What's new in development? Eldis Development Reporter

ELDIS DEVELOPMENT REPORTER

10 December 2007

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Here is our selection from recent additions to Eldis: your gateway to development information. This is a choice of key documents and topical announcements. To see the complete list of additions, visit our website at: www.eldis.org

All documents are available free on the Internet via the links provided. If you only have email access to the Internet, we can send you a copy of a document as an email attachment. We are also developing a programme to distribute documents regularly on CDRom. Our contact details are at the end of this email message.

You can also receive this update as an RSS Newsfeed at www.eldis.org/go/newsfeeds

HIGHLIGHTS

Background to Bali: climate challenges and options

We bring together some of the key papers published in the run up to this year's big UN climate change conference in Bali.The papers highlight some of the major challenges posed by climate change, and explore various options for adaptation and mitigation. Issues discussed include how developing countries can be engaged in emissions reductions commitments, which countries will be most affected by climate change and how climate change and development policies can be more effectively integrated

Corporate responsibility in China

The concept of CSR (qiye shehui zeren) has been gaining increasing attention in China. Contrary to popular definitions in the US and Europe that highlight the voluntary nature of CSR, most debates in China still focus on issues of (legal) compliance on the one hand and corporate philanthropy on the other. As a result national and international stakeholders do not yet share a common understanding of CSR. In line with the country's size and its growing weight in the global economy, the range of CSR related topics in China is very broad. This Eldis key issue page presents the most prominent themes of current CSR debates with regards to China.

Mobile-phone commerce innovations in the Philippines

The Philippines are a leader in the use of mobile telephones for access to a range of services from m-Banking to m-Education and m-Governance. The Phillipines experience shows that it is possible to increase access to mobile phones, not only for the wealthiest in society but also for the poorer segments of society. This Sida report looks at this experience and attempts to identify best practices and lessons learned for application in the similar market conditions which exist in Africa

Meeting the health-related needs of the very poor

There is a growing concern within the international development community that policies aimed at reducing the number of people living below the poverty line could leave the most disadvantaged groups behind. Our Eldis Dossier looks at different strategies for reaching the very poor within the health sector, and at the institutional challenges associated with scaling up health-related interventions to cover broader segments of the population. It also highlights the fact that there are ways outside the health sector to improve health or reduce the impoverishing impact of disease, and that in some contexts these may benefit the poor most.

Towards a gender-inclusive approach to disaster risk reduction

Gender issues are often overlooked in the implementation of disaster risk reduction, despite their inclusion in the Hyogo Framework. This report from the UN/ISDR aims to increase understanding of the gender vulnerabilities and risks, and to trigger more action towards gender-inclusive disaster risk reduction process. Drawing on contributions from community-based organizations, NGOs and UNDP country offices in a range of countries, it highlights good practices and the many ways that women contribute to disaster risk reduction.

Migrant remittances

Our key issues page looks at some of the perceived impacts of remittances: at the country level, on women and on the the process of transferring money across continents

Biofueling poverty

Are high EC targets for biofuels exposing vulnerable people to exploitation and food insecurity? Bio-fuel production has been posed as a small contribution to reducing carbon emissions. However, a high EC target is posing a serious threat to vulnerable people at risk from land-grabbing, exploitation, and deteriorating food security. This Oxfam paper argues that social standards must be considered alongside environmental standards.

Essential tools for negotiating environmental agreements

Increasingly, the work in the international environmental field is focussed on implementation. This UNFCC handbook provides a practical introduction to negotiating or working on Multilateral Environmental Agreements, providing guidance for negotiating practical issues and technical rules.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

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Transparency at the IMF: a guide for civil society on getting access to information from the IMF

* Access to private cable television promotes female autonomy and welfare in India

* Malaria treatment and policy in three regions in Nigeria: the role of patent medicine vendors

* Agriculture after conflict: New Agriculturalist

* Markets for ecosystem services: new challenges and opportunities for business and the environment

JOBS

* Eldis are seeking a Resource Guide Editor to cover Corporate Responsibility, Governance and Aid

* ActionAid seeks Education Project Manager, either Nairobi, Kampala, Dakar, Lilongwe, Bujumbura or Johannesburg

* IDLO is seeking a Judicial Capacity Building Expert and Judicial Capacity Building Advisors, Iraq

* ACDI/VOCA seeks Microfinance Specialist, Cape Verde

* Job: Bonn International Center for Conversion seeks Senior Program Officer, Small Arms and Light Weapons, East Africa

For full details and a list of all 100 jobs currently available, visit our Jobs Page: www.eldis.org/go/jobs

ANNOUNCEMENTS

* Event: Climate Protection and Renewable Energy: Medium and Small Communities facing the Challenge, April 2008, Italy

* Course: Human Rights Education Assocaitates presents an e-learning course on Monitoring Children's Right

* Call For Papers: International Conference 'Rethinking Poverty: Making Policies Work for Children, 2008, New York

* PhD: The University of Agder in Norway offers an International Management PhD programme, Norway

For full details and a list of all 73 conferences, events and other announcements, visit our Announcements Page: www.eldis.org/go/events-and-announcements

See our "What's New" section for a complete list of new additions on the Eldis Web site at: www.eldis.org/go/what-s-new

You can also receive this update as an RSS Newsfeed at www.eldis.org/go/newsfeeds

If you only have email access to the Internet, we can send you a copy of a document as an email attachment.

We are also developing a programme to distribute documents regularly on CDRom. If you would like to register for a (free) copy of the disc, please visit our project website at community.eldis.org/eldisondisc or email us at eldisondisc@ids.ac.uk

Our subject-focused email bulletins contain adverts and announcements relevant to your subject area. You can subscribe at: www2.ids.ac.uk/bns/updates/eldis/index.cfm or contact us at the address below.

Eldis currently includes descriptions and links to over 4,500 organisations and over 24,000 full-text online documents covering development and environmental issues. It can be searched or browsed free-of-charge over the Internet.

Eldis is funded by DFID, Norad, SDC and Sida and is one of a family of knowledge services at the Institute of Development Studies, Sussex, UK

Contact details:

Peter Ferguson

Eldis Programme

at the Institute of Development Studies,

Sussex Brighton BN1 9RE,

UK

Email: eldis@ids.ac.uk

Tel: +44 1273 877330

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