· March, 2012

Stories about Development from March, 2012

South Asia: Every Day Is Earth Hour for Us

  31 March 2012

Today many countries of the world are observing Earth Hour, an event to make people aware of the climate change by turning off their non-essential lights for one hour. Millions of people in South Asia have no access to electricity and the demand of electricity is much bigger than supply.

Georgia: Tongue-in-cheek development forecast

  31 March 2012

A satirical video posted on YouTube takes a tongue-in-cheek look at the development of Georgia ahead of parliamentary elections later this year and a presidential vote in 2013. With the current president, Milhail Saakashvili, unable to run for a third term in office it foresees him following in the footsteps...

Human Rights Mapping in Cambodia

  31 March 2012

Human rights advocates in Cambodia have been using online maps to document, monitor, and expose human rights violations across the country. Some of the maps track land conflicts, media killings, freedom of expression violations, and prison overcrowding

Spain: General Strike Across Cities and Neighborhoods

  30 March 2012

Hundreds of people took the streets around cities and neighborhoods in Spain yesterday to participate in a general strike (29M) to protest against proposed government cuts to indispensable social services. March 29 became a new important date in the movements' agenda.

Peru: Focusing on Technology for Social and Economic Development

  30 March 2012

What if Peru were more committed to supporting and developing technology? This is what Oscar Montezuma asks in the blog Blawyer [es]. He looks at the current cabinet of ministries and suggests changes to give technology a leading role in the government's strategy for social and economic development.

Nicaragua: Film on Consequences of Leaked Sex Videos Seeks Crowdfunding

  28 March 2012

An award-winning team of producers and actors is coming together in rural Nicaragua to make a movie on the consequences of teenagers making an intimate video which then becomes public by mistake. They are looking for extra funding to cover costs on location in Matagalpa, Nicaragua, and all the money raised will be spent locally.

Zambia: President Angers Citizens in Diaspora

  24 March 2012

Zambia’s President Michael Sata has invited the ire of citizens living abroad for ridiculing them during a three day visit to neighbouring Botswana and also dashing their hopes for inclusion of dual citizenship into the new Zambian constitution.

Video: Indigenous Communities Document their Growth and Governance

  23 March 2012

The Indigenous Territory and Governance Platform is made up of a series of institutions all working together to provide the indigenous people of Latin America the tools and resources to be able to strengthen the governance they have of their territory and their community. A series of short videos is used to document their progress. All links lead to Spanish language sites.

Spain: Are You For or Against EuroVegas?

  21 March 2012

The CEO of Las Vegas Sands, multibillionaire Sheldon Adelson, has decided to establish his next hotel-casino complex EuroVegas in Spain. If the Spanish government seems enthusiastic about this project, the Spanish people are divided on the issue.

France: Protests in Marseille against the Privatisation of Water

  21 March 2012

Babalobi wrote on eWash: “Accompanied by unarmed policemen, protesters marched through the streets of central Marseille singing, dancing and chanting slogans against ‘privatisation’ and ‘commodification’ of urban water supply.” The protests were organised by global civil society movements that include Public Service International,  Africa Water Network, European Federation of Public Service Unions, Transnational Institute,...

Ecuador: ‘March for Life’ Says ‘No’ to Large-Scale Mining

  17 March 2012

The Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa has decided to promote large-scale mining in his country, but in spite of the economic benefits, indigenous communities and other civil organizations do not support these projects. Hence, The 'March for Life' is a protest against large-scale mining in Ecuador.

Brazil: Demonstration Demands President Veto on Forestry Code

  16 March 2012

On March 7, Brazilian activists organized an act (#vetadilma) urging President Dilma to veto changes on the new Forestry Code. Biologist Pablo Pessoa published photos and videos of the act, and wrote [pt] about his participation, claiming it was difficult to ensure “preservation or conservation of ecological processes without the recognition by...

Cameroon: UN Drinking Water Data under Question

  16 March 2012

Oriane Alix in Cameroon reacts to the joint press release from UNICEF and WHO that states that  89% of the world has access to drinking water today. She  writes [fr] the following on the collaborative blog of the West Africa WASH Journalists Network: “To announce having reached these United Nations Millennium Development...

Brazil: Ministry Silences Report on Human Rights in Belo Monte

  15 March 2012

Brazilian journalist Leonardo Sakamoto comments [pt] on a news [pt] about a report he wrote for the government that denounces human rights abuses [pt] in the region affected by the Belo Monte Dam. The news points that almost one year after the visit, the report hasn't been formally discussed by...