Reports
The main poverty problems are discussed, the geographical areas of poverty are identified and the imbalances between urban and rural areas are discussed.
Poverty is a fairly recent field of interest in Burkina Faso. Before 1996 there were no special programs or strategies dealing with poverty issues in the country. The aim of the report is to assess the action undertaken in the field of poverty alleviation.
The Report provides an assessment of human development in Benin with a focus on the situation of women and their access to development opportunities. It explores regional gender differences in education, the condition of female, reproductive, and youth health and analyzes the economic activity of women with respect to the labour force and the informal sector. The Report finds that in 1996, only 7.3% of National Assembly seats were occupied by women. Participation of women in economic activities stagnates at 57.7%, which is considerably lower than male participation at 82.3%. It is clear from the Report's findings that the Beninoise society suffers from serious gender discrimination that highly favors men. Problems of the judicial system of Benin, in particular those that pose obstacles to the empowerment of women, are also discussed. The final chapter presents the priorities of Benin with regards to reducing overall gender inequality.
The Angola NHDR 1998 focuses on governance and public administration and their impact on human development and social welfare. The report examines the contents and results of public policies in the economic and social fields.
