IWD 2017 campaign theme: #BeBoldForChange

For International Women's Day 2017, we're asking you to #BeBoldForChange.

Call on the masses or call on yourself to help forge a better working world - a more gender inclusive world.

Submit your #BeBoldForChange action via the IWD website.

International Women's Day as a vehicle for change, is it possible?

Last year, organizations and individuals around the world supported the #PledgeForParity campaign and committed to help women and girls achieve their ambitions; challenge conscious and unconscious bias; call for gender-balanced leadership; value women and men's contributions equally; and create inclusive flexible cultures. From awareness raising to concrete action, organizations rallied their people to pledge support to help forge gender parity on International Women’s Day (IWD) and beyond.

But the World Economic Forum predicts the gender gap won't close entirely until 2186. This is too long to wait. Around the world, IWD can be an important catalyst and vehicle for driving greater change for women and moving closer to gender parity.

What if the world truly stepped up to take bold action?

Will you #BeBoldForChange on International Women's Day 2017 and beyond by taking groundbreaking action that truly drives the greatest change for women.

Each one of us - with women, men and non-binary people joining forces - can be a leader within our own spheres of influence by taking bold pragmatic action to accelerate gender parity. Through purposeful collaboration, we can help women advance and unleash the limitless potential offered to economies the world over.

We have urgent work to do. Are you ready to #BeBoldForChange this IWD 2017 and beyond?

#BeBoldForChange NOW

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The Council of Churches says Stampede over food shows that Poverty levels have reached alarming levels

Rev Dr Suzanne Matale – CCZ General Secretary

The Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ) has said that the death of 8 people in a stampede which happened during the distribution of food by a church organization must serve as an eye opener to the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) government that poverty levels in the country have reached alarming levels.

In a statement released to the media yesterday and signed by Reverend Suzanne Matale, the CCZ General Secretary, the organisation said that many signs of high poverty levels such as increased criminal activities have been overlooked by government despite countless reminders from ordinary citizens, the civil society and the church that the social-economic situation in the country is continuously deteriorating with no signs of improvement.

CCZ further said that all the meaningful development which government is claiming to deliver to the people of Zambia especially infrastructure development across the nation is meaningless if they cannot afford the basic necessities of life for the Zambia citizens.

Below is the full statement

PRESS STATEMENT ISSUED BY THE COUNCIL OF CHURCHES IN ZAMBIA ON THE DEATH OF PEOPLE AT A STAMPEDE OVER FOOD DISTRIBUTION BY THE CHURCH OF CHRIST

The Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ) has learnt with deep regret the death of 8 people in a stampede which happened during the distribution of food by a church organization, the Church of Christ in Lusaka’s Olympic Youth Development Centre which also left many others injured and hospitalized.

We pass our condolences to the families of the victims of the stampede. We pray for peace and comfort during this sad moment and may the good Lord continue to strengthen them as they mourn their loved ones.

The Council believes that this development is a sign of high poverty levels in the country which has driven people to extreme desperation to an extent of risking their lives in an effort to secure food for themselves.

This incident must serve as an eye opener to the Patriotic Front (PF) government that poverty levels in the country have reached alarming levels. Many signs of high poverty levels such as increased criminal activities have been overlooked by government despite countless reminders from ordinary citizens, the civil society and the church that the social-economic situation in the country is continuously deteriorating with no signs of improvement.

We believe that the people of Zambia are entitled to a dignified way of life and not struggle to a point of sacrificing their lives to secure food after attaining independence many years, a freedom which we expect to come with all other freedoms.

All the meaningful development which government is claiming to deliver to the people of Zambia especially infrastructure development across the nation is meaningless if they cannot afford the basic necessities of life for the Zambia citizens.

The Council wishes to implore all the Zambians to be on the lookout for organizations using the high poverty levels to entice them to attend their events where they use the platform to drive their agendas in the name of rendering help.

It is encouraging to note that government responded positively in this matter by suspending operations of the Church of Christ which caused the stampede. This development must serve as a warning to all unscrupulous organizations coming in the name of Christianity to take advantage of innocent people. Government must further ensure that all church events involving large gatherings are scrutinized to avoid a re-occurrence of such an incident.

7/03/17

Rev Dr Suzanne Matale – CCZ General Secretary

MAGAZETI LEO JUMATANO

MAGAZETI KWA HISANI YA IVORI CHOCOLATE

DC AVIPASHA VYOMBO VYA HABARI

IRINGA: Mkuu wa Wilaya ya Iringa (DC), Richard Kasesela avitaka vyombo vya habari nchini kutenga mafungu kwa ajili ya utafiti ukiwemo wa mafuta na gesi asilia.

Alisema kuwa masuala ya mafuta na gesi asilia yamepotoshwa kwa muda mrefu kutokana na wanahabari na vyombo vya habari kutowekeza katika utafiti, jambo ambalo linafanya wanahabri wengi kukwepa kuandika habari za utafiti au kupotosha jamii kwa lengo ya kuuza habari. 

DC Kasesela alitoa rai hiyo wakati wa mafunzo kwa waandishi wa habari ya namna ya kuandika masuala ya mafuta na gesi asilia yaliofanyika hivi karibuni mkoani Iringa.

Mafunzo hayo yalianaliwa na Shirika la Maendeleo ya Petroli Tanzania (TPDC) kwa kushirikisha mikoa ya Njombe, Ruvuma na Iringa.

Alisema kuwa changamoto kubwa ya baadhi ya wanahabari huwa hawataki kujishughulisha na utafiti, kwani utafiti una gharama zake, jambo ambalo linafanya wanahabari wengi kukwepa kuandika habari za utafiti au kupotosha jamii ili mradi kuuza habari. 

“Vyombo vyetu vya habari havitoi fungu la utafiti jambo ambalo linafanya vyombo vingi vya habari aidha kukwepa kuandika habari hizi au kuandika kwa kupotosha jamii ili mradi auze habari,” alisema Kasesela.

Alisema kuwa ili kuhakikisha na kuimarisha ushiriki wa wananchi katika shughuli za sekta ndogo ya mafuta na gesi asilia katika mkondo wa juu, kati na wa chini, vyombo vya habari havinabudi kutenga mafungu kwa ajili ya utafiti.

Alisema kuwa wanahabari nchini hawanabudi kuhabarisha jamii ili iweze kujua manufaa ya uwepo wa mafuta na gesi asilia ili wachangamkie fursa.

Mwaka 2015 Bunge la awamu ya nne ilipitisha sheria mpya kwa ajili ya kusimamia sekta ndogo ya mafuta nchini kwenye masuala ya utafitaji, uendelezaji, uzalishaji, usafirishaji, uingizaji, uchakataji, uhifadhi na biashara ya mafuta na gesi asilia nchini.

DC huyo alisema kuwa sheria hiyo ya mwaka 2015 imekuja kwa wakati muafaka ikiwa na nia njema ya kuhakikisha rasilimali hiyo inanufaisha taifa kwa ujumla.

Lengo likiwa ni kuhakikisha sekta ya mafuta nchini inakuwa endelevu na kulinda maslahi ya wadau wote kwa ustawi wa taifa na watanzania kwa ujumla.

DC URGES THE MEDIA TO INVEST IN RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT

By Friday Simbaya, Iringa

Iringa District Commissioner (DC), Richard Kasesela has asked the media to allocate funds for various studies, including oil and natural gas.

He said that the issues of oil and natural gas have been misreported for a long time because the media have not invested in research, which makes journalists to dodgy writing stories or misleading the community.

DC Kasesela made the observation during the training for journalists on how to write the issues of oil and natural gas occurred in Iringa region recently involving Njombe, Iringa and Ruvuma regions.

The training was organized by Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) which is the National Oil Company of Tanzania through which the Ministry of Energy and Minerals implements its petroleum exploration and development policies.

He said that the biggest challenge of some journalists do not want to devote to research, since research has its costs, which makes the most of them misleading information to sell the news.

“The media do not provide a portion of the research which makes journalists evading writing these stories or write to mislead the community to venture to sell news," said Kasesela.

He said that in order to ensure and strengthen the participation of citizens in the activities of sub-sectors of the oil and natural gas in the upstream, midstream and downstream, the media should allocate for research.

Therefore, media must inform the society to know the benefits of the presence of oil and natural gas in the country, hence respond to opportunities.

In 2015 Parliament of Tanzania passed a new law for managing the country's oil industry in the sub sector of research, development, production, exportation, importation, process, storage and trading of oil and natural gas in the country.

DC said that the law of 2015 has come at the right time to ensure that resources are utilized properly to benefit whole nation.

The goal is to make sure the oil industry in sustainable and protect the interests of all stakeholders to the welfare of the nation and Tanzanians in general.

Currently Tanzania has licensed 16 international energy companies industry to search for oil and gas. British gas Firms BG Group and Ophir Energy, Norway's Statoil, Brazil's Petrobras, Royal Dutch Shell and Exxon Mobil Corp are among companies industry already operating in Tanzania.

BG and Ophir control 15 trillion cubic feet (TCF) off the Tanzanian coast and have announced plans to build a US $ 10 billion LNG plant in southern Tanzania to ship gas to Asia Where demand is high.

End