Knowledge Centre : Aotearoa New Zealand : Upcoming Events in NZ

Fair Trade Fortnight Quiz!  new

Test your knowledge of fair trade with this quiz and be in to win a basket of fair trade goodies (for Aotearoa New Zealand residents only). Entries close 16 May 2008.

http://www.dev-zone.org/downloads/Fair%20trade%20quiz%202008%20final.doc

(Added: Fri May 02 2008   Hits: 45)

Knowledge Centre : Development Practice : Aid : Donors : USAID

Transitioning US Food Aid toward Local and Regional Purchase [pdf]  new

Each year millions of tons of food are shipped from the United States as food aid to respond to crises resulting from droughts, conflicts and severe poverty. While there is little doubt that this aid has saved countless lives, it is also clear that the US program, designed over 50 years ago when the US had abundant food surpluses to dispose of, is enormously inefficient (ActionAid International, September 2007).

http://www.actionaidusa.org/assets/pdfs/food_rights/foodaid_policysummary_final1.pdf

(Added: Fri May 02 2008   Hits: 11)

Knowledge Centre : Development Practice : Capacity Building

Producer Organisations: A Guide to Developing Collective Rural Enterprises  new

This guide, produced for Oxfam GB, reviews Oxfam's wide experience of working with many different kinds of producer organisations (POs), and summarises background information on producer organisations in general. Small-scale producers face many opportunities but also huge challenges in today's markets. While it is important not to expect too much of producer organisations working in weak rural markets, there are several examples of successful facilitation by funding agencies. The guide uses case studies from El Salvador, Viet Nam, Malawi, Mozambique, Palestine, Albania, India, Colombia, and Georgia (Chris Penrose-Buckley,Oxfam,2007) .

http://publications.oxfam.org.uk/oxfam/display.asp?K=e2007030717034144

(Added: Fri May 02 2008   Hits: 55)

Knowledge Centre : Development Practice : Project Management

Strengthening humanitarian networks: Applying the network functions approach [pdf]  new

This note offers a simple, flexible and powerful methodology the network functions approach (NFA) that can be applied to analyse and strengthen humanitarian and development networks (Ben Ramalingam, Enrique Mendizabal and Ed Schenkenberg van Mierop, ODI Publications, April 2008).

http://www.odi.org.uk/publications/background-notes/0804-strengthening-humanitarian-networks.pdf

(Added: Fri May 02 2008   Hits: 16)

Knowledge Centre : Economy : Corporate (Ir)Responsibility

Is CSR just Corporates Saying the Right things? [pdf]  new

The best way to improve business development impact is to create mechanisms that reward businesses financially for increasing their contribution to development. This Opinion restates ODI's call for a 'Good for Development' label for companies that make a genuine impact on local development (Karen Ellis, ODI Publications, April 2008).

http://www.odi.org.uk/publications/opinions/100_private_sector_karen_ellis_apr08.pdf

(Added: Fri May 02 2008   Hits: 12)

The Human Cost of Energy: Chevron's Continuing Role in Financing Oppression and Profiting From Human Rights Abuses in Military-Ruled Burma [pdf]  new

This report documents Chevron's ongoing role in financing and profiting from the military regime in Burma. This is the first comprehensive report on conditions in the Yadana pipeline region since Chevron acquired Unocal's interest in 2005, and documents the continued serious human rights violations by pipeline security forces, including forced labor, murder, rape and torture. The report also describes Chevron's continuing legal liability associated with abuses in the pipeline region (EarthRights International, April 2008).

http://www.earthrights.org/files/Burma%20Project/Yadana/HCoE_pages.pdf

(Added: Fri May 02 2008   Hits: 30)

Knowledge Centre : Economy : Development Economics

COMPETITION AND DEVELOPMENT The Power of Competitive Markets  new

This book demonstrates the importance of true and fair competition to sustainable development and an effective marketplace, touching on issues of globalization, consumer welfare, cartels and monopolies, and trade liberalization. It provides an introduction to competition, and competition law and policy in developing countries. It focuses on the practical problems faced in developing countries and the steps that have been and can be taken to overcome those problems (Susan Joekes and Phil Evans, IDRC, 2008).

http://www.idrc.ca/openebooks/405-5/

(Added: Fri May 02 2008   Hits: 13)

Knowledge Centre : Economy : Private Sector

Measuring the impact of business on development [pdf]  new

More work is needed to find ways to measure the development impact of doing better business. The best examples of business impact on development use corporate investment as a springboard for local enterprise (Caroline Ashley. ODI Publications,April 2008).

http://www.odi.org.uk/publications/opinions/101_private_sector_caroline_ashley_apr08.pdf

(Added: Fri May 02 2008   Hits: 1)

Stepping up the ladder: how business can help achieve the MDGs [pdf]  new

Business and development is the topic to watch and work on in 2008. This Opinion outlines the three -- possibly four -- steps to effective engagement of the private sector in efforts to reach the MDGs. It calls for action to seize growing opportunities to build new kinds of development relationships with the private sector( Simon Maxwell, ODI, April 2008).

http://www.odi.org.uk/publications/opinions/99_private_sector_simon_maxwell_apr08.pdf

(Added: Fri May 02 2008   Hits: 42)

Knowledge Centre : Environment : Energy : Renewables

Renewable Energy Technologies and Poverty Alleviation  new

Developing countries need modern and sustainable forms of energy to satisfy the needs of their growing populations and expanding economic activities. Renewable energy technologies are a potential solution, but until now they have not been given the attention they deserve. A variety of documents from the Global Network on Energy for Sustainable Development

http://www.gnesd.org/publications.htm

(Added: Fri May 02 2008   Hits: 49)

Knowledge Centre : Environment : Resources

Perspectives on access to and management of natural resources [pdf]  new

In understanding inequality in access to natural resources the working paper discusses theories of access and entitlement, different conceptual approaches to institutions, and new global changes and political ecology. Three management approaches are examined: community-based natural resource management, decentralization and right-based frameworks. The strength and the weaknesses of the various approaches are highlighted, and it is argued that there is a need to better combine management and the more conceptual approaches to natural resources (Julie Koch,DIIS Working Paper , 2008).

http://www.diis.dk/graphics/Publications/WP2008/WP08-8_Perspectives_on_Access_to_and_Management%20of%20Natural%20Resource.pdf

(Added: Fri May 02 2008   Hits: 23)

Knowledge Centre : Food and Agriculture : Food

Power Hungry: Six Reasons to Regulate Global Food Corporations [pdf]  new

Over the last few decades, food crises have become distressingly common phenomena. Women are often at the center of these emergencies, though the disproportionate impact of hunger on women is too often hidden within the dire aggregate statistics. But the role of women in providing solutions to these crises is also too often overlooked. This discussion paper lays out some of the key issues in modern food crises and explores some opportunities for engaging women more actively in the quest for more effective answers (ActionAid International, 24 January 2006).

http://www.actionaidusa.org/assets/pdfs/food_rights/power_hungry.pdf

(Added: Fri May 02 2008   Hits: 12)

Women and Food Crises: How US Food Aid Policies Can Better Support their Struggles [pdf]  new

Over the last few decades, food crises have become distressingly common phenomena. Women are often at the center of these emergencies, though the disproportionate impact of hunger on women is too often hidden within the dire aggregate statistics. But the role of women in providing solutions to these crises is also too often overlooked. This discussion paper lays out some of the key issues in modern food crises and explores some opportunities for engaging women more actively in the quest for more effective answers (ActionAid International, March 20 2007).

http://www.actionaidusa.org/assets/pdfs/food_rights/report_women_and_food_crisis_paper300.pdf

(Added: Fri May 02 2008   Hits: 8)

Knowledge Centre : Human Rights : Human Rights in Africa

"Every Morning They Beat Me" Police Abuses in Burundi [pdf]  new

This 42-page report documents 21 cases of beatings and torture of civilians carried out in October 2007 by a special reserve unit known as Rapid Mobile Intervention Group (Groupement Mobile d'Intervention Rapide, GMIR) in Muramvya province. Various victims described to Human Rights Watch how they were arbitrarily arrested, beaten with clubs and batons, subjected to death threats and mock executions, and forced to pay large bribes in exchange for freedom (human Rights Watch, 30 April 2008).

http://hrw.org/reports/2008/burundi0408/burundi0408web.pdf

(Added: Fri May 02 2008   Hits: 7)

Knowledge Centre : Human Rights : Human Rights in Asia

"Walking on Thin Ice" Control, Intimidation and Harassment of Lawyers in China [pdf]  new

This 142-page report details consistent patterns of abuses against legal practitioners. These include intimidation, harassment, suspension of professional licenses, disbarment, physical assaults, and even arrest and prosecution when lawyers take politically sensitive cases, seek redress for abuses of power and wrongdoings by party or government agents, or challenge local power-holders (Human Rights Watch, 29 April 2008).

http://www.hrw.org/reports/2008/china0408/china0408web.pdf

(Added: Fri May 02 2008   Hits: 3)

Visualizing Rights: India  new

This fact sheet is intended to contribute to ongoing monitoring work to hold the state accountable for their economic and social rights obligations. The Center for Economic and Social Rights hopes that they will be helpful to various UN and other intergovernmental human rights mechanisms including the Treaty Bodies, Special Rapporteurs and the Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review (Centre for Economic and Social Rights, 2008).

http://cesr.org/node/775

(Added: Fri May 02 2008   Hits: 14)

Knowledge Centre : Human Rights : Human Rights in Latin America and the Caribbean

Visualizing Rights: Bolivia  new

This fact sheet is intended to contribute to ongoing monitoring work to hold the state accountable for their economic and social rights obligations. The Center for Economic and Social Rights hopes that they will be helpful to various UN and other intergovernmental human rights mechanisms including the Treaty Bodies, Special Rapporteurs and the Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review (Centre for Economic and Social Rights, 2008).

http://cesr.org/node/775

(Added: Fri May 02 2008   Hits: 5)

Knowledge Centre : Peace and Conflict : Specific Crises : Burma

Vote to Nowhere: The May 2008 Constitutional Referendum in Burma [pdf]  new

This 61-page report shows that the May 10 referendum in Burma is being carried out in an environment of severe restrictions on access to information, repressive media restrictions, an almost total ban on freedom of expression, assembly, and association, and the continuing widespread detention of political activists. It highlights recent government arrests, harassment and attacks on activists opposed to the draft constitution (Human Rights Watch, 1 May 2008).

http://hrw.org/reports/2008/burma0508/burma0508web.pdf

(Added: Fri May 02 2008   Hits: 7)

Knowledge Centre : Peace and Conflict : Specific Crises : Solomon Islands

The limits of RAMSI [pdf]  new

After five years, much uncertainty remains in the Solomon Islands over the future of RAMSI. As a security force it still enjoys broad support, but there are serious local objections to its role and its semi-permanent nature has brought new problems. In this report, Dr. Tim Anderson explores the impact that RAMSI has had for Solomon Islanders and highlights the Limits of RAMSI.

http://www.aidwatch.org.au/assets/aw01164/The%20Limits%20of%20RAMSI-FINAL.pdf

(Added: Fri May 02 2008   Hits: 19)