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GEO/ICAE
Content
1.- ICAE World Assembly News
VISAS Participants must find out if they need a VISA to enter Kenya and if they do need one, they will have to proceed accordingly. ICAE will not be responsible for the issuance of visas. For more information please visit the following websites.
http://www.immigration.go.ke/visa.php http://www.mfa.go.ke/visa.pdf http://www.mfa.go.ke/Kenyamissionsabroad.html
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It is over two decades since the first AIDS patient was diagnosed in Tanzania. In response a number of initiatives were devised and adopted by the government to respond to the pandemic, measures that reflect the progression of official understanding and attitudes about the disease. Initial responses comprised mainly of health measures designed to address curative aspects of the disease. Then, denial about HIV/AIDS, even in official quarters, hampered more effective response to the disease.
The rise of associations of people with or affected by HIV/AIDS spearheaded, parallel to existing responses, psycho-social and policy responses. This brought about two major benefits to the fight against HIV/AIDS. Foremost, it “outed” the disease enabling HIV/AIDS activists to focus more deliberately on addressing stigma, a major barrier in addressing the pandemic at the personal and institutional level. Similarly, concerted advocacy by HIV/AIDS activists brought the disease out of medical isolation viewed purely in health terms, to also consider non medical dimensions. The progression from National AIDS Programmes to an AIDS Commission in the late nineties heralded the multi-sectoral approach currently adopted.
For the most part HIV/AIDS associations have confined their responses to the impact of the individual and community level. Overwhelmingly their response is service oriented e.g. provision of home based care; nutrition programmes; provision of legal services; widow or orphan care; and HIV/AIDS support groups something that hinders their ability to focus on more strategic concerns related to HIV/AIDS. Only a small number mix advocacy with service provision. Accordingly while Tanzania in the mid nineties declared HIV/AIDS a national calamity, few organizations have built on this opportunity to advance in a meaningful manner HIV/AIDS advocacy efforts. Instead, what is new in existing and upcoming HIV/AIDS initiatives is the location; or the gender and youth focus.
HIV/AIDS organizations, mainly veteran associations that have introduced policy advocacy initiatives in their programming require capacity in translating this in practical policy results and interventions. For example, some HIV/AIDS organizations are pressurizing the government to make ARVs accessible to People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). While the government receives due attention in taking measures to make this a reality, little attention is given to the role of pharmaceuticals in facilitating treatment options. Surely, other than an official commitment to facilitate treatment, on principle, there is very little the government can do, in practical terms, to provide ARVs on a mass scale.
This, however, is something local pharmaceuticals can do and should be obliged to do. And a few have risen to the challenge leading discussions with the government under various trade agreements like the East African Community Treaty on Common Markets. Local pharmaceutical companies like the Tanzania Pharmaceutical Industries (TPI), not HIV/AIDS associations, are challenging the monopoly of foreign companies in the production and distribution of ARVs. They capitalize on their geographical location to build a case for ARV production more suited to local populations and at more affordable rates. An added benefit to their proposal is the prospect of creating jobs for local the population. Certainly this development presents an opportunity for partnership between the HIV/AIDS community and the business community that includes aspects of HIV/AIDS advocacy and corporate social responsibility yet to be explored but it is a sector HIV/AIDS activist are noticeably absent and silent from.
Equally important is the need for more strategic responses vis á vis the HIV/AIDS pandemic, not only by the government but also by community institutions. The policy and legal framework focuses on “formalized” aspects of discrimination against PLWHA or those affected by HIV/AIDS. Thus due attention is given to the employer- employee relationships; access to health care; and to a smaller extent the question of legal services to PLWHA and their families. These measures, however, fall short of infusing the radical spice to significantly impact PLWHA or their families since they fail to address the primary cause of unhindered HIV/AIDS transmission: the traditional interpretation of the family institution and the unequal relationship between parties in the family union.
Indeed, transmission patterns in Africa, Tanzania included, is largely heterosexual and the majority of those affected or infected with the HIV/AIDS virus are married men and women, not sex workers, not single women or homosexuals. This is an important fact to consider as it dispels a major myth that continues to date with regards to stereotyping HIV/AIDS victims; or its transmission. It was this breakthrough that enabled HIV/AIDS researchers in the west to begin expanding their investigation to the disease and its transmission beyond the homosexual community or intravenous drug users. The fact that HIV/AIDS in Africa and Asia is transmitted mainly through heterosexual contact allowed the Sodom and Gomorrah theory which confined the problem against a particular group in the society considered immoral to be dispelled.
What is interesting is that in spite the knowledge most institutions representative of patriarchal authority lack a will to redress this situation e.g. by singling out as immoral the unequal relationship between man and wife that allows the man unfettered sexual access compromising the health and life of his spouse. Many times this is done with the full endorsement of public and legal institutions under the rubric of preserving the religious or cultural order when in effect the interest is in preserving the status quo rather than guarantee equal protection and treatment to both spouses even when the same is required by the constitutional order. Indeed women the world over, and particularly in Africa, are vulnerable to HIV transmissions not only from their partners but also when performing their reproductive functions e.g. during child birth or taking care of family members infected with the disease. Yet, we are yet to have legal mechanisms that address this aspect of their vulnerability. If anything there is resistance and denial about what is at issue in empowering women in exercising greater controls over their bodies and lives.
Additionally, whereas the individual is sanctified under most religions and cultures recognize ungendered interpretations impose limits to the exercise of individual authority when it relates to the female sex, confirming the continued discrimination against women in public and private spheres: Under the constitutional and civil orders men and women have equal rights by virtue of their citizenship. In practice, however, women continue to be considered second class citizens and consistently denied the protection of the law due to any citizen of a nation state. Widows with HIV/AIDS are doubly punished: They are recklessly infected with the virus and the disposed of jointly acquired property; from the investments made to their families. In most cases the law requires they be looked after by their children or in-laws, even those they brought them up!
This is a moral aspect that is yet to be addressed and a recent High Court decision on the inheritance status of widows raises serious questions about the willingness of key public sectors to transform our thinking beyond the cultural rubric, one that is parochial and unsuitable to present realities. In the case of Elizabeth Stephen and another vs. the Attorney General (Miscellaneous Civil Cause no. 82 of 2005) the High Court in a judgment delivered by Justice Mihayo dismissed an application lodged by the applicants, two widows, requesting the court to uphold their constitutional and civic rights by declaring discriminatory customary laws and provisions that continue to deny women property rights as unconstitutional. The judges declined to do so fearing opening up Pandora ’s Box by inviting legal challenge to the practices of about 120 tribes following the same path. Interestingly, while Tanzania gained her independence four decades ago, the legal fraternity represented by these justices seems oblivious to this fact choosing instead to invoke and apply a reasoning based on a colonial reference, one that reflects a narrow appreciation of African culture as being homogenous and static not dynamic.
In my long legal and activist carrier I know of very few families, affected or not with HI/AIDS, being provided for by the “guardian” as required by courts or some religious orders. In fact cases of mal-administration of family property, whether by self appointed guardians or those appointed by the court or clan abound with many families being impoverished by greedy relatives with no effective recourse to oblige performance or restitution of the plundered property. Importantly, in this day and age, what is the logic of requiring a blood relation who may be a stranger to the family to assume responsibility of family affairs he has little competence in or will to execute? Does the experience of the female spouse who for years looked after the family count for nothing? This is a clear case of de facto discrimination and should be termed as such.
Undeniably, significant progress has been made with regards responding to the pandemic. In this respect, the introduction of a policy and legal framework on HIV/AIDS in Tanzania provides a wider focus on addressing existing and potential challenges related to HIV/AIDS, though presently more attention is given to issues of labour discrimination and treatment options reflecting present, not strategic concerns. Until now the war against HIV/AIDS is defined in militaristic terms: strategies to combat HIV/AIDS; bracing for a national calamity; fighting the scourge etc. We are yet to define it in human terms not only in so far as the health or economic implications but also in so far as the political implications to a class that is vulnerable to the infection.
How can concerted efforts against HIV/AIDS succeed if, at its outset and at the most fundamental level the effort is not collective? How can transmission be curbed when one party is unsuspecting and not empowered to suppress transmission? How can any progress be made in the HIV/AIDS battle if, current strategies are superficial and isolated? Recognizing women’s bodily integrity and full agency in the family are important ingredients in transforming the HIV/AIDS menace. It is in this regard that I call for a radical response in tackling HIV/AIDS and its impact. I believe rather than viewing HIV/AIDS solely in a negative light, it offers us immense possibilities to re-define social relations and values a new, in ways that are more suited to our present realities and experiences.
Salma Maoulidi, Executive Director of Sahiba¶Sisters Foundation, a women’s development network based in Tanzania.
************************************ 3.- WORLD AIDS DAY 2006
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
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We ask you to join us: 1. Via Internet (before December 31) at the following Website: http://www.fund-culturadepaz.org/PEACE.htm. 2. Via SMS (mobile phone) (before December 31) sending the word PEACE to: § 911061589 (from within Spain) § +34696061589 (from other countries) 3. In addition, to the extent possible, please join in the following activities: 1. Educational institutions: spend 30 minutes on December 11 (or any other day) explaining to students the reason for the Declaration and this call for mobilization. (And any other activities you consider appropriate: gatherings, acts conducted on school grounds, etc.) 2. Town councils, government institutions and private entities: announce and publicize the Declaration in the manner that you deem most appropriate, and organize acts (minutes of silence, etc.) to demonstrate support for the Declaration. 3. Sports activities and performances: a minute demonstrating support before commencing the event or at half-time or between acts. And use other means (audiovisuals, statements from professional athletes, etc.) to promote support for the Declaration. 4. Religious celebrations: on December 10 briefly discuss the document; referring to it in writing... 5. Communications media: make use of them in the best way in which you believe they can contribute to peace and to the fight against poverty. October, 2006 STATEMENT IN FAVOR OF LIFE, OF PEACE, OF EQUALITY
According to the FAO 35,000 children die from hunger each day. This is genocide of appalling proportions, which we witness with apathy daily. At the same time it is estimated that 2,800 million dollars are spent daily on weapons, while US and European Union agricultural subsidies amount to 800 million dollars a day. There are no funds for the treatment of AIDS... while to a large extent the global economy is ruled by the profits of the military war industry. It is essential that we share more fairly. There are no better breeding grounds for radicalization, hostility and aggression than humiliation and exclusion. Violence is never justifiable, but its origins must be closely examined. Instead of strengthening multilateralism and endowing the United Nations with the means and authority to implement a global development plan to the benefit of all, the natural resources of progressively impoverished countries continue to be exploited, and their citizens are forced to emigrate in circumstances that frequently offend their dignity. Genuine democracy cannot be built and consolidated with captive votes and blind obedience and fear. The world’s great challenges and inequalities on all fronts cannot be addressed through wars of greed, demonstrations of force, military strikes and invasions based on economic and energy interests, generating a spiral of violence, of action and reaction, and of interventions and reprisals. Government leaders have abdicated their political responsibilities, replacing universal values with the laws of the market place. The result has been a concentration of wealth in very few hands, and an ever-widening social and economic gap between the rich and the poor.
NO TO POVERTY! In a great roar heard worldwide we must demand that our government leaders give priority to fulfilling the Millennium Objectives. We must forsake complacence for personal involvement.
Let us once again proclaim that we do not justify attacks and violence, no matter what their origin. We condemn all terrorism: terrorism of groups hidden in the shadows, and terrorism of the state. Torture and cruel and degrading punishment is being used in constant violation of international and humanitarian law. The International Community must put an end to this savagery and massacre. As set forth in the United Nations Charter, all peoples must be able to decide their destiny. We must urgently join the voices of all peoples of the earth to say
NO TO WAR AND VIOLENCE. We have remained silent too long, but this silence must stop. The peoples will raise their voices. War is a tragedy for all. It is urgent that we disarm this armed reason. Today more than ever we need the capacity for dialogue and alliance, a commitment to resolving conflicts peacefully, supporting attitudes of convergence and respect for others, through the application of human rights in our daily lives. It is necessary to change our present course through collective actions, fomenting solidarity among all peoples. It is urgent that intellectuals, artists, educators, scientists... abandon their passive attitudes and take action. Only then will their works and their words become credible, enabling them to contribute their efforts to those of others who seek to stop the madness of war, confrontation and violence. The time of the peoples has come. And above all, the time of those young people, men and women who believe that another world is possible. Public institutions and the media must help the citizens of the world to finally cease to be mere spectators and to take up their tasks as protagonists in designing the future. Government leaders, parliamentarians, members of municipal councils... all have a special responsibility in bringing about this historic change. The time has likewise come for even the most diverse cultures and religions, united in their inherent solidarity and love for their fellow men, to take up their place at the forefront in the effort to rescue human dignity.
All peoples must join social, cultural, political and spiritual resistance movements, refusing to cooperate with violence and injustice, and uniting with others to denounce those responsible for the domination and pain that afflict humanity. We must stand up for peace and march toward new horizons of life, not death. After all, this is our hope. In view of the above and with our sights set on the future generations, we call on all of those who are equally concerned to demonstrate their support for peace through all available means, whether live or virtual.
NO TO WAR AND VIOLENCE! YES TO PEACE AND JUSTICE!
For 24 hours, throughout the world on we will demonstrate with our voices or in the media the next days 10th and 11th of December, 2006, in commemoration of the Universal Declaration of the Human Rights. If we make progress, in these advances we will soon achieve a “globalized conscience”, the source of real independence for the world’s peoples.
Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, Peace Nobel, Argentina Mario Soares, Former President of Portugal Federico Mayor Zaragoza, President Fundación Cultura de Paz, Spain Pere Casaldàliga, Bishop, Brazil Danielle Mitterrand, President France Libertés, France François Houtart, Theologian, Belgium Montserrat Ponsa, Journalist, Catalunya, Spain Luís Eduardo Aute, Cantautor, Spain Arcadi Oliveras, President Justicia i Pau, Catalunya, Spain Ernesto Cardenal, Theologian, Nicaragua Marilia Guimaraes, President Committee Defense of the Humanity, Brazil Handel Guayasamín, Architect, Ecuador Silvio Rodríguez, Cantautor, Cuba James Cockcroft, Writer, USA Eliseu Climent, Valencia, Spain José Enrique González Ruiz, Mexico Giovanni Parapini, Journalist, Rome
Marianna Masciolini,
Comunication, Rome ****************************************
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6.- IN 2006 THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF EAEA WAS IN AVILÉS, SPAIN.
2006 was election year in EAEA. Our topic this year was "Fighting Poverty through Learning", and the theme for our Conference will be "The Future of Adult Learning". The EAEA General Assembly 2006 opened on November 17th. We believe that in spite of the efforts made towards social and economic development, poverty is pervasive and difficult to eradicate. At present, about fifteen per cent of the population of the EU is at risk of poverty, and some groups are more acutely affected than others. These include women, children, people with disabilities, and minority ethnic groups. For this reason EAEA would like to contribute to the process of poverty reduction by promoting adult learning and active citizenship. This year´s ceremony for the EAEA 4th Grundtvig Award - Fighting Poverty through Learning, in Avilés, Asturias, was complemented by a series of seminars and additional activities. The Lifelong Learning Festival in Spain and the General Assembly of FEUP took place simultaneously. Two awards was granted: The Grundtvig Prize, for a project realised inside Europe, and the Special Merit Grundtvig Prize for a project from outside Europe. During this 4-day event participants also had the opportunity to visit the Final Exhibition of Lifelong Learning Activities in Museums and Libraries Project (DILLMULI). The EAEA Thematic conference focused on the topic "Communication on Adult Learning". The entire event was organised in close cooperation with the Federación Española de Universidades Populares (FEUP) and included the Celebration of the 4th Grundtvig Award. The first part of this 4-day event was be the EAEA thematic conference, followed by the General Assembly of FEUP and the EAEA General Assembly. The second part commenced with the official inauguration of the "Lifelong Learning, Adult Education and Reduction of Poverty" event, which was supplemented by workshops and cultural activities. Participants will have the chance to participate in the Lifelong Learning Festival in Spain. The event ended with the official ceremony at which the EAEA 4th Grundtvig Award was awarded.
********************************************** 7.- CREATION OF LATIN AMERICAN GROUP OF SPECIALISTS IN LITERACY AND WRITTEN CULTURE, MEMBER OF CREFAL
On 16 and 17 November of this year the Latin American Group of Specialists in Literacy and Written Culture (GLEACE, for its acronym in Spanish) was established; it is member of CREFAL (Center of Regional Cooperation for Adult Education in Latin America and the Caribbean).
WHY A GROUP OF LATIN AMERICAN SPECIALISTS, NOW?
Within this context, and departing from the results of this study, emerged the idea of convoking and gathering a select group of Latin American specialists in youth and adult education, literacy and written culture, bearing in mind the need to:
Document in Spanish:
Website in Spanish:
The outcome document of this meeting, featuring standpoints and proposals, is currently in elaboration process and will be circulated in Spanish and English by 2007.
The specialists that accepted the invitation of CREFAL and
participated in this first meeting are: Lola Cendales
(Colombia), Isabel Infante (Chile), Judith Kalman (Mexico), Vera
Masagao (Brazil) and Rosa María Torres (Ecuador, group
coordinator).
********************************** 9.- IMPACT OF CUTS IN ADULT EDUCATION - FINDINGS PUBLISHED BY NIACE The National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) today (Thursday 30th November 2006) publishes evidence of the widespread concern across the country that cuts in adult education diminish economic opportunity and impoverish the lives of thousands of people, particularly pensioners. The report – The case for adult learning: access all areas - has been compiled from evidence gathered over the past 6 months through NIACE’s Big Conversation. Adult learners, providers and organisations submitted evidence; attended events and debates; and contacted the media and MPs to voice their overwhelming concerns for the future of adult learning. The case for adult learning: access all areas describes the purpose, roll-out and impact of the Big Conversation; provides a snapshot of local news coverage about the cuts in adult learning provision; offers a flavour of the responses received from learners and practitioners on a range of topics; cites an array of evidence received at NIACE’s Big Conversation Enquiry; and concludes with NIACE’s view and recommendations. Alan Tuckett, Director of NIACE, said, “A wider range of high-quality learning opportunities will help to transform the lives of adults, their families, neighbourhoods and communities, as well as society as a whole. However, this report illustrates, that there is a distinct risk – through the narrowing of priorities - of limiting access to the wider range of opportunities to those with the deepest pockets. The evidence of NIACE’s Big Conversation is that we need more, not less, adult learning. To secure it will mean increased levels of investment from government, employers and from learners who can afford to pay more.” He concluded, “Overall, there are many challenges but what is clear is that NIACE’s Big Conversation alone cannot score a quick win against real cuts. What needs to happen now is the process of winning hearts and minds to better appreciate the public value of a wide range of lifelong learning opportunities for all. Otherwise there is the very real danger of the destruction of a much-valued and essential public service.” For further information please contact: Ed Melia, NIACE Press Officer, on 0116 204 4248 or 07795 358 870. Notes to Editors 1. The case for adult learning: access all areas provides a summary of findings from the Big Conversation conducted by NIACE in the six months from May 2006. 2. Copies of The case for adult learning: access all areas have been sent to a range of MPs including Bill Rammell MP, Minister of State for Lifelong Learning and Further and Higher Education; and Phil Hope MP, Minister for Skills. 3. Electronic copies of the dossier The case for adult learning: access all areas are available to journalists. Please contact Ed Melia, NIACE Press Officer on 0116 204 4248 or 07795 358 870 or email: ed.melia@niace.org.uk 4. The National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) in England and Wales is the leading non-government organisation for lifelong learning and exists to encourage more and different adults to engage in better quality learning of all kinds and campaigns for, and celebrates the achievements of, all adult learners.
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10.- WORLD SOCIAL FORUM 2007, 20-25 JANUARY, NAIROBI
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Social Forums around the world
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