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At a meeting with Kofi Annan at the World Economic Forum in Davos on 25 January, the global trade union movement reached "good understandings" with the United Nations Secretary General on a series of key international issues.

On 21 January 2006, EI affiliate, the Teachers’ Union of the Democratic Republic of Congo (SY.E.CO) held a General Assembly Meeting to assess the promises made to teachers in the last few months.

Christiane Bitougat, General Secretary of the Gabonese teachers' union SENA, has been appointed Labour Minister of the new government of Omar Bongo on Jan 19. She is also a member of the Francophone teachers' union committee CSFEF.

It is a victory in the history of teacher trade unionism in Africa that the President of the Tanzania Teachers' Union (TTU), Margaret Sitta, has recently been appointed the country's Minister of Education and Vocational Training.

CITA have informed EI that Rong Chhun, their president who was arrested on October 15, was released on bail yesterday. Chhun’s release on bail follows a campaign of intense pressure by the international trade union movement, including the ICFTU, Education International and a number of its affiliates.

EI affiliate the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) has vowed to resist any attempts by the Minister for Finance to slash the budgetary allocation to the Ministry of Education.

Bail has again been denied to the 131 government opponents and critics detained by Ethiopian authorities.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights issued a statement on 4 January deploring the "series of defamation, incitement and disinformation law suits and arrests of members of civil society, trade unions, media and the Sam Rainsy opposition party in the course of last year."

Bulgarian teachers stopped their hunger strike in December, though EI affiliates SEB and Podkrepa have refused to sign a wage agreement offered by the government and will remain on strike alert when term commences on 10 th January.

"It is with deep sadness that I learned about the death of Aberrahmane, a longstanding comrade and friend," said EI's Deputy General Secretary Elie Jouen.

EI affiliate the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers' Association (TTUTA) is threatening to take legal action to protect the rights of teachers at two technical institutes.

Fifteen separate charges, including conspiracy, armed insurrection, attempting to subvert the constitution, high treason and genocide, were presented in court by prosecutors on 16 December against the 131 government opponents and critics detained by Ethiopian authorities.

Education International is continuing to exert pressure on the government of Cambodia to request the immediate release of Mr. Rong Chhun, President of CITA, and the withdrawal of arrest warrants against three other democratic leaders.

Bulgarian teachers organised by EI affiliates SEB and PODKREPA started their strike for better working conditions on 25 November. On 18 December, the president of SEB, Janka Takeva, addressed an open letter to the representative of the International Monetary Fund who took part in a meeting with the Bulgarian Ministry...

EI issued a letter to its Latin American colleagues on 8 December, urging them to step up their solidarity with Guatemalan affiliate, the Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Educación (STEG).

EI affiliate in Georgia, the the Educators and Scientists Free Trade Union of Georgia (ESFTUG) is organising a demonstration on 14 December to request the Parliament of Georgia to increase the funding of education during the budget discussion.

The European Region of Education International, which represents 143 teacher organisations in 44 European countries, passed a resolution in its meeting in Luxemburg from 6-7 Dec, declaring its support for Romanian teachers.

Together with Bureau for Workers' Activities at the International Labour Organisation (ILO ACTRAV) and the Global Union Research Network (GURN), the Global Unions have produced a report on successful cases of trade union resistance and the development of alternatives to the policies of the International Financial Institutions (IFI).