The International Monetary Fund's policy-making panel has directed the institution to develop a "concrete proposal" that will allow heavily indebted countries to, in effect, declare bankruptcy.

This new and first in the series of the AFRODAD Reality of Aid publications, authored by African Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) drawn from Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, Mozambique, Cameroon, Kenya and Uganda, is a classic edition that offers answers to fundamental questions of the whole Aid regime. It gives proposals pointing to a fresh start on aid in terms of what conditions the recipient governments should adopt for such a start.

Effective treatment of curable sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is one of the few strategies available to reduce the spread of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa. Many people with STIs seek treatment from private practitioners. Why are patients turning to the private sector for help? Do they receive adequate care?

The World Bank will assist the Angolan government in the resettlement of 1,500,000 people in their respective areas of origin, the government-owned news agency reports.

The World Bank and IMF's Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) initiative has a stated aim of providing a 'lasting exit' to the debt problems of the poorest countries - but a new report suggests it is doing anything but. The latest draft 'Status of Implementation Report' for the HIPC initiative, due to be released in time for the 2002 Annual Meetings of the Bank and Fund, shows that of the 19 countries originally expected to reach completion point by the end of this year, at least 11, or 60 percent, will fail to do so and that even according to the narrow definitions of the World Bank and IMF, HIPC only appears to be working for between seven and 10 countries out of the 42 included within the initiative.

Kenya's NGO forum, led by the International Fund for Animal Welfare, has called on African Elephant Range States to oppose the reopening of the ivory trade at the 12th Conference of Parties for Convention on the International in Endangered Species in November in Santiago, Chile.

Millions of people in 45 coffee-growing countries are facing economic ruin due to collapsing world prices, according to Oxfam, who have launched a campaign on the issue. Oxfam says the benefit of aid and debt relief is being severely undermined. For example, Ethiopia’s coffee income dropped by $110m compared to the $58m it is set to save in debt relief this year.

The International Monetary Fund has set tough conditions for Uganda under a new aid deal approved last week by the fund's board. Among the terms that came with a $17.8m (Shs 32bn) aid support is a requirement that the government submits to the Cabinet a plan to reduce its expenditure by 31 December.

"Political elites and their cronies continue to take kickbacks at every opportunity. Hand in glove with corrupt business people, they are trapping whole nations in poverty and hampering sustainable development. Corruption is perceived to be dangerously high in poor parts of the world, but also in many countries whose firms invest in developing nations," said Peter Eigen, Chairman of Transparency International, speaking on the launch of the Corruption Perceptions Index 2002 (CPI) in late August.

Critics of Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) charge that the whole approach is fundamentally flawed. Three years after the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) introduced their Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS) approach as the latest template for the world's poorest countries to get out of poverty, a new Panos report examines the progress so far and the arguments about whether PRS can succeed.

Deutsche Bank South Africa has formally launched its Africa Foundation aimed at supporting and uplifting impoverished individuals and communities. Deutsche Bank Board of Directors approved a US$15-million endowment for the Africa Foundation in 2001.

Developing country governments were continuing to service illegitimate debts that could not be paid without causing enormous human harm, Leslie Fields from Friends of the Earth International told a Global People's Forum meeting on debt eradication during the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD).

People from across the world - mainly from Africa - stood up in front of thousands at a meeting on corporate accountability at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) and faced the television cameras to voice their anger at how the negative impacts of globalisation resulted in their continued poverty and disempowerment.

Naomi Ngwira cannot understand why the whole of Africa can’t survive without Coca-Cola. Speaking at a meeting to discuss global governance and corruption at the Global People’s Forum, a parallel event held at the same time as the World Summit on Sustainable Development, Ngwira asked why more concerted action wasn’t taken against the United States, International Monetary Fund and World Bank over their harmful policies. “Is it really the case that we can’t do anything about the US, IMF and World Bank?” she asked, “Can’t we begin to impose sanctions on the United States?”

There is growing concern that globalisation threatens the ability of developing countries to address social policy concerns. Is there a need for a global regulatory framework to protect social rights? Should the international financial institutions (IFI) be getting involved in social policy or would a new institution to deal with social policy be more likely to win support?

A U.N. plan to cut poverty while saving the earth's resources agreed on last Wednesday includes measures to replenish fish stocks and slow the rate at which rare species of plants and animals are being wiped out. Many leading scientists and the United Nations itself have painted a gloomy picture of the planet's future. Some experts say up to 50 percent of the world's species could be wiped out by human activity in this century.

Recent studies show that many children in developing countries are leaving school without learning to read, write or do basic sums. The Global Campaign for Education argues that this is an injustice and a waste of human potential that must be challenged. Improving the quality of public education is also one of the fundamental actions - along with expanding access and abolishing fees and charges - needed to achieve the 2015 goal of universal completion of primary school.

A credible strategy now exists to get every child into school. But the strategy will be worthless unless it is backed by major additional resources from G8 countries. New figures show that aid for basic education remains dismally low. The Global Campaign for Education argues in a new paper that it is time for the G8 to move beyond public relations gimmicks and produce a real breakthrough for the world's poor.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has called for a global commitment on press freedom to emerge from the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), warning that the aims of the Summit will not be achieved without a commitment to human rights.

Some corporations continue to abuse the rights of people, destroy the livelihoods of communities, and pollute water and forest resources for future generations, according to a new report by Friends of the Earth International. The report graphically illustrates the need for governments to agree to introduce tighter rules for multinationals at the Earth Summit in Johannesburg.