CPF2007Issue1

NEWS A publication of the 2007 Commonwealth People’s Forum, Afrikana Hotel, Kampala, Uganda.

Issue 1

Monday, 19th November 2007

Museveni commends civil society's contribution to social struggles

By Lydia Mirembe

U

GANDA'S President Yoweri Museveni yesterday opened the Commonwealth Peoples' Forum (CPF) with a call for increased industrialisation and electrification as avenues of protecting the environment and transforming people's lives.

Speaking at the CPF opening ceremony, Museveni named primitive agriculture and use of biomass fuel as the two greatest threats to the environment.

“You cannot successfully protect the environment if you don't move people from agriculture to industry and service so that they stop putting pressure on forest reserves and national parks,” Museveni said.

He called for industrialisation to replace agriculture, with electrification replacing use of biomass fuel for cooking and lighting. He added that industries and services provide viable employment opportunities, fast absorbing people displaced from agriculture.

Citing the examples of North America, Western Europe, China and India, Museveni was fast to acknowledge the damage that industrialisation may have on the environment.

He, however, explained that industrialisation and the resultant environmental degradation in developed countries is out of greed, while in less developed countries in Africa ignore necessity for development.

“The Commonwealth People's Forum should address the twin threats to the environment: greed for profits in developed countries and underdevelopment in less developed countries.”

The President acknowledged the role that non-governmental organisations (NGOs) play in raising consciousness about the damage caused to the environment by human activity. He also praised the role of NGOs in alleviating human suffering, through life saving interventions and advocacy for marginalised groups like women, children and the elderly.

He further said that NGOs and philanthropists need revolutionaries to help bring about the desired change.

“We, therefore, need each other. We the revolutionaries need you the philanthropists in the short and medium term to save life and limb before our more structural interventions come in to create a new threshold of societal capacity,” Museveni said.

Calling for accelerated interventions, Museveni said that needy groups need assistance as soon as possible. He, however, cautioned against the notion

President Museveni and First Lady Janet Museveni During the Official Opening Ceremony of the Commonwealth People’s Forum. that societies can be run sustainably on philanthropy.

“In order to redeem man from want, all human societies must undergo a socialeconomic metamorphosis and become modern,” he said.

Echoing Museveni's views, the Director of the Commonwealth Foundation Mark Collins hailed the role played by the civil society in transforming nations.

He said nation transformation and environmental protection required three fundamental ingredients: An active and diverse civil society; an industrious and creative private sector; and a responsive and caring government.

Collins said that during the CPF, civil society will address many important matters among them the urgent need for Commonwealth governments, civil society organisations and the private sector to put more emphasis on the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

“Poverty is being pushed back but not everywhere. Child mortality is being reduced but maternal health has been forgotten. HIV malaria and other serious diseases are being challenged, but the risk of newly emerging diseases is ever present,” he bemoaned.

In addition to these issues, Collins marked climate change as another matter needing urgent attention. “This is an

economic and humanitarian issue that will affect every nation and every person. But those who are likely to suffer most are least responsible for it and have least understanding of its causes.”

To him, the Commonwealth states are vulnerable to the impact of climate change and the decisions agreed upon at this Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) are going to define how they handle the issue in the future.

Concurring with Collins, the Commonwealth Secretary General Don McKinnon hailed civil society's contribution to the transformation of nations, defining them as a political and social force that can influence democracy in any country.

“What you say here (in CPF) will contribute to the outcome of the CHOGM,” McKinnon said.

Indeed, Warren Nyamugasira, chair to the Commonwealth People's Forum steering committee said CPF participants are extremely important in how Commonwealth countries perform in future. Consequently, he called upon participants to focus on unlocking peoples' potential, which remains a grey area in many Commonwealth countries.

“The intellectual power and creative energies assembled in Kampala this week is phenomenal. Accumulated

experience and expertise of at least 100,000 years' equivalent is gathered in this city this week,” Nyamugasira said.

“We have the dynamite to blow open the poverty trap and open up new opportunities for the millions of our people still trapped in sub-human conditions,” he reiterated.

“The opportunity to put this enormous resource to work for less developed members of the Commonwealth must not be squandered. How we do that must occupy us this week,” he added.

The CPF, which ends on Thursday November 22, provides Commonwealth civil society an opportunity to discuss issues affecting their work and their countries.

The outcomes of these workshops are expected to be fed into the final communiqué, which will be presented to Heads of Government on Wednesday November 21.

Museveni used the opportunity to encourage delegates to sample various parts of Uganda. He also assured participants that the current rains would not disrupt activities as Kampala is well drained.

“Do not worry about the rain. It is part of our good luck which those coming from outside would like to share with us,” he said, arousing thunderous laughter from the audience.

Published by African Woman & Child Feature Service for the Commonwealth Foundation. www.awcfs.org

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CPF/GEM NEWS

Monday, 19th November, 2007

Pomp and colour

By Akelle Waguma and Khadija Mohammed

A

fricana Hotel yesterday erupted into spectacular expression of song and dance with over 1,200 delegates gathered together for the official opening ceremony of the Commonwealth People's Forum.

As invited guests filed in a steady stream to find their seats they did not miss a beat as they tapped their feet and swayed their bodies to the enchanting rhythms of the Ndere Dance Troupe in their traditional regalia doing the Bakisimba — a Ugandan ceremonial dance dominated by heavy percussions.

This prompted one delegate to comment; “What swift feet that brings out an ostrich dance live in a hall like this.”

President Yoweri Museveni, accompanied by the First Lady of Uganda Janet Museveni and government dignitaries, was joined by

international representatives at the colourful ceremony that saw over 50 nations represented.

The speech by Mark Collins, director Commonwealth Foundation, highlighted the African saying that you need two legs to stand up, but three legs to sit down referring to the famous three-legged stools that one can find in almost every Ugandan home.

This became real when the Acholi Foundation came in with “ Bwola” dance — an ancient dance that is normally performed when a new Chief is being enthroned or when a very important person pays a visit.

Thrilled by the momentous occasion, the troupe sang their hearts out, causing the conference chair to remark that civil society could learn a lesson or two from the dancers and musicians to create harmony and movement in their work.

Published by African Woman & Child Feature Service for the Commonwealth Foundation. www.awcfs.org

CPF/GEM NEWS

Monday, 19th November, 2007

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Realising people's potential calls for a transformative process

By Juliana Omale-Atemi

T

HE dialogues are well underway at the Commonwealth People's Forum in Kampala as citizens of the countries that make up the Commonwealth of Nations gather to network, celebrate and prepare messages to be delivered to their leaders.

In the words of Mark Collins, Director of the Commonwealth Foundation: “This is an opportunity for learning and enjoyment but most importantly, the forum is a political experience that provides civil society an opportunity to address government heads on issues that affect their work and their countries.”

At the People's Forum in Malta in 2005,

more development assistance among the issues emerging for Africa matched with were concerns that many commitments from national Commonwealth countries governments in order to realise were falling behind in the people's potential in all sectors Millennium Development of development.”

Goal (MDG) targets with The ongoing Commonwealth respect to poverty Peoples' Forum is aptly titled reduction, health, education 'Realising People's Potential', to and gender equality. emphasise the central role “Since then we have seen Mark Collins people play in development. poverty pushed back in Besides the MDGs, the meeting is also going India and China but the same cannot be to focus on issues that were not given much said of Africa,” says Collins, “Progress on attention in 2005. At the time, climate MDGs in the Commonwealth is patchy in change was alluded to in the outcome terms of the targets met and in document although it only became a big geographic location,” he says. issue at the Commonwealth Finance This is where the transformative process Ministers' Meeting last year. begins. Collins says: “We need to see

Kukunda Elizabeth Bacwayo: The meeting is exciting and great learning opportunity for me. I have learnt new leadership skills that I will utilise at my workplace. On the impact on this workshop, it will depend on the implementation of the resolutions and the capacity of those who will undertake this work.

John Dinya Buga: I have not been listening to people whenever they are discussing issues. But the lessons I have learnt at this forum indicates that listening if key to make progress in what you do and important in leadership.

The meeting is also providing a great opportunity for me to network with people from other countries. CHOGM will only benefit people when leaders use proper methods to implement agreed upon resolutions.

Eiru Andrew: During the Interaction Workshop by British Council I attained skills of managing the systems in organisations as well as communication skills. I'm happy I got this training for free because usually it's very expensive at the British Council. I feel this Forum can help bring about equality between men and women.

Gaudence Imalingant: We have learnt creating awareness around gender issues is important in increasing funding for gender programmes. While collaboration between governments and civil societies is essential in addressing issues of poverty. Flexibility in funding, especially when it comes to women who are unable access funds from the Ministry of Finance, is necessary. For Uganda, the coming of CHOGM to Uganda is good as resulted in the facelift of infrastructure.

In Kampala, the civil society has placed climate change high on its agenda. Its communiqué to the heads of government is expected to reflect this concern.

The gender agenda at the People's Forum will, on the other hand, build on the Eighth Commonwealth Women's Affairs Ministers' Meeting held last June, which affirmed the principles of equality of opportunities for women under the theme Financing Gender Equality for Democracy and Development.

“We need to see more progress in the area of gender and women's empowerment,” says Collins, adding, “Unless women's empowerment is taken seriously other development goals will not be achieved.”

‘Potential is tied to ability to seize opportunities’

By Juliana Omale-Atemi

I

f there is one wish that Warren Nyamugasira wants fulfilled today, it is that the citizens of Uganda and East Africa embrace the possibilities presented by the Commonwealth People's Forum to transform livelihoods and unleash development potential in the region.

“The life vest is under your seat!” he says, “We are not as poor as we've become accustomed to believing.”

Nyamugasira believes a change in mindset is fundamental to addressing the inequalities and underdevelopment that bedevil East African countries.

As chair of the Commonwealth People's Forum Steering Committee, Nyamugasira hopes that the high profile forum will help African people and other members of the Commonwealth of Nations discover the potential of Uganda and the entire East African region.

The People's Forum has attracted 900 Ugandans and 400 international participants. Nyamugasira hopes some of those attendees will champion development in the region long after the international delegates and government officials have left Uganda.

“We must identify those who will lead us from here,” says Nyamugasira. “I have in mind people in government, civil society and those ordinary people with the capacity to get things done.”

For this reason, Nyamugasira is asking forum participants to make good use of the space for this venue for discussion, brain-storming and problem-solving.

“Don't focus solely on the entertainment, but look out for the opportunities too. Our theme is very good, because it speaks of issues we care about,” he says.

While leading the coordinating committee for the People's Forum, Nyamugasira says he has been impressed by the concentration of the intellect and experience among the

experts and delegates in Kampala.

“I can't help asking my countrymen and women to organise themselves in such a way that they get the most of this marvellous guest resource visiting the capital, and use this opportunity to blow away the trap of poverty,” he says.

The People's Forum is not just another conference; it is the key to opening up the

storehouse of potential that resides with ordinary people.

“One of the keys is for the participants to listen very carefully to the people from other regions of the Commonwealth who have made the transitions from poverty to prosperity,” he says. “Countries like India and Malaysia were at par with many African countries only a few decades ago but now they are way ahead.”

On the other hand, he notes that Uganda and Africa as a whole have experiences and expertise to offer to other countries in the areas of HIV/AIDS management and women's empowerment among others.

“My hope is that Ugandans will interact with the international delegates and establish long-term partnerships so that the debates and conversations taking place here will outlast the forum and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting,” says Nyamugasira.

And as he sees the fruit of his labour he believes in the potential of these types of international gatherings to transform development hurdles into opportunities and vehicles for transformation.

Published by African Woman & Child Feature Service for the Commonwealth Foundation. www.awcfs.org

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CPF/GEM NEWS

Mankind's plunge to disaster - myth or reality

Monday, 19th November, 2007

I

It is this fear of inter-state and intra-state conflicts erupting in one region or the other that makes this particular peace award significant.

Previously, the peace prize has been awarded to those who had brought about an end to conflict, steered

through a peace process or had immersed themselves in trying to achieve peace.

This time it is not so. The award is in recognition of work done to avert a threat to peace. This is work done by Al Gore and the IPCC to alert the world and

its political leaderships to the dangers that lie ahead if they do not act now and act quickly to stop us hurtling perilously towards ecological disaster.

When Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) meet in Kampala this week, climate change

will be very high on their agenda, particularly after Commonwealth finance ministers meeting in Georgetown Guyana last month devoted much time to the issue, as underlined by secretary-general Don McKinnon when he invited us for lunch last week to talk about this month's CHOGM. Moreover the heads of government will have had the important work done by the inter-government panel and the 500-paged report of the Unep that was launched last month.

The problem is that overall, political leaderships have been lackadaisical, if not lax, in paying attention to the increasingly critical scientific evidence. Reports indicate there will be enormous economic costs to their respective countries if prompt attention in terms of policy and action, is not paid to combat climate change.

At the discussions that followed the launch of GEO-4 in London, speaker after speaker criticised governments and political leaders for paying scant attention to the mounting evidence that showed that unless action is taken now, disastrous consequences would follow.

Since the Brundtland Commission report 20 years ago, the international response in some instances has been inspiring in the words of Achim Steiner, the Unep's executive director.

"But all too often (the response) has been slow and at a pace and scale that fails to respond to or recognise the magnitude of the challenges facing the people and the environment of the planet," Steiner said.

Flooding, drought now too frequent in Kenya

By Duncan Mboyah

A

DECADE ago, the debate on climate change did not appear to be of immediate concern to African countries, who considered it an issue for the wealthy nations.

But as it dawned on them that in a globalised village, your neighbours' actions affect you more directly and profoundly, the matter started receiving policy maker's attention.

Change in weather patterns that have resulted in catastrophes such as drought and famine, as well as economic loses, have more than ever before made African countries consider this problem one that has direct impact on them.

While there are factors responsible for climate change, the recent massive changes are attributed to human action that have resulted in increased concentration of Greenhouse gases.

However, even though Africa's contribution to global warming is minimal, the continent remains the most vulnerable. It lacks the capacity to respond to the negative effects of climate change.

That is why in its report in April, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recommended that developing countries gain the knowledge, technology and capacities required to cope with the expected impacts of climate change.

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Climate change takes its toll on the World

By Neville de Silva F the rich western nations persist with their present lifestyle, the world's current population will need three planets to live in.

Sadly we have only one planet and how we live in that will determine not only the future of human kind but the plant and animal life on which we depend on.

That is the stark reality painted by David Nussbaum, the chief executive of the World Wildlife Fund, UK, at the discussion that followed the launch of the United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP) voluminous Global Environment Report GEO-4 late last month.

Nussbaum's gloomy predictions were echoed by several-scientists, academics, think-tanks and others in the forefront of the battle to save the environment from the degradation they say will have severe repercussions on life even in the next 15-20 years.

Unep's report comes hard on the heels of the Nobel Peace Prize jointly awarded to former US VicePresident Al Gore and the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). It also comes 20 years after the World Commission on Environment and Development (popularly known as the Brundtland Commission after the former Norwegian prime minister who chaired it) produced its seminal work "Our Common Future”.

By awarding the Peace Prize to Al Gore and the IPCC, the Nobel Committee made an important point.

Climate change, and particularly global warming, is not just a threat to our environment. It also a threat to international security which is an issue that is taken up quite clearly in GEO-4 which sees more conflict in the world arising due to conflict over depleting, and in some cases finite resources.

Already we have seen conflicts in many Commonwealth countries as a result of drought and oil and it is felt that future conflicts could result over water and arable land, among others.

CPF/GEM NEWS

Monday, 19th November, 2007

Kenya is one of the countries already experiencing the impact of climate change. Studies indicate negative impacts in health, agriculture, water resources, forest and other natural resources.

Snow on top of Mount Kenya has been receding in the past few years, contributing to drying up of some seasonal rivers that emanate from the mountain. All these are being blamed on climate change.

The effect has been felt in the increase of caseloads of different diseases such as malaria.

“The current rise in temperatures in Kenya has favoured the breeding of mosquitoes, causing highland malaria in areas where previously there was no mosquito's presence,” says Mr Fanuel Tolo, project officer at the Climate Network Africa (CAN).

Tolo says prolonged drought has affected farmers' prediction of planting seasons because the rains are now very unpredictable.

“Extreme events such as floods in Budalangi and Kano regions in Western Kenya are also as a result of climate change,” he says.

Flooding, which previously took place once every 10 years, has all of a sudden become so frequent that it now happens annually ─sometimes twice a year and with increased intensity.

Between 1999-2001, there was death of wild animals and livestock and this, says Tolo, was due to lack of water

caused by climate change.

These climatic variations have also forced some countries in the Commonwealth to ration power, with major negative effects on the economy.

The extreme droughts followed the 1997-1998 flooding, commonly known as El Nino which was as a result of global warming that affected most of the Commonwealth countries.

Christopher Oludhe of the department of meteorology at the University of Nairobi says additional studies need to be carried out to prove whether rainfall pattern is decreasing in the country.

“The intense and frequent flooding and drought calls for a serious study to be able to project the real situation to help avoid such catastrophes,” he explains.

He says these emergencies also affect development projects.

“As we continue to receive frequent and intense floods, drought and unpredictable outbreak of climate induced diseases, the government is forced to divert money meant for other uses to attend to the emergencies and this interferes with planned development projects,” he says.

Oludhe says that Kenya's economy suffered a great deal during the 1997-1998 El Nino rains

that were followed closely with the 1999–2001 prolonged droughts. The latter forced the government to import food to deal with the desperate situation and the destruction of roads forced the government to borrow loans to repair them.

Though Kenya is ranked as a non-polluter to the greenhouse gases that contribute immensely to the current climate change, deforestation, poor land farming systems and use of second-hand cars are said to contribute to global warming.

Following the realisation of the dangers posed by climate change, the government has set up a department within the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources to lead the fight against the phenomenon.

Working in collaboration with the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), the government is implementing two small-scale hydroelectric power projects in rural areas where tea and sugar farming is concentrated. The projects are going to cost KSh6.7 billion and will encourage use of agricultural waste to produce energy.

Funded by the Global Environment Facility, this project aims to reduce the green house emissions through increased investment in the development and installation of facilities in tea and sugar areas.

And to deter companies from undertaking activities detrimental to the environment or those that lead to global warming, the Kenyan government has made it mandatory that an Environmental Impact Assessment be carried out before undertaking investment in industrial development.

Government ministries are in the process of developing their EIA, with the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife expected to launch to launch its EIA guidelines later in the year.

The private sector in Kenya has not been left behind either given that they rely more on electricity for their daily operations. As a result they have started a yearly award scheme to the company that utilises energy efficiently.

Through this scheme, several companies have now embarked on tree planting exercises in different parts of the country as a way of adopting the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).

Most Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) have also embarked on poverty alleviation projects that aim at planting trees, keeping the environment clean as well as managing waste.

The Green Belt Movement led by Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai is leading in the tree planting exercise that is expected to turn around the forest plantation cover in the country.

Published by African Woman & Child Feature Service for the Commonwealth Foundation. www.awcfs.org

“The systematic destruction of the Earth's natural and nature-based resources has reached a point where the economic viability of economies is being challenged ─ and where the bill we hand to our children may prove impossible to pay."

GEO-4 was researched and drafted by some 400 scientists whose findings were reviewed by another 1,000 of their peers took five years to write.

If all this evidence including last year's Nicholas Stern report does not galvanise governments into action, then we can make one conclusion: Political leaders are driven by big business which have their own agendas, as pointed out by a former British environment minister Michael Meacher.

That, of course, is not the only reason. There are sceptics in the scientific community as well as outside it who strongly dispute that climate change is largely man-made. Using historical evidence, they argue that such change, like melting ice caps, rising temperatures, droughts and floods, are cyclical.

There are people who dismiss such reports as theories being peddled by some scientists and academics that man is intrinsically responsible for climate change.

There have been others too who dismiss the idea of mankind creating catastrophic conditions. A few days before the launch of the Unep report, an academic David Bellamy wrote to The Times of London saying he would prefer to be called a heretic on climate change because he does not share the doomsday scenarios painted by sections of the scientific/academic community.

If I quote Bellamy “in extensor”, it is because the other side of this debate has naturally not received as much media and public airing as the more scary portrayal presented by a substantial section of the scientific and academic community and the NGOs devoted to saving the planet from ourselves.

Bellamy argues that the Met Office's Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction has come up against an

"inconvenient truth”. Its research shows that since 1998, the average temperature of the planet has not risen, even though the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has continued to increase.

He says that the last peak global temperatures were in 1998 and 1934 and the troughs of low temperature were around 1910 and 1970.

"The second dip caused pop science and the media to cry wolf about an impending devastating Ice Age. Our end was nigh!

Then when temperatures took an upward swing in the 1980s the scaremongers changed their tune. Global warming was the new imminent catastrophe."

"But the computer model-called "hockey stick" ─that predicted the catastrophe of a frying planet proved to be so bent that it "disappeared" from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's armoury of argument in this year.

It was bent because the historical data it used to predict the future dated from only the 1850s when the world was emerging from the Little Ice Age. Little wonder that temperatures showed an upward trend."

This is just part of Bellamy's argument. There are others such as Christopher Monckton, now Viscount Monckton, who are challenging the Al Gore film "An Inconvenient Truth", with one of their own called "The Great Global Warming Swindle”.

Ultimately this is a cerebral issue and best left to experts to debate. We as journalists could only be peripheral witnesses without sticking our oar if we lack the expertise required to make judgmental pronouncements.

While it is true that a substantial majority of scientists and experts seem to find humankind culpable of most of the damage to the environment, the media must not only present both sides of the debate but also probe whether interested parties are fuelling the controversy in pursuit of their own agendas as often happens in other fields too. (nevdesilva@hotmail.com)

Creating renewable energy sources to save future generations

By Commonwealth Peoples' Forum Correspondent AS the Commonwealth community joins at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Kampala this week, one of the issues that is going to preoccupy their minds is how to spur sustainable economic growth.

One of the areas in their matrix of options is the use of a stable and reliable power supply that is available not only now, but will also be in existence many years to come.

This is a matter of great concern and is generating a lot interest especially at this time when many countries are feeling the painful effects of global warming due to increased consumption of existing energy sources.

While many people in the Commonwealth continue to rely heavily on biomass – mainly charcoal and firewood – as sources of energy, spiralling population increase in many of these countries is exerting unprecedented pressure on existing natural resources. In most places, this has stood out as one of the main manmade causes of global warming.

That is why many governments within the Commonwealth family, and their development partners, are now focusing their energies on the development of renewal energy as a way of providing electricity to people, while at the same time limiting the impact on the environment.

Renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, biogas, small-scale biomass power generation and biofuel are now being pursued to reduce pressure on other sources of energy that may not be renewable.

Many countries, within the Sub-Saharan Africa for instance, are now producing solar thermal for heating and solar photovoltaic (PV) for lighting, water pumping and refrigeration.

The PV technology has become very handy, especially in the Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) programme, in which governments and other organisations are taking computers to schools located in remote areas.

For instance, of the 150 megawatts (MW) demanded in Kenya, 10 per cent comes from geothermal wells in the Rift Valley.

While this has not been given the attention it deserves, geothermal energy plays a major role in sustaining the industries as well as serving other consumers during the 2001 drought.

Compared to neighbouring countries, Kenya has a geothermal energy potential of 3,000 MW, but has harnessed only 150 MW to date. This is due to the fact that drilling for the steam is expensive.

Plans are underway to increase geothermal energy supply to 22 per cent by 2019. Kenya Energy Generating Company (KENGEN) has embarked on the third project – Geothermal 3 after successfully completing project 1 and 2.

Like other Commonwealth countries, the Kenya government will need to invest more in this type of energy.

Christopher Oludhe, an expert in renewable energy, says efforts to operationalise wind power need to be intensified.

Already, wind power development is in its advanced stages, with a wind resource map, which will lead to the establishment of wind generated electric energy systems, being in the final stages of development.

Experts say that if these renewable energy sources are exploited, they will not only create jobs, but they will also reduce the cost of electricity by 50 per cent.

Use of bagasse, a sugarcane by-product produced by sugar millers, is joining the menu of future sources of energy. In a number of countries, initiatives are underway to utilise millions of tonnes of bagasse that are wasted annually within the sugar milling yards.

In Western Kenya, for example, efforts by sugar companies in this respect if already bearing fruits. Todate, Mumias Sugar Company, located in Western Kenya, adds about 3 MW to the national grid against a total production capacity of 13.6 MW from the use of bagasse.

Another source of renewable energy that is slowly gaining popularity, and which countries in the Commonwealth can start utilising is the use of liquid biofuel sources such as jatropha – a plant that is able to produce bio-diesel besides supporting rural livelihoods.

Being a plant that grows well in low potential agricultural areas, jatropha is a plant that cannot be ignored. In partnership with the Green Africa Foundation, a private sector organisation, the Kenya government has embarked on educating the public on the economic benefits of jatropha.

The Foundation, on the other hand, has set-up various projects to help farmers in Arid and Semi Arid Lands (ASAL) to use the plant as an income generating venture.

The beauty of this crop is that while it does not compete with food crops, it widens the livelihood options for poor people.

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CPF/GEM NEWS

Monday, 19th November, 2007

Members of the Civil Society Advisory Committee (CSAC) in Kampala Joan Grant-Cummings Joan Grant-Cummings is the Executive Director of Environmental Foundation of Jamaica. She is the volunteer chair of the CSAC which represents civil society organisations in the 53 Commonwealth countries. She is the Caribbean Regional Coordinator for Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN).

“There are visible and invisible components of CSAC's work. During the course of the past four years, CSAC has left its stamp in many areas.

“CSAC has helped to organise and to participate in several key fora including two Commonwealth Peoples' Forums, two Women's Affairs Ministers Meetings, annual meetings of the Finance, Health, Education and Environment Ministers and strongly represented Commonwealth civil society.

“Yet, it is perhaps the 'invisible' work that has truly demonstrated the mettle of CSAC. The planning and preparation in conjunction with the Foundation has added much value to these activities and ensured their success.

“As volunteers, CSAC members have engaged in research, development of position papers, lobbied governments, co-authored the Foundation's publications, organised and executed community based activities as part of a larger goal of ensuring that the voices and the actions of Commonwealth civil society are heard within the Foundation and the Commonwealth.”

John Foster John Foster is the vice chair of CSAC. He is also the Principal Researcher at The North-South Institute in Ottawa, Canada, a development research centre with over 30 years history. He has spent the last 40 years volunteering in youth organisations. He has worked for 20 years in the ecumenical social action as an executive in a major development NGO. Foster is a professor of international human rights and a foreign policy researcher. He has been an executive member of the Canadian Council for International Cooperation, a Board member of Greenpeace Canada and a co-founder of Common Frontiers (working on hemispheric trade/investment issues), the Inter-Agency Coalition on AIDS and Development and the Global Treatment Access Group.

“Working through the CSAC with the Commonwealth Foundation has been a very challenging but equally rewarding experience. Being part of this dynamic group means being willing to play a variety of roles.

“In general CSAC provides advice to the Foundation on its strategy and programmes providing space for intense involvement in developing the meetings with Commonwealth Finance Ministers, and the content and approach of messages to them.

“It has meant advising the development of a largely new initiative on HIV/AIDS, considering how it may give value-added to what is already happening.

“It has meant exploring development finance issues, whether relating to the Millennium Development Goals (our publication Breaking with Business as Usual) or evaluating how the funds freed by the HIPC initiative have been used and mis-used.

“As CSAC, we all try to provide support and advice to the staff at the Foundation.

Bernice Sam Bernice Sam is the National Programme Co-ordinator of Women in Law and Development in Africa (WiLDAF Ghana). WiLDAF is a pan-African women's rights network with representation in 26 countries across Africa. A lawyer by profession, she has been a women's rights activist for the past 12 years.

Sam's representation on the CSAC is as result of her expertise and passion for human rights and development. She brings the voice of civil society in West Africa to critical debates within the Commonwealth.

“CSAC plays a pivotal role in the work of the Commonwealth Foundation as its 'eyes and ears' in various countries.

“The CSAC plays a dual role; One it advises the

CPF its mandate and programmes; The second role is taking to the civil society decisions that affect its work from the Commonwealth Foundation. “An important event in the Commonwealth calendar is the Commonwealth People's Forum where civil society meets to network as well as to agree on key messages to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

“The CPF is a culmination of two years works by civil society, in particular the work of CSAC. Through its interventions, CSAC makes civil society the centre of the Foundation's work.”

Fatma Alloo Fatma Alloo has been a member of the CSAC for the last four years.

Alloo is a founder member of the Tanzania Media Women's Association (TAMWA) and various civil society organisations like The African Women's Development and Communication's Network (FEMNET) and Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN) as an activist in communication and development field.

“Looking at the history of the Commonwealth in our countries and how it was established gives one a feeling of the need for credibility in terms of representation of the peoples' agendas and voice and this they can only get through civil society representatives voices..

“Our mandate as CSAC, and in our advisory capacity, is to advise on strategic plans of the Foundation's programme.

“The People's Forum has been an important feature anytime CHOGM meets. Here in Kampala, the Peoples Space is an important feature as it will be heard at national, regional and international levels.

“As representative of civil society CSAC finds it important to work towards this goal as part of the Peoples' Forum.

Davidson A. Kuyateh David Kuyateh is a member of the CSAC. He is also the Secretary General, Civil Society Movement–Sierra Leone (Csm-Sl) and Secretary General, Sierra Leone Teachers Union (Sltu).

“The Commonwealth Foundation recognises the participation of civil society as very critical, and that is why it established the Civil Society Advisory Committee (CSAC), to ensure this is achieved.

“CSAC is drawn from the regions of the Commonwealth and represents the various sectors of civil society within the Commonwealth.

“CSAC members are actively involved in organising the CPF by bringing voices of civil society to the planning process. At the CPF, CSAC identifies key civil society issues and concerns raised during the workshops and other activities including the meeting with the Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers.

“CSAC evaluates civil society participation at the CPF for key partnerships from which it carries back home conclusions and general messages to advocate for the realisation of the CPF theme and the vision and mission of the Foundation.”

Doris Bingley Doris Bingley is the Secretary General, National Council of Women Malta (NCW), past Vice-President European Centre International Council of Women (ECICW), alternate member European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) Brussels, Other than being a member of the Civil Society Advisory Committee of the Commonwealth Foundation Member, Bingley is also a member of the Commonwealth People's Forum Steering Committee.

“The importance of civil society is acknowledged by both the European Union and the Commonwealth.

The work of civil society organisations is in the field, bringing to the grassroots ideas and policy of Governments and taking back to the authorities the issues that will benefit the community.

“The Commonwealth Foundation is the conduit used by CSAC to bring concerns and

proposals of the people to the Governments.

“The Commonwealth People's Forum is the space for the people's voice. It is here that people network, exchange best practices and promote ideas and concerns to the Head of States.

“The Forum is also a strategic space for local civil societies and Non Government Organisations to host their counterparts from across the Commonwealth and an opportunity to become partners.

“Malta, one of the smallest states of the world, has the same voice as the largest states of the world. It is not the size that counts but the ideas.

Jo Howse Jo Howse is the immediate past president of the Commonwealth Council for Educational Administration (CCEAM). She is also a member CSAC and Commonwealth Foundation Board of Governors.

As the President of CCEAM, Howse has worked closely with civil societies across the Commonwealth and the Commonwealth Foundation.

Howse was delighted when she was appointed to the CSAC so she could continue working in the area of educational leadership, ensuring access and quality education for all (as outlined in the Education for All Goals and the Millennium Development Goals set for 2015).

“In a global world with the advent of technology, the interface personal contact needs to be sustained so that voices of the Commonwealth society can be heard with regular networking and in forums such as the unique Commonwealth People's Forum.

“CSAC was instrumental together with the Commonwealth Foundation in establishing precedence with the first round table dialogue with CHOGM and the Commonwealth Foreign Ministers and civil society at the last CPF in Malta.”

Rae Julian Rae Julian is a member of CSAC and the Executive Director of the New Zealand Council for International Development (NZ CID) which is the umbrella body for 92 New Zealand-based nongovernment organisations that work in international development throughout the world. NZ CID also link closely with similar organisations in the Pacific, Australia and through the OECD development assistance committee member countries.

Julian's membership at the CSAC has been especially important in the Pacific Islands where there is only one other CSAC representative for the 12 countries and Australia that make up the region.

This year, Julian organised a Pacific regional consultation on behalf of the Commonwealth Foundation, attended by representatives from most Pacific Commonwealth countries and the report contributed to the civil society report for the COW. “Unfortunately there are no Pacific Island representatives at the People's Forum so I attempt to represent their viewpoints as presented at a number of Pacific meetings during the past year.”

Reverend Canon Samuel D. John The Reverend Canon Samuel D. John is a member of the CSAC from Malaysia. He is also the Honorary Treasurer General of the National Council of Social and Welfare Development, Malaysia.

“The Civil Society is a vital organ of the Commonwealth Foundation. The Foundation is a large family that needs to know and understand the needs of the children so as to nurture the beauty of each individual to bloom to share the richness that can be brought together.”

Timothy M. Shaw Timothy M. Shaw is a Makerere alumni from the late 1960s and taught in Canada for more than three decades. Shaw is a Professor Emeritus at the University of London. He is now Professor and Director at the Institute of International Relations at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad. He is a visiting professor in South Africa and at Makerere

University Business School and Mbarara University of Science and Technology.

“The Commonwealth associations are an integral part of the Commonwealth's outreach to civil society. Professional Associations have made sterling contributions to sustainable livelihoods around the Commonwealth in areas such as education, environment, gender and health. Their representation on the Civil Society Advisory Committee to the Commonwealth Foundation is testimony to this.

“At the Commonwealth People's Forum, the Commonwealth associations act as part of CSAC's profile to the thousands of participants at another level of the Commonwealth's interest in the people of the various regions.”

“I'm looking forward to welcoming the diversity of CPF activities and networks to Trinidad in two years' time.”

Warren Nyamugasira Warren Nyamugasira is the Executive Director of the Uganda NGO Forum. He is also the chairperson of the Commonwealth People's Forum Steering Committee. Nyamugasira is an acclaimed leading national and international development thinker, activist and practitioner.

“CSAC plays the additional role of making sure that the Commonwealth Foundation is a lot more relevant to the needs and expressions of the ordinary folk of the Commonwealth.

In the period that Warren has been on the CSAC, he has witnessed an increase in the work of, and relevance of the Commonwealth to Uganda.

“During the CPF, as civil society in Uganda opens itself up to the rest of civil society from the Commonwealth, there will be learning and sharing; and a legacy left for Uganda.

The CPF and civil society will celebrate its potential in contributing to development and democracy through its presence and voice.”

Nelcia Robinson, Nelcia Robinson is the coordinator of the Caribbean Association for Feminist Research and Action (CAFRA). She is also a member of the Civil Society Advisory Committee and of the Commonwealth Peoples' Forum Steering Committee.

“Civil Society is an important pillar in Governance.

This was recognised by Commonwealth Governments, resulting in the formation of the Commonwealth Foundation 42 years ago, with a mandate to maximise the input of civil society. A mechanism to facilitate this input is the Civil Society Advisory Committee, comprised of actors from all Commonwealth regions.

“This is our strength.

Working from the grassroots, we bring the important contributions, needs and concerns of the different constituents to the attention of the Foundation and our Governments.

“The Commonwealth People's Forum is the People's Voice ─a strong mechanism for networking and showcasing the people of the different Commonwealth regions. It brings together representatives from the Commonwealth regions: Europe, Asia, Africa, Caribbean and Pacific.”

Nkoyo Toyo Nkoyo Toyo comes from Calabar, Nigeria. For many years, she pursued social activism around women’s and governance issues.

More recently she has been engaging in politics back in Nigeria.

Toyo was the chair of Commonwealth People’s Forum in Nigeria in 2003. She has been a CSAC member for four years.

CPF/GEM NEWS

Monday, 19th November, 2007

7

When walls broke boundaries and spoke of greatness

Delegates to the Commonwealth People’s Forum put up artwork of what they would like to see as their world.

By Brenda Zulu

T

WO new walls are going up at the Africana Hotel in Kampala, as part of the Commonwealth People's Forum.

But in this setting of global partnership and relationship ─building the walls are not diplomatic hurdles or international barriers.

They are a free space for people from across the Commonwealth of Nations to share their dreams of the future.

There are images that illustrate equality between women and men, pictures of peace, depictions of a clean environment.

There are messages calling for the elimination of extreme poverty, society sustainability, resource sharing, development of a learned society, livelihood improvement, non-violence and good governance.

The Walls of Greatness, as they are known, are part of the Forum's Interaction Leadership Programme. Along with their hopes and dreams, contributors are

celebrating various countries' contributions to the global commons.

Contributors have given credit to Uganda for increasing HIV/AIDS awareness. The country, that is host to the Commonwealth meeting, is also getting credit for hosting refugees, supporting affirmative action, fighting climate change, improving citizens' livelihoods and having a responsive government.

Although Ethiopia is not a member of the Commonwealth, it has found a place on the Walls of Greatness for hosting the African Union and resisting colonialism.

So has Mauritius, a Commonwealth country that was given thumbs up gaining independence peacefully.

Contributions from Germany touched on technological innovation and educational diversity, while Canada centred on refugee assistance.

African countries as a whole are credited with contributing to peace-building in conflict zones. Those who expressed their

thoughts and aspirations on the walls, also focused on the future.

On the wall dedicated to the future, people are calling for education in information communication technology, a hunger-free world, improved health and increased household incomes, a world free of HIV/AIDS, a free brick for one who has had no chance to build, political stability and an end to civil war.

They also want a world that balances a healthy natural environment with adequate living space for all people.

This Wall of Greatness also calls for a united Africa, a welcoming of human diversity, a non-smoking world, and more millennium model villages for that will ensure societal transformation.

On one of the clips, a contributor wrote that elimination of national boundaries would build peace around the world.

Gender equality is a repeated theme on the wall. Some signs speak of a future when 50 per cent of all heads of state will be women.

Environmental issues were also a hot topic.

Contributors are dreaming of biodiversity conservation and sustainable development with appropriate technological transfer in a global village.

They have the future generations at the heart of their thoughts as well. One contributor dreams of a world where children without parents will find a home in a caring family environment.

Many of the dreams on the Walls of Greatness are related to the Millennium Development Goals, which are targets agreed upon by world leaders in 2000.

As the Commonwealth meeting gets underway, most of these topics will be subjects in the myriad workshops, panels and discussions happening in Uganda over the next one week.

Any conference participant or member of the public is welcome to contribute dreams to the Walls of Greatness. Dream by dream, praise by praise, the walls are being built as bridges between past successes and future aspirations.

For the Commonwealth, it’s about sharing the pain and joy

A

s the Commonwealth People's Forum gets underway in Kampala, discussions around the role of civil society and citizens in transforming their countries economic, political and social issues is taking centre stage. Sara Nics of Commonwealth Peoples' Forum newspaper, spoke to Nelcia Robinson from St Vincent in the Grenadines, the coordinator of the Caribbean Association for Feminist Research and Action and the civil society representative to the Caribbean Court of Justice.

QUESTION: What are some of the overarching themes you see in the work that you do?

NELCIA ROBINSON: Currently, I work with a women's organisation.

In working through the different sectors gender issues always emerge. Worldwide, population statistics show that the percentage of women is higher than that of men, yet we have the differentials in the area of access to education, equal pay for equal work and women's power over their own bodies.

Q: Understanding that it is difficult to talk about such a large region in general terms, what would you identify as the core need of countries within the region, in terms of improving the baseline quality of life?

A: If I take it from the women's

perspective, we use the Beijing Platform of Action, under which 12 critical areas of concern were identified. In these 12 areas, the Caribbean focuses specifically on the areas of health, violence against women, the girl child, women's economic empowerment and women's participation in decision making processes. These are the areas around which we build our specific programmes.

Q: What unique perspective do you bring to the table in your work with the Commonwealth Foundation?

A: Serving on the Civil Society Advisory Committee of the Commonwealth Foundation is, for me, a high point in terms of getting many of these concerns on the agendas of governments. Working from the gender perspective, which is a crosscutting issue, I can bring that reality, that voice, to truly express these concerns.

In our work and research we are able to gather perspectives of various islands and countries.

These perspectives are collated into one consensus that is fed into the various consultations within the Commonwealth Foundation.

It is unique in that it is not just my voice, it is a message that comes up from the grassroots. Given the

Nelicia Robinson system of governance under which we operate – there are elections maybe every five years – we are that voice (of the people) between election years. We are that bridge.

We have that access.

Q: When you are in meetings with other members of the advisory committee, what similarities do you find in the message that you bring?

A: The similarities are great. We are all part of the Commonwealth, so we do hold a heritage in terms of development patterns. We have all benefited in terms of aid and trade that comes from the developed countries… there is a resonance.

When the Pacific speaks, for example, of climate change and the ravages of a hurricane, that coastal areas are being eroded, there is resonance with that in the Caribbean. When an African country speaks of drought and flood, there is a resonance in the Caribbean.

The scale may be different but it always ends up that the farmers are affected, the women are affected, the fisherfolk are affected. You find there is congruence. I think that is why the advisory committee members are able to work so well together and we are able to go into those meetings with senior officials, with one message.

Q: Can you give us a brief snapshot of the picture on the ground in your region?

A: In the Caribbean we are very concerned about the economic partnership agreements, the European Union and the African, Caribbean and Pacific Countries agreements.

Since trade is the engine of economic development, people's means of livelihood are all very much affected by trade liberalisation matters. The Caribbean Association for Feminist Research and Action focuses a lot

of work on that. We are doing a sustained lobbying to ensure that the economic partnership agreements are crafted in such a way that they will not hurt the livelihoods of our people further.

Already, there is a great concern on the ground. We have seen livelihoods definitely under threat.

Where there was an advance and people were beginning to lift themselves out of poverty, they are sliding back into the same situation. There are many more people who are now unemployed.

People are leaving the farms and migrating into towns and building up more slum areas.

Many are migrating, looking for better opportunities. Mothers are leaving children, with some becoming heads of households, so there is a big rate of dropout from school. Fathers are leaving their partners and forming new families abroad. Unfortunately, many of the partners who are left behind go into prostitution when they are unable to make ends meet. Then there is an increase in the violence against women due to the growing frustration. This violence is manifesting itself in the form of domestic violence against women and a rise in crime in the region. I would say that the situation back at home is quite a volatile one.

8

CPF/GEM NEWS

Monday, 19th November, 2007

Progress? Yes but still more needs to be done

By Lydia Mirembe Two years since the last Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Malta in 2005, member states are yet to achieve the goals they set in the Plan of Action for Gender Equality.

At the Malta meeting, the Heads of State endorsed the 2005-2015 Plan of Action, which had been developed at the seventh Women Affairs Ministers Meeting (WAMM) in Fiji.

Member states were expected to implement and ensure the achievement of targets stipulated in the plan of action including: Strengthening women's machineries, public sector and civil society organisations; reducing the incidence of HIV/AIDS, maternal and infant mortality; increasing women's access to markets, property rights, credit and productive resources.

They were also to improve women's participation in leadership and representation in decision making; eliminating gender disparities in education and training; and ensuring women's participation in peace building, conflict prevention and resolution.

Two years on, some progress has been made towards the set goals. But a lot more is yet to be done to achieve the desired success.

Doris Bingley, of the Commonwealth Civil Society Advisory Committee says: “We have not yet reached the targets we set and governments need to commit more finances to the implementation of the plan of action.”

She adds: “Gender equality is a fundamental human right and a question of justice. It is essential for growth and poverty reduction and key to the attainment of other Millennium Development Goals.”

During the eighth Women Affairs Ministers' Meeting in Kampala, last June, ministers observed that only five out of the 53 Commonwealth member states had achieved the 30 per cent target of women representation in parliament.

Much progress has not been made on other

fronts as well. Yet, the Commonwealth countries host the majority of the 77 million children who are out of school; 60 per cent of HIV/AIDS cases; 300,000 maternal deaths per annum; and the highest infant and maternal mortality rates.

Bingley explains that different countries in the Commonwealth have made progress in different areas and this may be hard to quantify. While some countries have scored highly in the education sector, others have made progress in women's health, maternal mortality or environmental issues.

Key among the successes, Bingley notes, is the fact that women and civil society are now being heard on the ground. The gender perspective is built into all development

programmes.

For instance, when aid is being given, the inclusion of youth and gender issues is considered highly and, sometimes, made a condition for funding.

Experts argue that increasingly there is political will and support towards civil society and governments are moving closer to the people.

There is increased twoway communication, fostered by the proliferation of information and communication channels.

Some of these successes have been registered because of the CCSA's unrelenting advocacy campaigns.

However, there are many impediments that have slowed progress towards the goals set in the plan of action for gender equality.

Culture and low education levels are some of the key factors tha hold women back.

“It is important for women and children to be educated. Through education, we can impact positively on all areas of development including gender, health, poverty, environment, human rights and HIV/AIDS among others,” she explains.

Financial constraint is emerging as another obstacle in the gender empowerment. “While the ideals and principles are spelt out clearly in the plan of action, they need to be translated into realities on the ground. This cannot be achieved unless financial resources are committed to the cause,” Bingley says.

For women and young people, CHOGM provides yet another opportunity for addressing these challenges as well as reflecting on progress towards gender equality.

During different discussions in various forums, participants are going to interrogate the new commitments Commonwealth countries are going to make both individually and severally.

But whatever happens, these commitments will only make sense to the millions of poor people if they are translated into reality and felt at the household level.

Editorial Board Deputy Director Commonwealth Foundation:

Vijay Krishnarayan

Civil Society of advisory board:

Fatuma Alloo

Project Coordinator:

Rosemary Okello-Orlale

Editors:

Arthur Okwemba, Yvonne Achieng, Juliana Omale-Atemi and Sara Nics

Journalists:

Brenda Zulu, Khadija Mohammed, Shifaa Hassan, Jane Kenyi, Lydia Mirembe, Josephine Namukwaya, Jane Kenyi & Joyce Gunnura

Contributors:

Duncan Mboya, Neville da Silva

Graphic Designer:

Njoroge Mbacha

Administrator:

Ruth Omukhango

African Woman & Child Feature Service

The newspaper is produced by African Woman and Child Feature Service as part of a media training forum for journalists from Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and Zambia on gender and development writing.

EDITORIAL The theme the Commonwealth People's Forum this year, “Realising People's Potential”, not only sets the tone for the four day-conference but also reminds all the stakeholders on the need to transform society.

Being the fourth time a Commonwealth conference is taking place in Africa, the diversity present here with over 1,500 delegates from 59 countries present both from Uganda and internationally is ready to do justice to the conference themes. Through the various sub-themes presented during the conference, the delegates have come with a strong message on equitable development.

Only with such kind of development do we make sense on issues around Millennium Development Goals by giving each ordinary person a voice.

This year's conference is a landmark in the calendar of Commonwealth because it marks the 10th anniversary since People's Forum was started in 1997 in Edinburgh, Scotland.

The meeting offers an array of activities for each sector namely the Business Forum, the Youth and People's Space, and the Commonwealth Governments.

The meeting of such great minds is what the Chairperson of the Conference, Warren Nyamugasira, calls “the dynamite to blow open the poverty trap”. The conference will be a learning platform where among other things people will learn how they can deal with poverty, environment, health and governance.

This is going to be further enhanced by Friend's of Commonwealth during the conference as one of the ways in which ideas will be shared to help create a Commonwealth free of poverty and disease.

The innovations of People's Space, the learning journey, and the blogging will link the member countries that were not able to attend the conference so they can know what is going on.

Issues before us are weighty but together, we can come up with solutions and recommendations which can form part of the member state discussions by the end of the week. So it is upon each and everyone present to participate in the various activities that are on-going and together we can have a world free of poverty.

We are proud that this is the first time, we in the Commonwealth, are partnering with a prominent media organisation, the African Women and Child Feature Service to play our role in this struggle through the production of this newspaper.