World Alliance for Citizen Participation

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

06 June 2008 ISSUE No. 391 PUBLISHER CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Kumi Naidoo EDITORS Joe Cressy Katsuji Imata COPY EDITOR Laureen Bertin MANAGING EDITOR Eric Muragana OCCASIONAL CONTRIBUTORS Carol Baloyi Gala Diaz Langou Henri Valot Julia Sestier Tracy September Raya Ubenova 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. What the current Xenophobic violence means for South Africa and the World By Kumi Naidoo, CIVICUS Secretary General Dear Friends and Colleagues, Almost a month ago now, South Africa entered a horrible new phase of its history. We witnessed violent attacks against people labelled as “the other” on a scale we had hoped we would never see again after the end of formal apartheid. Most of the attacks started about a month ago in the Johannesburg township of Alexandra, before spreading to the rest of the province and beyond. These are not the first such occurrences, however. There have been reports of smaller scale xenophobic violence around the country for the past year. Somalian shop owners in Cape Town have seen their livelihoods looted and burned to the ground, some even losing their lives. People who have fled violence and poverty in the Congo and Zimbabwe hear taunts of ‘kwerekwere’ (a derogatory term used to refer to non-South African Africans) on South African streets and public transport, and stand helplessly by as police officers tear up their asylum claimant papers and order them deported. These incidents are not new. To read this week’s column, click here. Civil society appeals for UNHCR intervention of xenophobia terror in South Africa Joint appeal by civil society in South Africa to the UN & UNHCR Statement issued by the Treatment Action Campaign, COSATU, South African Council of Churches, Legal Resources Centre, etc on 3 June To date, over 20,000 people in the Western Cape have been displaced, some staying in community halls and local shelters, while many have been taken to refugee camps, some against their will. Across the country more than 50,000 people were displaced. Since the violence started, refugees have repeatedly requested to see and speak to high-level representatives from the United Nations (UN). Refugees at all the camps in Cape Town - Soetwater, Youngsfield, Harmony Park, Silverstrand - have made this request. They have indicated that they are not willing to trust South African government or NGO officials and want only the UN to help them. For more information, click here. People, Participation and Power - The struggle for Human Rights in Tunisia By Henri Valot, CIVICUS Policy Advisor At the end of May, the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) Arab Regional meeting, organised by ANND and hosted by the Jordan Women’s Union, took place with participants from 8 countries. Many had inspiring stories to tell. One of them was Mr. Hechmi Ben Frej, representative from Tunisia and chairperson of Amnesty International Tunisia, who worked to abolish the death penalty. For more information, click here. 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, and this year it focuses 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. CIVICUS World Assembly Background Papers available in English, Spanish and French At every World Assembly, CIVICUS commissions various individuals and organisations to design, develop and draft a high quality ‘key ideas paper’ on the sub-theme of the World Assembly. The final product serves as a background paper which provides a current, critical analysis of the sub-theme, articulates the key challenges to civil society engagement in that area, and identifies innovative approaches to dealing with those challenges from around the world. These papers are intended to enhance discussions and encourage productive debate at the World Assembly. Find 'Citizen Engagement and Global Economic Power’ in English, Spanish and French, and ‘Concepts for Revisioning Power for Justice, Equality and Peace’ in English, Spanish and French. Civicalypso returns to CIVICUS World Assembly 2008 The Civicalypso became something of a theme song at the 7th CIVICUS World Assembly held in Glasgow in May 2007. The calypso was presented as a surprise to the World Assembly. Encore after encore for the song allowed little else to be played at the gala dinner that brought the five-day event to a close. In 2007 the song was presented by the Network of NGOS of Trinidad and Tobago for the Advancement of Women to CIVICUS, represented by Coordinator Hazel Brown, and directors, Ellen O’Malley Camps and Dr Kris Rampersad. It was produced by the Trinidad-based Network of NGOS of Trinidad and Tobago for the Advancement of Women in conjunction with the Brown Cotton Theatre Company, composed and sung by Wayne Lee Sing and arranged by Roger Isreal. For more information, click here. CIVICUS World Assembly workshop looks at the right to information The right to information will be under the spotlight in a workshop coordinated jointly by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative and the Argentinean Youth Organisation for the United Nations. The workshop aims to train CIVICUS World Assembly delegates about the importance of the human right to access information as a key tool to empower participation of both organised and non-organised civil society through the comparison of practical experiences and analysing the importance for different kind of actors. For more information, click here. CALL TO COMPLETE CIVICUS SURVEYS You are invited to complete e-CIVICUS Readers’ Survey Deadline to complete the survey extended: 28 June 2008 As you may know, CIVICUS has been distributing its electronic newsletter, e-CIVICUS , to partners and CIVICUS members since 1999. This free weekly electronic publication keeps over 85,000 readers informed of the developments, influences, issues and impacts of civil society around the world. e-CIVICUS is available in English and in a number of different electronic formats such as html, word, PDF and text. In order to maintain and improve on the delivery of quality information with regard to news, issues, debates, events and other key developments of civil society in the global arena, CIVICUS needs your feedback on e-CIVICUS . All survey responses will be kept strictly confidential and the results will be for internal use only. To complete the survey, click here. Legitimacy, Transparency and Accountability Needs Assessment Survey Deadline to complete the survey: 27 June 2008 CIVICUS’ members, partners and programme participants on various occasions expressed the need to effectively share the learning and develop capacities regarding the transparency and accountability of civil society organisations (CSOs). The CIVICUS Legitimacy, Transparency and Accountability (LTA) programme has devised a survey that aims to identify the needs and challenges of CSOs in order to know how best to assist CSOs in improving their LTA structures. With a participatory approach, the programme in the upcoming phase will aim to co-ordinate and strengthen LTA initiatives within civil society around the world. For more information on the survey, click here. CIVICUS Poll Question This week’s question: Do you think that civil society organisations, in South Africa and elsewhere, can help to better integrate immigrants and refugees into new communities?   To answer the question, click here. Previous question: Do you think that fair trade, debt relief and better aid to underdeveloped countries can help solve the current global food crisis? Results: Yes - 77%, No - 15%, Don’t Know - 8% 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 click 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 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. e-CIVICUS DIALOGUES Mugabe's arrival at food summit provokes outrage By Peter Popham in Rome, Anne Penketh and Colin Brown The unexpected arrival of President Mugabe prompted a flood of international protests after he joined more than 60 world leaders for the three-day conference. Although the Zimbabwean leader is targeted by a European Union travel ban, the sanctions do not apply to UN meetings conducted on UN premises. "This meeting is supposed to be about increasing the supply of food," Mr Alexander told BBC Radio, "while his policies have exactly the reverse effect in Zimbabwe." His presence in Rome was "an affront to all Zimbabweans who are suffering hunger, destitution and poverty as a direct result of his rule". That view was echoed by representatives from the United States, Australia and the Netherlands. For more information, click here. Women battle the breadline By Amrita Nandy-Joshi, Asia Sentinel As food prices soar across the planet, poor women take the brunt of the crisis. These are ruthless times. The current food crisis is an assault on the already difficult lives of the poor in developing countries. Picture this: Afghan women are reported to buy leftover food, otherwise sold as fodder for cows and sheep. A group of Sri Lankan housewives protested outside a newspaper office demanding to know where they could find affordable rice. In Ivory Coast, women clashed over rising food prices; the unrest left one dead. For more information, click here. CIVIL SOCIETY NEWS  Press, civil society react strongly to sedition charges in India Source: Express News Service The media fraternity and civil society have reacted strongly to the charges of sedition levelled by the Ahmedabad Police Commissioner against the Resident Editor of The Times of India and a reporter and photographer of the national daily. A group of working journalists made a demonstration displaying placards and shouting slogans against the high-handedness of the police on the matter. For more information, click here.  Civil society suggests adoption of an interim PRSP in Bangladesh Source: The Daily Star Civil society representatives during a consultation on finalising the second Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) suggested the caretaker government should adopt an interim PRSP due to the absence of an elected government in the country." A political vacuum is now prevailing in the country. If it (PRSP) is to be finalised, it should be done for an interim period," said former adviser to a caretaker government Prof Wahid Uddin Mahmud about the draft of the second PRSP. The draft of the second PRSP titled "Moving Ahead: National Strategy for Accelerating Poverty Reduction (NSAPR)" is designed for the next three fiscal years with the expectation that the GDP would grow at the rates of 6.7 per cent, 7.0 per cent and 7.2 per cent. For more information, click here. Rights activist Mutabar Tojibaeva released in Uzbekistan Source: Human Rights News Uzbek human rights defender and government critic Mutabar Tojibaeva was released from the Tashkent Women’s Prison, where she was serving an eight-year prison sentence for her human rights activities, said Human Rights Watch. “We are thrilled that Mutabar Tojibaeva has been released from prison,” said Holly Cartner, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “But she should never have been imprisoned in the first place. Her conviction should be set aside, and she should be allowed to do her human rights work without further government persecution.” For more information, click here. Care International faces a political ban in Zimbabwe Source: Worldpress.org Zimbabwe's government has banned at least one international aid group from operating in the country for allegedly campaigning for the opposition. All operations of Care International are now suspended, pending an inquiry into the claims. Care denies that it "has encouraged or tolerated any political activity". "Several other non-governmental organisations involved in food distribution in Manicaland province will also be asked to cease operations while being investigated. For more information, click here. Civil society concern about poverty and lack of jobs in Colombia Source: Media Newswire The lack of jobs and the conditions of poverty and extreme poverty under which many persons with disabilities live, as well as lack of adequate health care and the need for stronger policies to assist them, rank among top concerns for civil society groups across the Americas. These and a host of other problems were articulated by representatives of civil society groups from around the hemisphere as they gathered today in Medellín, Colombia, with high-level government officials from Organization of American States (OAS ) countries and with the organisation’s Secretary General, José Miguel Insulza. For more information, click here. Nepal youths and employment scenario in a civil society By Prem Raman Uprety, Professor of Modern History and Diplomacy, Tribhuvan University Nepal At the very outset the term “youth’’ signifies the embodiment of energy, vigour and vitality. This is in keeping with the Hindu concept of “youth’’, which takes the digit 16 as indicative of the prime of life; and it is after the age of 16 that decay commences in the human body. Therefore a Nepali painter or sculptor will always depict the Hindu gods and goddesses as well as the acolyte deities in the pantheon in full bloom of life that is at the age of sweet 16. The term “Sweet Sixteen” brings us right into the definition and the chronology of the “youths”. For more information, click here. Global Water Challenge and Ashoka's Changemakers announce winners of competition Source: Ashoka’s Changemakers Global Water Challenge (GWC) and Ashoka's Changemakers have announced the winners of a competition to find groundbreaking solutions to the world's water and sanitation challenges. The winners, all three from India, are Himanshu Parikh Consulting Engineers for its “Slum Networking: Transcending Poverty with An Innovative Water and Sanitation Paradigm”, Naandi Foundation for its “Community-Based Safe Drinking Water Systems”, user fee-based relationships between service providers and local governments that expands access to safe drinking water; and Swayam Shikshan Prayog, for its “Small Steps, Big Leaps,” a community-led approach to water and sanitation that mobilises women in rural communities to create demand for better water and sanitation systems. For more information, click here. ACCOUNTABILITY Register for news and updates on AccountAbility’s Collaborative Governance work Source: AccountAbility, www.accountability21.net AccountAbility’s landmark report ‘Governing Collaboration: Making Partnerships Accountable for Delivering Development’ developed with support from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund explores the practice of partnership governance and accountability. The report provides a Framework of Collaborative Governance and clear recommendations that aim to help partnerships overcome the difficulties and problems in their governance structures. To register for AccountAbility’s Collaborative Governance work, click here. For more information on the report, click here. Accountability in Aid Effectiveness By Charles Mutasa, AFRODAD The paper discusses three levels of accountability needed to ensure aid effectiveness. These are Accountability of international financial institutions (IFIs) and donors, Accountability of Governments and civil society organisations (CSOs) and Accountability among CSOs. For more information, click here. GET INVOLVED! Stop the Food Crisis: Act Now against Poverty and Inequality! The world is facing a global food crisis. Millions of people, especially women, are unable to feed their families due to the rise in the cost of staple foods such as rice, maize and corn. Already over 800 million people suffer from hunger and with prices doubling in the last two years and skyrocketing in the last few months, it is estimated this crisis will push 100 million more people into poverty. On June 3-5, members of the UN High Level Task Force on the food crisis, along with Heads of State and representatives from the World Bank and IMF will meet at the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in Rome. The Global Call to Action against Poverty, along with many other civil society groups is demanding these leaders TAKE ACTION NOW ! Join hundreds of thousands of people around the world and sign the petition calling on world leaders to take immediate action to stop the food crisis, click here. Action Alert: Stop corporate control over food! Farmers message to the Food Crisis Summit in Rome Source: GRAIN, www.grain.org Farmer and civil society leaders carrying out a peaceful action in Rome, Italy at the FAO Summit on the Food Crisis were forcefully removed from the premises. They had staged an action at the press room to deliver a message that millions of additional people are joining the ranks of the hungry as the corporations that control the global food system are making record profits. The issues of corporate control and speculation, which are leading causes of recent spikes in food prices, are not being discussed by the government delegations and the international agencies meeting in Rome to debate solutions to the crisis. For more information, click here. MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS & GLOBAL CALL TO ACTION AGAINST POVERTY Better Aid signed into law in Canada Source: Make Poverty History The Better Aid Bill was signed into law Thursday afternoon at the Supreme Court of Canada. The Bill was passed by Parliament earlier this month, but this 'royal assent' officially makes Bill C-293 a Canadian law. After three long years of campaigning, all the e-mails and faxed messages have produced an amazing result. There's still time to thank the people responsible for making this happen. The Better Aid Bill - official name: "Bill C-293" started in January 2005 when leaders of the opposition parties Stephen Harper, Jack Layton and Gilles Duceppe called on Prime Minister Paul Martin to introduce laws that would focus Canada's aid on poverty reduction, ensure it met international human rights standards and take into account the needs of the recipients. For more information, click here. Poverty amidst prosperity: UN millennium goals seem elusive By Thalif Deen at the United Nations A long-term UN plan to reduce by half the number of people living in "extreme poverty and hunger" has hit a roadblock. The target date, set by world leaders to achieve the UN's Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), is 2015. But as of now, that target seems elusive. The UN estimates that more than a billion people live in "absolute poverty" worldwide and about 800 million people go to bed hungry every night. But the rising prices of petroleum and food is threatening to undermine the attempts by the world body to fight both poverty and hunger. For more information, click here.   Aid campaigners concerned about achieving Millennium Development Goals By Tendai Maphosa The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) recently confirmed that financial assistance to the world's poorest countries fell by 8.4 per cent in real terms in 2007. This, the organization says, means aid has fallen for the second year in a row. In 2005, G8 Leaders pledged to double aid and provide an additional $50 billion a year by 2010. But going by the latest figures, aid campaigners say, the donors will be way off target. Max Lawson, a policy officer at Oxfam, describes the reneging of countries on promises they made to increase aid at the G8 summit at Gleneagles in 2005 as a scandal. For more information, click here. CIVIL SOCIETY ACTIVISM AND GLOBAL INSTITUTIONS Union leaders call for urgent action on jobs, inequality and food crisis at the OECD Finance Ministers’ meeting Source: Trade Union Advisory Committee Trade union leaders from OECD countries and global labour organisations have called for urgent action from OECD Finance Ministers on the worsening jobs and income inequality situation and the global food crisis in a statement released in advance of the annual meeting of OECD Finance Ministers on 3-4 June. The union delegation, led by John Sweeney, President of the American labour centre the AFL -CIO and of TUAC, the Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD, and Tsuyoshi Takagi, President of the Japanese Trade Union Confederation RENGO, and Vice-president of TUAC, will deliver a call for action on jobs and achieving fairer distribution of income. For more information, click here.  Biofuels must include the poor Inter Press Service (IPS) interview with Ali Mchumo, managing director of the Common Fund for Commodities Biofuels are being criticised for contributing to the rise in commodity prices, but their energy potential can be developed too, on condition "that the poor are part of the production chain." This will become possible if governments "look closely at policies to harness this opportunity for rural development," says Ali Mchumo, managing director of the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC). "Wherever the poor have the opportunity to engage in agricultural production, there's a distinct opportunity for them to benefit from high prices for their produce," he told IPS Italy correspondent Sabina Zaccaro. For more information, click here. Global civil society statement on the World Food Emergency Source: UN NGLS Civil Society Observer Via Campesina released a civil society statement on the World Food Emergency which mentions the historic and systematic failures of governments and emphasises the responsibility of international institutions. Several social movements and other civil society organisations joined together in this statement which includes a global plan of action for food and agriculture that will be discussed with governments and intergovernmental organisations in the upcoming FAO Conference. For more information, click here.  Global civil society campaigners calls on ministers to act now for health Source: European Public Health Alliance Campaigners at the World Health Assembly targeted governments from the north and the south and will continue to do so at other events this year. ACT NOW FOR HEALTH is a joint campaign withinitiated by Action for Global Health, the Global Movement for Children, Oxfam International, Save the Children UK and WorldVision International, to persuade ministers from governments around the world to agree that health must be a priority in 2008. All civil society organisations are asked to lend their support to this broad call. For more information, click here. Global convention underscores impacts of climate change in Tibet Source: Tibet Custom, Tibetan News & Culture Impacts of climate change in Tibet and its consequences in the region were highlighted at a two-day 'Global Convention on Climate Change' held in Palampur, Himachal Pradesh, from 30 May to 1 June 2008. The convention was jointly organised by the World Council for Corporate Governance, World Environment Foundation and Institute of Directors, and was inaugurated by Professor Prem Kumar Dhumal, chief minister of Himachal Pradesh. The conference aims to implement an holistic approach for combating climate change, and to share experiences of leading companies in adopting low carbon, low waste and low energy technologies. For more information, click here. PROFILES DONOR: Fund for Global Human Rights The Fund for Global Human Rights seeks to strengthen the human rights movement through grant-making and technical support to on-the-ground human rights organisations throughout the world. Fund grantees address a wide range of cutting edge human rights issues, from indigenous land rights in Guatemala, to women’s rights in Morocco, to accountability for war crimes in West Africa, to discrimination against HIV positive people in India. The Fund has set two priorities: 1) to identify, assess and provide funding to local, national, and regional human rights organisations addressing critical issues; and 2) to encourage the creation of fora and networks for exchange of ideas, strategies and mutual support among otherwise isolated human rights organisations. For more information, click here. MEMBER: Project for Conflict Resolution and Development The Project for Conflict Resolution and Development (PCRD) is a developmental NGO working primarily in South Africa. Established in 1995, The PCRD researches, designs, trains and facilitates processes that enable disadvantaged and/or at-risk communities and organisations to positively deal with conflict and transformation.The PCRD has two programmes. The first, the Community Transformation and Capacity Building Programme assists in building the capacity of civil society organisations, establishing conflict management systems, and researching and skills development for municipal ward committees, officials and councillors. The Education Programme assists schools in creating safe school programmes in which learning and teaching can take place in a peaceful atmosphere. The Education Programme also provides organisational development processes to schools to improve the quality of school management and education at schools. Finally, PCRD provides a mediation service to assist communities to resolve disputes peacefully. For more information, click here. BOOKS, REPORTS & RESOURCES CIVICUS Civil Society Inde Country report for Azerbaijan Civil Society in Azerbaijan: Challenges and Opportunities in Transition The Civil Society Index (CSI) project was implemented by the International Center for Social Research (ICSR) in Azerbaijan. The CSI Diamond for Azerbaijan reveals a fairly balanced yet weak civil society with some signs of positive change. The civil society impact dimension is slightly weaker than the other dimensions, which yielded more positive results. In Azerbaijan, civil society has higher levels of interpersonal trust, public spiritedness, and tolerance among CSOs members than non-members. The findings further indicate that CSOs have been ineffective in promoting positive values and influencing public policy. Despite these challenges, there has been a gradual rise in the number of CSOs and people’s involvement in civic activities in Azerbaijan, indicating a slow but noticeable growth in social capital. For more information, click here. State of the World's Human Rights 2008 Amnesty International Report The book opens with five regional overviews, looking back at human rights developments since the Declaration was adopted, analyzing whether reality has matched rhetoric, and determining how much impact human rights initiatives have had on people’s lives. They also highlight the key events and trends that illustrate 2007 for each region. The heart of the book is a country-by-country survey of human rights, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.  Each entry begins with a summary of the human rights situation in the country. Amnesty International’s concerns on various issues are then set out, highlighting individual cases where appropriate. For more information, click here. Child Soldiers Global Report 2008 Source: Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers The Child Soldiers Global Report 2008 details how strenuous international efforts have failed to protect tens of thousands of children from war. When armed conflict exists, children will almost inevitably become involved as soldiers. According to the 2008 report there are an estimated 250,000 child soldiers worldwide, although the exact number is hard to verify. For more information, click here. Survey: Editors accepting multimedia revolution By Jean Yves Chainon, Source: Editors Weblog An annual survey of editors around the world reveals “overwhelming optimism” about the future of newspapers, and suggests that editors are accepting that newsrooms and journalists are moving away from being "print-only," according to the Editors Weblog. Fifty-six editors and journalists participated in the Newsroom Barometer, a survey conducted by Zogby International and commissioned by the World Editors Forum and Reuters. Sixty-three per cent of those surveyed think journalistic quality will improve in the next 10 years, while 44% believe the Internet will be the most common platform for reading news in the future. Conversely, 31% think print will remain the main news source. According to the survey, 72% of journalists in Africa and the Middle East are expected to become multimedia reporters. For more information, click here. CONFERENCES & EVENTS Rome Stakeholder Forum 12-13 June 2008, Rome, Italy The Rome Stakeholder Forum, organised in co-operation with the Government of Italy, will conclude the consultative preparatory process leading to the Development Cooperation Forum (DCF) by engaging parliamentarians and high-level representatives from civil society and local government in an open and interactive dialogue on their roles in contributing to effective development co-operation. Through partnerships with the Inter-Parliamentary Union, United Cities and Local Governments, CIVICUS and Action Aid, the one-and-a-half day forum will focus on the critical role these actors play in guiding, managing and monitoring development co-operation. For more information, click here. Campaign to Combat Violence against Women 10-11 June 2008, Strasbourg TThe aim of the conference is to assess the results of the campaign and the measures taken by the Council of Europe and its member states to protect women against violence. The participants in the conference will also discuss proposals for future actions to fight this human rights violation, including the need for a new Council of Europe Convention to prevent and combat violence against women. Representatives of the 47 member states of the Council of Europe, including many ministers responsible for fighting violence against women, will attend the event, as well as representatives of international inter-governmental organisations and NGOs. For more information, click here. World Refugee Day 20 June 2008, Johannesburg, South Africa The South African National NGO Coalition (SANGOCO) in collaboration with the City of Johannesburg Migrant Help Desk, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, the Consortium for Refugees and Migrants in South Africa, the South African Council of Churches, the Central Methodist Church, the Co-ordinating Body of Refugee Communities, the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, Somafco X Trust and other organisations working with refugees will join millions of people around the world to commemorate World Refugee Day. For more information, click here. FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES The Prize of the Regions Application Deadline: 10 September 2008 The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe is launching "The Prize of the Regions of the Congress of the Council of Europe" in partnership with Bank Dexia. The prize is awarded annually to regions committed to promoting good practices in the field of regional democracy. The theme for the first prize "Promoting Social Cohesion through Economic Development" is understood as economic development that achieves social cohesion. This approach will allow regions of different social, cultural and income patterns to enter in the same category. About 1,000 of the 200,000 territorial communities that make up the 47 member states of the Council of Europe Congress can be described as 'regions'. For more information, click here.  CALL FOR PAPERS, SUBMISSIONS & NOMINATIONS Open call: Spaces for engagement “Using knowledge to improve pro poor policy” Application Deadline: 20 June 2008   In an attempt to augment efforts in bridging research to policy outreach in Latin America and the Caribbean, the Global Development Network (GDN) and Centro de Implementación de Políticas Públicas para la Equidad y el Crecimiento (CIPPEC) together promote the creation and strengthening of spaces of engagement between representatives of policy research institutions (PRIs) or think tanks that conduct or use research to influence policy, and policymakers. The project aims at using knowledge management (KM) to improve bridging research and policy (BRP) in Latin America. For more information, click here. Call for Papers: WIDER Conference on Frontiers of Poverty Analysis Submission deadline: 30 June 2008 In recent decades poverty research has changed almost beyond recognition, along with the techniques used in analytic work. Yet many researchers remain unaware of the many ways in which the frontiers of poverty analysis have been extended. The aim of this conference is to help rectify the situation in two ways. First, by surveying the novel concepts and tools developed for poverty research over the past 25 years. Second, by presenting papers that illustrates well the range of concepts and techniques now available for use in poverty analysis. For more information, click here.   APPOINTMENTS This week 26 new civil society job openings have been added to the CIVICUS website. Please click here. JOBS OF THE WEEK Country Directory Application Deadline: 18 June 2008 CARE International Location: Country Director for South Africa and Lesotho For more information, click here. Country Director Application Deadline: 19 June 2008 ActionAid Brazil Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 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.