Elections in East Timor © Irene Slegt/Progressio

Latest news on development issues and from Progressio's projects around the world:

Zimbabwe Election Update (17 Apr 2008 )
Nearly three weeks have passed since Zimbabwe's March 29 elections and full results are still pending. Despite our combined efforts to ensure that South Africa, which currently holds the presidency of the UN Security Council, take a lead in mediating in the crisis, few concrete steps have been made to halt the current and escalating unrest in Zimbabwe. At an extraordinary meeting of the South African Development Community (SADC) in Zambian capital Lusaka on Saturday, South African President, Thabo Mbeki, opted for "quiet diplomacy". He now looks unlikely to lead a SADC response to the situation.

Growing Tension in Zimbabwe as full election results still not declared (8 Apr 2008 )
International development agencies, Progressio, Tearfund, Trócaire, the Foundation for Development and Partnership in Africa (FEPA), and Christian Aid warn that Zimbabwe is becoming increasingly tense as election results continue to hang in the balance.

Immediate Action Needed on Zimbabwe as Controversial Election Results Emerge (1 Apr 2008 )
International development agencies, Progressio, Tearfund, Trócaire and FEPA are calling for immediate action to stop what appears to impartial observers as government-led election rigging of Zimbabwe's March 29th polls.

Cardinal praises Progressio’s livesimply work (21 Nov 2007 )
The leader of the Catholic church in England and Wales, Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor, is to commend the work of Progressio and other Catholic organisations that are part of this year’s livesimply initiative to live simply sustainably and in solidarity with the poor.

Beyond the kitchen: advancing women’s political decision-making in Somaliland and Timor-Leste (29 Oct 2007 )
Although there are differences between Somaliland and Timor-Leste – Somalilanders are Muslims, whereas most of us Timorese are Catholics – there are also many similarities, writes Ivete de Oliveira. Both our countries are poor and have seen conflict in recent years. In both, grass roots organisations supported by Progressio have been playing a strong role in helping to rebuild our countries from scratch. And for me, a crucial similarity is that Somaliland’s culture, like that of Timor-Leste, has historically been deeply patriarchal and resistant to letting women’s voices be heard anywhere but in the kitchen.