The South African Civil Society Information Service
A nonprofit news agency promoting social justice. Seeking answers to the question:
How do we make democracy work for the poor?
A nonprofit news agency promoting social justice. Seeking answers to the question:
How do we make democracy work for the poor?
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With the December break looming, you may be interested in considering more than just where to go. Your choice of accommodation and holiday activities, too, have implications for social justice. To be an ethical tourist requires thought, research and a willingness to care, says CNN's Richard Quest, as he provides tips on how to travel without perpetuating exploitation.
Davinder Kaur -
As the United Nations seeks increased financial assistance from donor countries to help meet the flagging Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the inadequacy of international aid and fairer trade agreements has never been so clear. In 2007 alone, aid to developing countries fell by 8.4%, leaving huge challenges ahead to meet the Gleneagles G-8 target of doubling aid to Africa by 2010. In July, the Doha round of trade talks collapsed again for the third time as developing countries...
Aid is not the only answer to Africa's problems, says actor and nouveau-activist Ben Affleck. The solution lies in paying attention to Africa; being invested in African issues and trying to understand them. He makes a case against imposing Western models of development on Africa.
Glenn Ashton -
The recent sharp increases in food prices around the world have resulted in a siren call from the pro-biotech cheer-leaders that genetically modified (GM) crops must be more widely adopted if we are to reduce food prices and increase the availability of food for a burgeoning global population.
News stories have abounded since food prices spiked hailing the benefits of GM technology being able to feed us all. Although most of these stories emanate directly from public relations sources, they...
Richard Pithouse -
The rebellions in the ANC against Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma have broken the hermetic seal that had been tightly wound around electoral politics by the dominance of the ANC since 1994. It is not yet clear which social forces will be able to manoeuvre most effectively on this new and, for the moment, more open terrain. It is possible that once a deal is brokered between the ambitions and principles of the unruly mix of corrupt crony capitalists, conservative patriarchs, liberals, social...
Trade is very imbalanced against the poorest countries says Mary Robinson of Realizing Rights; and part of the reason is the subsidies on agricultural products in rich countries. She argues for more coherence between the aid and trade policies of rich nations.
