CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation

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CIVICUS blog
What do you think? Have your say on the CIVICUS Blog! CIVICUS seeks to amplify the voices and opinions of ordinary people and give expression to the enormous creative energy within civil society. Our recently launched blog gives you the opportunity to use your voice and engage with the rest of civil society. Have your say by visiting http://civicus.civiblog.org 

This week's question: Do you think that the Millennium Development Goals are achievable? Answer the question at www.civicus.org/new/poll.asp?c=048451

Previous question: Do you think that women receive fair and equal treatment in the mainstream media in comparison to men?

Results: Yes - 14%, No - 83%, Don't Know - 3%

CIVIL SOCIETY NEWS

CIVICUS join human rights NGOs in support of the UN Human Rights Council
In the coming days, the international community will have the chance to start putting in place, a reinvigorated system for the protection of human rights around the world. This unique opportunity comes in the form of a blueprint for a new global rights watchdog, a Human Rights Council, now approve by the UN General Assembly. In an open letter to the UN General Assembly, several international non-governmental organisations (NGOs), including CIVICUS, declared that 'the draft resolution to establish a Human Rights Council presented by the President of the General Assembly is a sound basis to strengthen the UN's human rights machinery.' For more details, see www.civicus.org/new/media/HumanRightsNGOAppeal.doc. For further details on the new UN Human Rights Council resolution, please visit  www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=17804&Cr=rights&Cr1=council

Civil society groups challenge water privatisation policies at the World Water Forum   Several non-governmental organisations are opposing water privatisation policies at the fourth World Water Forum, 16-22 March 2006 in Mexico City. The meeting, which takes place every three years, is a key global event hosted by the World Water Council (WWC), an international water policy think-tank which has a strong preference for privatisation. Delegates at the forum will issue a declaration addressing the United Nations' Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of reducing by half the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water within the next decade. For more information, see www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=32477

Milosevic's death deepens divisions in the Balkans
A glance at the death notices page of the leading Belgrade newspaper Politika shows how far the death of former Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic has divided the nation. While some said that Milosevic's death had denied justice, the Association for Defence of Milosevic Sloboda (Freedom) bid 'last farewell to the hero of the Serb nation.' Meanwhile, the h ead of the Croatian Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, Zarko Puhovski, said that the death of Milosevic will have a serious influence on the process of reconciliation in the Balkans. For more information, visit www.ipsterraviva.net/Europe/article.aspx?id=3103

NGO warns of rise in violence against women in Iraq
A Baghdad-based NGO, the Woman Freedom Organisation (WFO), has warned that incidents of violence against women in Iraq have increased in frequency since the 2003 US-led invasion and occupation of the country. 'We've studied reports from local NGOs on women's rights in the past three years, including violence, kidnappings, forced prostitution and honour killings,' said WFO President Senar Muhammad. 'And the extent to which women have lost their rights in Iraq is shocking.' For more information, see www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=52145&SelectRegion=Middle_East&SelectCountry=IRAQ

ACLU Calls on U.N. Human Rights Committee to Hold U.S. Government Accountable
The American Civil Liberties Union recently criticised the United States for violating the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, a major human rights treaty the U.S. ratified in 1992. In remarks to the 86th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Committee, the ACLU called for a rigorous investigation into violations of the treaty. 'In the name of national security, the Bush administration has eroded the rule of law and the system of checks and balances in the United States, both fundamental principles in any democracy,' said Ann Beeson, Associate Legal Director of the ACLU, who presented testimony. 'In our America, we will not tolerate illegal spying or torture. The ACLU calls on the Human Rights committee to join us in our effort to hold the U.S. government accountable.' For more information, see www.commondreams.org/news2006/0313-08.htm 

Cuba continues violating Agreement 111 of the International Workers Union (OIT)
The National Working Confederation of Cuba (CONIC) declared in Havana that by firing employees for their political views, the Government of Fidel Castro continues to violate Agreement 111 of the International Workers Union (OIT), of which Cuba is a signatory. CONIC reported that the most recent incident was that of Jos� Ram�n D�az Oliver, a worker at the Company Alevinaje in the municipality of La Sierpe, province of Sancti Spiritu, who was fired because he belongs to a human rights group on the island. For more information, see www.civicus.org/new/media/CubaviolatingAgreement111.doc

Human Rights in Burma remain dismal 18 years after Red Bridge student uprising
On 13 March, Burma celebrated its Human Rights day. The day marks the mass demonstration by Rangoon Institute of Technology (RIT) students against the socialist regime in 1988 that resulted in the death of two students. Now 18 years later, the regime has changed but the human rights situation remains the same. For more information, visit www.tayzathuria.org.uk/bd/2006/3/12/edtTZ.htm

Appeal by Civil Society to the Commonwealth on Swaziland
In reaction to the concerns of civil society and pro-democracy activists in Swaziland, the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) has written a letter to the Commonwealth Secretary General to appeal for a more effective approach by the Commonwealth towards achieving meaningful democratic changes in the country. For more information, see www.civicus.org/new/media/Commonwealth.pdf

Call for more and better funding for non-profits and social enterprises
'Individual social enterprises are not getting the right kinds of capital at the right time. We must learn from, and collaborate with, the for-profit capital market,' says Jed Emerson, Senior Fellow with Generation Foundation, of Generation Investment Management, in an interview with Alliance Magazine. However, he argues it is not just a question of persuading mainstream investors to come to the table. Foundation money could take some of the risk and support the development of new financing streams. To read the full interview, please visit www.allavida.org/alliance/axmar06b.html
(Submitted by Caroline Hartnell )

MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS NEWS

Commonwealth Day 2006 - 'Health and Vitality - the Commonwealth Challenge'
Fifty-three member nations celebrated Commonwealth Day on Monday, 13 March 2006, and with it the shared beliefs - in freedom, in democracy and development, and in supporting the poorer, the weaker, and the smaller - which bind them together as partners and equals. The theme of this year's celebration is 'Health and Vitality - The Commonwealth Challenge'. The theme reflects the Commonwealth's commitment to assist in promoting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in reducing child mortality and maternal health; combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; eradicating extreme poverty and hunger; empowering women; and ensuring environmental sustainability. For more information, visit www.thecommonwealth.org

Poverty eradication faster in Asia , Christian Aid Calls for Partnerships
Although tens of millions have been lifted out of poverty in recent decades, Asia is still home to two-thirds of the world's poor. During Asia 2015: 'Promoting Growth and Ending Poverty in Asia,' a two-day conference in London last week, British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced that Asia faces major challenges in tackling poverty in the next decade. With this in mind, the head of Christian Aid's Asia programme, Robin Greenwood, argued that organisations with their roots in Asian civil society or global groups with close ties to Asian society have a big part to play in ensuring that poor people have their say in the drive for development. For more information, see www.christiantoday.com/news/society/blair.highlights.poverty.christian.aid.calls.for.partnerships/768.htm or http://nation.ittefaq.com/artman/publish/article_26341.shtml

Are the Millennium Development Goals Achievable?
The deadline set for achieving the MDGs was 2015, and since the millennium, governments, donors, the private sector and NGOs, have been working towards this aim. Unfortunately, in many parts of the world, countries are lagging far behind the targets including in Sub-Saharan Africa where the least progress has been made compared to any other region. For more information, see http://allafrica.com/stories/200603080227.html

CAPACITY BUILDING

Nonprofit Capacity Building Toolkit
This toolkit includes complete, step-by-step guidelines, tools and techniques for the most important activities in any non-profit organisation. The toolkit contains guidebooks to Developing and Operating Your Non-profit Board of Directors, Non-profit Strategic Planning and Facilitation, a field guide to Leadership and Supervision for Non-profit Staff and Non-profit Programme Design, Marketing and Evaluation. For more information, visit www.allianceonline.org/Store/books/nonprofit_capacity_building_1.off

DONOR PROFILE

The Henry H. Kessler Foundation
In 1948, Dr. Henry H. Kessler founded the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation to help people with disabilities achieve maximum independence. His dream went beyond treating the patient's medical needs. He encouraged the development of research efforts, training programmes for rehabilitation personnel, community education, and an international programme to disseminate knowledge worldwide. Today the foundation, based in New Jersey USA, remains committed to that vision by raising and distributing funds to support rehabilitation research, education and community rehabilitation programmes, and to provide aid for people with disabilities to assist with the expenses related to rehabilitation. For more information, visit www.hhkfdn.org

MEMBER PROFILE

The Network of NGOs of Trinidad & Tobago for the Advancement of Women
Founded in 1985, the Network is a comprehensive national 'umbrella' organisation that supports and acts as the advocate for all women's organisations in the country and is committed to the aims of the UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women. The Network works toward ensuring gender equality and promotes women's human rights and empowerment nationally, regionally and globally. While maintaining the highest ethical and professional standards, the organisation's mission is to provide effective representation and advocacy as well as to improve and enhance the quality of life for women and girls in Trinidad and Tobago. To achieve these objectives, the Network operates the Women's Training Centre. The centre is dedicated to the advancement and enrichment of women from a self-empowerment and restorative justice perspective. It offers training programmes, workshops, seminars and interventions for personal empowerment and advancement through the development of leadership, mediation and team building skills. For more information, visit www.tntol.com/network

RESOURCES

Survey on UNICEF Partnerships with Civil Society Organisations
UNICEF's Office of Public Partnerships and Evaluation has recently launched a review of the organisation's partnerships with civil society organisations. The review will provide an analysis of UNICEF practice in partnership and invite partner proposals for improvements in UNICEF's performance and effectiveness as a partner. As one key element of the review, this survey is designed to enable civil society organisations to communicate their views on the principles of partnership and to assess UNICEF's performance as a partner with CSOs. For more information in English and French, see www.civicus.org/new/media/UNICEFSurveyonCivilSocietyPartnership.doc 

Database resource persons on human rights-based approach
Equalinrights is currently developing a database of resource persons that spans across the breadth of human rights-based strategies and the use of upstream human rights efforts to make rights real. This follows from evidence that many diverse organisations, ranging from grassroots development organisations, national human rights NGOs and international development agencies are struggling to find high level, reliable resource persons to support them in training, strategy development, ongoing consultancy support and general advice. Equalinrights is thus looking for people with a range of experiences, motivated to support the realisation of human rights, strengthen civil society and build the global coalition against poverty and neo-liberal domination. For further details, see www.civicus.org/new/media/Informationsheetdatabaseresourcepersons.doc
(Submitted by Emma Sydenham)

New EU NGO Forum for the environment
This project aims to build and strengthen the environmental sector of civil society in both European Union candidate and so called pre-candidate countries, through information exchange concerning EU environmental policies. The project will also enable the EU Commission to consult NGOs on developments in EU environmental policy and its implications on them. For more information, see www.newngoforum.org/index.php?module=ContentExpress&func=display&ceid=5

CONFERENCES/EVENTS

Roundtable Meeting on Reinvigorating and Sustaining a Vibrant Women's Movement in the SADC Region
Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) with the Women and Law in Southern Africa Research Trust (WLSA-Swaziland)
26-30 March 2006, Mbabane, Swaziland
This meeting will explore, in depth, the dwindling vibrancy of the women's movement in the Southern African Development Community and provide a road map towards its reinvigoration. Participants will engage in the situational analysis, examining the causes of the deteriorating vibrancy, proposing strategies and modalities to address this and collectively draw up an action plan with defined roles, responsibilities and timeframe for its implementation. For more information, visit www.osisa.org or www.wlsa.org.zm

Access to Knowledge (A2K) Conference
21-23 April 2006, Yale Law School, USA
In the digital era, most multinational corporations and policymakers are of the view that the current trend characterised by increasing intellectual property rights and corporate control over knowledge best serves society's interests. At the same time, however, a growing number of commentators believe that widespread access to knowledge and the preservation of a healthy knowledge commons are the real basis for sustainable human development. Bringing together leading thinkers and activists on access to knowledge policy from North and South, this conference aims to generate concrete research agendas and policy solutions for these issues. For more information, visit http://islandia.law.yale.edu/isp/a2k.html

Time Banks UK Conference: Time banking in action - the power of social networks
4-5 May 2006, Cardiff Bay, UK
Time Banks UK links and supports time banks across the UK by providing inspiration, guidance and practical help. Time banks bring people together locally to share their time and skills on the principle that everyone's time is equal: one hour of your time earns you one time credit to spend when you need. This conference will keep you informed about developments in time banking as well as give you an opportunity to network, attend workshops and info sessions and take part in interactive exchanges. For more information, visit www.timebanks.co.uk/conference_booking.asp
(Submitted by Faisal Yousaf)

Jo urney for Justice 2006
Joint Advocacy Initiative
27 June - 6 July 2006, Beit Sahour, Palestine
Application Deadline: 15 May 2005
Together with Palestinian YMCA/YWCA youth, young leaders from YMCA and YWCA movements around the world are invited to participate in this challenging programme, which includes tours of the occupation infrastructure, home stays with Palestinian families, meetings with religious and political leaders, visits to historic and holy sites, cultural and musical evenings, and trips to different areas in the West Bank and Israel. For more information, visit www.jai-pal.org/content.php?page=163

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

Alcan Prize for Sustainability 2006
Application Deadline: 31 March 2006
This US$1 million prize is awarded each year to a not-for-profit, civil society or non-governmental organisation based anywhere in the world for their contributions to addressing and progressing economic, environmental and / or social sustainability. For entry details and requirements please visit www.alcanprizeforsustainability.com. The website is also available in French at www.prixalcanpourladurabilite.com

The Ramsar/MedWet Award on water and wetlands
Application Deadline: 1 June 2006
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and its Mediterranean Wetlands Initiative (MedWet) are calling for entries for the Ramsar/MedWet Award for films on water and wetlands. The Ramsar/MedWet Award is offered for the third consecutive year and aims to promote excellence and talent in film making addressing issues related to water and wetlands. For more information, see http://see-environment.info/index.shtml?x=1863

COURSES/WORKSHOPS

Human Rights School for Future Decision-makers
Balkan Human Rights Network
4-18 June 2006, Dubrovnik , Croatia
Application Deadline: 31 March 2006
This programme will cover a variety of topics including an introduction to human rights, terrorism and security, humanitarian law and crimes against humanity, rights of vulnerable groups, economic, social and cultural rights, human rights in a wider social context, and information and communication. For more information, visit www.balkan-rights.net

Learn How to Write an Annual Report
1 May 2006, Online Course
This six-week e-course will teach you the basic steps for creating an annual report, including in-depth discussion on all of the major sections. The class covers annual report organisation and themes, how to present financial information, writing a strong executive message, and the special extras that can make your report stand out. For more information, visit http://classifieds.nonprofitnews.org/clickThru/redir/247/139872/rms

Community Based Development (CBD) and Participatory Approaches
Asia-Pacific Development Communication Centre (ADCC)
2-12 May 2006, Bangkok, Thailand
This two-week training course intends to focus on the importance of community-based development (CBD) and its link to sustainable development. Emphasis will be placed on i) developing and managing CBD projects; ii) the key elements of CBD; and iii) CBD's application to development issues such as HIV/AIDS and environment. For more information, please visit www.comminit.com/events_calendar/2006-events/events-4227.html

CALL FOR PAPERS/SUBMISSIONS/PROPOSALS

The 35th Annual ARNOVA Conference
Association for Research on Non-profit Organisations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA)
16-18 November 2006, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Papers are currently being sought for this conference around the theme 'Voluntary Action and Government: Interdisciplinary and International Perspectives on Non-profit Organisations, Philanthropy, and Public-Private Relations'. For more information, visit www.arnova.org/call_participation06.php

The Independence of India and Pakistan: Sixtieth Anniversary Reflections
The Hartley Library and the Centre for the Study of Britain at the University of Southampton
17-20 July 2007, University of Southampton, United Kingdom
Submission Deadline: 1 September 2006
This event will be divided into panel discussion and keynote plenary lectures. Paper proposals are currently being sought for presentations of 30 minutes' duration followed by questions. For more information, visit www.archives.lib.soton.ac.uk/mbcongress.shtml
(Submitted by Faisal Yousaf)

APPOINTMENTS

Project Coordinator, Civil Society Networks
CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
Application Deadline: 7 April 2006
For more information, see www.civicus.org/new/jobs_info.asp?id=417

Researcher (Transitional Justice Programme)
Centre for the Study of Violence & Reconciliation
Location: Johannesburg , South Africa
Application Deadline: 30 March 2006
For more information, see www.civicus.org/new/jobs_info.asp?id=423

Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Consultant
European Roma Rights Centre
Location: Budapest Hungary or Ukraine
Application Deadline: 24 March 2006
For more information, see www.errc.org/Employment_index.php

Institutional Strengthener
Comit� Departamental de la Persona con Discapacidad, Sucre International Service
Location: Sucre, Bolivia
Application Deadline: 9 April 2006
For more information, see www.oneworld.net/job/view/12693

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