asia.internet.com Realtime News for IT Managers: "July 8, 2004
Experts Question UN's Anti-Spam Plan
By Jim Wagner
Suggestions from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) conference about how to fight spam has an anti-spam expert questioning whether spam can really be wiped out.
Matt Cain, META Group's senior vice president of content and collaboration strategies, said the underlying e-mail framework, Simple Mail Transfer Protocol , makes eradicating spam nearly impossible.
'It's highly unlikely, close to a pipe dream,' he said of proposals that purport to eradicate spam. 'I think it'll be a perennial problem, but I think organizations have to erect substantial defenses against spam using a variety of techniques. Spam will [be reduced] to a manageable level, but it will be a persistent menace.'
Cain's comments followed reports from the ITU/World Summit on the Information Society's (WSIS) Thematic Meeting on Countering Spam, taking place in Geneva this week. "
Sunday, 11 July 2004
Tuesday, 6 July 2004
The Practical Aspects of Learning Human Rights*
HURIGHTS OSAKA
(Third part)
Government program
The support of the government is crucial in any human rights education in
schools program. Though many NGOs work independently from governments in
their school-based programs, governmental support is essential in order to
have a sustainable program on human rights education in schools.
Many governments in Asia-Pacific have launched a number of initiatives
supporting human rights education in schools. Japan has a law on human
rights education but the programs seem to be mainly done by local
governments, without complementing national programs. Pakistan and a few
other countries have adopted national plans of action on human rights
education.
National human rights commissions have on their own developed materials on
human rights. Some of these materials are meant for teachers and students.
An older national government program is from the Philippines. The Philippine
(Ministry) Department of Education implements in-service training and
material development on human rights education (in partnership with the
Philippine Commission on Human Rights), GAD, and CFSS programs. In 2003, a
series of workshops was held in various parts of the country to
a. Collate and analyze the data results from the survey [on teachers'
awareness of human rights],
b. Outline the matrix of HRE [human rights education] core
competencies/skills of a human rights teacher,
c. Design a competency-based training for teachers with reference to the
skill and contents requirements of the [relevant subjects in the
curriculum]"
d. Develop training packages including facilitators manual (with field
testing component),
e. Finalize the facilitators manual based on field testing results.
Because of its recently revised human rights teaching exemplars, the
Department started in February 2004 the training of trainors and teachers to
equip them with "relevant content, skills and attitude to effectively
integrate human rights values in their respective learning areas."
The Department's GAD program, which is meant to implement a law on women,
aims to "eliminate gender stereotyping in textbooks and instructional
materials, ... [and] raise gender awareness among the participants enabling
them to be more committed and responsive to gender equality."10 Training
workshops are being held under this program. Under the CFSS program, a
training kit was produced which contains among others the following: 11
a. Effective Teaching-Learning in Child-Friendly Schools: A Training Manual
b. Protective and Inclusive Child Friendly Schools: A Training Manual
c. Gender Sensitivity Training Facilitator's Manual
d. Storybooks on Children's Rights
e. Is Your School Child-Friendly? A Self-Assessment Guide.
The Philippine experience shows concrete steps that promote human rights
education in schools. It also shows that collaboration between the
Ministry/Department of Education, and other institutions (such as national
human rights commission and international institution like UNICEF) are
essential in implementing programs.
Indeed, there are valuable practical experiences from some countries in the
Asia-Pacific that should be models for other countries interested in human
rights education in schools to follow.
Notes
8. Department of Education Memorandum 160, series of 2003, Analysis of the
Human Rights Awareness Level of Classroom Teachers and Workshop on Designing
Teacher Training Packages on Human Rights Education (HRE), 15 May 2003.
9. Department of Education Memorandum 16, series of 2004, Training of
Trainors and Teachers on Human Rights Education (HRE), 13 January 2004.
10. Department of Education Memorandum 19, series of 2004, Gender and
Development (GAD) Programs), 15 January 2004.
11. Department of Education Memorandum 19, series of 2004, Child-Friendly
School System Trainer's Kit, 21 March 2003.
* This article appeared in the March 2004 issue of FOCUS Asia-Pacific. It
can also be accessed in the HURIGHTS OSAKA wensite: www.hurights.or.jp
HURIGHTS OSAKA
(Third part)
Government program
The support of the government is crucial in any human rights education in
schools program. Though many NGOs work independently from governments in
their school-based programs, governmental support is essential in order to
have a sustainable program on human rights education in schools.
Many governments in Asia-Pacific have launched a number of initiatives
supporting human rights education in schools. Japan has a law on human
rights education but the programs seem to be mainly done by local
governments, without complementing national programs. Pakistan and a few
other countries have adopted national plans of action on human rights
education.
National human rights commissions have on their own developed materials on
human rights. Some of these materials are meant for teachers and students.
An older national government program is from the Philippines. The Philippine
(Ministry) Department of Education implements in-service training and
material development on human rights education (in partnership with the
Philippine Commission on Human Rights), GAD, and CFSS programs. In 2003, a
series of workshops was held in various parts of the country to
a. Collate and analyze the data results from the survey [on teachers'
awareness of human rights],
b. Outline the matrix of HRE [human rights education] core
competencies/skills of a human rights teacher,
c. Design a competency-based training for teachers with reference to the
skill and contents requirements of the [relevant subjects in the
curriculum]"
d. Develop training packages including facilitators manual (with field
testing component),
e. Finalize the facilitators manual based on field testing results.
Because of its recently revised human rights teaching exemplars, the
Department started in February 2004 the training of trainors and teachers to
equip them with "relevant content, skills and attitude to effectively
integrate human rights values in their respective learning areas."
The Department's GAD program, which is meant to implement a law on women,
aims to "eliminate gender stereotyping in textbooks and instructional
materials, ... [and] raise gender awareness among the participants enabling
them to be more committed and responsive to gender equality."10 Training
workshops are being held under this program. Under the CFSS program, a
training kit was produced which contains among others the following: 11
a. Effective Teaching-Learning in Child-Friendly Schools: A Training Manual
b. Protective and Inclusive Child Friendly Schools: A Training Manual
c. Gender Sensitivity Training Facilitator's Manual
d. Storybooks on Children's Rights
e. Is Your School Child-Friendly? A Self-Assessment Guide.
The Philippine experience shows concrete steps that promote human rights
education in schools. It also shows that collaboration between the
Ministry/Department of Education, and other institutions (such as national
human rights commission and international institution like UNICEF) are
essential in implementing programs.
Indeed, there are valuable practical experiences from some countries in the
Asia-Pacific that should be models for other countries interested in human
rights education in schools to follow.
Notes
8. Department of Education Memorandum 160, series of 2003, Analysis of the
Human Rights Awareness Level of Classroom Teachers and Workshop on Designing
Teacher Training Packages on Human Rights Education (HRE), 15 May 2003.
9. Department of Education Memorandum 16, series of 2004, Training of
Trainors and Teachers on Human Rights Education (HRE), 13 January 2004.
10. Department of Education Memorandum 19, series of 2004, Gender and
Development (GAD) Programs), 15 January 2004.
11. Department of Education Memorandum 19, series of 2004, Child-Friendly
School System Trainer's Kit, 21 March 2003.
* This article appeared in the March 2004 issue of FOCUS Asia-Pacific. It
can also be accessed in the HURIGHTS OSAKA wensite: www.hurights.or.jp
THE PRACTICAL ASPECT OF LEARNING HUMAN RIGHTS, Second part
"The Practical Aspects of Learning Human Rights*
HURIGHTS OSAKA
(Second part)
School environment
An important project that addresses the need to have the proper school
environment for learning human rights is UNICEF's child friendly school
system (CFSS). For a number of years now, UNICEF has been giving support to
the adoption of CFSS by schools in various countries in the region. Under
its Country Program for Children, UNICEF promotes CFSS in Philippine
schools. In addition to helping realize child rights, the program links with
the Gender and Development Program (GAD) of the Philippine government which
is being mainstreamed into the education system.
A CFSS-recognized school is defined as
one which recognises and respects children's rights and responsibilities,
provides the enabling environment to realize children's rights in school,
and helps ensure such an environment in the community and households, is
child-friendly. The CFSS promotes a new appreciation of and approach to
basic education in that the school, to become truly child-friendly, needs to
be where students, teachers, parents and the community work together in
support of children's education and development. It also puts forward the
notion that the school must take responsibility for the education of
children who are unenrolled.
CFSS is promoted as an idea that is practical and feasible. A system
of assessing how child-friendly a school is emphasizes practical ways of
fulfilling child rights. According to an assessment guide developed in the
Philippines, a child-friendly school has 5 traits:
a.Inclusive, gender-sensitive and non-discriminating;
b.Effective with children;
c.Healthy for children;
d.Caring and protective of all children;
e.Involves children's families and the community.
A checklist on the meaning of one of these school traits states:
A child-friendly school is effective with children when it
- is child-centered
- has the best interest of the child in mind in all its learning activities
- has a curriculum that addresses the child's learning needs as well as
those of the community and society
- employs teaching methods that are suited to the child's age, abilities and
ways of learning
- encourages children to think and decide for them-selves, ask questions
and express their opinions.
- encourages children to participate in school and community activities
- encourages children to work together to solve problems and to achieve what
they aim to do
- encourages children to express their feelings through arts - music, drama
and other forms.
The employment of the child-friendly school concept is a practical
step that allows school administrators and teachers to see human rights
education in concrete form.
One CFSS-related project in Thailand encourages more student
activities with the support of the local community. In one seminar, parents
and teachers suggested that the school should help organize student clubs
that make use of resource persons or instructors from the local community.
These people are seen as instrumental in:
o Organizing activities involving the students
o Creating awareness among the teachers and community that these activities
do not need money
o Assessing student learning needs and interests
o Creating a list of local resource persons
o Encouraging the development of activities that promote the students'
self-esteem and self-confidence.
The project also provided the opportunity for the parents to clarify certain
rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. One issue discussed
was the concept of corporal punishment in schools. The parents learned that
it is not desired that there be no punishment at all.
The main issue is how to ban all physical punishments. It was asked: why is
it that if an adult hit another adult it would be considered illegal, but
not when children are hit? The World Health Organization asserts that a
child-friendly school must not employ corporal punishment. Research shows
that physical punishment does not only have immediate effect but causes
aggressive behavior later on. Corporal punishment is still used because
schools are unable to find a better way to solve the problem.
In a study of the impact of CFSS in some Philippine schools, issues about
teachers were pointed out:
a. Teachers' behavior
Undoubtedly, there had been an infusion of concepts and values related to
women's and children's rights into the setting of the CFSS schools covered
by the study. However, even within an environment that could be relatively
controlled by the school heads and teachers, gender biases continue to be
brought in through the materials used and the often unconscious and
spontaneous remarks and behavior of the teachers themselves. In difficult
subjects, such as the teaching of a second language and of science,
evidences of gender stereotypes tend to be more pronounced than in subjects
that are taught in Pilipino [Philippine national language] and that relate
to less difficult topics.
d. Capacity and morale of teachers
Finally, a way to boost the capacity and morale of teachers at the local
level for the promotion of both women's and children's rights is to assist
them in building institutional linkages with both [government] and NGO
[non-governmental organization] advocates. No amount of training will do any
good if the trained persons are unable to re-generate their selves and find
support from more accessible people and co-advocates.
Notes
4. Miriam College - Women and Gender Institute, Gender and Socialization
in Child Friendly Schools - An Exploratory Study (Quezon City: 2001) page 7,
and also in volume 7 of Human Rights Education in Asian Schools (Osaka:
HURIGHTS OSAKA, 2004).
5. Department of Education and UNICEF Manila Office, Is Your School
Child-Friendly? A Self-Assessment Guide, (Manila: undated)
6. Kreangkrai Chaimaungdee, "Child Rights In School" Participatory
Learning Processes for School and Community, The Life Skills Development
Foundation (Chiangmai: 2003), and also in volume 7 of Human Rights Education
in Asian Schools (Osaka: HURIGHTS OSAKA, 2004).
7. Miriam College Women and Gender Institute, op. cit., page 58.
"The Practical Aspects of Learning Human Rights*
HURIGHTS OSAKA
(Second part)
School environment
An important project that addresses the need to have the proper school
environment for learning human rights is UNICEF's child friendly school
system (CFSS). For a number of years now, UNICEF has been giving support to
the adoption of CFSS by schools in various countries in the region. Under
its Country Program for Children, UNICEF promotes CFSS in Philippine
schools. In addition to helping realize child rights, the program links with
the Gender and Development Program (GAD) of the Philippine government which
is being mainstreamed into the education system.
A CFSS-recognized school is defined as
one which recognises and respects children's rights and responsibilities,
provides the enabling environment to realize children's rights in school,
and helps ensure such an environment in the community and households, is
child-friendly. The CFSS promotes a new appreciation of and approach to
basic education in that the school, to become truly child-friendly, needs to
be where students, teachers, parents and the community work together in
support of children's education and development. It also puts forward the
notion that the school must take responsibility for the education of
children who are unenrolled.
CFSS is promoted as an idea that is practical and feasible. A system
of assessing how child-friendly a school is emphasizes practical ways of
fulfilling child rights. According to an assessment guide developed in the
Philippines, a child-friendly school has 5 traits:
a.Inclusive, gender-sensitive and non-discriminating;
b.Effective with children;
c.Healthy for children;
d.Caring and protective of all children;
e.Involves children's families and the community.
A checklist on the meaning of one of these school traits states:
A child-friendly school is effective with children when it
- is child-centered
- has the best interest of the child in mind in all its learning activities
- has a curriculum that addresses the child's learning needs as well as
those of the community and society
- employs teaching methods that are suited to the child's age, abilities and
ways of learning
- encourages children to think and decide for them-selves, ask questions
and express their opinions.
- encourages children to participate in school and community activities
- encourages children to work together to solve problems and to achieve what
they aim to do
- encourages children to express their feelings through arts - music, drama
and other forms.
The employment of the child-friendly school concept is a practical
step that allows school administrators and teachers to see human rights
education in concrete form.
One CFSS-related project in Thailand encourages more student
activities with the support of the local community. In one seminar, parents
and teachers suggested that the school should help organize student clubs
that make use of resource persons or instructors from the local community.
These people are seen as instrumental in:
o Organizing activities involving the students
o Creating awareness among the teachers and community that these activities
do not need money
o Assessing student learning needs and interests
o Creating a list of local resource persons
o Encouraging the development of activities that promote the students'
self-esteem and self-confidence.
The project also provided the opportunity for the parents to clarify certain
rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. One issue discussed
was the concept of corporal punishment in schools. The parents learned that
it is not desired that there be no punishment at all.
The main issue is how to ban all physical punishments. It was asked: why is
it that if an adult hit another adult it would be considered illegal, but
not when children are hit? The World Health Organization asserts that a
child-friendly school must not employ corporal punishment. Research shows
that physical punishment does not only have immediate effect but causes
aggressive behavior later on. Corporal punishment is still used because
schools are unable to find a better way to solve the problem.
In a study of the impact of CFSS in some Philippine schools, issues about
teachers were pointed out:
a. Teachers' behavior
Undoubtedly, there had been an infusion of concepts and values related to
women's and children's rights into the setting of the CFSS schools covered
by the study. However, even within an environment that could be relatively
controlled by the school heads and teachers, gender biases continue to be
brought in through the materials used and the often unconscious and
spontaneous remarks and behavior of the teachers themselves. In difficult
subjects, such as the teaching of a second language and of science,
evidences of gender stereotypes tend to be more pronounced than in subjects
that are taught in Pilipino [Philippine national language] and that relate
to less difficult topics.
d. Capacity and morale of teachers
Finally, a way to boost the capacity and morale of teachers at the local
level for the promotion of both women's and children's rights is to assist
them in building institutional linkages with both [government] and NGO
[non-governmental organization] advocates. No amount of training will do any
good if the trained persons are unable to re-generate their selves and find
support from more accessible people and co-advocates.
Notes
4. Miriam College - Women and Gender Institute, Gender and Socialization
in Child Friendly Schools - An Exploratory Study (Quezon City: 2001) page 7,
and also in volume 7 of Human Rights Education in Asian Schools (Osaka:
HURIGHTS OSAKA, 2004).
5. Department of Education and UNICEF Manila Office, Is Your School
Child-Friendly? A Self-Assessment Guide, (Manila: undated)
6. Kreangkrai Chaimaungdee, "Child Rights In School" Participatory
Learning Processes for School and Community, The Life Skills Development
Foundation (Chiangmai: 2003), and also in volume 7 of Human Rights Education
in Asian Schools (Osaka: HURIGHTS OSAKA, 2004).
7. Miriam College Women and Gender Institute, op. cit., page 58.
Saturday, 3 July 2004
THE PRACTICAL ASPECT OF LEARNING HUMAN RIGHTS, HURIGHTS OSAKA : "THE PRACTICAL ASPECT OF LEARNING HUMAN RIGHTS, HURIGHTS OSAKA (First Part)
Full support for human rights education in schools means making changes in
many components of the formal education system.
There is a need for an explicit support for human rights education in
education laws and policies. This legal and policy support in
turn paves the way for o Changes in the school curriculum to incorporate
human rights in various subjects or as a separate human
rights subject, o Critical review of school textbooks based on human rights
standards, and development of text-books on human rights,
o Development of human rights lesson plans and other teaching materials,
and o Review of school rules and regulations to revise provisions
that run counter to human rights principles.
Pre- and in-service teacher training curriculums will have to include human
rights and human rights teaching as major subjects.
Parents and even the local communities have to take part also in the school
programs. Relevant non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
are tapped for support.
So far, no government in the [Asia-Pacific] region has completely
undertaken all the needed supporting components for human rights
education in schools. But there are experiences that show how human rights
education in schools programs are being implemented
along these lines.
Two issues that have caught the attention of educators are about textbooks
and the school system. There are studies that examined
textbooks and the school system in relation to human rights principles.
Textbook analysis Regardless of absence of educational policy supporting
human rights education, the need to expunge the textbooks
of statements and illustrations (or photographs) that depict bias and
prejudice against anyone (because of sex, race, age, social or
economic status, religion, or political opinion) cannot be denied.
The current problems of violence in the streets and inside the home are
linked to the perpetration of thinking and practices that promote
bias, prejudice and bigotry.
A research done by the Equal Opportunity Commission in Hong Kong in 2001
confirms the existence of biased or discriminatory thinking
in textbooks. Among the guidelines to improve textbooks suggested by the
research report, here are some: [1]
Cultural/Ethnic/Social groups:
are presented with respect for themselves and their customs, beliefs and
activities are well represented in proportion to their numbers in the
community are seen as active in a range of professions and occupations in
the community are recognized for their contributions to the community
Old persons: are presented with respect in a range of activities and
occupations in the community are presented in a range of ages
(not just young and old) are shown enjoying an active and productive social
life in the community
Children: are shown as having the ability to make decisions, offer advice,
solve problems are encouraged to engage with issues concerning
social stereotypes are involved in exploring and evaluating social and
personal themes and content
Persons with disabilities: are presented with respect in a range of
activities and occupations in the community are celebrated in terms of their
contributions to the community are presented in the same kinds of
activities as persons without disabilities.
These guidelines can be further developed to suit situations in other
countries in the region. Other textbook analysis projects echo the
guidelines. An examination of Pakistani textbooks, for example, resulted in
the following suggestions: [2]
Language-use [in English textbooks] Some examples of changes that need to
be introduced in routine language-use:
1.Substitute the universal 'he' for the more specific 'he' or 'she'
depending on the context.
2.'Humankind' for the universal 'mankind' as the latter tends to subsume
the feminine category and render it invisible.
Similarly, 'Chairperson' for 'Chairman' and Ms. for Mrs. as the former
signifies an adult woman regard-less of whether she is married or not.
It is the equivalent of Mr. which also signifies an adult man regardless of
whether he is married or not.
Representation The ways in which women are represented also need to be
changed. Instead of constantly seeing them referentially or with
reference to nurturing and caring activities, they could be seen in their
other roles viz. doctors, engineers, lawyers, etc. This would not only
redress the gender bias found in textbooks it would also present a more
realistic view of our society.
There is also a need to emphasise women's economically productive role in
society as opposed to their reproductive role.
Beginning with the unpaid and unrecognised labour that sustains household
economies viz. cooking, washing, housekeeping, looking after
domestic animals, milking, making ghee,[3] stitching clothes etc. and going
on to include the different categories of work in the informal sector, it
would be necessary to stress the fact that paid work in the public field is
enabled by the unpaid work in the domestic enclosure.
(end of first part)
Notes **
This article appeared in the March 2004 issue of FOCUS Asia-Pacific. It can
also be accessed in the HURIGHTS OSAKA website: www.hurights.or.jp
1. Equal Opportunity Commission of Hong Kong, "Stereotypes in Textbooks and
Teaching Materials in Hong Kong,
" Human Rights Education in Asian Schools, volume 6 (Osaka: HURIGHTS OSAKA,
2003).
2. Aamna Mattu and Neelam Hussain, "Gender Biases and Stereotypes in School
Texts" in The Subtle Subversion
-The State of Curricula and Textbooks in Pakistan, a report of the project
"A Civil Society Initiative in Curricula and Textbooks Reform,
" Sustainable Development Policy Institute (Islamabad, 2003), available at
www.sdpi.org, and also in volume 7 of Human Rights Education
in Asian Schools (Osaka: HURIGHTS OSAKA, 2004).
3. Clarified butter.
======== Asia Pacific Human Rights Education listserv ========
Full support for human rights education in schools means making changes in
many components of the formal education system.
There is a need for an explicit support for human rights education in
education laws and policies. This legal and policy support in
turn paves the way for o Changes in the school curriculum to incorporate
human rights in various subjects or as a separate human
rights subject, o Critical review of school textbooks based on human rights
standards, and development of text-books on human rights,
o Development of human rights lesson plans and other teaching materials,
and o Review of school rules and regulations to revise provisions
that run counter to human rights principles.
Pre- and in-service teacher training curriculums will have to include human
rights and human rights teaching as major subjects.
Parents and even the local communities have to take part also in the school
programs. Relevant non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
are tapped for support.
So far, no government in the [Asia-Pacific] region has completely
undertaken all the needed supporting components for human rights
education in schools. But there are experiences that show how human rights
education in schools programs are being implemented
along these lines.
Two issues that have caught the attention of educators are about textbooks
and the school system. There are studies that examined
textbooks and the school system in relation to human rights principles.
Textbook analysis Regardless of absence of educational policy supporting
human rights education, the need to expunge the textbooks
of statements and illustrations (or photographs) that depict bias and
prejudice against anyone (because of sex, race, age, social or
economic status, religion, or political opinion) cannot be denied.
The current problems of violence in the streets and inside the home are
linked to the perpetration of thinking and practices that promote
bias, prejudice and bigotry.
A research done by the Equal Opportunity Commission in Hong Kong in 2001
confirms the existence of biased or discriminatory thinking
in textbooks. Among the guidelines to improve textbooks suggested by the
research report, here are some: [1]
Cultural/Ethnic/Social groups:
are presented with respect for themselves and their customs, beliefs and
activities are well represented in proportion to their numbers in the
community are seen as active in a range of professions and occupations in
the community are recognized for their contributions to the community
Old persons: are presented with respect in a range of activities and
occupations in the community are presented in a range of ages
(not just young and old) are shown enjoying an active and productive social
life in the community
Children: are shown as having the ability to make decisions, offer advice,
solve problems are encouraged to engage with issues concerning
social stereotypes are involved in exploring and evaluating social and
personal themes and content
Persons with disabilities: are presented with respect in a range of
activities and occupations in the community are celebrated in terms of their
contributions to the community are presented in the same kinds of
activities as persons without disabilities.
These guidelines can be further developed to suit situations in other
countries in the region. Other textbook analysis projects echo the
guidelines. An examination of Pakistani textbooks, for example, resulted in
the following suggestions: [2]
Language-use [in English textbooks] Some examples of changes that need to
be introduced in routine language-use:
1.Substitute the universal 'he' for the more specific 'he' or 'she'
depending on the context.
2.'Humankind' for the universal 'mankind' as the latter tends to subsume
the feminine category and render it invisible.
Similarly, 'Chairperson' for 'Chairman' and Ms. for Mrs. as the former
signifies an adult woman regard-less of whether she is married or not.
It is the equivalent of Mr. which also signifies an adult man regardless of
whether he is married or not.
Representation The ways in which women are represented also need to be
changed. Instead of constantly seeing them referentially or with
reference to nurturing and caring activities, they could be seen in their
other roles viz. doctors, engineers, lawyers, etc. This would not only
redress the gender bias found in textbooks it would also present a more
realistic view of our society.
There is also a need to emphasise women's economically productive role in
society as opposed to their reproductive role.
Beginning with the unpaid and unrecognised labour that sustains household
economies viz. cooking, washing, housekeeping, looking after
domestic animals, milking, making ghee,[3] stitching clothes etc. and going
on to include the different categories of work in the informal sector, it
would be necessary to stress the fact that paid work in the public field is
enabled by the unpaid work in the domestic enclosure.
(end of first part)
Notes **
This article appeared in the March 2004 issue of FOCUS Asia-Pacific. It can
also be accessed in the HURIGHTS OSAKA website: www.hurights.or.jp
1. Equal Opportunity Commission of Hong Kong, "Stereotypes in Textbooks and
Teaching Materials in Hong Kong,
" Human Rights Education in Asian Schools, volume 6 (Osaka: HURIGHTS OSAKA,
2003).
2. Aamna Mattu and Neelam Hussain, "Gender Biases and Stereotypes in School
Texts" in The Subtle Subversion
-The State of Curricula and Textbooks in Pakistan, a report of the project
"A Civil Society Initiative in Curricula and Textbooks Reform,
" Sustainable Development Policy Institute (Islamabad, 2003), available at
www.sdpi.org, and also in volume 7 of Human Rights Education
in Asian Schools (Osaka: HURIGHTS OSAKA, 2004).
3. Clarified butter.
======== Asia Pacific Human Rights Education listserv ========
Friday, 2 July 2004
BRETTON WOODS UPDATE: Number 40, May/June 2004
Ties that bind: possible shifts on conditionality?
On the back of sustained civil society vigilance and advocacy
on the negative impacts of conditionality come IFI and donor
efforts to review their attitudes towards it. The extent to
which such efforts represent a desire for better
implementation rather than a fundamental re-examination of the
content and impact of policy conditions remains unclear.
In July the World Bank is convening a meeting to discuss
experiences with conditionality in policy-based lending. The
forum, titled Conditionality Revisited, will take place in
Paris and will bring together academics, key decision makers,
and development practitioners from the IMF, the World Bank,
development agencies, and civil society. The meeting is to
discuss recent experiences with conditionality, and to guide
future policy-based lending.
DFID is preparing a policy note on the use of conditionality,
and over the past few months has consulted with NGOs in the
UK. The note will inform the DFID position at the Bank
conference.
In an attempt to broaden the limited remit of IFI and donor
reviews of conditionality, CSOs have outlined some proposals.
These are varied but include a call for the separation of the
lending and advice functions of the IFIs, the commissioning of
independent external reviews of the impact of conditionality
on poverty reduction, and strengthening the democratic
ownership of policy choices.
A report by Harare-based AFRODAD and the UK's Christian Aid,
urges an increased role for parliaments and CSOs in loan
contraction processes. World Vision suggests an "outcome
oriented approach to conditionality" seeing this as
particularly applicable in light of the millennium development
goals.
Other proposals are more contentious. In March, UK-based NGO
Global Witness presented a report at an IMF seminar. They
proposed fiscal transparency as an element of IMF
conditionality, suggesting the Fund should "issue a high-level
policy statement forcing certain transparency standards on
Fund missions and member countries". The Fund currently
promotes fiscal transparency through the Code of Good
Practices on Fiscal Transparency and the Reports on the
Observance of Standards and Codes. NGOs have made other
proposals on transparency (page 4).
The unsuccessful application of conditionality - under donor
-pressure and without a genuine commitment by recipient
countries to implement reforms - highlights the importance of
ownership to sustaining reform. Yet the very idea of
conditionality contradicts ownership. In a speech in February,
UK Secretary of State for international development, Hilary
Benn, acknowledged this, saying "all of us have worked hard to
establish the principle of country ownership in development.
Yet there is a tension here with the conditionality that is
applied to aid".
ActionAid's recent research on privatisation of utilities
highlights the use of conditionality to push "fundamental and
often highly controversial changes in economic policy". They
conclude that use of economic conditionality is "unfair,
undemocratic, ineffective and inappropriate".
Home-grown policies would rule out a dominant role by IFIs and
donors in defining country policy agendas and priorities.
Current IFI lending frameworks undermine country ownership.
Donor and IFI preoccupation with 'effective use of development
resources' is still cited as justification for limiting
country ownership.
The new Reality of Aid report 2004, a major north-south NGO
initiative focusing on analysis and lobbying for poverty
eradication policies, concludes that "imposed conditions are
incompatible with democratic governance". It makes a bold call
for the Bank to adopt a rights-based approach as an
alternative to policy conditionality.
Not mandatory provisions, but 'good practice' advice
The aim of reducing explicit conditionality does nothing to
change the power relationship between countries and IFIs. IFI
opinion and advice hold greater sway for countries with
limited alternatives for accessing development finance. Such
imbalances create room for policy imposition masquerading as
best practice recommendations.
Streamlining efforts illustrate the limited nature of the
rethink on conditionality. Whereas new Bank and Fund policy
papers suggest a commitment to reducing the burden of
conditionality, evidence on the ground reveals limited
progress. Analysts suggest that Fund structural conditions are
being passed on to the Bank.
Bilateral donors aligning with IFIs end up sanctioning
conditions on recipient countries, effectively shutting out
the possibility for alternative policy choices.
The long-term negative effects of conditionality on
accountable policy making far outweigh any perceived
short-term gains around donor-defined reforms.
Owning the loan, poor countries and the MDGs, Christian Aid
Money talks: How aid conditions drive
utility privatisation in poor countries, ActionAid
Ties that bind: possible shifts on conditionality?
On the back of sustained civil society vigilance and advocacy
on the negative impacts of conditionality come IFI and donor
efforts to review their attitudes towards it. The extent to
which such efforts represent a desire for better
implementation rather than a fundamental re-examination of the
content and impact of policy conditions remains unclear.
In July the World Bank is convening a meeting to discuss
experiences with conditionality in policy-based lending. The
forum, titled Conditionality Revisited, will take place in
Paris and will bring together academics, key decision makers,
and development practitioners from the IMF, the World Bank,
development agencies, and civil society. The meeting is to
discuss recent experiences with conditionality, and to guide
future policy-based lending.
DFID is preparing a policy note on the use of conditionality,
and over the past few months has consulted with NGOs in the
UK. The note will inform the DFID position at the Bank
conference.
In an attempt to broaden the limited remit of IFI and donor
reviews of conditionality, CSOs have outlined some proposals.
These are varied but include a call for the separation of the
lending and advice functions of the IFIs, the commissioning of
independent external reviews of the impact of conditionality
on poverty reduction, and strengthening the democratic
ownership of policy choices.
A report by Harare-based AFRODAD and the UK's Christian Aid,
urges an increased role for parliaments and CSOs in loan
contraction processes. World Vision suggests an "outcome
oriented approach to conditionality" seeing this as
particularly applicable in light of the millennium development
goals.
Other proposals are more contentious. In March, UK-based NGO
Global Witness presented a report at an IMF seminar. They
proposed fiscal transparency as an element of IMF
conditionality, suggesting the Fund should "issue a high-level
policy statement forcing certain transparency standards on
Fund missions and member countries". The Fund currently
promotes fiscal transparency through the Code of Good
Practices on Fiscal Transparency and the Reports on the
Observance of Standards and Codes. NGOs have made other
proposals on transparency (page 4).
The unsuccessful application of conditionality - under donor
-pressure and without a genuine commitment by recipient
countries to implement reforms - highlights the importance of
ownership to sustaining reform. Yet the very idea of
conditionality contradicts ownership. In a speech in February,
UK Secretary of State for international development, Hilary
Benn, acknowledged this, saying "all of us have worked hard to
establish the principle of country ownership in development.
Yet there is a tension here with the conditionality that is
applied to aid".
ActionAid's recent research on privatisation of utilities
highlights the use of conditionality to push "fundamental and
often highly controversial changes in economic policy". They
conclude that use of economic conditionality is "unfair,
undemocratic, ineffective and inappropriate".
Home-grown policies would rule out a dominant role by IFIs and
donors in defining country policy agendas and priorities.
Current IFI lending frameworks undermine country ownership.
Donor and IFI preoccupation with 'effective use of development
resources' is still cited as justification for limiting
country ownership.
The new Reality of Aid report 2004, a major north-south NGO
initiative focusing on analysis and lobbying for poverty
eradication policies, concludes that "imposed conditions are
incompatible with democratic governance". It makes a bold call
for the Bank to adopt a rights-based approach as an
alternative to policy conditionality.
Not mandatory provisions, but 'good practice' advice
The aim of reducing explicit conditionality does nothing to
change the power relationship between countries and IFIs. IFI
opinion and advice hold greater sway for countries with
limited alternatives for accessing development finance. Such
imbalances create room for policy imposition masquerading as
best practice recommendations.
Streamlining efforts illustrate the limited nature of the
rethink on conditionality. Whereas new Bank and Fund policy
papers suggest a commitment to reducing the burden of
conditionality, evidence on the ground reveals limited
progress. Analysts suggest that Fund structural conditions are
being passed on to the Bank.
Bilateral donors aligning with IFIs end up sanctioning
conditions on recipient countries, effectively shutting out
the possibility for alternative policy choices.
The long-term negative effects of conditionality on
accountable policy making far outweigh any perceived
short-term gains around donor-defined reforms.
Owning the loan, poor countries and the MDGs, Christian Aid
Money talks: How aid conditions drive
utility privatisation in poor countries, ActionAid
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