Inspector-general of Police Stella Libongani. (Photo: Government of Zambia)

Sex workers who parade the streets of Zambia at night will suffer harsh jail terms or fines in a crackdown that shall commence soon, according to the inspector-general of Police Stella Libongani. The Non-Governmental Organization Coordinating Council said the arrests will not solve the problem, reported the Daily Maill.

The side event organized by the UN-NGLS and Social Watch in the UN Headquarters. (Photo: IISD)

About a thousand people, most of them on behalf of civil society organizations from all over the world, have signed so far a petition to warn the United Nations and its member states about the possibility that the outcome of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio2012), to be held in June, “severely threatens the rights of all people”.

A meeting of the CSO Forum: Yao Graham (TWN Africa), Amel Affouz (UNCTAD), Hamish Jenkins (UN-NGLS) and Mohammed Abdulla Al-Maadeed (NHRC). (Photo: UNCTAD)

The Group of 77 and China, along with civil society organizations (CSOs), come out in defence of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), threatened by several rich nations that are trying to minimize its mandate and its ability to give advice to developing countries.

The CSO Forum of UNCTAD XIII that began this week in Doha, Qatar, raised questions about the “business as usual” approach to policies of trade, investment, finance and cooperation. The participants also noted that a key lesson from the global financial crisis is the need to recognize the important role of the state in economic development.

Launch ceremony of the project last year, at the University of the Philippines. (Photo: UCA News)

The non governmental organization Code: Reforms for Economic Development (Code: RED) and Social Watch Philippines launched a policy monograph on transparency and accountability in local governance, after several months of workshops in six municipalities to allow grassroots groups to get more involved in local public finance.

Protest against the IMF in Dhaka

Equity and Justice Working Group (EquityBD), a Bangladeshi alliance of rights-based civil society organizations, urges the government in Dhaka to open public and parliamentary debates in case of receive foreign loans in the name of assistance and development. The statement issued by the coalition in its regard refers to a 987 million dollars loan approved last week by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).