NGOs – we & others

2006-05-02: Islamic Studies in Canada;
2006-05-03: FIZ – Women’s Information Center;
2006-05-04: B’Tselem;
2006-05-05: The Caucasus Network for Social Research and Conflict Resolution;
2006-05-06: Center for Peace Studies – Ontario/Canada;
2006-05-07: The Karen Women’s Organization KWO – Burma/Myamar;
2006-05-08: International Center on Conflict and Negotiation – Georgia ;
2006-05-09: The European Church and Peace Network;
2006-05-10: Journalists for Human Rights JHR;
2006-05-13: NAFDAC Nigeria;2006-05-15: Labour Start – trade unionists website;
2006-05-16: Tehelka – the people’s paper – India;
2006-05-17: Lao literature (in English and Lao);
2006-05-18: Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women;
2006-05-19: Fund for Reconciliation and Development;
2006-05-21: The International Association of Women Judges IAWJ;
2006-05-22: The Centre for Science, Development and Media Studies CSDMS – India;
2006-05-25: Nouvelle Planète (New Planet);
2006-05-26: Narmada Bachao Andolan – India;
2006-05-27: SOS Social Centre Mamelodi – South Africa;
2006-05-28: Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network EMHRN;
2006-05-29: Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies CIHRS;
2006-05-31: Guild of Service – India.

Linked with our presentation of V. Mohini Giri – India.

Linked also with our presentation of Transforming Approaches to Conflict Resolution.

The Guild of Service (North India ) was begun in 1972 under the Chairpersonship of Dr. Mohini Giri (Former Chairperson National Commission for Women and Founder President of War Widows Associations) with the mandate of empowerment of marginalized women and children . Since then the Guilld of Service has embarked on ultidimensional programs aimed towards capacity building of women both through advocacy and grass root work. All the members of Guild of Service give their services and talents ex gratia. This voluntary commitment is really the culture of Guild of Service. Its strength and vision.

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Linked with our presentation of Bahey El-Din Hassan – Egypt.

Bahey eldin Hassan, Director of the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, CIHRS, presents the Provisional “Electoral” Conclusions:

The Majority of the voters (75% + almost 10 millions unregistered) have turned their back to the electoral process , they don’t believe in its integrity and fairness, whether parliamentary or presidential .

However, the political composition of the new parliament reflects the reality of half a century of political desertification of Egypt, and the dominance of religious discourse.

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Linked with our presentation of Bahey El-Din Hassan – Egypt.

The Executive Committee consists of 12 members representing human rights organizations. The new formation of the Executive Committee therewith includes representatives from Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine, Morocco, Tunisia, France, Ireland, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway. EMHRN was established in 1997 “to contribute to the protection and promotion of the human rights principles embodied in the Barcelona Declaration of November 1995 and in the bilateral association agreements between the EU and its Mediterranean partners.” Today, more than 60 organizations from 20 different countries from the Euro-Mediterranean region are members in the network.

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Linked with our presentation of Veronica Khosa – South Africa.

Linked also with our presentation of Successful Social Entrepreneurs … a book review.

The Social Centre serves as a base where HIV/AIDS-affected children and families can access essential services. Vulnerable families are assisted with material support (food parcels), educational support (school uniforms and supplies) and other support to meet their basic household needs. Families caring for orphans are assisted to access government foster care grants by a contract social worker. A support group has formed for parents living with HIV/AIDS. They received training in income-generating activities.

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Linked with out presentation of Medha Patkar – India.

Linked also with the presentation of The Narmada Dam Project – India.

The construction of large dams on the River Narmada in central India and its impact on millions of people living in the river valley has become one of the most important social issues in contemporary India. Through this website, we the friends of the Narmada valley and its people hope to present the perspective of grassroots people’s organisations on the issue. Read an introduction to the issue.

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Linked with our presentation of Willy Randin – Switzerland.

Nouvelle Planète grew out of the project to add an extension to the Albert Schweizer hospital in Lambaréné (Gabon). Willy Randin, Switzerland, was its founder. In 1986, given the success of “Sahel Action of Schweizer’s Work”, it was decided to extend activities to Haiti, then to the Amazon, while continuing with Sahel-based projects with the CEAS. At that point, the name of the organization was changed to “Nouvelle Planète”.

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The Centre for Science, Development and Media Studies (CSDMS) is organizing the joint event egov India (www.egovonline.net/egovindia), Digital Learning India (www.digitallearning.in/dlindia) and Indian Telecentre Forum 2006 (www.i4donline.net/indiantelecentreforum) at Taj Palace Hotel, New Delhi from 23 – 25 August 2006. This conference is being organized in consultation and collaboration with Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, Government of India.

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Linked with our presentation of Fatoumata Dembélé Diarra – Mali.

IAWJ is a non-profit, non-partisan organization of more than 4,000 members at all judicial levels in 89 nations. Since forming in 1991, the IAWJ has united women judges from diverse legal-judicial systems who share a commitment to equal justice and the rule of law.

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The Fund for Reconciliation and Development announces in its latest newsletter:

Join us in Washington, DC, June 19 – 22, 2006

- Conference I (June 19 – 21) : Legacies: Normalization of Diplomatic, Economic and
Cultural Relations with Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam

- Conference II (June 22): Lesson: Why not Cuba?

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Linked with our presentation of Cheshmak Farhoumand-Sims – Canada & Afghanistan.

The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women CEDAW, is an expert body established in 1982, is composed of 23 experts on women’s issues from around the world. The Committee’s mandate is very specific: it watches over the progress for women made in those countries that are the States parties to the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. A country becomes a State party by ratifying or acceding to the Convention and thereby accepting a legal obligation to counteract discrimination against women. The Committee monitors the implementation of national measures to fulfil this obligation.

At its meetings held twice annually, the Committee reviews national reports submitted by the States parties within one year of ratification or accession, and thereafter every four years. These reports, which cover national action taken to
improve the situation of women, are presented to the Committee by Government representatives. In discussions with these officials, the CEDAW experts can comment on the report and obtain additional information. This procedure of actual dialogue, developed by the Committee, has proven valuable because it allows for an exchange of views and a clearer analysis of anti-discrimination policies in the various countries.

The Committee also makes recommendations on any issue affecting women to which it believes the States parties should devote more attention. For example, at the 1989 session, the Committee discussed the high incidence of violence against women, requesting information on this problem from all countries. In 1992, the Committee adopted on general recommendation 19, which requires national reports to the Committee to include statistical data on the incidence of violence against women, information on the provision of services for victims, and legislative and other measures taken to protect women against violence in their everyday lives C such as harassment at the workplace, abuse in the family and sexual violence. As of July 2005, the Committee has made 25 general recommendations.

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Linked with our presentation of Douangdeuane Bounyavong – Laos.

Douangdeuane Bounyavong is the head of Dokked Publishing and bookstore in Vientiane. Established in May 2002 (address: 68 Thanon Luang Prabang, Ban Sithane Neua, Muang Sikhottabong, (PO Box 230), Vientiane, Laos).

Dokked Publishing Co Ltd offers graphic design, web design, advertising, publishing, editing and translation services, as well as being Vientiane’s leading literary bookseller. Works published by Dokked include Legends in the Weaving, a full-colour book about the art of making silk textiles and the different techniques and patterns of various ethnic groups written by Dara Kanlaya, Douangdeuane Bounyavong and Kiyoko Yasui; the Association for Sending Picture Books to Lao Children (ASPB)’s Lao Animal Stories in Pictures; Fa Pin, a collection of short stories (in Lao) by Dara Kanlaya; Lao History from Ancient Times to 1946 (in Lao); Who is the Teacher? (in Lao); Missing Outhine Bounyavong 1942-2000 (in Lao); My Life: Autobiography of Maha Sila Viravongs (in Lao and English); and When Mother was in Prison (in Lao and English) by Douangdeuane Bounyavong and Inkiane Dejvongsa. Run by the family of renowned Lao scholar Maha Sila Viravongs, Dokked is also the point of contact to arrange a visit to the Maha Sila Viravongs Library outside Vientiane.

Her most recent work is in the dissemination of Lao literature (in English and Lao) for use in public education in Laos : Bounyavong Douangdeuane, A comparative study on the political ideology expressed in the Thao Hung Thao Cheaung epic, with reference to local chronicle of Lao-Thai groups , Tokyo: Institute of Asian Cultures , Sophia University, 1995.

Note: Douangdeuane Bounyavong is also Director of the Mahasila Viravong Memorial Library, which had opened to the public in December, 2004.

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Linked with our presentation of Tarun Tejpal – India.

And linked with our presentation of For whom the bell tolls.

Tarun Tejpal says: “we, at Tehelka, will carry on our sting operations”. (See an Interview on this Hindustan Times page).

Excerpt: … Tejpal, 38, created Tehelka on a shoestring a year ago with his brother and a journalist colleague, Aniruddha Bahal. Many ordinary Indians, judging from the crowds at Tejpal’s public speeches, regard him as a champion. Tejpal believes he has helped his much maligned profession in India. “The explosion of consumerism since economic liberalization in 1991 created a journalism of public relations,” he complains.

That’s changing. Ever since the bribery scandal, Tehelka has been awash in resumes from journalists, and receives scandal tips daily. Besides the resignations, the defense expose prompted New Delhi to adopt new procurement rules. A Punjab University economics graduate and veteran newspaperman, Tejpal has recruited some of India’s best political columnists. Author V.S. Naipaul is on its board. Says Vinod Mehta, editor of the newsweekly Outlook, where Tejpal once worked: “Tehelka has been an earthquake in Indian politics.”

Finances are a problem, though. The Web site spends $85,000 a month on overhead and staff, but takes in only $8,000 a month in advertising. The defense expose was cut off when Tehelka, after handing over $23,000 to politicians, ran out of money. “So we just went public with the story,” Tejpal says. But in February, broadcaster Zee Telefilms expressed interest in buying a stake. Also, Tejpal is raising money from Indians in the U.S.

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A call for help: The (Indonesian) union chairperson, Robin Kimbi, and the regional secretary, Masry Sebayang, got two years in prison. Fourteen months terms were given to union leaders Suyahman, Safrudin, Akhen Pane and Sruhas Towo. Their “crime” was to exercise their mandate as union leaders. They are prisoners of conscience.

Last week, Amnesty International called on its members around the world to raise their voices in protest against the jailing of the Musim Mas trade unionists.

And unions around the world are taking up the cause. The Nestle European Works Council, representing 80,000 company employees, has written to the company to express concern over the possible presence of Musim Mas palm oil and oleochemicals in Nestle products.

The German Food and Allied Workers NGG and the Dutch FNV Bondgenoten have echoed the public call by the Unilever European Works Council for Unilever to distance itself from Musim Mas and publicly reveal its sources for the palm oil in company products.

And the global union federation representing food workers, the IUF (at whose request we launched our campaign) has now begun to raise money for the struggle through its International Musim Mas Defense Fund. Momentum is growing again. A three-month old campaign, no longer “fresh”, is attracting attention. The Indonesian government is going to have to start paying attention. Please do these 3 simple things today:

1. Send off your message of protest: http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/solidarityforever/show_campaign.cgi?c=76

2. Donate generously to the International Musim Mas Defense Fund:
http://www.iuf.org/cgi-bin/dbman/db.cgi?db=default&uid=default&ID=3231&view_rec
ords=1&ww=1&en=1

3. Spread the word in your workplace and union. Forward on this email message! In the international trade union movement we do not forget those who languish in prisons for our cause.

Indonesian Labour Start link:

Bahasa Indonesia.

Linked with our presentation of Dora Nkem Akunyili – Nigeria.

NEWS: Thursday, May 11, 2006, NAFDAC makes bonfire of dangerous products, by Juliana Francis: It was yet, another victory for the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) as its surveillance team confiscated fake, substandard and unwholesome products, worth over N152 million. (Read this article on Daily Sun, Nigeria).

See more NAFDAC-news on this link.

NAFDAC is in Nigeria the National Administration for Food, Drug Admnistration and Control. Dr. Dora Nkem Akunyili (OFR) is their Director General, called also the Teflon Lady. According to her at the time she came into the establishment, NAFDAC was having some problems, “We went to work prayerfully and with God’s guidance we can say that today our humble efforts are being blessed. NAFDAC now has offices in the states and there is surveillance activity group on. I had to create state, zonal and specialised zonal offices for effective work”.

So far, several enlightenment campaigns have been mounted reagrding pure water, fake and adulterated drugs. Pure water production is one of the most important aspects of poverty alleviation in the country. It engages and employs many people. Stressing the importance of pure water, she said the Agency would educate the public on ways of preparing the water, expose them to the equipment required and explain the implication of water not properly produced and the processes involved in NAFDAC registration.

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Linked with our presentation of Irina Yanovskaya – Georgia.

Linked with our presentation of Situation in Abkhazia.

Journalists for Human Rights (JHR) is a growing charitable organization that harnesses the power of the media to combat human rights abuses. By building the capacity of the media to report effectively on human rights issues, JHR’s work pressures abusers to stop and empowers victims to fight back. Since July 1, 2003, 20 Canadian journalists have gone to Ghana. Their work has increased human rights reporting there by over 65 per cent. Now, Bonnie Allen, Colleen Ross, Drake McHugh and Jaime Jacques – all experienced Canadian journalists – have joined the list of volunteer journalists in Ghana. Their main task is to work with JHR’s media partners — typically the most popular radio stations, television stations and newspapers. JHR is member of OneWorldNet since December 5, 2002.

Since its founding in May 2002, JHR has run projects in nine African countries and throughout North America. Within Africa, JHR works with local media organizations to reach 20 million people with human rights related stories on a weekly basis. In Canada, JHR has established nineteen Chapters (or clubs) at post-secondary institutions across the country, actively engaging over 20% of Canada’s journalism students in human rights reporting. JHR is currently working to expand this program throughout the United States. JHR has offices in Accra, Ghana and Toronto, Canada. (Read more on its homepage).

And the community page, where JHR-members may write articles and comments.

By Clare Byrne – There’s no law stating that NGOs have to be run by middle-aged philanthropists with countless postgraduate degrees and years of experience. But they usually are. Which is why it’s so refreshing to interview a NGO boss who’s still living at home with his parents. Twenty-six-year old Ben Peterson is co-founder and executive director of Journalists for Human Rights (JHR), a new organization that uses the media to educate Africans about their rights. The idea is simple: get the local media to step up its coverage of human rights issues thereby generating greater public awareness and wider respect for individual rights.

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Linked with our presentation of Ana Raffai – Croatia.

Linked also with our presentation of Center for Peace Studies – Ontario/Canada.

And linked with our presentation of How churches become peace churches.

The CHURCH & PEACE European network brings together groups, communities, organisations and churches committed to becoming the peace church of Jesus Christ in daily life and action. It is a European network of Christian communities, churches and organizations who believe that the peace witness is an essential characteristic of the church of Jesus Christ. It began in 1949, when Quakers, Mennonites and the Church of the Brethren (the historic peace churches) joined with the International Fellowship of Reconciliation to coordinate their activities. Today Church and Peace is a network of 45 churches, communities and peace service organizations and 30 individuals from Eastern and Western Europe. Church and Peace’s members share the conviction that nonviolence is one of Jesus’ essential teachings for his church and that the Gospel message of reconciliation and forgiveness means leading lives of active peacemaking and service for peace. (Read more on this page).

ReliefWeb is a source for Trainings, for involved NGOs, for Academic Research Institutions and for Documents.

Read here Ana Raffai’s Text in her balkan language; or here in german.

The organization is member of Abolition 2000.

See also the Quaker Council for European Affairs.

And see the institute for war and peace reporting.

Linked with Irina Yanovskaya – Georgia. And with Nino Burjanadze – Georgia.
The International Center on Conflict and Negotiation is a truly independent, not-for-profit and non-partisan peace-making, research and training institution, one of the leading non-governmental organizations in the Caucasus. In 1994, thanks to financial support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and the organizational support from the Center for International Security and Arms Control of Stanford University, ICCN has formed into an NGO registered in Georgia (Registration Certificate #1755 issued by the Ministry of Justice of Georgia on 03.11.1994). Since then ICCN plays an active role in peace-building and civil society-building in Georgia and the Caucasus region. ICCN has professional experience in research and analysis, including regional security studies, sociological surveys and public opinion polling, human rights focusing on gender equity, religious freedom, ethnic minority rights, IDP/refugee studies, peace education including training in a number of fields, public diplomacy (track-two) efforts across conflict zones, cross-border activities and peace campaigning, media and publishing activities, international expertise, cross-regional networking. (Read more on ICCN, Georgia).

List of the ICCN publications.

Linkedwith our presentation of Naw Zipporrah Sein – Burma/Myamar.

Linked also with our presentation of U.N Must Act to End Attacks on Karen in Burma/Myamar.

The Karen Women’s Organisation was formed in 1949 and has a membership of over 30,000 women. The K.W.O is a community-based organisation of Karen women working in development and relief in the refugee camps on the Thai border and with I.D.Ps (Internally Displaced Persons) and women inside Burma. Since our formation in 1949 we have expended our focus from one of purely social welfare to try to encourage an awareness of Women’s Rights and to promote women’s participation in politics.

The objectives of the KWO

To assist women in the endeavour to be free from all forms of oppression.

To promote and empower women in all spheres of life, including education and general living standards.

To encourage women to participate in the struggle for freedom, democracy and equality.

To develop women’s knowledge, ability and skills, including political and organisational skills.

To achieve the rights of women and equal status with men.

To promote and maintain Karen culture and traditions.

KWO aims to empower women through offering various capacity building trainings to teach skills, build confidence and create new opportunities so that women will be better able to solve their own problems. We are working hard to educate ourselves and our communities so that we can work more effectively and advocate for our struggle on the international stage. (Read more on Karen Women org).

KWO links.

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Linked with our presentation of Ana Raffai – Croatia.

Center for Peace Studies: Homepage, Contact, and address: the McMaster University, Office of Interdisciplinary Studies, Togo Salmon Hall 726, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4M2 – Canada.

Peace Studies is concerned with war and peace, violence and nonviolence, conflict and conflict transformation. Peace researchers also study concepts of justice and the ways in which people organize and wage conflict to achieve what they perceive as just ends. By focusing attention on problems of conflict, particularly of a violent nature, researchers attempt to improve our methods of analyzing and dealing with these problems. Peace studies is an interdisciplinary field, encompassing subject areas from the Faculties of Science and Social Sciences as well as Humanities.

Courses: The University Calendar is intended to let you know the range of courses that the Peace Studies program offers. We cannot offer all of those courses every year; any course in the undergraduate calendar must be offered once in every three year period. The following courses are being offered in 2005-06. Many of the courses listed are or will be linked to an electronic version of the course outline.

Events;

Undergraduate Program.

Linked with our presentation of Irina Yanovskaya – Georgia.

Implementing Partners: the Center for Regional Integration and Conflict Resolution (CRICR) in Yerevan, Armenia, the International Centre on Conflict and Negotiation (ICCN) in Tbilisi, Georgia, the International Center for Social Research (ICSR) in Baku, Azerbaijan, and Laboratory of Ethnoconflictology, Department of Social Philosophy and Ethnology, Stavropol University, Russia.

(Excerpt): Project objectives

The objective of the two-year project is the strengthening and development of the regional conflictological network created in partnership with MacArthw Foundation. The project is aimed at:

a) strengthening of the present regional conflictological and social research network, and expansion of the area of its activities, b) enlargement of the network functions, c) increasing participation activities of university conflictological centers in the network.

The expansion of the area of activities will be realized by means of involving partners from Russian university centers of Northern Caucasus. The partnership with a group of conflictologists from Stavropol University has been primarily negotiated, which will be realized in the frame of the new project. The strengthening of the present regional conflictological network will take place through equipping the center-members of the present network and newly involved centers. In particular, it is planned to make additional expenditures for equipping Stavropol University center in order to provide technical base for its involvement in the network.

The active involvement of specialists-conflictologists in the work of the network on the object of discussion of newly received information, training specialists and practical activities on conflict resolution and prevention in the region will also favor the strengthening of the network. (Read more about on this project site).

the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories

Upgraded on July 6, 2010 — Linked with Anat Biletzki – Israel, and with Edward Said (1935-2003), by Anat Biletzki.

• B’TSELEM … was established in 1989 by a group of prominent academics, attorneys, journalists, and Knesset members. It endeavors to document and educate the Israeli public and policymakers about human rights violations in the Occupied Territories, combat the phenomenon of denial prevalent among the Israeli public, and help create a human rights culture in Israel … about 1/2).
• See also B’Tselem in an interview, and on wikipedia.

Frontpage (with links for the Site in english, hebrew, arabic or russian); english Homepage;
Make a Difference; Publications; Statistics; Archive; Press; Testimonies; Photos; Videos; HR links;
Address: B’Tselem, The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, P.O. Box 53132, Jerusalem 91531, Israel;
Contact.

About 2/2: … B’Tselem in Hebrew literally means “in the image of,” and is also used as a synonym for human dignity. The word is taken from Genesis 1:27 “And God created humans in his image. In the image of God did He create him.” It is in this spirit that the first article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “All human beings are born equal in dignity and rights.” Continue Reading…

Linked with our presentation of Irene Rodriguez – Switzerland and Argentinia.

Violence against Women: Many women are exposed to violence, which can take many forms: domestic violence, sexual abuse, rape, forced prostitution. A sustained effort is being made to combat these acts of violence and to work towards preventing further occurrences.

Service to combat violence: In 2003 the Federal Council established a Service to combat violence (FGG) with the aim of achieving better coordination of campaigns, studies and projects undertaken at federal level and in the cantons. The Swiss Conference of Gender Equality Delegates (SKG) has launched nationwide campaigns against domestic violence and created a working party to improve the effectiveness of the various cantonal projects initiated to combat violence within couples and families.

Domestic violence: Violence within the home environment and in couples takes on many forms. It can be psychological, physical, verbal, sexual and pecuniary. Domestic violence also includes malicious acts, such as neglect, depriving someone of monetary resources, bullying, disproportional control, isolating another person, etc.

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Linked with our presentation of Ismat Chughtai – Pakistan-India (1915 – 1991).

The McGill University of Montreal, Quebec, Canada – The Faculty of Arts is giving courses and Seminars in Sociopolitical, institutional and intellectual history of Muslims in India and Pakistan; Mughal India; Safavid Iran; and Modern Islamic Developments in Indo-Pakistan Subcontinent and Iran. The languages include Urdu language and literature, and classical and modern Persian. (Read here all about the programm details on Courses and Seminars).

The Institute of Islamic Studies, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1Y1, focuses in its academic programmes on the religion of Islam, on the history and civilization of the Islamic world, and on the dynamics of contemporary Muslim societies. Please see their Overview for more information.