SOUTH AFRICAN LAWYER BECOMES NEW UN RIGHTS EXPERT ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

A South African lawyer who has also worked as an academic in the human rights field and a campaigner against domestic violence has taken over as the new United Nations independent expert to tackle violence against women.

Rashida Manjoo succeeds Yakin Ertürk as the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, and has been initially appointed by the UN Human Rights Council until June 2012.

"Violence against women violates human dignity, as well as numerous rights, including the right to equality, physical integrity, freedom and non-discrimination," said Ms. Manjoo, according to a press statement issued today in Geneva, where the Human Rights Council is based.

"I believe that equality and equal protection doctrines demand that we address violence against women, in all its manifestations, as discrimination against women. It is my hope to work within this framework during my mandate."

Ms. Manjoo has both taught and conducted research at several universities, including Webster University and Harvard Law School, both in the United States, as well as the University of Cape Town.

In her native South Africa, Ms. Manjoo was also a former parliamentary commissioner of the Commission on Gender Equality, conducted training programmes for judges and lawyers on law, race and gender issues, and set up a domestic violence assistance programme at the Durban Magistrates Court, the first such project in a court in her country.

Like other rapporteurs who report to the Human Rights Council, Ms. Manjoo will serve in an unpaid and independent capacity.
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Clinton in South Africa

Hillary Clinton must support African efforts to address governance and post-conflict rebuilding, says ActionAid

ActionAid is calling on Hilary Clinton to work with African leaders to help restore the fragile democratic systems in neighbouring countries.

"We are calling on Secretary of State Clinton to take a strong stand in support of human rights and the rule of law in the region," said Njeri Mwangi Kinyoho, ActionAid’s policy manager in East and Southern Africa.

The US needs to help people rebuild their lives after years of sanctions and political infighting that have brought countries like Zimbabwe to the brink of economic collapse.

"In Zimbabwe we are witnessing a return to normal life. People are beginning to have hope and the coalition government is really trying its best to see this through. The US needs to look at the situation again and help to rebuild a country that has been shattered by bad politics," she added.

"Zimbabwe’s path of national reconciliation needs all the support it can get to guard against another bout of violence derailing reforms that are currently underway. The US should increase its assistance to support reconciliation and development."

Hilary Clinton’s visit to South Africa comes at a time when the government is facing huge strikes, threatening to derail the new administration, along with an influx of economic migrants.

"In South Africa we need the Obama government to support the African Union Governance Project, holding African governments accountable to their citizens and ensuring basic services to the poor. This would

put a stop to the problems crippling service delivery prompting the massive strikes," said Zanele Twala ActionAid South Africa Country Director.

SOUTH AFRICAN RIOTS OVER HOUSING AND SERVICES SPARK CONCERN FROM UN AGENCY

The United Nations agency tasked with promoting adequate shelter for all has voiced alarm at the riots over housing and basic services that have engulfed many South African townships over the past week.

Demonstrators protesting over the state of their housing, water, electricity and sanitation services have clashed with police in townships across the country, with dozens of people arrested and large amounts of property looted or destroyed.

Daniel Blau, the Director of the Regional and Technical Cooperation Division of the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), said on Friday that while food riots were not uncommon in Africa, it was unusual to have such protests for better housing and services.

"While the Government of South Africa has provided important subsidies for social housing in recent years, the global crisis affects directly the urban poor in this country," he said.

"That crisis was ignited by the mismanagement of the United States housing finance sector. It has now an impact on the housing conditions of the African poor. Housing is increasingly at the core of economic and social development."
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VAST STRETCH OF AFRICAN SAVANNAH RIPE FOR COMMERCIAL FARMING – UN

Unlocking the potential of a massive stretch of savannah spanning 25 African nations could boost commercial farming on the continent, according to a new United Nations study.

Some 400 million hectares in the Guinea Savannah zone – stretching from Senegal to South Africa – are ripe for commodity production, but at present, only 10 per cent of that area is actually being farmed, according to the book published by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Bank.

It compares the African savannah with similar areas in north-east Thailand and the Cerrado region of Brazil, which share similar disadvantages. In the case of Thailand, there was abundant but unreliable rainfall, poor soils and a high population density, while in the Cerrado, remoteness, soils prone to acidity and low population were key problems.

In both Thailand and Brazil, governments helped spur agricultural growth "characterized by favourable macroeconomic policies, adequate infrastructure, a strong human capital base, competent government administration, and political instability," the study noted.

Africa, it argued, is better placed to reach its targets due to its use of new technologies; economic, population and urban growth; improved business climates in many countries; and stepped up foreign and domestic investment in agriculture, among other factors.

The smallholder-led agricultural transformation which took place in Thailand, rather than the large-scale farming led by wealthy farmers in Brazil, is a much better model for Africa to follow to ensure equitable development.

"Large-scale mechanized production does not offer any obvious cost advantages, except under certain very specific circumstances and is far more likely to lead to social conflict," said Michael Morris, the World Bank's Lead Agricultural Economist.

Commercializing agriculture will help to dampen the environmental effects of changing how the land is used in the Guinea Savannah, the study found.

However, intensification could also lead to the destruction of vulnerable ecosystems and the overuse of fertilizers and pesticides, it warned, calling on governments to monitor environmental impacts and take action to minimize damage.
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FLOODS DISPLACE THOUSANDS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA, UN SAYS

Floods across southern Africa, caused by extreme rainfall, have caused massive damage to land and property and displaced thousands of people, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said today.

In Angola alone, the lives of 160,000 people have been upset by the rains and OCHA fears that number is likely to increase, with schools and other public buildings being used as shelter, interrupting education and other public services.

With some $600,000 already allocated to various emergency actions in Angola, UN humanitarian agencies are requesting more funds for shelter, food and other necessities from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), which is managed by OCHA.

In Namibia, where 13,000 people have been displaced, many health facilities and schools are either flooded or inaccessible, the Office reported.

Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba has declared an emergency for the north-central and north-eastern part of the country and appealed for international assistance. In response, a Flash Appeal based on the outstanding needs jointly identified by the Government, the UN and humanitarian partners, is being finalized.

In addition, the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) Team has arrived in Namibia to help survey the situation and provide support to the local authorities.

Also in Namibia, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) is assisting with sanitation and communication materials, as well as with planning for gaps in education and protection of displaced persons. The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) is also supporting protection projects within the relocation camps.

The UN World Health Organization (WHO) has allocated $27,800 to the Namibian Ministry of Health for emergency kits to ensure basic health care for about 10,000 people, which includes five tons of medicine for diarrhoeal diseases and other emergency materials.

On the east coast, Cyclone Izilda is now dissipating south-west of Madagascar but could still pour more rainfall onto central and southern Mozambique, OCHA said.

The Office added that international response to the previous two cyclones that affected Madagascar in January has been adequate, but $400,000 is still required as an emergency measure to rehabilitate 20 classrooms for some 3,000 children who risk losing an entire school year.

Most of Zambia, northern and southern Malawi, and northern Botswana have also been hit by deluges, OCHA said.
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UN RIGHTS CHIEF ‘ENCOURAGED’ BY POSITIVE REACTION TO NEW ANTI-RACISM TEXT

The top United Nations human rights official today said she is "greatly encouraged" by the positive reactions to the shorter version of the draft outcome document for next month's anti-racism conference, calling for efforts towards reaching a consensus to keep pace.

Navi Pillay, High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that all of the ambassadors she has met with so far from all regional groups have indicated that they see the revised text as a "very good basis for negotiations," and appealed to them to "maintain the current momentum and spirit of cooperation."

The Durban Review Conference, scheduled for 20-24 April in Geneva, will assess progress in implementing the measures adopted at 2001 World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, held in South Africa eight years ago.

Regarding the text, ambassadors told Ms. Pillay that "any fine-tuning or improvements should minimal" and that the "fundamental balances contained in the current text should not be reopened."

They also told the UN official that "this text meets the basic requirements of all concerned, while still being substantive and adding value to the fight against racism, xenophobia and similar forms of intolerance," she said.

When the shortened, but still substantive, version of the text was released last week following consultation with all regional groups and interested delegations, the High Commissioner voiced hope that it would be a "major turning point" in preparations for the Conference. She has acknowledged that the text has been the target of criticism by those who fear a repetition of the anti-Semitic outbursts witnessed in Durban.
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Manuel Pushes For A More 'Multilateral' Fund.

The reform of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is an essential part of the battle to stem a drift towards nationalism and protectionism, South African Finance Minister Trevor Manuel has told the FT.

At the G20 finance ministers' meeting, South Africa will call for developing countries to be given greater weight in the governance of the IMF, but Manuel also called for the creation of a new executive body in which ministers and central bankers would have greater powers, a change he calls 'pivotal'.

South Africa and Australia are chairing a G20 committee on the IMF. Manuel is separately chairing a panel of experts looking at ways to make the institution a more effective global financial watchdog.

In a related story, Xinhua reports that Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao called on Friday for reforms of the internal governance structure of the IMF to fend off financing and investment risks, balance rights and obligations and pay more attention to the interests of developing countries.