This Special Issue of Weltwirtschaft & Entwicklung ("World Economy & Development in brief" - No. 5-6/June 2005) presents:
* Gender Perspectives in the 21st Century * Reflections on Beijing+10 and Challenges for Women's Human Rights * Gender Equality and Social Justice in the Age of Globalisation * Peace and Security: The Need for a Gender Perspective
Exactly ten years ago the United Nations World Conference on Women adopted the Beijing Platform for Action – a comprehensive action package to globalise women’s rights. The Heinrich Böll Foundation will take this as an opportunity to host an international conference in Berlin this coming September. We will contribute to this conference with two Special Issues: In the present first issue, Barbara Unmüßig gives a short introduction into the state of affairs ten years after Beijing. Charlotte Bunch sketches the challenges women’s policy is facing after the 10-year review by the UN Commission on the Status of Women in New York. Christa Wichterich looks at the perspectives of gender equality and social justice in view of neo-liberal globalisation. Gitti Hentschel examines activities and strategies developed by women to overcome gender blindness in national and international foreign and security policy. And finally, she also presents approaches which – despite all obstacles and opposition – promise true potential for the Federal Republic of Germany.
This Special Issue is published in co-operation with the Heinrich Böll Foundation, Berlin, on the occasion of the international conference Femme Globale: Gender Perspectives in the 21st Century, 8 – 10 September 2005 (www.femme-globale.de).
This Issue is reserved for subscribers (>>> here) and also available as special offer together with Special Issue Femme Globale (II) here.
The G20's unfinished business: The potential of SDRs + Compensating poor food importers + EU strategy on aquaculture + World Bank suspends labour indicator
A green recovery is possible + Stiglitz presents interim report + IFM funding and reforms + The wrong side of the global water divide + BRICs call for more say in IFIs
On the road to London and beyond: New opportunities for global governance + Aid under pressure + South-South cooperation in global crisis + Global unemployment
Race to a New Bretton Woods + Time for UN to Act + Stiglitz' New Economic Compact + China's Agrarian Reforms + Transparency Deficit of IMF and World Bank
Dambisa Moyo's book "Dead Aid" (see reference) has created quite a storm within the development community, which struggles with an appropriate response. However, the reactions have been too defensive, according to Eveline Herfkens.
The United Nations has downgraded its economic forecast for 2009. The world economy is expected to shrink by 2.6% in 2009. Approaching the end of May 2009, the economic landscape remains very winterly with no visible green shoots to be seen which could signal beginnings of a new spring.
The G20 recently endorsed the issuance of $250bn of Special Drawing Rights (SDR) by the IMF, but it made no arrangements for rich countries to transfer their allocations to poor ones. The idea was not even mentioned. Yet that is where the real benefits of an SDR issue would come from. A memorandum by George Soros
Globally, fish is by far the most traded agricultural commodity, and aquaculture is the fastest growing food production activity. Asia is the leader, with 80% of global production. However, with its Aquaculture Strategy of April 2009, the European Commission provides a red carpet to European industry.
High food prices are putting the health and lives of the world's poorest at severe risk. A mechanism to compensate for the effects of higher import prices on the poor is needed and can be implemented immediately. It must be without conditions. A proposal by Kunibert Raffer.