World Alliance for Citizen Participation

A Free Weekly Newsletter Promoting Civic Existence, Expression & Engagement Please send contributions, comments and questions to editor@civicus.org.

17 April 2008 ISSUE No. 384 PUBLISHER CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Kumi Naidoo COPY EDITOR Laureen Bertin MANAGING EDITOR Eric Muragana OCCASIONAL CONTRIBUTORS Ben Margolis Carol Baloyi Ciara O'Sullivan David Drewery Frida Hjalmarsson Henri Valot Julia Sestier Natalia Kiryttopoulou Mulugojjam Denekew Katsuji Imata Kennedy Kamau Raya Ubenova Tracy September Paula O'Malley Vicente García-Delgado, Esq ABOUT e-CIVICUS  The CIVICUS weekly electronic publication is keeping tens of thousands of people informed of the developments taking place in civil society, the factors that are affecting them and the impact they are having on creating an informed and knowledgeable civil society.  e-CIVICUS WELCOMES CONTRIBUTIONS OF CIVIL SOCIETY NEWS e-CIVICUS offers a useful channel through which you and your organisation can share your news, publicise your events and articulate the issues you face. Please send us your contributions no later than Tuesday for publication in the coming week to editor@civicus.org. All contributions must focus on civil society issues or have a civil society angle. To read the contribution guidelines, please visit www.civicus.org/new/media/ e-civicuseditorialguidelines-finalDraft.doc REPRODUCTION OF e-CIVICUS Readers are welcome to reproduce, in part or in full, all sections of this newsletter, however please request permission to do so first. When reproducing or retransmitting content, please credit sources and authors. The content of this newsletter can be translated into another language and reproduced in other publications, as long as due acknowledgment is made to CIVICUS.  e-CIVICUS DISCLAIMER Although CIVICUS makes all reasonable efforts to obtain prima-facie reliable content for e-CIVICUS , CIVICUS cannot guarantee the accuracy of the reports, views or opinions of third-party content providers, nor does CIVICUS necessarily endorse the views reflected therein. Similarly, links provided in e-CIVICUS may point to Internet sites that may be of interest to our readers; however CIVICUS does not take responsibility for, nor necessarily endorse their content. Stories are provided for information purposes only, and readers who intend to rely on information provided through such stories are strongly recommended to double-check its accuracy by reference to other sources first. Opinions expressed by contributors to e-CIVICUS are solely those of the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of CIVICUS, its Board of Directors, managers or staff, or any CIVICUS members or partners. Please do send your comments and suggestions to editor@civicus.org.  CONTACT US P.O. Box 933 Southdale, 2135  South Africa  Tel: +27 11 833 5959 Fax:+27 11 833 7997 1112 16th Street NW, Suite 540  Washington D.C.  20036 USA Tel: +202 331-8518 Fax: +202 331-8774 Websites: www.civicus.org www.civilsocietywatch.org www.civicusassembly.org To subscribe or unsubscribe: email subscriptions@civicus.org TELL A FRIEND Do you have a friend who works for a more just world? Would you like to share this newsletter with them? Please forward their e-mail address to subscriptions@civicus.org We value your comments, suggestions and contributions. Speak to us at editor@civicus.org Support CIVICUS You can make an on-line donation at www.civicus.org/new/donatev2.html Join CIVICUS Join or renew your CIVICUS Membership on-line now at www.civicus.org/new/joinv2.html 2008 CIVICUS World Assembly  The World Assembly will take place between 18-21 June 2008, Glasgow , Scotland . Building on and continuing the success of past World Assemblies, the overall theme for this event is Acting Together for a Just World. This overall theme will be explored through the focus theme of People, Participation and Power. Civil Society Watch Monthly Bulletin The CIVICUS e-newsletter Civil Society Watch Monthly Bulletin  is an action-oriented newsletter distributed to over 7,400 people around the world, featuring insightful interviews, updates on threats to civil society, and analyses of current situations. Read more at www.civilsocietywatch.org 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

FROM THE DESK OF CIVICUS' SECRETARY-GENERAL Send your comments and contributions to editor@civicus.org. Call to Action on the Millennium Development Goals By Kumi Naidoo, Dear Friends and Colleagues, For this week’s column I have asked my colleagues at the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) to write on an important upcoming UN Summit to discuss Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This year will be an important year for the global anti-poverty movement to build on the large mobilisations of the last few years towards real and sustained commitment and action. I want to thank Ben Margolis and Ciara O'Sullivan, Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) Support Team for writing this piece and I look forward to joining with GCAP and civil society colleagues around the world to raise the issues of poverty, inequality and the Millennium Development Goals in September. In solidarity, Kumi Naidoo. The build-up to September 2008 - an MDG turning point? By Ben Margolis, GCAP Campaigner (left) and Ciara O'Sullivan, GCAP Media Co-ordinator (right) In 2000, world leaders promised to halve global poverty by 2015. Eight years later progress on these agreed objectives is woefully short of being achieved while the movement of people demanding action is growing proportionately. The 189 leaders who adopted the Millennium Development Goals in 2000 made a series of commitments that included halving the number of people living on less than a dollar a day, but the world is nowhere near to achieving that goal. At the present rate, Sub-Saharan Africa will not reach some targets for 100 years or more. While the Goals agreed in 2000 have been the impetus for some improvements in some countries - mainly an increase in the number of children attending school and reductions in maternal and infant mortality rates - there is deep concern that it is not enough, prompting a new initiative from the United Nations to inject fresh energy into this thoroughly achievable project. To read more on this week's column, click here. MDG's Global Monitoring Report 2008 By Campaign Life Coalition UN Representative The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund released their 2008 Global Monitoring Report. The report warns that most countries will fall short of meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Established in 2000, the MDGs are the central mean used by the U.N. to evaluate progress on various issues including poverty reduction, reduction of child mortality and maternal deaths. The 2008 Global Monitoring Focus report speaks of the negative impact of environmental hazards on the overall quality of health. On current trends, Sub-Saharan Africa could miss all the MDGs, despite impressive growth performance of recent years. For more information, click here.  CIVICUS Poll Question This week’s question: Should civil society organisations concentrate more on pushing governments and international organisations to meet national Millennium Development Goals targets? To answer the question, click here. Previous question: Does civil society play a role in ensuring free and fair elections? Results: Yes - 78 %, No - 17%, Don’t Know - 5% TELL A FRIEND ABOUT e-CIVICUS The e-CIVICUS newsletter keeps tens of thousands of people and organisations informed of the many developments taking place in civil society around the world. As a subscriber you know the value e-CIVICUS can bring to your work. So why keep it to yourself? Do you have a friend who works for a more just world? Would you like to share this newsletter with them? Why don’t you suggest they register for a free subscription? They can send us an e-mail to subscriptions@civicus.org or fill out the subscription form here. Alternatively, please forward their e-mail address to KumiNaidoo.e-civicus@civicus.org and we’ll contact them on your behalf. Please send us your editorial contributions no later than Monday every week to editor@civicus.org. All contributions must be focused on civil society issues or have a civil society angle. COUNTDOWN TO THE 2008 CIVICUS WORLD ASSEMBLY CIVICUS looks forward to your participation in the World Assembly. Let’s Act Together for a Just World!!! Register now for the CIVICUS World Assembly The 8th CIVICUS World Assembly will take place from 18-21 June in Glasgow, Scotland. This year, the World Assembly will focus on the theme of People, Power and Participation, looking at how civil society accesses, engages with and participates in all forms and spheres of governance at the local, national and international levels. Register online now to participate! The World Assembly will bring together members of civil society, government, donors, business and media who will explore “Acting together for a just world” through the focus theme of “People, Participation and Power”. For additional information on the programme and what to expect, browse through our e-flyer available in English, Spanish and French. To register, please click here. Exciting News - BBC World Have Your Say at the CIVICUS World Assembly World Have Your Say, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)'s global interactive programme is broadcasting live from the CIVICUS World Assembly in Glasgow. Paricipants will decide the agenda by posting on their blog, e-mailing them or attending their open editorial meetings all week at the conference. The programme will broadcast live from the conference on Wednesday 18 June (for Youth Assembly delegates only!) and Friday 20 June, and from BBC Radio Scotland's foyer just across the river from the conference centre on Thursday 19 June - from 6-8 in the evening to an audience of 45 million around the world. To attend the broadcast on Friday 20 June, please note that you will have to pick up a free ticket upon registration on the first day of the conference at the conference centre. Places are limited so make sure you receive a ticket! Please note that you cannot reserve a ticket by email prior to the conference. For more information, click here.  e-CIVICUS DIALOGUES Is the World Bank profiteering on bogus carbon credits? By Daphne Wysham and Shakuntala Makhijani Source: Focus on the Global South The World Bank's long-running identity crisis is proving hard to shake. When efforts to rebrand itself as a "knowledge bank" didn't work, it devised a new identity as a "Green Bank." Really? Yes, it's true. Sure, the Bank continues to finance fossil fuel projects globally, but never mind. The World Bank has seized upon the immense challenges climate change poses to humanity and is now front and center in the complicated, international world of carbon finance. It can turn the dirtiest carbon credits into gold. For more information, click here. Zimbabwe and the Power of Propaganda: Ousting a President via civil society By Michael Barker, Global Research "Zimbabwe is a strategic country for the United States because events in Zimbabwe have a significant impact on the entire southern Africa region" (US Agency for International Development, 2005). In 2002, America's key democracy manipulating organ, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), played a vital role in supporting the temporary ousting of Venezuela's democratically elected President Hugo Chavez, so given their current interests in Zimbabwe it is critical to ask two questions: "what are their reasons for interfering in Zimbabwe's affairs, and secondly, should progressive activists be concerned about these interventions?" The simple answer to these questions is that numerous neoliberal governments are interested in Zimbabwe not because of democracy, but because they want to remove the thorn in their side that is President Robert Mugabe. For more information, click here. Focus on… Philanthropy - whose vision? Alliance magazine interview with Steve Gunderson, President and CEO of the Council on Foundations In May 2008, the Council on Foundations, the US association of grantmakers, is hosting a ‘Philanthropy Summit’, which is to be much more international than the Council’s usual meetings. The special feature in this issue of Alliance brings together philanthropy and civil society leaders from around the world to reflect on the main themes of the Summit. Barry Gaberman is guest editor as well as Summit Co-Chair. The special feature kicks off with an interview with Council President Steve Gunderson in which he talks about the Summit and what he hopes it will achieve, plus comments on the interview from the leaders of philanthropy associations in Europe, Canada, Brazil, East Africa, the Asia Pacific and the Arab region. For more information, click here. 2020 have your say: the region and the world By Professor Toh Swee-Hin, director of the Multi-Faith Centre at Griffith University How does Australia guarantee its security and prosperity in a region faced with problems of chronic poverty, high birth rates and stagnating economies? Australia's security and prosperity may be too "self-centred", and directly or indirectly lead to fuelling outcomes of conflict and even violence. Rather, the region and world should recognise the interdependence of all nations and peoples, and embody the idea of a "shared" human and planetary security and prosperity. Australia has an ethical and spiritual responsibility and capacity to relate politically, economically, socially and culturally to the rest of the world in ways that enhance the well-being and the common good of all humanity. For more information, click here. CIVIL SOCIETY NEWS Civil society coalition deplores half-truths and lies by Indian government The People’'s Forum, a coalition of over 150 Indian civil society groups and human rights defenders, expressed its disappointment at the half-truths and obfuscations in the responses of the Government of India to critical comments and questions from members and observers of the Human Rights Council. Rather than an honest appraisal of reality on the ground, the Government of India sought to highlight constitutional provisions and progressive legislative measures as a screen to hide serious gaps in implementation and systemic failure to tackle entrenched discrimination against women, Dalits, tribal communities and religious, ethnic and sexual minorities. "Bigger is better" seemed to be the theme of the presentation, which repeatedly alluded to the size of India's population and the scale of development interventions, using numbers both as an excuse for non-performance as well as the sole indicator of success. For more information, click here. SADC leaders elates civil society on withholding Presidential election results in Zimbabwe Source: AllAfrica.com Zimbabwe's civil society and the opposition party, Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), have expressed disappointment over the outcome of the much-vaunted crisis summit held by the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Transparency International Zambia (TIZ) president, Rueben Lifuka, commended President Mwanawasa for convening the Summit to address the elections impasse in Zimbabwe. Mr Lifuka said in a statement that the initiative was the right one and hoped that the Heads of State would rise to the occasion to objectively and decisively deal with the political meltdown in Zimbabwe. The eight SADC heads called on the Zimbabwe Electorate Commission (ZEC) to verify and announce the results of the presidential election, as required by the country's laws. For more information, click here. A civil society can be defined in many ways in Vancouver  By Alan Reynolds Richmond Doug Todd wrote about self-righteousness. In the New Testament, the two things Jesus most condemned (seldom mentioned now) were hypocrisy and self-righteousness. Stephen Hume noted the influence of Quakers in the abolition of the slave trade, and Peter McKnight noted that "voluntary associations" can be expressions of tribalism. But he might also have noted: The influence of Christian faith in the development of voluntary associations in the 19th century, in the United States and also in Europe; the influence of Roman Catholicism in the overthrow of communism in Poland; and that the candlelight procession which led to the demolition of the Berlin Wall began as a prayer meeting in a Lutheran church in East Germany. All were non-violent. For more information, click here. Civil society group stresses need to make school-buses safer in Lebanon By Sara Mansour The Lebanese Association for School Safety Awareness (LASSA) urged parents and school administrators on Monday to promote road safety measures for students. The LASSA statement came after a major school-bus accident lead to the death of Kafaat School student John Yousef Nader and the injury of several students last week in the Metn region of Ain Saadeh. "In spite of the continued warnings and actual suggestions directed toward the administrators of the public schools ... our students are still falling victim to traffic accidents," LASSA said in a statement. For more information, click here. Only civil society can impeach Musharraf in Pakistan Source: The News There is no credible opposition in the country and civil society would have to make efforts to impeach a dictator who crossed all limits of oppression during his tenure, according to a recent seminar. The Joint Action Committee for People's Rights had organised the seminar titled 'Go Musharraf Go'. Speaking on the occasion, Asma Jehangir said that anyone who had violated the law should be punished and treated in law as a common man. She said the civil society's struggle would continue until Musharraf's ouster, and that he had promoted the 'Muk Mukaa' (reconciliation) and fascist cultures in the country. For more information, click here. Picking up the pieces after the flawed presidential election in Armenia  Source: Europe Briefing Armenia’s flawed presidential election, the subsequent lethal crackdown against a peaceful protest rally, the introduction of a state of emergency and extensive arrests of opposition supporters have brought the country to its deepest crisis since the war against Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh ended in 1994. The situation deprives Serzh Sarkisian, scheduled to be inaugurated as president on 9 April 2008, of badly needed legitimacy and handicaps prospects for much needed democratic reform and resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Unless the U.S., EU and others with significant diplomatic leverage over the regime in Yerevan exert pressure, Armenia is unlikely to make progress. For more information, click here. Attacks on freedom of expression continue in Russia Source: ARTICLE 19 Press Statement ARTICLE 19 is deeply concerned about the continuing abuses of the right to free expression of journalists, human rights defenders and NGOs in Russia, and with the renewed scrutiny and targeting of NGO activities and international NGOs. On 20 March 2008, the office of the Nizhny Novgorod Foundation to Support Tolerance (FST) was searched by police in connection with an ongoing investigation against it regarding use of counterfeit software. Its computers were taken, and the office sealed. On 8 April, Stanislav Dmitrievsky, consultant to the FST and formerly executive director of the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society (RCFS), was threatened at his home by court officers, who stated they would confiscate his property to ‘cover the debts of the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society’, which was shut down in Russia in January 2007 and later registered in Finland. For more information, click here. Relief agencies appeal for funds as new government named in Kenya Relief agencies are seeking US$189 million for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and others affected by the post-election violence that rocked Kenya in January and February, as well as for drought-affected areas. The Kenya Emergency Humanitarian Response Plan appeal is a revised version of that launched in January for $141.9 million by the UN agencies, the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) and NGOs. "The revised appeal incorporates the projects of 13 UN organisations and those of 37 international and local non-governmental bodies," the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said. "Broadly, the projects range from maintenance of IDPs to the resettlement and restoration of livelihoods." For more information, click here. ACCOUNTABILITY AccountAbility & Fortune China: Managerial Survey on Corporate Responsibility: China's Responsibility Standards Source: AccountAbility, www.accountability21.net AccountAbility and Fortune China designed and conducted an annual survey on corporate social responsibility attitudes including 10,000 Chinese business leaders. This year’s survey results, published as a cover story of the March edition of Fortune China, reveal the attitudes of Chinese leaders on issues such as which stakeholders are most important and how to engage with them; whether corporate responsibility is a trend that is here to stay; the universality of CSR standards; and whether social and environmental responsibility can improve long-term business performance. For more information, click here. 2008 Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship, New approaches to impact assessment Source: www.KeystoneAccountability.org "Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, What's the IMPACT of this all?" A panel at this year's Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship presented some of the key issues and new trends in evaluation and impact assessment. Experts in the field of planning, monitoring, evaluation and learning, such as the Director for Impact Planning and Improvement of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Keystone's Chief Executive challenged the way donors and practitioners think about impact measurement. For more information, click here. About AccountAbility Forum 12 Editorial Note by John Sabapathy and Steve Rochlin This special issue takes as its theme the idea of accountable leadership. AccountAbility believes there is a fundamental transition away from the vital issues that confronted 20th-century leaders. Challenges such as climate change, global poverty, water stress, peace and security, and globalising societies' health and education problems are diffuse, hard to define simply, and international in nature. Few obvious courses of action will present themselves, and solutions will demand extraordinary imagination and collaborative skills. Leadership of all organisations now needs to be defined in relation to the sustainable outcomes that are needed. The overarching question then in this issue of AccountAbility Forum is: "What are the sustainable economic, social and environmental outcomes we need and how should our leaders be accountable for them?" For more information, click here. GET INVOLVED! The World Biggest Lesson 2008 Source: Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) Remember the World's Biggest Lesson should be taught on Wednesday 23rd April 2008, at either 4am GMT, 8am GMT or 3pm GMT. Anyone can take part. It will unite millions of children, teachers, parents and campaigners across the globe in their attempt to break the world record, and ensure everyone has an education. Politicians, officials and journalists will be taught, alongside children and parents, on Quality Education to End Exclusion. For more information, click here.  Open Letter on capacity building on human rights and gender in HIV Source: Human Rights Watch Civil society, through Human Rights Watch, other organisations and individuals, writes to extend its best wishes for the upcoming "Capacity building workshop on human rights and gender in HIV legal frameworks" to be held in Dakar, Senegal from 16-18 April 2008. In light of the importance of a robust legislative response to the epidemic and strong action on behalf of the most affected communities, the signatories of the letter draw attention to serious human rights concerns that have been raised with respect to the N'Djamena "model law" and the national HIV laws that have followed it. This meeting is a vital opportunity to update these laws so that the regions of West and Central Africa reflect the very best guidance on how countries respond to HIV through legislation. For more information, click here. Join the debt fast campaign Source: Ekklesia, a new way of thinking Campaigners calling for the cancellation of poor country debts have begun a 36-day rolling fast, ahead of the tenth anniversary of the Drop the Debt campaign in May. They are demanding debt cancellation for 36 poor countries which still desperately need it - ten years after the G8 promised to drop the debt. Stephen Rand, Co Chair of Jubilee Debt Campaign, said: “The rich world needs to pick up the pace as these countries are still suffering under a huge debt burden, while millions of their people live in extreme poverty.” The fast began on Saturday (12 April 2008) as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund held their Spring Meetings in Washington DC. It will end on Sunday 18 May when campaigners mark the 10th anniversary of the Birmingham G8 human chain. Each day will focus on one country that urgently needs the chains of unpayable and unjust debt to be broken, starting with Liberia on Saturday (12 April). Other countries covered by the fast include Bangladesh, Haiti, Kenya, Indonesia, Ecuador, the Philippines and Jamaica. For more information, click here. Campaign to Stop Gender Apartheid in Afghanistan Source: Development Gateway Foundation IIn 1997, The Feminist Majority launched the Campaign to Stop Gender Apartheid in Afghanistan, urging the US government and the U.N. to do everything in their power to restore the human rights of Afghan women and girls. The Campaign has been successful in increasing public awareness about the plight of women and girls in Afghanistan, preventing US and UN recognition of the Taliban, increasing the admission of Afghan women and girls as refugees, increasing humanitarian aid to the region and pressuring UNOCAL, a California oil company to abandon its plans for an Afghan oil and gas pipeline which would have produced over $100 million in royalties for the Taliban. For more information, click here. MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS & GLOBAL CALL TO ACTION AGAINST POVERTY Call for representation to all the Regional focal points of GCAP Source: Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) In an effort to strengthen the Children and Youth Task force and increase its efficiency within the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) the current membership of the task force is putting out a call for representation to all the Regional focal points of GCAP . The aim is to create a better capacitated, better linked and action enabled task force to increase Youth Participation and Mobilization across all GCAP Regions. The Children and Youth Task Force (CYTF) is initiated by children and youth organizations to mainstream children and youth participation and issues in GCAP. The CYTF reports to and is accountable to the GCAP Children and Youth Forum (CYF) and the IFT. If you are interested to get involved, email caitlin.blaser@civicus.org. For more information, click here. UNODCD urges states to reach Millennium Development Goals The Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Antonio Maria Costa, urged the member states of the office on Monday to reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and identified security and justice as the basis for he MDGs. Speaking at the 17th Session of UNODC in Vienna, he said that "the rule of law is not one of the MDGs, but it is the key to achieving them all." The key problem of this Session is the violence against women and girls. He also warned about dangerous links between drugs, crime and terrorism across Africa . For more information, click here. Learning alliances for poverty reduction Author: C. Shambu Prasad Agriculture is back on the international agenda. The most recent World Development Report looks at learning for farmers but largely ignores the need for learning in institutions, including agricultural research centres. Most agricultural research and development (R&D) institutions have been shaped by traditional approaches to technology transfer, in which farmers, extension agencies and civil society organisations passively accept the technologies delivered by researchers. These linear approaches of the ‘Green Revolution’ were based on the objective of increasing food supplies in resource-rich regions, using improved crop varieties that require increased external inputs. For more information, click here. CIVIL SOCIETY ACTIVISM AND GLOBAL INSTITUTIONS Global Poll: Erosion of support for free market system Supporters of Free Market Look for Strong Government Regulation Majorities in most countries continue to support the free market system, but over the last two years support has eroded in 10 of 18 countries regularly polled by GlobeScan. In several countries this drop in support has been quite sharp. The latest polling was completed before the current stock market volatility that began earlier this year. Back in 2005 only one country polled - France - had more citizens disagreeing than agreeing with the statement that “the free enterprise system and free market economy is the best system on which to base the future of the world.” Displacing France as the least supportive of the free market system today is Turkey, where approval of the free market system has plunged from 47 per cent in 2005 to 34 per cent now, while opposition has risen from 36 to 41 per cent. For more information, click here. Civil society ready for the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development Civil society groups are gearing up for the 12th United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) starting 20 April 2008 with several programmes expected to push the agenda of developing countries. The conference tackles key issues such as the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), the Free Trade Agreement and the future of UNCTAD and its impact on developing countries. Third World Network (TWN), a civil society group that will play a leading role at the conference says it wants to see UNCTAD’s 12th summit changing the fortunes of Africa and developing countries. It also plans to adopt a declaration for the conference that will prevent developed countries from negotiating trade issues to their advantage. For more information, click here. World Bank demands stronger action against food crisis The global food crisis is spreading and international donors must respond quickly with more aid, World Bank President Robert Zoellick said. He called on countries to meet the UN World Food Programme's request for $500 million in emergency funds by 1 May. The Bank, which met in Washington, D.C., endorsed Zoellick's new plan for boosting agricultural production in developing countries. Emergency help would include an additional $10m (£5m) to Haiti, where several people were killed in food riots, and a doubling of agricultural loans to African farmers. The sharp rises have led to protests and unrest in many countries, including Egypt, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, the Philippines and Indonesia. For more information, click here. No record of aid from "large donor" to Nigeria Source: Better Aid A large donor from a very advanced country” was accused of not keeping records of the aid they have spent in Nigeria over the last ten years, at a meeting in the OECD between CSOs, developing country representatives and donors on Tuesday. The Nigerian representative, who perhaps felt constrained by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) protocol, did not name and shame the donor in question. The mystery left many wondering who it could be? A quick glance at the OECD recipient aid charts for Nigeria, shows UK, France, Germany and Japan heading the tables for ODA to Nigeria. But these figures from 2005 and 2006 include huge amounts of debt cancellation that did not mean any cash for Nigeria. When it comes to actual cash, the UK and the US jointly top the list of bilateral donors. For more information, click here. Human rights priority in relations with Central Asia, says EU envoy The announcement came on the heels of an Amnesty International appeal for the EU to insist on the human rights provisions outlined in its Central Asia strategy adopted last year. "We have agreed that an essential part of the strategy we have developed together is a structured dialogue on human rights," Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel said at a news conference in the Turkmen capital, Ashgabat. Slovenia currently holds the EU's rotating presidency. Amnesty International welcomed the announcement, but noted it had come a long time after the EU's adoption last year of a five-year Central Asia strategy. "We are pleased the EU is now saying human rights are at the heart of the relationship, but that should have been the case for the last ten months as well," said David Nichols, executive officer for foreign policy at Amnesty International's EU office in Brussels. For more information, click here. CAPACITY BUILDING Justice Reform and Gender Toolkit Source: UN INSTRAW, www.un-instraw.org This tool focuses on the institutional reform of the judiciary, law reform and access to justice, with specific emphasis on gender equality. It is directed to the personnel responsible for justice reform within national governments, international and regional organisations and donors, while parliamentarians, law societies and judges’ networks, civil society organisations and researchers focusing on justice reform may also find it useful. It examines justice reform within the broad and often overlapping contexts of post-conflict, transitional, developing and developed countries. Any justice reform effort is highly context-specific, and no ‘one-fits-all’ template can be applied to a reform process. The tool provides suggestions and recommendations that can be adapted to the specific reform context within which organisations are working. For more information, click here. PROFILES DONOR: Tinker Foundation Foundation grants are awarded to organisations and institutions that promote the exchange of information within the communities of those concerned with the affairs of Latin America, Iberia and Antarctica. Emphasis is placed on those activities that have strong public policy implications, offer innovative solutions to many of the problems facing these regions today, and incorporate new mechanisms for addressing environmental, economic, political and social issues. Programmatically, the Foundation funds projects addressing environmental policy, economic policy or governance issues. For more information, click here. MEMBER: Engabu Za Tooro (Tooro Youth Platform for Action) Engabu Za Tooro is a non-governmental organisation operating in western Uganda, East Africa. Engabu Za Tooro (EZT)'s mission is to enhance the capacity of the community through culture and economic development. Its vision is having an economically self-reliant and culturally oriented community. EZT makes a significant contribution to empower the rural poor population to exploit their immediate environment for socio-economic and cultural improvement, using a unique development approach where culture itself is used to remove cultural constraints to development. It taps the strength of diversity, encourages intercultural exchange learning and forges common bonds above cultural differences. For more information, email at engabuzatooro@infocom.co.ugg.  BOOKS, REPORTS & RESOURCES Aid Effectiveness from AWID: Prime 1- An Overview of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness & the New Aid Modalities Prepared by the Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID) This set of Primers shares critical information and analysis about the new aid architecture that has emerged as a result of the Paris Declaration (PD) - the most recent donor-partner agreement designed to increase the impact of aid. In September 2008 donor countries and recipient countries will meet for a High Level Forum (HLF3) in Accra, Ghana to assess progress in the implementation of the PD, and to agree a new ‘agenda for action’. This will be the first opportunity for donor and recipient countries, and civil society organisations, to review the progress on the implementation of the PD. In spite of the fact that the PD commits donor countries to a common set of principles and targets to achieve aid effectiveness, CSOs are calling for a number of reforms and deepening of the aid effectiveness based on a number of general concerns. For more information, click here. Government representatives and civil society institutions gathered to asses the 2007 European Neighbourhood Policy progress report in Jordan A workshop to discuss the advancement of the EU-Jordan relations within the framework of the Association Agreement was held on Sunday at the premises of the European Commission delegation in Amman. It is the first of its kind to gather a wide spectrum of representatives from both the government of Jordan and civil society institutions, together with EU officials and member states representatives, to take stock of the outcome of the European Commission report on "Implementation of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) in 2007" released last week. For more information, click here. Climate change is not as big a problem, says report An international civil society report has debunked the claims of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), saying there is no evidence to show loss of human life directly due to climate change. The report of the Civil Society Coalition on Climate Change, released in India on Tuesday, says there is no evidence to suggest climate change has caused an increase in diseases. "If the main causes of diseases such as diarrhoea and malaria are properly addressed, climate change will not increase their incidence," the report says. The report also allays the fears raised in the IPCC report on the impact of climate change on agricultural production. "With continued technological improvements, the trend of growth in agricultural production will continue till 2100, even if global mean temperature rises by three degrees Celsius," it says. For more information, click here. Is a new Europe possible? John Palmer on We the Peoples of Europe by Susan George This book makes a powerful call for a more just and democratic Europe but ignores the gains made from recent reforms. Susan George, who is chair of the board of the Transnational Institute, has won a reputation for the inspirational character of her research and writing on globalisation and development. When it comes to the European Union (EU) - and this little book in particular - those inspirational qualities have to be set against a profoundly frustrating tendency to reject an achievable “better” for a currently unachievable “best.” Much of her analysis of the evolution of the EU in the past 15 years - perhaps since the years when Jacques Delors as President of the Commission put “social Europe” at the heart of the project - is broadly correct. There has too frequently been an uncritical acceptance of the case for “neo-liberal” economic policies, while commitment to social justice has not been given the priority it deserves. For more information, clik here. Organisational learning for aid, and learning aid organisations Author: Ben Ramalingam Although many aid agencies claim to be learning organisations, a recent review found that they still need to address some major challenges, especially at field level. Ben Ramalingam asks why this is the case, and what aid agencies can do to learn more effectively. In their efforts to promote organisational learning, many aid agencies have embraced two influential approaches - the learning loops model of Chris Argyris and Donald Schön, and the learning organisation model of Peter Senge. Ben Ramalingam draw on the findings of research undertaken by the Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance (ALNAP) and the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), which illustrate some of the problems aid organisations face in applying these approaches. For more information, click here. CONFERENCES & EVENTS International Anti-Corruption Conference 30 October - 2 November, Athens, Greece Preparations for the 13th International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) are underway. The theme for this year’s conference is: “Global Transparency: Fighting corruption for a sustainable future,” with a focus on the role of transparency and accountability in human security, climate change, sustainable globalisation, natural resources exploitation and management. The conference will host world leaders and representatives from civil society, government and the private sector who will engage in open debates in a set of four plenary sessions to address the critical issues that will define our common future. There will also be around 40 workshops linking the issue of corruption with the conference themes. For more information, click here. World Urban Forum: Civil Society Organisations and NGOs Round Table 3-7 November 2008, Nanjing, China The objective of the round table will be to provide a platform for CSOs/NGOs to discuss issues of sustainable urbanisation and the goal of harmonious cities. A corollary objective of the round table will be to strengthen the capacity of CSOs/NGOs with respect to addressing issues of sustainable urbanisation. The round table will also discuss and comment on a draft CSOs/NGOs strategy paper prepared by UN-Habitat, and establish collaboration and strategic partnerships. For more information, click here. Third International Policy Conference on the African Child and Second All Africa Consultative Meeting 12-13 May 2008, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia The International Policy Conference on the African Child has now become a major event on the African calendar and gained increased international recognition as a major forum for debate and networking on children’s issues. It is expected to attract a considerable number of academics, experts and child rights activists from Africa and beyond. The International Policy Conference on the African Child is currently in consultation with a number of distinguished African statesmen and leading authorities on the subject, and a high turnout is expected. Child poverty is a major, possibly the biggest obstacle for the fulfilment of rights in Africa. The African Child Policy Forum is also calling a second All Africa Consultative Meeting of children, youth and human rights organisations to deliberate on the recommendations of the Committee. For more information, click here. FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES 2008 World Business and Development Awards Application Deadline: 30 May 2008 The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF) are pleased to open nominations for the 2008 World Business and Development Awards in support of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The awards recognise the contribution of the private sector to help achieve the MDGs through their core business. The MDGs, endorsed by 189 countries, are eight goals that promote poverty reduction, education, maternal health, and gender equality, and aim to combat child mortality, HIV/AIDS and other diseases. For more information, click here. Ending Global Slavery Competition: Everyday Heroes Leading the Way Application Deadline: Deadline: 18 June 2008 Humanity United and Ashoka's Changemakers launched a global online competition to identify innovative approaches to exposing, confronting and ending modern-day slavery. Over 27 million children and adults are in slavery or bonded labour around the world - more than any other period in human history. As one of the fastest growing criminal industries in the world, slavery remains largely hidden from the public eye and thrives on the rising global demand for inexpensive, unskilled labour and commercial sex. “Ending Global Slavery: Everyday Heroes Leading the Way” aims to find holistic solutions to modern-day slavery by recognizing individuals and organizations that raise awareness of the issue’s root causes, liberating those in bonded labour, and reintegrating former slaves into their communities. For more information, click here. 2008 United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights Application Deadline: 15 July 2008 The United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights was instituted by the General Assembly in 1966 (Res. 2217/XXI of 19 December 1966), and was awarded for the first time on 10 December 1968 on the occasion of the commemoration of the twentieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Thereafter, the prize has been awarded in 1973, 1978, 1988, 1993, 1998 and then in 2003. The Prize is an opportunity not only to give public recognition to the achievements of the awardees themselves, but also to send a clear message to human rights defenders the world over that the international community is grateful for, and supports, their tireless efforts to promote human rights for all. For more information, click here. CALL FOR PAPERS, SUBMISSIONS & NOMINATIONS Call for Statements of Interest - Partner organisations for the implementation of the CIVICUS Civil Society Index Reminder - Deadline Extended: 30 April 2008 Due to the strong interest in participation from civil society organisations around the world, the application deadline for statements of interest to partner with CIVICUS on the Civil Society Index has been extended. The CIVICUS Civil Society Index (CSI) team is pleased to announce its open call for statements of interest to implement the CSI around the world. If your organisation's work focuses on strengthening civil society in your country and is interested in implementing the CSI , please complete the full application form in English, French or Spanish, or write to us at index@civicus.org. The project implementation starts in June 2008 and spans 2008 and part of 2009. The call for statements of interest is available in English, French and Spanish. Call for Papers: African Perspectives on Aid in Africa Application Deadline: 25 April 2008 Fahamu’s AU Monitor and the African Forum and Network on Debt and Development (AFRODAD) invite research papers for the forthcoming publication “African Perspectives on Aid in Africa” to be published in September 2008. While Africa is the biggest recipient of aid globally, the terms, conditions and principles upon which aid is delivered are rarely defined by the people of Africa for whom, at least rhetorically, this aid is supposed to create positive change. Indeed, recent analysis from Third World Network, highlights the “effect of circumscribing national sovereignty and country autonomy over development policies” “contrary to the stated principles of country ownership and mutual accountability” of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness. In light of the September 2008 High-Level meetings on Aid Effectiveness in Accra , Ghana , Fahamu and AFRODAD seek to publish a comprehensive volume on Aid in Africa from the diverse perspectives of African civil society, social commentators, policy makers, academics and citizens. For more information, click here. APPOINTMENTS This week 24 new civil society job openings have been added to the CIVICUS website. Please click here. JOBS OF THE WEEK Communications and Media Manager  Application Deadline: 18 April 2008 CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation Location: Johannesburg, South Africa For more information, click here. Outreach and Mobilisation Coordinator Application Deadline: 25 April 2008 CIVICUS/Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) Location: Johannesburg, South Africa For more information, click here. Programme Officer (2 posts) Application Deadline: 30 April 2008 CIVICUS Civil Society Index Programme Location: Johannesburg, South Africa For more information, click here. CONTACT e-CIVICUS  e-CIVICUS is a free weekly online publication keeping tens of thousands of people, organisations and programmes informed of the many developments that are taking place in civil society organisations around the world, the many factors that are affecting the impact of civil society on creating a more just world. We value your comments and suggestions. Please send these to the Editorial Team at editor@civicus.org. Unsubscribe: To unsubscribe from e-CIVICUS, get a password reminder, or change your subscription options by entering your subscription email address: Click here.