam Protesters Hospitalized: Ten anti-dam protestors were hospitalized on Tuesday after clashes with the police...The demonstrators are part of Brazil's Movement of Dam-Affected People (MAB) which is engaged in a national campaign of protests against Brazil's hydropower energy policy...The group is demanding that the government halt subsidies to energy intensive industries, such as aluminum production, and instead provide electricity to rural communities. Aluminum companies, including multinationals Alcoa and Billiton, plan to build a series of huge dams in the Brazilian Amazon. (Environment News Service, 13 Mar. 2002)

Grameen Bank in 'strongest position ever' [Bangladesh]: The founder of the Grameen Bank, Dr Muhammad Yunus, has denied allegations that the bank is in trouble. The Grameen Bank is one of the pioneers of micro-credit lending schemes for the poor in Bangladesh. (BBC News, 12 Mar. 2002)

'Drop your pants' outrage at Indonesian shoe factory: Oxfam says workers were put through humiliating examinations before getting the menstrual leave they were entitled to - Indonesian workers at a shoe factory supplying Nike and Adidas have had to prove to company doctors that they were menstruating in order to get their allotted sick leave. (AFP, in Straits Times [Singapore], 8 Mar. 2002)

Nike and Adidas 'have failed to stop sweatshop abuses': Indonesian workers producing sports shoes for the multinational companies Nike and Adidas live in extreme poverty and face prosecution and physical assault for trade union activity, according to a report published yesterday. (Richard Lloyd Parry, Independent [UK], 8 Mar. 2002)

Protesters take aim at Taco Bell [USA]: The Coalition of Immokalee Workers, a grass-roots organization based in Florida, includes farmworkers who say they are incensed at the stagnant wages and poor living conditions of tomato pickers. And Taco Bell, they claim, is one of the nation's largest tomato purchasers. (Dave Anderton, Deseret News [Salt Lake City, USA], 8 Mar. 2002)

New Report Finds That Conserving the World's Forests Depends on Support for Community-Based Forest Enterprises: Indigenous and Local Groups Now Control 25 Percent Of Developing World's Forests...The report cites 57 countries with at least one existing partnership between forest industry and local communities. (Future Harvest, 7 Mar. 2002)

DEVELOPMENT: Wolfensohn Calls For Freer Trade - In a passionate speech here yesterday at the Woodrow Wilson International Center, World Bank President James Wolfensohn urged rich countries to reduce trade barriers and agricultural subsidies, reiterated the international community's call for a doubling in foreign aid and called for a new war on poverty to create a more stable and peaceful world. (Scott Hartmann, UN Wire, 7 Mar. 2002)

ANGOLA: Human Rights Watch Briefs Security Council; More -...Human Rights Watch called on the council to push the Angolan government to disclose data about its $3.18 billion in oil revenue, which it says could improve governance and the human rights situation. (UN Wire, 6 Mar. 2002)

Angola at the crossroads:...The most basic needs of the people of Angola could be paid for by Angola's immense natural resources, such as diamonds and oil. However, little of this money actually reaches the people who need it most. Secrecy surrounding the oil industry prevents the Angolan people from monitoring the revenues it brings in and reaping the rewards. This needs to change. (Oxfam, 6 Mar. 2002)

United Nations: Protect the Displaced in Angola - Government Should Provide Data on Oil and Diamond Revenue (Human Rights Watch, 5 Mar. 2002)

Poor farmers taste success - Fairtrade is making headway but is still a tiny part of global trade [refers to coffee industry, cocoa/chocolate industry, Max Havelaar coffee brand, Cafedirect, Starbucks, Sainsbury, Co-op, Day Chocolate Company] (Roger Cowe, Financial Times, 4 Mar. 2002)

{···español} Indígenas burlados por compañías petroleras [Ecuador]: Las comunidades huaorani de Ecuador aceptaron unos pocos alimentos, medicinas y utensilios a cambio de permitir a la petrolera italiana Agip Oil explorar su territorio, lo cual constituye "una burla a los derechos colectivos" de los indígenas, afirmó la organización ambientalista Acción Ecológica. (La Hora [Ecuador], 4 marzo 2002)

Ecuador Amazon Protests End; Army Control Lifted: Ecuador's government and Amazon jungle protestors struck an accord Monday that put an end to 10 days of violence that left one dead and dampened oil output, officials said...Lozada said one issue still under discussion is a demand by local leaders in Sucumbios that pipeline builder OCP Ecuador SA grant more development funds to the area, the heart of Ecuador's oil industry. (Amy Taxin, Reuters, 4 Mar. 2002)

Swedish global development policy: Executive Summary: A new Swedish policy for global development [final report of the Parliamentary Commission on Sweden's policy for global development (GLOBKOM)] [excerpts from page 9, section entitled "The business sector": "The experience and expertise of the Swedish business sector and trade unions should be put to better use in Swedish development assistance by including them to a greater extent in the formulation of country assistance strategies."  "The Committee proposes to study further whether a need exists for legislation requiring companies and pension funds to render social and environmental accounts and, secondly, whether there is any need to make export credits conditional on the assumption of social and environmental responsibility."] (Parliamentary Commission on Sweden's policy for global development - GLOBKOM, on the website of Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, 4 Mar. 2002)

Governments must restore forests for the world's poor:...WWF believes that sound environmental practices which protect and restore forests go hand-in-hand with human well-being and the alleviation of poverty. (WWF, 4 Mar. 2002)

Housing for Field Workers Eyed [Napa Valley, California]: In this conspicuously prosperous valley, home to a $4 billion wine industry, hundreds of migrant farm workers sleep in cars or under the stars. (Justin Pritchard, Associated Press, 4 Mar. 2002)

A Rights Based Approach to Development: Presentation to the World Social Forum Seminar on Globalization and Human Dignity - Porto Allegre (Jorge Daniel Taillant, Executive Director of CEDHA - Centro de Derechos Humanos y Medio Ambiente/Center for Human Rights and Environment, 2 Mar. 2002)

African entrepreneurs join forces with UNIFEM to shrink digital divide for women: UNIFEM announced today the formation of a unique Global Advisory Committee comprised of African IT entrepreneurs living in the Diaspora and in Africa, as well as representatives from the private sector [including Cisco] and the UN system. (UNIFEM - United Nations Development Fund for Women, 1 Mar. 2002)

Review of Seeking Social Justice Through Globalization: Escaping a Nationalist Perspective by Gavin Kitching (G. John Ikenberry, Foreign Affairs, Mar./Apr. 2002)

Beyond the Monterrey consensus: A trade union agenda for the governance of globalization -...We demand that Core Labour Standards as set out in the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and its Follow-up be at the centre of global and sustainable development strategies. (WCL [World Confederation of Labour] & ICFTU [International Confederation of Labour], Mar. 2002)

The Human Cost of Global Warming: Global warming is not just facts, figures and future forecasts. Meet the people whose lives are already being affected by it. [refers to countries including Honduras, Venezuela, India, Mozambique, Indonesia, Uganda, Papua New Guinea, France, Nigeria, Canada, Tuvalu, Peru, Somalia] (The Ecologist, Mar. 2002)

Are global poverty and inequality getting worse? Robert Wade vs Martin Wolf (Prospect, Mar. 2002)

ILO Tackles Social Consequences of Globalization: The International Labour Organization (ILO) today launched a top-level commission comprising Presidents, politicians, academics, social experts and a Nobel Economics laureate which, for the first time, will address the social dimension of globalization. (International Labour Organization, 27 Feb. 2002)

Cross-party Support for Tobin Tax [UK]: A cross-party Commons group of senior backbenchers, including several former Ministers, is urging the Chancellor Gordon Brown to "take steps towards the introduction of an internationally co-ordinated Currency Transactions Tax." (Harry Barnes MP, 25 Feb. 2002) 

NETAID: High-Tech Anti-Poverty Promoter Refocuses On Education - Online donation portal NetAid [backed partly by Cisco] has refocused its efforts to support charities that provide education in developing countries, scaling back its original mission after coming under fire for its initial flashy efforts, the San Jose Mercury News reported yesterday. (UN Wire, 26 Feb. 2002)

Ecuador jungle provinces in emergency over protests: Ecuador's President Gustavo Noboa decreed a state of emergency in two Amazon jungle provinces where protesters have blocked work on a $1.1 billion oil pipeline, a statement said. (Reuters, 26 Feb. 2002) 

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: Annan Urges "Responsible Prosperity": In a pep talk to developed countries delivered today at the London School of Economics, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan called on the world to use three major U.N. conferences to take dramatic action against environmental degradation and poverty...Annan blasted "powerful interest groups within rich countries" for holding up a "development round" of trade talks meant to "fully open the markets of those countries to labor-intensive exports from poor ones." (UN Wire, 25 Feb. 2002)

Protesters demand Starbucks pay fair prices for beans:...Starbucks sells Fair Trade coffee in bulk, but does not brew it on a regular basis. (Associated Press, 23 Feb. 2002)

Jospin calls for public-private partnership on global development: Prime Minister Lionel Jospin called for a partnership between governments and private businesses on global development to ensure people have access to the four "fundamental rights" of a safe environment, water, health and education...He also urged the establishment of rules on transparency and a clear definition of companies' "social and environmental responsibilities".  (AFX, 22 Feb. 2002)

INFRASTRUCTURE: Poor States Need Private Investment, World Bank Says (David Harrison, UN Wire, 20 Feb. 2002)

Fallacies about the theory of FDI: its conceptual and methodological pitfalls - There should be no open-door policy in developing countries towards foreign direct investment in general, the following article asserts, challenging the received wisdom on FDI and pointing to the imperative of harnessing domestic resources for development. (Yash Tandon, Director of the Southern and Eastern African Trade Information and Negotiations Initiative [SEATINI], 15-28 Feb. 2002, on Third World Network website)

Starbucks braces for another round with eco-protests: Facing mounting pressure from protest groups, Starbucks Corp. this week affirmed its commitment to environmentally friendly products and fair wages for coffee farmers. (Chris Stetkiewicz, Reuters, 15 Feb. 2002)

See's urged to shun cocoa from child labor:...Global Exchange, a San Francisco-based human-rights organization, will stage demonstrations today at two See's stores in San Diego and 29 of the company's outlets elsewhere to protest the use of child labor in the cocoa-farming industry. The actions by the group are also designed to pressure See's and other candy manufacturers like Mars and Hershey's to begin using cocoa produced on so-called Fair Trade cooperatives in Africa and Latin America. (Frank Green, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Feb. 2002)

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: Annan Pushes For "Coherent Vision" - It is "clear that sustainable development cannot be achieved without strong links between environmental issues and the U.N.' s overarching agenda for poverty eradication, human rights and peacebuilding" (UN Wire, 14 Feb. 2002)

Responses to the Challenges of Globalization: A Study on the International Monetary and Financial System and on Financing for Development (European Commission, 13 Feb. 2002)

Helping Africa's Banks to Help Africa [regarding African banks financing development in Africa] (allAfrica.com, 13 Feb. 2002)

The Poor Speak Up: Leaders of the developing world are rising up with a strength not seen since Tito, Nasser and Nehru, challenging the rules of globalization as defined by both Western governments and Western activists (Rana Foroohar, Newsweek International, 12 Feb. 2002)

Private Firms and Nonprofits Link Up to Help Bridge "Digital Divide": The Global Digital Opportunity Initiative...aims to close the "digital divide" by providing pro-bono expertise and tools to help developing countries meet healthcare and education needs, and reduce poverty...Private companies, including AOL Time Warner, Cisco Systems, Grameen Bank, Hewlett-Packard, n-Logue Communication, PicoPeta Simputers, and Sun Microsystems, will offer their services together with nonprofit and international organizations...So far three countries--Bolivia, Tanzania, and Mozambique--have applied to take part in the program. (Beth Bolitho, OneWorld, 11 Feb. 2002) 

Brazil coffee more eco-friendly - grower:...Rodrigues said that quality was no longer the only issue and that roasters were prepared to pay a premium to help fund projects to protect the environment and aid local coffee communities. (Peter Blackburn, Reuters, 6 Feb. 2002)

Annan urges business leaders to lead fight against Third World poverty:..."Think of ways that your company can help mobilise global science and technology to tackle the interlocking crises of hunger, disease, environmental degradation and conflict that are holding back the developing world," he told the World Economic Forum. (AFP, in Business Recorder [Pakistan], 5 Feb. 2002)

Action has to follow ‘Davos in New York’ say unions: "We need a rights-based approach to globalisation and are we going to find the funds to alleviate poverty and kick-start the global economy?" said Mr Ryder [new acting General Secretary of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions] (Global Unions, 5 Feb. 2002)

UN's Annan Warns Not to Punish Poor for Being Poor: Declaring globalization could backfire on the world economy, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned business leaders on Monday they ignored the billions of poor in the world at their peril. (Evelyn Leopold, Financial Times, 5 Feb. 2002)

Summit chief says "enlightened" businesses understand benefits of sustainable development: Secretary General of the Johannesburg Summit, Nitin Desai has called on major corporations around the world to dramatically increase their involvement in sustainable development initiatives. (International Chamber of Commerce, 4 Feb. 2002)

The bottom line is hope: Companies must take the lead in ensuring that globalisation benefits the many, not just the few, says Kofi Annan (Kofi Annan, Financial Times, 4 Feb. 2002)

WEF consensus that trade more important than aid in cutting poverty, ministers say: Government ministers summing up discussion at the World Economic Forum (WEF) said there was a consensus that official aid to the Third World must increase but trade could do more to reduce poverty. (AFP, 4 Feb. 2002)

Earth Summit Must Focus On Environ Rights: Olver - The agenda of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) must focus on the environmental rights of the poor, [South Africa's] Environment and Tourism director general Crispian Olver said on Friday. (South African Press Association, 2 Feb. 2002)

How Small And Medium-sized Enterprises In Developing Countries Can Protect The Ozone Layer: New Publication -...This handbook assists owners, operators and employees of SMEs [Small And Medium-sized Enterprises] in developing countries in assessing whether their current operations involve the use of Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS). It also provides tools that show ways to substantially reduce and eventually eliminate ODS use. (U.N. Environment Programme, Feb. 2002)

"The Public Eye on Davos" in New York: International Conference from January 31 - February 3, 2002 - The thematic focus is on the negative impacts of a one-sided economic globalization, and alternatives to the neoliberal model that are oriented around a socially just and environmentally sustainable development. (coordinated by the Berne Declaration, 31 Jan.-3 Feb. 2002)

Round Table Report: Development Agency Round Table on Corporate Social Responsibility...The objective of the Round Table was to assess the role of bilateral development agencies in promoting pro-poor CSR and explore how development agencies could interact with the international business and development communities and developing countries, particularly in the context of preparations for the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development. (International Institute for Environment and Development, 28-29 Jan. 2002)

Amnesty International USA Award Remarks by BSR's Bob Dunn [CEO, Business for Social Responsibility]:..."At their worst, companies support repressive governments, rely on the military and police to secure private gain, and engage directly in the abuse of their own workers. At their best, companies can bring pressure to bear on regimes that are human rights violators, collaborate with others to promote economic and social justice, and they demonstrate respect for the rights of others wherever they do business around the world.." (Bob Dunn, CEO, Business for Social Responsibility, 28 Jan. 2002)

A genuine development agenda for the Doha round of WTO negotiations (Joint statement signed by CAFOD, Save the Children, Oxfam, Action Aid, World Vision, Christian Aid, The Fairtrade Foundation, Traidcraft, ITDG and World Development Movement, 25 Jan. 2002)

Procter & Gamble to Provide $1.5 Million to TechnoServe to Help Small-Scale Coffee Growers In Latin America:..."P&G's and TechnoServe's shared goal is to find a sustainable way of making coffee growing as profitable as possible for as many people as possible" (joint press statement by TechnoServe and Procter & Gamble, 23 Jan. 2002)

Green campaign to link UK poverty with environment: Green activist group Friends of the Earth launched a campaign last week to pressure the British government to tackle poverty by linking environmental and social problems (Neil Chatterjee, Reuters, 21 Jan. 2002)

Top 1% earn as much as the poorest 57%: The world's richest 50m people earn as much as the poorest 2.7bn...Research from Branko Milanovic [a senior World Bank economist], published today in the Economic Journal, shows a staggering increase in global inequality (Larry Elliott and Charlotte Denny, Guardian [UK], 18 Jan. 2002)

Bauchi NLC Raises Posers On Excess Oil Revenue [Nigeria]: The Bauchi State Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has asked the Federal Government to account for the excess revenue which accrued to it by way of fuel price increases and favourable international price of crude oil. (This Day [Lagos], 18 Jan. 2002)

World inequality rises: The world is becoming a more unequal place, with a growing gap between rich and poor households, a study has said. The news will raise concerns about the effects of globalisation on the world's poor. (Steve Schifferes, BBC News, 17 Jan. 2002)

Nigeria: UNDP sets up fund to fight poverty - A fund to promote poverty eradication and community development in Nigeria has been launched by the UN Development Programme...Sirka Korpela, director of the UNDP division for business partnerships, described the initiative as an offshoot of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Global Compact. (IRIN - U.N. Integrated Regional Information Network, 17 Jan. 2002)

ICFTU guide to 'new era' of World Bank and IMF poverty programmes (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 17 Jan. 2002)

Working with Ericsson, UN sets up mobile telephone service in Afghanistan:...Ericsson and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) worked to set up a complete mobile telecommunications network dedicated to supporting UN humanitarian operations in the war-ravaged country (UN News Centre, 16 Jan. 2002)

British Workers Shocked By Water Access in Nelspruit [South Africa]: British trade unionists expressed shock and dismay yesterday at the misery suffered by thousands of South Africans through grossly insufficient access to water in Nelspruit where international corporation Bi-Water took control of services two years ago. (Congress of South African Trade Unions, 15 Jan. 2002)

UNI [Union Network International] in campaign for a Tobin tax (Union Network International, 15 Jan. 2002)

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: Toepfer Calls For Flexibility - U.N. Environment Program Executive Director Klaus Toepfer [said] he is encouraged by the attention that was given to the environment, poverty and sustainable development at the World Trade Organization's November ministerial conference in Doha, Qatar. Toepfer said more flexibility in dealing with those issues is needed ahead of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (UN Wire, 14 Jan. 2002)

Bush Seeks Aid for World Bank, Conditionally: President Bush will ask Congress to base future increases in aid to poor countries on evidence that the aid is actually bringing progress in such areas as education, trade and the environment, administration officials said. (Adam Clymer, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2002)

On Corporate Responsibility: Bank [World Bank] starts dialogue with business (World Bank, 10 Jan. 2002)

State of the World: More connected, less stable: The world needs a global war on poverty and environmental degradation that is as aggressive and well funded as the war on terrorism, reports State of the World 2002, which was released today by the Worldwatch Institute, a Washington D.C.-based research organization. (Worldwatch Institute, 10 Jan. 2002)

Nomadic folk can wander no more [regarding the Agta indigenous group in Philippines]: “There came a time when we couldn’t wander anymore,” said David, 50, in fluent Tagalog. “There simply were no boars and deer to hunt. Life had become hard for us.”...The real culprit was corporate logging. (Maurice Malanes, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 9 Jan. 2002)

Nowhere to Run, Nowhere To Hide [Philippines]: The Agtas, peace-loving dwellers and guardians of Sierra Madre's forests, are slowly and painfully being erased from the Philippine anthropological picture, by oppression, exploitation and modernization..."Fifty summers ago, we were a proud race of people. Then the Ilokanos came, Ifugaos, Itnegs bringing along logging and mining. Our lives were never the same again."...In Salak's tribe, five women were raped by gold prospectors and loggers. (Michael A. Bengwayan, Fellow of the New York-based Echoing Green Foundation, 8 Jan. 2002)

New York Times Endorses WHO Report [World Health Organization-commissioned report calling for dramatically increasing health spending in developing countries] (UN Wire, 3 Jan. 2002)

BP Foundation aids action against poverty in East Timor: The BP Foundation is partnering with UNDP and Save the Children Federation to help raise living standards in East Timor. (U.N. Development Programme, 3 Jan. 2002)

FISHING: UNEP Says Developing Countries' Fish Stocks Need Safeguards - Based on new research [conducted in Senegal & Argentina], the U.N. Environment Program warned last week that developing countries that allow foreign fishing fleets to fish in their territorial waters could stand to lose a great deal more than they might gain...."Many local people rely on fish for their livelihoods and as a key source [of] protein needed for health and well-being" (UN Wire, 2 Jan. 2002)

How to Judge Globalism (Amartya Sen, 1998 Nobel Laureate in Economic Science, Master of Trinity College, Cambridge, in The American Prospect, 1 Jan.-14 Jan. 2002)

Globalism's Discontents (Joseph E. Stiglitz, Professor of Economics at Columbia University, former chief economist at the World Bank and chairman of the U.S. Council of Economic Advisers under President Clinton, in American Prospect, 1-14 Jan. 2002)

Coping With Antiglobalization: A Trilogy of Discontents (Jagdish Bhagwati, in Foreign Affairs, Jan./Feb. 2002)

Spreading the Wealth: One of the main claims of the antiglobalization movement is that globalization is widening the gap between the haves and the have-nots...The problem with this new conventional wisdom is that the best evidence available shows the exact opposite to be true. So far, the current wave of globalization, which started around 1980, has actually promoted economic equality and reduced poverty. (David Dollar and Aart Kraay, economists at the World Bank's Development Research Group, in Foreign Affairs, Jan.-Feb. 2002)

Could a Tobin Tax Be Implemented? (OECD, 2002)

Making a Workable Tobin Tax: Don't Believe in the Economic Orthodoxy! (Heikki Patomäki, Network Institute for Global Democratization, 2002)

Progress and possibilities: David Anderson assesses what has been achieved in controlling chemicals that endanger human health and the environment and sets out priorities for further action [includes section: "The hazards of poverty": We know that people living in poverty can also be disproportionately affected by exposure to chemical hazards.] (David Anderson, Canada’s Minister of the Environment & President of UNEP Governing Council, in Our Planet, published by U.N. Environment Programme, 2002)