The UNESCO-DANIDA Programme on Human Rights is aimed at facilitating the adoption of a transdisciplinary approach to complex social problems. Programme seeks to promote respect for human rights and to contribute to the empowerment of the poorer part of the population. In this connection, the Project on Empowering Women is part of a cohesive effort aimed at developing Kokologho Department in Burkina Faso. It has a budget of $189,212, and is planned to last 21 months (July 1999-April 2001). Since the beginning of 1998, two French NGOs have financed the construction of a community centre for women and five wells.

The core of the project concerns human rights, and more specifically women's rights and the rights of the women participating in the project.

Taking into account the lives and day-to-day challenges facing the women and their communities, the human rights training was conducted in a very practical manner, the objective being to empower the women, inform them of their rights and responsibilities, and of the real links between their lives and their rights.

The human rights training is aimed at establishing a very concrete link between the day-to-day lives of the communities, human rights and development, with a view to contributing to the sustainable development of the community. Thanks to the complementarity of the project activities, women will become conscious of their role within society as informed, aware and active citizens. This is a bottom-up approach; the training is thus based on very definite local needs as identified by the beneficiaries, and takes into consideration the poor literacy levels or even illiteracy of the recipient populations. The training components are the following: (i) human rights and women's rights; (ii) water and health; (iii) plant gardens; and (iv) the involvement of women in the market economy.

Results to date have been the following:

(i) Training has been carried out in the field of human rights and women's rights. In addition, two theatrical performances on women's rights were given in the villages with a view to fostering commitment to this issue.

(ii) Five water management committees have been set up. They have received training with regard to water and health and the management of the wells. The committees have recently had their capacities strengthened through the holding of a second series of workshops.

(iii) Three plant gardens have been created and are being maintained by local groups of villagers. A pharmacy of medicinal herbs has been established in the Kokologho women's community centre.

(iv) Training has been provided in the production of karité butter, sumbala and other products, as well as in the field of the use and maintenance of various types of machine (e.g. shelling machines). A number of training courses have been given in several series in order to reinforce the skills acquired.

(v) Financial training has also been provided, giving tips on how to raise and manage funds. A small shop was established inside the Kokologho women's community centre.

(vi) The Neerwaya Federation of Women's Associations (and the women who have attended the training courses) are currently enjoying a period in which to consolidate their activities. At the Journées Agroalimentaires held at the end of 2000, they were awarded a prize (a shelling machine) for the quality of their production.

The project has reached completion. A final evaluation was undertaken in April 2001.

Under the human rights programme, a UNESCO Chair in Education for Peace and Conflict Resolution was established in July 1999 at the National University of Burundi; a UNESCO Chair in the Culture of Peace and Human Rights was established in July 2000 at the University of Mali, and has received a contribution of $10,000 to cover expenses relating to its activities; a UNESCO Chair in the Culture of Peace, Conflict Resolution, Human Rights, Democracy and Good Governance is currently being established at the University of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, In addition, the holders of UNESCO Chairs in Human Rights in Ethiopia, Benin, Burundi, South Africa, Mali and the Gambia participated actively in the Annual Meeting of Directors of Human Rights Research and Training Institutes, which was held at UNESCO Headquarters from 22 to 24 January 2001.

An International Seminar on Human Rights Education in the Third Millennium: Problems and Challenges for UNESCO Chairs in Southern Africa was held by the Oliver Tambo Chair at East London in June 2000. The World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance will be held in Durban, South Africa, from 31 August to 7 September 2001. The Director-General of UNESCO has been invited to participate. UNESCO is preparing actively for that event.

In connection with the Regional Networks for Tolerance, Non-violence and Solidarity, the second meeting of the African Regional Network will take place in Dakar, Senegal, from 19 to 22 March 2001, on the theme "Identities and citizenship: For a future of tolerance and peace in Africa", with three sub-themes: "The meaning of an ideal: Tolerance and pluralism", "State, citizenship and affiliations: Promoting a culture of civic peace" and "Tolerance, peace and African citizenship: Beyond the nation-state". This meeting, organized by UNESCO and the National Commission of Senegal for UNESCO, will bring together participants from 11 African countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Togo, Sierra Leone, and the African Confederation of UNESCO Clubs and the UNESCO Chair in Human Rights of Côte d'Ivoire. Senegal will be represented by institutes and organizations concerned with human rights and peace and by academic researchers in that field.

The social and human sciences programme in southern Africa has constantly supported national activities for the celebration of the International Year for the Culture of Peace. In Namibia, the UNESCO Windhoek Office was a member of the National Consultative Council established to plan and organize the activities of the International Year for the Culture of Peace. After it was officially launched by H.E. Dr Sam Nujoma, President of the Republic of Namibia and following the holding of a march for peace on 14 September 1999, the National Consultative Council organized the following activities to celebrate the year 2000:
(i) A "national dialogue" involving all 13 regions of the country was conducted in June 2000. Follow-up activities were held, including regional workshops in certain regions such as Hardap.
(ii) Signatures were collected for Manifesto 2000.
(iii) On the International Day for Tolerance, celebrated on 16 December 2000, special programmes were broadcast on that theme on television and radio, including on "Talk of the Nation" (NBC TV) and "Crossfire" (NBC Radio).
(iv) A competition for a text and a poster on the theme "If peace reigned in my country" was held in Namibian Associated Schools.
(v) A calendar of tolerance-related anniversaries was published. The poems and posters selected came from the competition that was organized jointly by the UNESCO Windhoek Office and the National Commission for the celebration of the International Day for Tolerance in 1998.

The project "Training and plea for a culture of peace and non-violence in Malawi" is aimed at strengthening democracy, development and reconstruction in the country by ensuring improved conditions for greater tolerance, understanding and a culture of peace between the various groups and regions of the country. This project was established on the initiative of the National Commission of Malawi for UNESCO, and was further developed in close collaboration with the UNESCO social and human sciences programme in southern Africa. The Finnish National Commission contributed to the launching of that project, and it is hoped that $25,000 will be forthcoming from UNESCO's Participation Programme. The programme will be set up, coordinated and managed by the National Commission of Malawi for UNESCO, in close collaboration with the UNESCO Windhoek Office.

Following the Zanzibar Conference, and in connection with UNESCO's special project on "Women and the culture of peace in Africa", a study on "Women and the culture of peace in Namibia" was conducted. It covers the pre- and post-independence period in Namibia and draws attention to the current and traditional roles of women in conflict mediation and the building of a culture of peace in the region of Owanbo.

The UNESCO Windhoek Office provided the initial impetus for the holding in Pretoria of a seminar on Women, peace and security in Africa", and also contributed to the financing of that seminar, including the production of a video film.

Project on "Human rights, citizenship and local democracy in Senegal"

Launched in 1999, the project on "Human rights, citizenship and local democracy in Senegal" is aimed at strengthening local democratic institutions: the elected councils at each level of administrative decentralization: region, commune and rural community.

In 2000, a series of training courses in human rights and local governance took place in the Kaffrine department, providing training to approximately 100 local elected officials, and initiating a dialogue on these matters between elected officials and local communities by means of empowerment seminars and local radio programmes. The training dealt with the observance of human rights in connection with local development: more specifically, it was aimed at securing the gradual inclusion of human rights objectives in local development plans drawn up by the communities as part of the policy of decentralization. A similar series of training courses will be held in Kédougou in 2001. The human rights and local governance training materials that were tested and refined during the three successive series of training courses (St Louis, Kaffrine and Kédougou) will be finalized and published.

Project on "Victim-friendly sexual offences courts"

In response to the increase in violence against women and children in Namibia, the Office of the Public Prosecutor, the Namibian Police Force, the Ministry of Health and Social Services, the Legal Assistance Centre (LAC), UNDP, UNESCO, UNICEF, the Royal Netherlands Embassy and the Department for International Development (DIFD) ran a project on "Victim-friendly sexual offences courts" in Namibia from August 1999 to December 2000. The project is seeks mainly to eliminate violence against women and children in Namibia by reinforcing the powers of those who work with the victims, such as social workers, police, legal personnel, in particular public prosecutors, magistrates and judges, with a view to ensuring that the victims of rape and sexual offences receive the necessary assistance, and that the culprits are prosecuted.

The project consisted of three parts:
(i) a study tour for public prosecutors and police to the United Kingdom;
(ii) a study tour for public prosecutors and social workers to South Africa. These two study tours were aimed at giving participants an opportunity to study the laws, police methods and mechanisms for the protection of victims of sexual violence, together with systems and procedures for combating violence against women and children in other countries;
(iii) two training workshops in legal procedures and how to listen to children's testimony: the first for social workers and police, and the second for public prosecutors and magistrates.

The UNESCO Windhoek Office was the main actor with regard to the training workshops for social workers, police, magistrates and public prosecutors. UNESCO provided financial and technical assistance. UNESCO also commissioned an evaluation from an independent consultant. The study showed that the various parts of the project fully attained the objectives set.