World Alliance for Citizen Participation

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

2 July 2008 ISSUE No. 396 PUBLISHER CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ingrid Srinath EDITORS Katsuji Imata COPY EDITOR Nastasya Tay MANAGING EDITOR Eric Muragana OCCASIONAL CONTRIBUTORS Carol Baloyi Ciara O'Sullivan Henri Valot Julia Sestier Mandeep Tiwana Irfan Mufti Tanzilya Salimdjanova Yi Shi 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. Recalling the Day of the African child By Ingrid Srinath, CIVICUS Secretary General Dear friends and colleagues, The crisis of democracy and human rights in Zimbabwe is a stark, on-going reminder of the inadequacies of political leadership and civil society in Africa and around the world. While ordinary Zimbabweans fight a life and death struggle for their basic human rights and for their rights to democratic voice, the rest of us - politicians, civil society organisations and the media - seem to be able to do little more than wring our hands in despair and issue appeals for sanity and balance. Despite the clamour of voices seeking decisive action from African governments, especially in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries, an ‘election’ that most people agree was an utter sham of democracy has been conducted and a victor declared with utter impunity. To read the rest of this week's column, click here. Pan-African Day of Solidarity for Zimbabwe: Saturday, 12 July 2008 Following a call by CIVICUS, Amnesty International and the Global Call for Action against Poverty ( GCAP ), citizens of Africa across the continent will unite to express their solidarity with the people of Zimbabwe who are suffering persistent violations of their rights. The widespread killings, torture and intimidation of the political opposition that characterised the presidential election run-off on 27 June cannot be condoned under any circumstances. “By flagrantly and consistently violating the values upon which present day Africa is premised, Mr Mugabe has done great disservice to the people of Zimbabwe and the continent. We believe it is the responsibility of all Africans to urgently put a stop to Mr Mugabe’s anti-democratic activities” said Kumi Naidoo, Honorary President of CIVICUS. For more information, click here. Civil society calls for African Union investigation into Zimbabwe human rights abuses Source: The Centre for Citizen’s Participation in the African Union African civil society groups meeting ahead of the African Union Summit in Egypt called on African leaders to publicly condemn the human rights violations and abuses taking place in Zimbabwe . The Centre for Citizen’s Participation in the African Union, comprising 63 civil society groups from across Africa, said in a statement that that they were deeply disturbed that that the government had ordered the suspension of the work of civil society organizations, despite four million Zimbabweans requiring humanitarian assistance. For more information, click here. African heads of state must act now to end Mugabe violation of citizen rights Press Statement: CIVICUS and Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP)  CIVICUS and members of the Global Call to Action against Poverty ( GCAP ) alliance are deeply concerned at events surrounding elections in Zimbabwe . The Mugabe regime’s gross violation of the human and democratic rights enshrined in the African Charter of Human and People’s Rights need urgent action by Heads of State and Government meeting at the African Union Summit in Egypt this week. “We urge African leaders to call for space to be opened up so that civil society can play a role in tackling Zimbabwe ’s current crisis – we are needed now more than ever, as millions of people face hunger through growing food insecurity,” said Adelaide Sosseh, GCAP Co-chair based in The Gambia. “By suppressing legitimate dissent, Mr Mugabe is leading his country and its people down a path of self destruction. It is the responsibility of every Member State in the African Union to urgently put a stop to Mr Mugabe’s anti-democratic activities and protect the people of Zimbabwe ,” commented Kumi Naidoo GCAP Co-Chair. For more information, click here. CIVICUS Poll Question This week’s question: Do you think that the African Heads of State are doing enough to pressure Mugabe's government in Zimbabwe to reach a peaceful political resolution?   To answer the question, click here. Previous question: Do you think civil society is doing enough to pressure regional and international bodies like the UN, African Union and SADC to take constructive action on the crisis in Zimbabwe? Results: Yes - 18%, No - 76%, Don’t Know - 6% 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   Civil society uniting for one voice to be heard, say Eurasian Civil Societies By Tanzilya Salimdjanova, CIVICUS Civil Society Watch programme "Our voice from our region is very weak because we do not unite. At the international level we try to work independently, focusing on our internal country issues, and ignoring the fact that we have a lot in common. We should develop a platform for our voices to be heard at the global level", says Anara Moldosheva, a gender expert from Kyrgyzstan . At the World Assembly this year, CIVICUS convened the inaugural meeting of delegates from Eurasia . Civil Society activists from the Kyrgyz Republic , Tajikistan , Kazakhstan , the Ukraine , Uzbekistan , Azerbaijan , and Turkey attended this informal meeting aiming to outline common interests and discuss interregional cooperation initiatives. For more information, click here. The fight against money laundering - good governance or government control? By David Robinson, Manager, Pacific Civil Society Law Programme and CIVICUS Board Member In April, Stephen Kilngelhofer, Vice-President of International Centre for Not-for-Profit Law (INCL) and I participated in the Pacific Islands Regional Workshop on the Regulation of Non-profit Organisations - practical techniques for maintaining a healthy NPO sector. The workshop was sponsored by the Asia-Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Australian Anti-Money Laundering Assistance Team (AMLAT) and the Pacific Anti-Money Laundering Program (PALP - sponsored by the Pacific Forum, the UN, and the US State Department). The purpose of the workshop was to familiarise officials with the nature, purpose, and activities of civil society organisations in the region as well as the range of issues and methods of equitable regulation of civil society, including local practices and international standards. For more information, click here. Reflecting on climate change and ethics: An Earth Charter call to action By Dominic Stucker, Earth Charter International Climate change is often framed as an environmental or economic issue, but rarely as a social or ethical one. Understanding climate change from all these perspectives will help us best address this phenomenon for what it is: the symptom of a much deeper failure of values and attendant action. Indeed, Alan AtKisson, former Executive Director of Earth Charter International, observes that "ethical issues are often precisely the ones we prefer to avoid, because they force us to confront the sometimes muddy difference between doing right and doing wrong -- or because we know that in confronting ethical issues generally, we must sometimes confront the ethical deficiencies in our own behavior". For more information, click here. CIVIL SOCIETY NEWS   Human Rights Watch calls on African Union to reject results in Zimbabwe ’s sham election  Sanction leaders, press for peacekeepers to end violence African states should impose sanctions against Robert Mugabe and his illegitimate government in Zimbabwe after the sham presidential runoff, where government violence against opposition supporters continued even after the vote on 27 June. “The African Union can help end the violence in Zimbabwe by taking the strongest possible action against Robert Mugabe and his government,” said Georgette Gagnon, Africa director at Human Rights Watch. For more information, click here. Civil society groups calls for climate action plan to be transparent in India Source: The Hindu, Online edition of India's National Newspaper Civil society groups and environmentalists have expressed disappointment over the lack of transparency in the preparation of the National Climate Action Plan, a critical policy document. In an open letter addressed to the Prime Minister, 27 civil society groups have said no information has been shared on the draft plans to date and there had been no consultation with civil society or independent scientists, researchers and experts. The impacts of global warming and resultant climate change are the biggest environmental threat our planet is facing today. It is now apparent that this is not just an environmental crisis, but a humanitarian crisis as well, the letter said. For more information, click here. Civil society for aid effectiveness that works for poor at the CIVICUS Assembly By Joyce Mulama, Inter Press Service ( IPS ) With a high level meeting on aid effectiveness set to take place later this year in Accra, Ghana, participants at the CIVICUS World Assembly in Scottish capital, Glasgow want donors to stop dictating how aid should be used, and instead let it be driven by the needs of the people it is intended for. Donors are under scrutiny for adopting a top-down approach when discussing aid that excludes the needs of the very people who require it. This has raised questions of whether funds are indeed reaching the people who urgently need them. For more information, click here. Civil society tells of Japan aid inadequacy in Kenya Source: Godffrey Olali, Daily Nation Reporter Civil society groups have observed critical gaps in some key deliberations made at the recently concluded Fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD). The meeting which took place in Yokohama, Japan, between May 28 and 30, has met stiff criticism from key players, who are afraid that Tokyo might not be at a vantage position to present Africa’s problems during next month’s G8 summit in Japan. “Japanese and African civil society have noted with disappointment the omission of civil society as participants in the proposal for the follow -up mechanism,” observed Ms Sue Mbaya, Advocacy director with World Vision, African region. For more information, click here. MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS & GLOBAL CALL TO ACTION AGAINST POVERTY   G8 cannot ignore the voices of the people says GCAP Source: Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) A unique petition carrying over one million names from around the world is today being handed over to G8 governments before leaders leave for the Japanese Summit next week. People in G8 countries and elsewhere, have strongly supported demands on education, health and HIV/AIDS, climate change and international aid, in the form of thousands of online and offline Tanabata 'wishes'. The action is based on the traditional Japanese Festival of Tanabata (meaning star), which will this year take place on the first day of the Summit, 7 July. In keeping with the tradition, people tie their wishes for the year ahead to a bamboo tree. "Seeing how many people across the globe, from both rich and poor nations, have interacted with this campaign in the past few weeks is really inspiring.We know that pressure to hold the eight richest governments to account for their promises to end poverty needs this scale of support and we promise to bring the message loud and clear to the Summit next week." said Kumi Naidoo, Co-Chair of GCAP who will be in Japan throughout the G8. For more information, click here.  GCAP impressions of the CIVICUS World Assembly Source: Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP), Ciara O'Sullivan, Media Co-ordinator Glasgow played host to the first GCAP Global Council before the CIVICUS World Assembly, attended by over 20 people from around the world representing the regions and constituency groups that make up this unique global alliance. Among those present was two regional secretariat staff, Tasneem Athar and Chona Ramos - both in Scotland for the first time. For more information on these impressions, click here.  G8: Trying to move beyond debate on emission targets By Keya Acharya Approximately 133 parliamentarians from 23 countries, along with prominent politicians under a caucus called GLOBE (global legislators for a balanced environment), have gathered ahead of the 7-9 July G8 meetings in Hokkaido . They hope to influence the G8 - the world’s 8 most industrialised countries - to adopt a policy for tacking climate change post-2012 when the current Kyoto Protocol ends. The Kyoto Protocol of 1997 set a 2012 target for Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) down to 2000-levels. It also allowed developed countries to buy some of these CERs from developing countries. For more information, click here.  The Millennium Development Goals and awareness in Ghana By Hannah Asomaning  Source: Public Agenda in Accra The question of whether people really knew about the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) arose during the launch of the Global Monitoring Report, 2008, a program that sought to monitor the progress or achievement of the MDGs. The programme was themed "MDGs and the Environment - Agenda for Inclusive and Sustainable Development," and was organised by the Christian Council of Ghana in collaboration with the International Monetary Fund, the United Nations Development Programme and the World Bank, Ghana Office. It brought together policy makers, civil society groups, lawyers, journalists and academics. For more information, click here.  GET INVOLVED! Action Now: Tell G8 leaders to End Poverty and Inequality Source: Global Call for Action against Poverty (GCAP) In July, leaders of eight of the world’s wealthiest and most powerful nations - the G8 - will meet in Hokkaido, Japan for their annual meeting. Civil society around the world is calling on these leaders to take urgent action to meet their promises, and do far more, to fight poverty and inequality. Every year on 7 July, the people of Japan celebrate Tanabata by making their wishes for the coming year, and tying them to a bamboo tree. This year, people across the globe are invited to make their wish for immediate action from the G8 on education, health and HIV/AIDS, climate change and international aid. Your wish, along with millions of others will be handed to the Japanese Prime Minister on July 6, the day before the meetings begin. Join the growing Global Call to Action against Poverty, as civil society everywhere calls for change, and an end to the injustices of poverty and inequality, click here.  Appeal of the “Citizens against corruption” Human Rights Center in Kyrgyz Republic   The “Citizens Against Corruption” Human Rights Center would like to draw the attention of the President and Deputies of the Parliament of the Kyrgyz Republic , the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic , human rights organisations, as well as citizens of the country to the violation of the rights and liberties of citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic . Legislation encapsulating the rights of citizens to gather and assemble peacefully, without weapons, to hold meetings and demonstrations freely is not being complied with. For more information on the appeal, click here.  ACCOUNTABILITY The second phase of AA 1000 Revision closed and the new edition will be launched in October 2008 Source: Yi Shi, Communication Intern, www.accountability21.net “The 2nd phase of collaborative drafting as part of the AA1000AS revision process close on 20 June. AccountAbility’s Technical Committee will be reviewing the changes made to the draft standard in preparation for the third and final phase of public editing commencing on 7th July. Since its launch in January, the wiki platform has succeeded in receiving 5000 hits from countries across the world including Ghana, Ecuador, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, and Russia - and with strong participation coming from the US, UK, Argentina, France, India, Italy and Australia, among other countries. AccountAbility was present at the World Assembly in Glasgow to host a workshop around the revision process which began in early 2007 with an e-survey for relevant stakeholders. AccountAbility then hosted over 20 national multi-stakeholder consultations, covering six continents, to discover the needs and concerns of these diverse stakeholders. In addition to multi-stakeholder consultations AccountAbility have conducted a number of bilateral workshops to engage underrepresented groups including civil society and the investment community. The new edition of the Standard will be published in October 2008. For more information click here. CIVIL SOCIETY ACTIVISM AND GLOBAL INSTITUTIONS CIVICUS calls for UN to start discussions on Parliamentary Assembly By Vicente García-Delgado, CIVICUS UN Representative in New York At a Civil Society Forum on the World Food Crisis hosted by the NGO Section of the United Nations Department of Economics and Social Affairs on 16 May in New York, the main representative of CIVICUS, Vicente García-Delgado, called for the UN to deliberate the establishment of a parliamentary body. "The peace and security challenges that the hunger crisis and climate change present must be understood as global challenges calling for global solutions that address adequately the concerns of all nations and all peoples," he said. Today, over 500 members of parliament from over 80 countries have joined an international Campaign for the Establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA). "CIVICUS welcome the start of discussions at the General Assembly on the creation of a UN Parliamentary Assembly, called by various civil society coalitions, most recently by the World Federation of UN Associations, the Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly and others," García-Delgado stated in New York. For more information on the call for the Establishment of a UN Parliamentary Assembly, click here.  Israelis assault award winning Inter Press Service (IPS) journalist By Mel Frykberg Mohammed Omer, the Gaza correspondent of IPS , and joint winner of the 2008 Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism, was strip-searched at gunpoint, assaulted and abused by Israeli security officials at the Allenby border crossing between Jordan and the West Bank on Thursday, 26 June as he tried to return home to Gaza. Omer, a resident of Rafah in the south of Gaza, and previous recipient of the New America Media's Best Youth Voice award several years ago, was returning from London where he had just collected his Gellhorn Prize, and from several European capitals where he had speaking engagements, including a meeting with Greek parliamentarians. For more information, click here.  Global call on leaders to fund Africa Health Strategy Source: Africa Public Health Alliance 15% Now Campaign Two hundred and five African and global organisations and networks have called on the Assembly of Heads of State of the African Union to ensure the Implementation Plan of the AU Africa Health Strategy is urgently and adequately funded, and for the AU Abuja 15% Commitment to health to be implemented by all member states. The Health Strategy Implementation Plan has been presented for final approval to the Assembly of Heads of States meeting in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt on the 30th June and 1st July. "The AU Africa Health Strategy is a landmark document. But without funding for its Implementation Plan from our Heads of State and Finance Ministers, it will be reduced to an empty gesture resulting in even more deaths than the current 8 million African lives lost annually to mainly five health conditions being TB, HIV and AIDS, Malaria, Child and Maternal Mortality," said Rotimi Sankore Coordinator of the Africa Public Health 15% Now Campaign. For more information, click here.  PROFILES DONOR: New Zealand Aid Pacific Island Countries Participation Fund CIVICUS would like to acknowledge New Zealand Aid Pacific Island Countries Participation Fund’s generous support in holding a successful World Assembly. The Pacific Island Countries Participation Fund ( PIC Fund) is an aid delivery mechanism within New Zealand 's official development assistance (NZODA) programme. NZODA is managed by NZAID which is a semi-autonomous Agency within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The objective of the program is to fund attendance by Pacific Islanders at regional and international conferences, where their attendance will strengthen ownership of regional and international development processes. The designated meeting must be consistent with the strategic outcomes as set out in the NZAID policy statement: fulfillment of basic needs, sustainable livelihoods, sustainable and equitable development, safe, just and inclusive societies. For additional information, click here. MEMBER: The Canadian Executive Service Organisation (CESO) CESO is a Canadian not-for-profit volunteer cooperation organisation founded in 1967. CESO’s mission is to build capacity in governance and economic development through the transfer of knowledge and skills by Volunteer Advisers (VAs). CESO National Services delivers development assistance to Aboriginal communities across Canada . CESO International Services implements programs internationally, and contributes towards bridging the economic and social gap between developed and developing nations. CESO's more than 2,700 distinguished VAs - all professional experts in their fields, with ten or more years of experience to share their skills by serving as mentors, advisers and trainers to programme beneficiaries and partners. Since its inception, CESO has completed approximately 40,000 assignments in Canada and more than 150 countries in Africa , Asia , the Americas , and Eastern Europe . For more information, click here. BOOKS, REPORTS & RESOURCES CIVICUS announced its 2007 Annual Report During the World Assembly in Glasgow , Scotland , CIVICUS announced the release of its 2007 annual report. CIVICUS has worked for over a decade to strengthen citizen action and civil society throughout the world, especially in areas where participatory democracy and citizens' freedom of association are threatened. CIVICUS acts as an advocate for citizen participation as an essential component of governance and democracy worldwide. CIVICUS seeks to amplify the voices and opinions of ordinary people and it gives expression to the enormous creative energy of the burgeoning sector of civil society. The annual report is available in condensed PDF formats in Arabic, Spanish, Russian and French. For more information on the English full version, click here. Global Corruption Report 2008: Corruption in the Water Sector Source: Transparency International Transparency International has produced the Global Corruption Report 2008, on corruption in the water sector. Water crisis is undeniable and the corruption challenge it faces is urgent. More than 1 billion people worldwide have no guaranteed access to water and more than 2 billion are without adequate sanitation. "When corruption is part of the equation, the consequences for development and poverty reduction are dire. Corruption can increase the cost of connecting a household to a water network by more than 30 percent, raising the price tag for achieving the Millennium Development Goals for water and sanitation by a staggering US $48 billion", according to expert estimates in the Global Corruption Report 2008. For more information, click here. Guide to managing the human dimensions aspects of climate change Source; Learning for Sustainability (LfS) Supporting dialogue, collective action and reflection This guide to on-line resources (formerly NRM-changelinks) is designed for researchers, government agency staff, NGOs and other community leaders wanting to improve social learning and collective action initiatives to support sustainable development and foster community resilience and adaptive management. It is relevant for those working in a range of sectors such as sustainable development, global change, environment, public health, disaster management and education. The site also aims to provide links to social process resources that can be used across sectors. The areas covered can be accessed directly from the left menu bar. Each section brings links to lot of on-line resources together in one easy to access site, each link is annotated to provide a guide to its contents. For more information, click here. CONFERENCES AND EVENTS Central and Eastern Europe Corporate Responsibily Summit 13-14 October 2008, Prague Central and Eastern European countries share some common history and social and economic backgrounds. This incoming two day event is seen to enhance development and implementation of effective corporate responsibility strategies, there is a lot of invaluable experience to be shared among the companies, including civil society that work in the region. This management focused summit will provide Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), professionals from across the region with an opportunity to gain vital in-depth knowledge and share ideas. Attendees will debate how to develop, integrate and implement corporate responsibility across big business in CEE and beyond. And how to make CSR initiatives pay off. For more information, click here.  FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES Human Rights Watch fellowships Application Deadline: 3 October 2008 These fellowships are for recent graduates of law schools or graduate programmess in journalism, international relations, area studies, or other relevant disciplines from universities worldwide. Human Rights Watch, the international human rights monitoring and advocacy organisation, invites applications for its fellowship programme. Human Rights Watch is known for its impartial and reliable human rights reporting on over 70 countries worldwide, its innovative and high-profile advocacy campaigns, and its success in affecting the policy of the US and other influential governments toward human rights abusers. For more informastion, click here.  WORKSHOPS $ COURSES Climate Change and Development 1-12 September 2008, Norwich, UK Climate change has profound implications for developing countries, and increasingly development professionals and agency staff working in or for developing countries are being asked to integrate climate change management issues into planning, projects and policy. National governments also are increasingly engaged in official communications to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and other initiatives, which require assessment of vulnerability and adaptive capacity. The purpose of this interactive short course is to equip participants with a comprehensive understanding of what climate change may mean for low-income populations and what the scope and prospects are for adapting to change in a development context. For more information, click here.  CALL FOR PAPERS, SUBMISSIONS, SURVEYS & NOMINATIONS Call for nomination of an Ashoka Fellows Application Deadline: Open depending on a fellow Ashoka, an organisation that has supported social innovation for years, is actively soliciting nominations for Senior Fellows. Their selection criteria are: Innovative Ideas, Creativity, Entrepreneurial Quality, Social Impact, and Ethical Fiber. Ashoka Fellows are leading social entrepreneurs who we recognise to have innovative solutions to social problems and the potential to change patterns across society. They demonstrate unrivaled commitment to bold new ideas and prove that compassion, creativity, and collaboration are tremendous forces for change. Ashoka Fellows work in over 60 countries around the globe in every area of human need.Take a look at the sort of people who are Ashoka Fellows and consider who you might be able to propose. For more information, click here.  Call for Abstracts: Medical Education for the 21st Century - Teaching for Health Equity Application Deadlione: 1 September 2008 Teaching for Health Equity invites abstract submissions in English or Spanish on the themes which may be from a country-specific, regional, or global perspective. Submissions from international collaborations and concrete experiences are highly encouraged. These submissions should focus more on new paradigms and tendencies aimed at achieving health equity, relevance and quality in health care. Training of human resources in health for public service: knowledge, competencies, commitment. Recruitment of medical students who are the doctors of the future? In-service training such as primary health care as an academic setting. For more information, click here. APPOINTMENTS CURRENT JOBS Manager of the Secretary General's Office Application Deadline: 7 July 2008 CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation Location: Johannesburg, South Africa For more information, click here. Poverty Practice Leader Application Deadline: 11 July 2008 United Nations Development Programme Location: Bratislava, Slovak Republic For more information, click here. Campaign and Communications Officer Application Deadline: 15 July 2008 Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) Africa Location: Dakar , Senegal 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.