insert_link Africa Press freedom in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda: what journalists have to say about doing their jobs By Karen McIntyre, Virginia Commonwealth University and Meghan Sobel Cohen, Regis University A majority of the world’s population has experienced a decline in press freedom in recent years, according to a UN report. In east Africa, the results are mixed and debatable. In Rwanda, both international press freedom rankings and journalists on the ground say press freedom has increased over the past 10 years. In neighbouring Uganda, both […] todayMarch 19, 2024 7
insert_link Science & Technology AI bias: the organised struggle against automated discrimination varuna/Shutterstock By Philip Di Salvo, University of St.Gallen and Antje Scharenberg, University of St.Gallen In public administrations across Europe, artificial intelligence (AI) and automated decision making (ADM) systems are already being used extensively. These systems, often built on opaque “black box” algorithms, recognise our faces in public, organise unemployment programmes, and even forecast exam grades. Their task is to predict human behaviour and to make decisions, even in […] todayMarch 12, 2024 32
insert_link World NGO Approvals by a UN Committee Could Finally See ‘Long-Overdue’ Reform The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations, a little-known but powerful body that approves NGOs’ accreditation to the UN, is mired in politics and nearly dysfunctional. One organization, for example, promoting the rights of Dalits globally, took 15 years to get its acceptance. Now, a reform proposal by Costa Rica and the United Kingdom could upend the process for the better. Here, Dalit women taking part in a campaign preventing violence against […] todayMarch 6, 2024 5
insert_link Namibia Namibia celebrates World NGO Day Namibia is celebrating World NGO Day today. The day, observed globally on the 27th of February, is an international day dedicated to recognising, celebrating and honouring all non-governmental and nonprofit organisations, and the people behind them that contribute to society. Here is Bradley Tjongarero spokesperson for the Civil Society Information Centre Namibia. todayFebruary 28, 2024 16
insert_link Business / Economics Civil Society weighs in on 2024/25 national budget anticipation Following a meeting last year between the Minister of Finance and Public Enterprises Ipumbu Shiimi and Civil Society organisations about the 2024/25 Budget, we asked the Executive Director of the Institute for Public Policy Research, Graham Hopwood about his expectations. todayFebruary 28, 2024 10
insert_link Namibia Detailed Civil society 2024/25 Budget Priorities CIVIL SOCIETY - Priorities for the 2024/25 Budget Council of Churches in Namibia (CCN) and Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Namibia (ELCRN) (Social Economic Justice Unit of the Council of Churches in Namibia and the Desk for Social Development of ELCRN) Contribution: Uhuru Dempers Priorities: 1.1 Increased funding for Early Childhood Education (ECE) to ensure access to quality ECE for the excluded 70% plus children in Namibia. There […] todayFebruary 28, 2024 20
insert_link Africa Slums and guns in Bamako: what’s driving the illegal weapon trade in Mali’s capital city By Oluwole Ojewale, Institute for Security Studies As west Africa urbanises, many cities have become interconnected through trade, travel and technology, and crime has increased in complexity and scope. The proliferation of arms in west African cities, especially in the aftermath of conflicts in Libya (2011) and Mali (2012), has added to these challenges in Bamako, Mali’s capital. In 2018, the Small Arms Survey estimated that roughly […] todayFebruary 19, 2024 9
insert_link World Senegalese urged to turn out to oppose presidential election delay By Alice CHANCELLOR and Soule DIA Dakar, Feb 9, 2024 (AFP) - Senegalese were urged on Friday to turn out and show their opposition to a last-minute delay of presidential polls, in a test of the balance of power between President Macky Sall and opponents. On Monday parliament backed Sall's sudden decision to postpone the February 25 election by 10 months, sparking a fierce opposition backlash and international concern. […] todayFebruary 9, 2024 8
insert_link Opinion Pieces The zero draft to create a pact for the future has landed. The hard part begins. By Florence Syevuo and Dan Perell The zero draft of the Pact for the Future — the agreement to seal September’s much-anticipated Summit of the Future — was introduced recently by the co-facilitators, Namibia and Germany, to fellow members at the United Nations. The draft is the fruition of careful consideration, balancing an array of diverse aspirations from all 193 member states. It is built on the proposals made in Secretary-General António Guterres’s Our Common Agenda and related […] todayFebruary 9, 2024 10
