THE UNITED NATIONS

The United Nations hosts a website which includes general information about the United Nations system, structure and mission. Access to databases, statistics, documents, news and press releases.
http://www.un.org/

Since 1990, the United Nations held a series of international conferences and summits. The World Summit for Social Development Declaration and Programme of Action, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the Millennium Declaration are available on-line at:
http://www.socialwatch.org/

DAW (Division for the Advancement of Women)
Grounded in the vision of equality of the United Nations Charter, DAW advocates the improvement of the status of women of the world and the achievement of their equality with men. Aiming to ensure the participation of women as equal partners with men in all aspects of human endeavour, the Division promotes women as equal participants and beneficiaries of sustainable development, peace and security, governance and human rights. As part of its mandate, it strives to stimulate the mainstreaming of gender perspectives both within and outside the United Nations system.
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw

UN DIVISION FOR SOCIAL POLICY AND DEVELOPMENT
The main objective of the Division for Social Policy and Development is to strengthen international cooperation for social development, in the context of the comprehensive and detailed framework of commitments and policies for action by Governments, intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations provided by the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development, with particular attention to the three core issues of poverty eradication, employment generation and social integration, in contributing to the creation of an international community that enables the building of secure, just, free and harmonious societies offering opportunities and higher standards of living for all.
http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/index.html

DHS (Demographic and Health Surveys)
Since 1984, the MEASURE DHS (Demographic and Health Surveys) project has provided technical assistance to more than 200 surveys in 75 countries, advancing global understanding of health and population trends in developing countries. The strategic objective of MEASURE DHS is to improve and institutionalize the collection and use of data by host countries for program monitoring and evaluation and for policy development decisions. MEASURE DHS is funded by USAID with contributions from other donors.

As a key participant in the MEASURE program, DHS has earned a worldwide reputation for collecting and disseminating accurate, nationally representative data on fertility, family planning, maternal and child health, as well as child survival, HIV/AIDS, malaria, and nutrition. The DHS approach to data collection emphasizes integration, coordination, cost-effectiveness, and capacity building.
http://www.measuredhs.com/accesssurveys

ECLAC (Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean)
ECLAC is one of the five regional commissions of the United Nations. It was founded for the purposes of contributing to the economic development of Latin America, coordinating actions directed towards this end, and reinforcing economic relationships among the countries and with the other nations of the world. The promotion of the region’s social development was later included among its primary objectives.
There are many useful publications available at ECLAC website:

ECA (United Nations Economic Commission for Africa)
Established in 1958, ECA is one of five regional commissions under the administrative direction of United Nations (UN) headquarters. As the regional arm of the UN in Africa, it is mandated to support the economic and social development of its 53 member States, foster regional integration, and promote international cooperation for Africa’s development. It reports to the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). The Commission is organized around six substantive programme divisions: Development Policy and Management; Economic and Social Policy; Gender and Development; Information for Development; Sustainable Development; and Trade and Regional Integration. Five subregional offices contribute a subregional perspective to the work programme and support outreach.
http://www.uneca.org/

FAO (United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation)
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations was founded in 1945 with a mandate to raise levels of nutrition and standards of living, to improve agricultural productivity, and to better the condition of rural populations. Today, FAO is one of the largest specialised agencies in the United Nations system and the lead agency for agriculture, forestry, fisheries and rural development.

The State of Food Insecurity in the World
Every year FAO publishes The state of food insecurity in the world, a report on the global and national efforts to reach the goal set by the 1996 World Food Summit (to reduce by half the number of undernourished people in the world by 2015).
http://www.fao.org

Faostat
Is FAO’s online multilingual database currently containing over 3 million time-series records covering statistics on agriculture, nutrition, fisheries, forestry, food aid, land use and population.
http://apps.fao.org/

FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT

The International Conference on Financing for Development was held on 18-22 March 2002 in Monterrey, Mexico. This first United Nations-hosted conference to address key financial and development issues attracted 50 Heads of State or Government, over 200 ministers as well as leaders from the private sector and civil society, and senior officials of all the major intergovernmental financial, trade, economic, and monetary organisations. The Conference also marked the first quadripartite exchange of views between governments, civil society, the business community, and the institutional stakeholders on global economic issues. These global discussions involved over 800 participants in twelve roundtables.

In December 2005 the General Assembly decided to hold a follow-up international conference on financing for development to review the implementation of the Consensus at a date to be determined during the period 2008-2009. The conference will be held in Qatar.
http://www.un.org/esa/ffd/

UN HABITAT-Global Urban Observatory
The GUO was established by UN-HABITAT in response to a decision of the United Nations Commission on Human Settlements, which called for a mechanism to monitor global progress in implementing the Habitat Agenda and to monitor and evaluate global urban conditions and trends. The GUO works closely with Best Practices and Local Leadership programme (BLP) which was established to make use of information and networking in support of the Habitat Agenda Implementation. Both programmes operate under the Monitoring Systems Branch, which has the overall mandate to monitor progress on the Habitat Agenda and the Millenium Development Goals.
http://ww2.unhabitat.org/programmes/guo/

ILO (International Labour Organization)
Since its creation in 1919, the International Labour Organization (ILO) has always attached particular importance to its standard-setting activities. Trough Its Conventions and Recommendations ILO cover areas that include basic human rights, employment, social policy, labour relations, labour administration, working conditions and social protection.
http://www.ilo.org/

ILOLEX
Is a trilingual database containing ILO Conventions and Recommendations, ratification information, comments of the Committee of Experts and the Committee on Freedom of Association, representations, complaints, interpretations, General Surveys, and numerous related documents.
http://www.ilo.org/ilolex/

World Employment Report 2004-2005
ILO published the World Employment Report 2004-2005: Employment, productivity and poverty reduction. It states that focusing economic policies on creating decent and productive employment opportunities is vital for reducing global poverty as called for in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The World Employment Report 2004-2005 is the fifth in a series of ILO reports that offer a global perspective on current employment issues.
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/employment/strat/wer2004.htm

IPU>
The IPU is the international organization of Parliaments of sovereign States.
The Union was established in 1889 and is the focal point for world-wide parliamentary dialogue and works for peace and co-operation among peoples and for the firm establishment of representative democracy. To that end, it fosters contacts, co-ordination, and the exchange of experience among parliaments and parliamentarians of all countries. It also considers questions of international interest and concern and expresses its views on such issues in order to bring about action by parliaments and parliamentarians.

A unique database of bibliographic references on the role, structure and working methods of national parliaments, on electoral systems, constitutional law, history and political science is being maintained and regularly updated by the Union’s library. The database includes references to over 7,000 books and studies as well as 30,000 articles taken from 160 periodicals and can be consulted on-line at:
http://www.ipu.org

IRD (Institut de Recherche pour le Développement)
Created in 1944 The IRD is a French public science and technology research institute under the joint authority of the French ministries in charge of research and overseas development. The IRD has three main missions: research, consultancy and training. It conducts scientific programs contributing to the sustainable development of the countries of the South, with an emphasis on the relationship between man and the environment.
http://www.ird.fr

JMP (Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply & Sanitation)
The goals of UNICEF and WHO Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply & Sanitation (JMP) are to report on the status of water-supply and sanitation, and to support countries in their efforts to monitor this sector, which will enable better planning and management. The latest JMP report, Water for Life: making it happen (2005), and other documents can be consulted and downloaded from this website.
http://www.wssinfo.org

MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS (MDGs)

The eight Millennium Development Goals – which range from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education, all by the target date of 2015 – form a blueprint agreed to by all the world’s countries and all the world’s leading development institutions.

The Millennium Development Goals Report 2006
This publication embodies the collaborative efforts of agencies and organizations within and outside the United Nations system, working through the Inter-agency and Expert Group on MDG Indicators. It contains the latest and most comprehensive figures available through improved data collection and monitoring worldwide. Similar data will be collected and presented each year until 2015, the target date for the Millennium Development Goals, in an effort to give further direction and focus to international cooperation and national action.
http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/

UN Millennium Campaign
The Millennium Campaign was created to build political will for the achievement of the MDGs and to enable people’s actions in holding their government to account to the Millennium Pledge.
The Campaign assumptions are:

Millennium Project
The Millennium Project was commissioned by the United Nations Secretary-General in 2002 to develop a concrete action plan for the world to reverse the grinding poverty, hunger and disease affecting billions of people. Headed by Professor Jeffrey Sachs, the Millennium Project is an independent advisory body and presented its final recommendations, Investing in Development: A Practical Plan to Achieve the Millennium Development Goals to the Secretary-General in January 2005. The Millennium Project has been asked to continue operating in an advisory capacity through the end of 2006.
http://www.unmillenniumproject.org

NGLS (United Nations Non-Governmental Liaison Service)
The United Nations Non-Governmental Liaison Service is an inter-agency programme with offices in Geneva and New York. It was established in 1975 to strengthen UN-NGO dialogue and cooperation in the fields of development education, information and policy advocacy on global sustainable development, and North-South development issues.
http://www.un-ngls.org

OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development)
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development produces internationally agreed instruments, decisions and recommendations to promote rules of the game in areas where multilateral agreement is necessary for individual countries to make progress in a globalized economy.

The Development Assistance Committee (DAC) is one of the key fora of OECD in which the major bilateral donors work together to increase the effectiveness of their common efforts to support sustainable development. The DAC concentrates on how international development co-operation contributes to the capacity of developing countries to participate in the global economy and the capacity of people to overcome poverty and participate fully in their societies.

Indicators are available and updated online:
http://www.oecd.org/department/

Global Forum on Development
Seeking to improve its dialogue on development with non-member governments and non-governmental actors, the OECD is launching a new policy-dialogue process in 2006: the OECD Global Forum on Development. The Global Forum process, which will consist of a series of events including informal experts’ workshops, policy workshops and annual plenary meetings, will devote its first three-year cycle to “development finance”.
http://www.oecd.org

Development Centre
The Development Centre (DEV) conducts comparative analysis and promotes informal policy dialogue on development issues of mutual interest for OECD member countries and the emerging and developing economies.
http://www.oecd.org/dev

OFFICE OF THE HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

The High Commissioner is the principal UN official with responsibility for human rights and is accountable to the Secretary-General. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is guided in its work by the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and subsequent human rights instruments, and the 1993 Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action. The promotion of Universal ratification and implementation of human rights treaties is at the forefront of OHCHR activities.
www.ohchr.org/english/

POPIN (Population Information Network)
The Population Information Network, founded in May 1979, strives to make international, regional and national population information, particularly information available from United Nations sources, easily available to the international community. Among its publications can be found World Population Prospects: The 2004 Revision. It presents the nineteenth round of global demographic estimates and projections undertaken by the Population Division since 1950. The information is also available in POPIN’s online database: http://esa.un.org/unpp/
http://www.un.org/popin/

UNITED NATIONS STATISTICS DIVISION

The UN Statistics Division compiles statistics from many international sources and produces global updates, including the Statistical Yearbook, World Statistics Pocketbook and yearbooks in specialised fields of statistics. It also provides to countries, specifications of the best methods of compiling information so that data from different sources can be readily compared.
http://unstats.un.org/unsd/

World’s Women 2005: Progress in Statistics
The UN Statistics Division Special Report World’s Women 2005: Progress in Statistics provides an overview of country reporting and data sources focusing on sex-disaggregated statistics in such areas as demographics, health, education, work, violence against women, poverty, human rights and decision-making. This report proposes a set of strategies to strengthen national capacity to collect and report statistics and also for improved mainstreaming of gender concerns.
http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/indwm/

Millennium Indicators Database
In close collaboration with agencies and organizations within and outside the United Nations system, the United Nations Statistics Division coordinates the preparation of data analysis to assess progress made towards the MDGs and maintains the database containing the data series related to the selected indicators, as well as other background series intended to supplement the basic indicators, for more in-depth analysis. The figures presented in the database are compiled by specialized agencies within their area of expertise. They are drawn from national statistics provided by Governments to the international statistical system-the United Nations Statistics Division and the statistical offices of the various agencies-and usually adjusted for comparability.
The information, is available in Chinese, French, Spanish and English:
http://millenniumindicators.un.org

UNITED NATIONS TREATY COLLECTION

United Nations Treaty Collection is a website database prepared and updated regularly by the Treaty Section of the Office of Legal Affairs of the United Nations. It offers access to over 40,000 treaties and international agreements.
http://untreaty.un.org/

UNAIDS (Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS)

As the main advocate for global action on HIV/AIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads, strengthens and supports an expanded response aimed at preventing the transmission of HIV, bringing together the efforts and resources of ten UN system organizations to the global AIDS response.
http://www.unaids.org/

The XVI International Conference on HIV and AIDS takes place in Toronto, Canada from 13 – 18 August 2006. It hosted over 25,000 participants from all over the world.
http://www.unaids.org/en/Conferences/AIDS2006

2006 Report on the global AIDS epidemic
The 2006 Report on the global AIDS epidemic contains the most comprehensive set of data on the country response to the AIDS epidemic ever compiled. Not only did 126 countries submit full reports, but, for the first time, civil society was actively engaged in the collection, review and analysis of these country data. In addition, UNAIDS received more than 30 separate reports from civil society, allowing for a more comprehensive assessment of political commitment, quality and equity of service coverage, and the effectiveness of efforts to address stigma and discrimination.
http://www.unaids.org/en/HIV_data/2006GlobalReport/default.asp

UNDP (United Nations Development Programme)

Since 1990, the United Nations Development Programme has annually published the Human Development Report, which contains the Human Development Index (HDI). The HDI attempts to measure the relative socio-economic progress of nations.

Human Development Report 2005
International cooperation at a crossroads: Aid, trade and security in an unequal world. 2005 Human Development Report takes stock of human development, including progress towards the MDGs. Looking beyond statistics, it highlights the human costs of missed targets and broken promises. Extreme inequality between countries and within countries is identified as one of the main barriers to human development and as a powerful brake on accelerated progress towards the MDGs.
http://hdr.undp.org/reports/global/2005/

UNESCAP (United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific)

The regional arm of the United Nations Secretariat for the Asian and Pacific region is the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP). It was created in order to promote economic and social development through regional and sub regional cooperation and integration, but also to formulate and promote development assistance activities and projects commensurate with the needs and priorities of the region.
http://www.unescap.org

UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation)

In March 1990, the international community put education on the global agenda during the World Conference on Education for All (EFA) when governments set themselves the challenge of achieving universal primary education by the year 2000.The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) publishes every year the EFA Global Monitoring Report, which assesses where the world stands on its commitment to provide a basic education to all children, youth and adults by 2015.Developed by an independent team and published by UNESCO, the report is an authoritative reference that aims to inform, influence and sustain genuine commitment towards education for all.
The 2006 Global Monitoring Report, Literacy for life, measures the world’s progress towards achieving the six Education For All goals, and especially the neglected one of universal literacy.

The Report is available online:
http://www.efareport.unesco.org

The UNESCO Institute for Statistics, hosted by the University of Montreal in Canada, develops an online searchable database containing selected indicators.
http://www.uis.unesco.org

UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund)

The Children’s Summit, held in New York in 1990, yielded an impressive action programme with very concrete objectives to improve the position of children in developing countries. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) publishes annual reports on the progress made by each country in implementing the agreements.

The 2006 State of the World’s Children report focuses on excluded and invisible children who have no access to essential services, protection and participation.

The complete report (pdf version) can be downloaded from UNICEF’s website:
http://www.unicef.org/sowc06/

The UNICEF’s key statistical online database has detailed country-specific information that was used for the end-decade assessment. Global and regional summary analyses and graphic presentations of key results of progress over the decade can be found on this web site as can a full set of technical tools for conducting Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS).
http:// www.childinfo.org

World Malaria Report 2005 (UNICEF and WHO)
The World Malaria Report 2005 is the first comprehensive effort by the Roll Back Malaria Partnership to take stock of where the world stands in relation to one of its most devastating diseases. It reveals that the tide may be beginning to turn against malaria as control and prevention programmes start to take effect.
http://www.rbm.who.int/wmr2005/

UNIFEM (United Nations Development Fund for Women)

The United Nations Development Fund for Women is the women’s fund at the United Nations. Established in 1976, it provides financial and technical assistance to innovative approaches aimed at fostering women’s empowerment and gender equality. Today the organization’s work touches the lives of women and girls in more than 100 countries. UNIFEM also helps make the voices of women heard at the United Nations – to highlight critical issues and advocate for the implementation of existing commitments made to women.

Progress of the World’s Women 2005: Women, Work & Poverty makes the case for an increased focus on women’s informal employment as a key pathway to reducing poverty and strengthening women’s economic security. It provides the latest available data on the size and composition of the informal economy and compares national data on average earnings and poverty risk across different segments of the informal and formal workforces in six developing countries and one developed country to show the links between employment, gender and poverty.
http://www.unifem.org/

Women, War and Peace Web Portal
WomenWarPeace.org is intended to address the lack of consolidated data on the impact of armed conflict on women and girls as noted by Security Council resolution 1325 (2000). By no means exhaustive, this portal is meant to serve as a centralized repository of information from a wide variety of sources, with links to reports and data from the UN system to information and analysis from experts, academics, NGOs and media sources. Views expressed in external sources may not necessarily reflect those of UNIFEM or other UN departments, agencies, programmes or funds.
http://www.womenwarpeace.org

UNRISD (United Nations Research Institute for Social Development)

The United Nations Research Institute for Social Development is an independent research agency subsidised by governments, development organisations and other organisations. Through its research, UNRISD stimulates dialogue and contributes to policy debates on key issues of social development within and outside the United Nations system.
http://www.unrisd.org/

WHO

The World Health Organization is the United Nations specialized agency for health. It was established on 7 April 1948. WHO’s objective, as set out in its Constitution, is the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health. Health is defined in WHO’s Constitution as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
http://www.who.int

Communicable Disease Global Atlas
The WHO’s Communicable Disease Global Atlas is bringing together for analysis and comparison standardised data and statistics for infectious diseases at country, regional, and global levels. The Atlas specifically acknowledges the broad range of determinants that influence patterns of infectious disease transmission.
The information can be accessed online:
http://www.who.int/GlobalAtlas

Department of Reproductive Health and Research (RHR)
The Department of Reproductive Health and Research (RHR) has set itself the mission of helping people to lead healthy sexual and reproductive lives. In pursuit of this mission the Department endeavours to strengthen the capacity of countries to enable people to promote and protect their own health and that of their partners as it relates to sexuality and reproduction, and to have access to and receive quality reproductive health services when needed.

WOMEN WATCH

Women Watch is a joint UN project to create a core Internet space on global women’s issues. It was created to monitor the results of the Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing in 1995.It was founded in March 1997 by the Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW), the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW).
http://www.un.org/womenwatch

WORLD BANK

The World Bank annually publishes the World Development Report (WDR). The World Development Report 2006: Equity and Development explores the role of equity in development. It presents evidence on the inequality of opportunity, within and across countries, and illustrates the mechanisms through which it impairs development. The Report advocates taking explicit account of equity in determining development priorities: public action should aim to expand the opportunities of those who, in the absence of policy interventions, have the least resources, voice, and capabilities. Domestically, it makes the case for investing in people, expanding access to justice, land, and infrastructure, and promoting fairness in markets. Internationally, the report considers the functioning of global markets and the rules that govern them, as well as the complementary provision of aid to help poor countries and poor people build greater endowments.

The report is available online:
http://econ.worldbank.org/wdr/wdr2006/

World Development Indicators Online (WDI)
The World Development Indicators Online provides direct access to more than 600 development indicators, with time series for 208 countries and 18 country groups from 1960 to 2005, where data are available.

World Development Indicators 2006
World Development Indicators publication is the World Bank’s premier annual compilation of data about development. The 2006 WDI includes more than 900 indicators in over 80 tables organized in 6 sections: World View, People, Environment, Economy, States and Markets, and Global Links.

The WDI 2006 (Full Text and Data) and the WDI Online are available at:
http://www.worldbank.org

International NGOs and networks resources

ALOP. The Latin American Association of Development Promotion Organizations (Asociación Latinoamericana de Organizaciones de Promoción) is an association of non-governmental development organizations (NGDOs) from 20 Latin American and Caribbean countries. Founded in 1979, ALOP constitutes one of the most enduring efforts at integrating the NGDOs of the region.

Among its goals are: the creation of a meeting place for the NGDOs that constitute its membership; the design of development proposals for different sectors and at the global level that take into account the experience and knowledge of its associates; the establishment of a proactive relationship with the development actors in Latin America and the Caribbean; and improving the effectiveness of the NGOs working in the area of development by promoting the modernization of their management and technologies and promoting their sustainability.  
http://www.alop.or.cr

Amnesty International is a world-wide movement of people acting on the conviction that governments must not deny individuals their basic human rights. Amnesty International’ s yearly country by country report is available at:
http://www.amnesty.org/

AI Report 2006 This Amnesty International Report documents human rights abuses in 150 countries around the world. It highlights the need for governments, the international community, armed groups and others in positions of power or influence to take responsibility. It also reflects the vitality of human rights activists globally, whether in local initiatives, international summits or mass demonstrations.
http://web.amnesty.org/report2006

AI Campaign on Treaty Bodies disseminates information on the activities of treaty bodies and encourages NGOs and individuals to participate in their work. The website presents a general introduction to the main functions of treaty bodies; a consideration of state party’s reports and consideration of individual complaints and a section on the role of NGOs in the work of treaty bodies.
http://www.amnesty.org/treatybodies

ANND. The Arab NGO Network for Development is a democratic, voluntary, civil, independent, non-sectarian, and non-religious organisation consisting of Arab NGOs and national networks active in the fields of social development, human rights, gender, and the environment. The membership of ANND consists of 30 NGOs and 9 national networks from 12 Arab countries. The network has adopted a strategy of advocacy in three main areas; development policies, democracy and reform initiatives, and globalization and trade. In all the aforementioned areas, ANND’s objectives are raising awareness and building the capacities of its members and other civil society groups.
http://www.annd.org/

APC and ITeM are developing a joint project to monitor the implementation and follow-up of the platforms for actions by governments, UN agencies and multilateral organizations, in line with agreements made at the WSIS and other international (global and regional) fora. In the framework of this project, an yearly report will be published which is intended to provide a tool for activism at national, regional and global levels by assessing the political will to turn the agreed commitments into concrete programmes, plans and initiatives that the governments are carrying out, and the involvement of civil society in them.
For further information contact project coordinator Pablo Accuosto: accuosto@item.org.uy

ATD Fourth World is an international NGOs dedicated to overcoming extreme poverty. Its goal is to explore all possibilities of partnership with families living in chronic poverty and to encourage more private citizens and public officials to join this effort.
http://www.atd-quartmonde.org/

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives offers an alternative to the message that we have no choice about the policies that affect our lives. The Centre undertakes and promotes research on issues of social and economic justice. It produces research reports, books, opinion pieces, fact sheets and other publications, including The Monitor, a monthly digest of progressive research and opinion.
http://www.policyalternatives.ca/

Choike is a portal dedicated to improving the visibility of the work done by NGOs from the South. It serves as a platform where NGOs can disseminate their work and at the same time enrich it with information from diverse sources, presented from the perspective of Southern civil society.

Choike offers:
-A directory of NGOs organised in categories and sub-categories. This is not an exhaustive list but a selection of useful and relevant sites. The directory only contains Southern NGO websites; relevant information from other sources can be found in separate sections.
- A search engine that enables you to find information in the directory's websites. It is a tool designed to allow you to search the sites selected by Choike on the basis of their quality and relevance. NGOs that wish to include the Choike search engine on their websites can do so at the Choike portal.
- A selection of materials produced by NGOs which contain information of relevance to civil society and to people who are interested in what NGOs have to say. These materials can be accessed through reports, news items and information resources.
- In-depth reports on key issues, which provide comprehensive information and reflect different views, in particular highlighting the position adopted by civil society on these issues.
- Dissemination of NGO actions and campaigns.
Choike is hosted by the Third World Institute (ITeM) in Montevideo, Uruguay, an independent non-profit organisation.
http://www.choike.org/

CIDSE The International Cooperation for Development and Solidarity is an alliance of 15 Catholic development organisations from Europe and North America. Since 1967, CIDSE member organisations share a common strategy on development projects and programmes, development education and advocacy.
http://www.cidse.org/

Citizens’ Network on Essential Services works to democratise national and global governance by supporting citizens’ groups in developing and transition countries that are engaged in influencing policy decisions about basic services: water, power, education, and health care. CNES contends that citizens and their elected representatives should explore substantive policy alternatives to determine the kind of service provision that can best serve their social, environmental, and development goals.
http://www.servicesforall.org

CLADEM The Latin American and Caribbean Committee for the Defense of Women’s Rights is a women’s organisations network that in all Latin America and the Caribbean are committed in unite our efforts to achieve an effective defence of women’s rights in the region.
http://www.cladem.org

COHRE The Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions promotes and protects the right to housing for everyone, everywhere. Its work involves Housing Rights Training; Research and Publications; Monitoring, Preventing and Documenting Forced Evictions; Fact-finding Missions; Housing and Property Restitution; Women’s Housing Rights; Active Participation and Advocacy within the United Nations and Regional Human Rights Bodies and activities in all regions of the South.
http://www.cohre.org/

CONCORD is the European confederation of relief and development NGOs. Its 21 national associations and 19 international networks represent over 1.600 NGOs, which are in turn supported by millions of people across Europe. CONCORD coordinates analysis and debate, organizes political action campaigns, and regularly engages in dialogue with the European Institutions and civil society organizations.
http://www.concordeurope.org

Corporate Accountability aims to facilitate the flow of information among NGOs and social movements who believe that their governments, private sector and civil society need to make greater efforts to ensure the accountability of business and industry, especially transnational corporations, to society. It contains information about ongoing civil society campaigns on corporate accountability and about NGOs and trade unions who are active in this field. It provides comprehensive material on codes of conduct, multi-stakeholder initiatives and intergovernmental processes, as well as best and worst practice cases of corporate behaviour. Its website makes available documents and publications on corporate accountability and links to relevant research institutes and databases.
http://www.corporate-accountability.org/

DAWN Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era is a network of women scholars and activists from the economic South who engage in feminist research and analysis of the global environment and are committed to working for economic justice, gender justice and democracy.
http://www.dawn.org/

Dignity International was created by the Council of Europe’s Globalisation without Poverty Campaign 1998-2000. Dignity International was established as an independent NGO in 2003. Its mission is to work with the poor and marginalised communities around the world on education and training (capacity building for human rights) programmes focussed on economic, social and cultural rights in the context of its work to promote and defend all human rights for all.
http://www.dignityinternational.org/

EEPA (Europe External Policy Advisors) is a Brussels-based centre of expertise on EU external policies. EEPA works on a wide variety of subjects, including legal frameworks, the annual budget and programming. It also works on specific policy areas such as children’s rights, gender equality and HIV/AIDS. EEPA conducts lobbying and advocacy, does research and analysis, organises conferences and works on information dissemination.
http://www.eepa.be

ESCR-Net The International Network on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights is a collaborative initiative of groups and individuals from around the world working to secure economic and social justice through human rights. ESCR-Net seeks to strengthen the field of all human rights, with a special focus on economic, social and cultural rights, and further develop the tools for achieving their promotion, protection and fulfilment. Through ESCR-Net, groups and individuals can exchange information, and develop a collective voice, amplify their actions, develop new tools and strategies.
http://www.escr-net.org

EURODAD The European Network on Debt and Development is a network of 48 development NGOs from 15 European countries working for national economic and international financing policies that achieve poverty eradication and the empowerment of the poor.
http://www.eurodad.org/

EUROSTEP European Solidarity Towards Equal Participation of People is a network of autonomous European NGOs working towards peace, justice and equality in a world free of poverty. Its membership, rooted in their own societies, works together to influence Europe’s role in the world, particularly in pursuing the eradication of injustice and poverty. It advocates changes in Europe’s policies and practice based on the perspectives drawn from direct experiences of an active involvement of its members and their partners in development in over 100 countries across the world.
http://www.eurostep.org/

FES - Dialogue on Globalization As part of the international work of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Dialogue on Globalization contributes worldwide to the debate on globalization and global governance. It is based on the premise that - through an inclusive and responsive global policy approach - globalization can be shaped into a direction that promotes peace, democracy and social justice.

Through conferences, workshops and publications Dialogue on Globalization addresses “movers and shakers” (politicians, trade unionists, representatives from NGOs, international organizations and academia) both in developing countries and in the industrialized parts of the world.
http://www.fes-globalization.org

GCAP (Global Call to Action against Poverty) is a worldwide alliance committed to making world leaders live up to their promises, and to making a breakthrough on poverty in 2005. It is an alliance between a range of actors around the common cause of ending poverty: existing coalitions, community groups, trade unions, individuals, religious and faith groups, campaigners and more. You can find updated information about the campaigns in different countries all over the world at:
http://www.whiteband.org

Gender Watch EU The main objective of the project consists in enabling women NGOs/networks in NMS, Accession Countries and EU Neighbouring Countries to cooperate in monitoring and lobbying the EU on its development policies in order to make the EU commitment to advance gender equality and its translation into policy, action, and allocation of resources reflected in EU assistance to countries of the region.

For questions contact project coordinator Zofia Lapniewska: zofia@neww.org
http://www.neww.org

HIC(Habitat International Coalition) is the global movement specialized in human settlements since 1976, which comprises some 450 members in 80 countries, in the North and South. They include NGOs, community-based organizations, social movements, academic and research centres, professional associations and like-minded individuals dedicated to the struggle against deprivation of well-being and for realizing the human right to adequate housing for all. Further information on HIC’s mission, members and activities can be found at HIC’s Housing and Land Rights Network, Middle East and North Africa:
http://www.hic-mena.org/
Information on the HIC's Latin American Secretariat:
http://www.hic-al.org/

Human Rights Watch is an independent NGO supported by contributions from private individuals and foundations worldwide. Human Rights Watch is the largest human rights organization based in the United States. Human Rights Watch researchers conduct fact-finding investigations into human rights abuses in all regions of the world. Human Rights Watch then publishes those findings in dozens of books and reports every year, generating extensive coverage in local and international media.
http://www.hrw.org/

ICAE (International Council for Adult Education) is a global partnership of adult learners and adult educators and their organizations, and others who promote the use of adult learning as a tool for informed participation of people and sustainable development. In the emergence of knowledge-society the ICAE promotes lifelong learning as a necessary component for people to contribute creatively to their communities and live in independent and democratic societies.
http://www.icae.org.uy

ICSW (International Council for Social Welfare) is an international NGO which represents national and local organisations in more than 50 countries throughout the world. ICWS works for the cause of social welfare, social justice and social development. It publishes Social Development Review which focuses on the monitoring of governmental and non-governmental action referred to the World Summit on Social Development.
http://www.icsw.org/

IDS (Institute for Development Studies) is an internationally renowned centre for research and teaching on development, established in 1966. IDS also hosts many innovative information and knowledge management services.
http://www.ids.ac.uk/ids

IHRIP(International Human Rights Internship Program) works to help strengthen the human rights movement by facilitating the exchange of information and experience among human rights organisations. IHRIP supports professional development and exchange projects for the staff of human rights organisations and activists. Drawing on the experiences of activists in countries around the world, the Program has also produced a number of informational and training resources, most recently on economic, social and cultural rights.
http://www.iie.org/ihrip

IPS (Inter Press Service) is civil society’s leading news agency and an independent voice for development coming from the South. IPS intends to inherit the goals of the former co-operative of journalists and to carry forward its ideals. It is a public-benefit organisation for development co-operation. Its main objective is to contribute to development by promoting free communication and a professional flow of information to reinforce technical and economic co-operation among developing countries.
http://www.ips.org/

Jubilee Research@ NEF is the official successor organisation of Jubilee 2000 UK. Jubilee research maintains contact with the campaigning groups around the world which have taken on the work of the Jubilee 2000 campaign.
http://www.jubileeplus.org/

KAIROS The Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives unites churches and religious organisations. They deliberate on issues of common concern, advocate for social change and join with people of faith and goodwill in action for social transformation.
http://www.kairoscanada.org/

LDC Watch was established after the Third UN Conference on the LDCs, by civil society activists who took part in the Conference. It is an alliance of well-established regional and national civil society organisations based in the Least Developed Countries with support from development partner countries. LDC Watch monitors the implementation of the BPoA, ensures that civil society is included in this implementation, and acts as a coordinating group for LDC civil society activities, particularly in relation to the key issues of poverty reduction, trade, debt, human rights, good governance and conflict. Its members implement a programme of lobbying, networking and advocacy at national and international levels to ensure that the BPoA is implemented by LDC governments and their development partners.
http://www.rrn.org.np/ldc_watch/index.htm

Mani Tese is an Italian NGO operating at the national and international level to further justice, solidarity and respect among peoples. Its objectives are to raise public awareness about the causes of poverty in the South, lobbying policy makers and institutions on this issue, and implementing development projects which besides responding to the needs of the poor may initiate a process of self determination and self reliance.
http://www.manitese.it/

MARCOSUR Feminist Articulation Organisations from Uruguay, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Argentina, Bolivia and Peru, national coordinators and networks, founded this initiative at a meeting in Montevideo in September 2000, with the following three basic objectives: to politically influence the debates and the process of regional integration in a way that broadens citizenship and deepens democracy; to strengthen articulation between social movements and in particular, to use the feminist presence established within these joint spaces to empower and influence the whole of society; and to consolidate the MARCOSUR Feminist Articulation as an active current of thought which will foment organisation at regional level, with a basis in national organising processes, in order to strengthen women’s political influence in the processes of regional integration and in defence of economic, social and cultural rights.
http://www.mujeresdelsur.org.uy

ODI (Overseas Development Institute) is Britain’s leading independent think-tank on international development and humanitarian issues. ODI’s mission is to inspire and inform policy and practice which lead to the reduction of poverty, the alleviation of suffering and the achievement of sustainable livelihoods in developing countries. ODI’s work centres on its research and policy groups and programmes.
http://www.odi.org.uk/

OXFAM International is a confederation of 12 organizations working together with over 3,000 partners in more than 100 countries to find lasting solutions to poverty, suffering and injustice.
http://www.oxfaminternational.org/

Public Citizen is a national, non-profit consumer advocacy organisation founded by Ralph Nader in 1971 to represent consumer interests in the US Congress, the executive branch and the courts. Public Citizen fights for openness and democratic accountability in government, for the right of consumers to seek redress in the courts; for clean, safe and sustainable energy sources; for social and economic justice in trade policies; for strong health, safety and environmental protections; and for safe, effective and affordable prescription drugs and health care.
http://www.citizen.org

Reality of Aid Project is a major north/south international non-governmental initiative focusing exclusively on analysis and lobbying for poverty eradication policies and practices in the international aid regime. It brings together more than 40 civil society networks working in the field of international cooperation in the 22 donor countries, in Asia, the Americas and Africa. The Reality of Aid project aims to contribute to more effective international aid and development cooperation strategies to eliminate poverty, based on principles of North/South solidarity and equity.
http://www.realityofaid.org/

REPEM (Women’s Popular Education Network) is a non-profit civil society organization founded in 1981. It brings together 140 NGOs and women activists and academics of the Latin American and Caribbean countries. REPEM is the regional representation for Latin America of DAWN (Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era) and the Management Office of GEO/ICAE (Gender and Education Office of the International Council for Adult Education).
http://www.repem.org.uy/

SAPRIN SAPRIN (Structural Adjustment Participatory Review International Network) is a global network established to expand and legitimise the role of civil society in economic policymaking and to strengthen the organised challenge to structural adjustment programmes by citizens around the globe. The network is working with a broad range of citizens’ groups in various countries on four continents to organise public processes to assess the real impact of World Bank and IMF-supported economic-reform programs and to chart a new course for the future.
http://www.saprin.org/

SUNS The South-North Development Monitor is a unique source of information and analysis on international development issues with particular focus on North-South and South-South negotiations. Over the years SUNS has provided unique in-depth coverage of the activities of the Non-Aligned countries, the Group of 77 and other regional and inter-regional groups of the South and the NGOs. The SUNS has been an important source of information, from the Southern perspective, of the processes of negotiations, formal and informal, of GATT and the Uruguay Round, the Mid-Term Review Process, the Brussels Ministerial Session and since then, the UNCTAD Conferences, and of the entire debates and dialogue on environment/development issues, the Earth Summit and other major UN Conferences, as well as their follow-up.
http://www.sunsonline.org/

The Tax Justice Network Network is a global network which arose out of meetings at the European Social Forum in Florence, 2002, and at the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, 2003. It is a response to harmful trends in global taxation, which threaten states’ ability to tax the wealthy beneficiaries of globalisation.
http://www.taxjustice.net/

The Third World Network (TWN) is an independent non-profit international network of organisations and individuals involved in issues relating to development, the Third World and North-South issues. Its objectives are to conduct research on economic, social and environmental issues pertaining to the South; to publish books and magazines; to organise and participate in seminars; and to provide a platform representing broadly Southern interests and perspectives at international fora such as the UN conferences and processes. Its recent and current activities include: the publication of the daily SUNS (South - North Development Monitor) bulletin from Geneva, Switzerland, the fortnightly Third World Economics and the monthly Third World Resurgence; the publication of TWN Features; the publication of books on environment and economic issues; the organising of various seminars and workshops; and participation in international processes such as UNCED and the World Bank - NGO Committee.

The TWN’s international secretariat is based in Penang, Malaysia. It has offices in Montevideo, Uruguay (for South America); Geneva, Switzerland; and Accra, Ghana.
http://www.twnside.org.sg/

Third World Network-Latin America publishes the monthly magazine Revista del Sur and Tercer Mundo Económico:
http://www.revistadelsur.org.uy
http://www.redtercermundo.org.uy

TWN-Africa publishes African Agenda :
http://twnafrica.org/

Tobin Tax Initiative, CEED/IIRP is a proposal to tax currency transactions on foreign exchange markets, through multilateral co-operation, and to utilise the revenue for basic environmental and human needs. Such a tax will tame currency market volatility and restore national economic sovereignty.
http://www.ceedweb.org/iirp/

Trade Observatory is a joint project between IATP (Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy), Friends of the Earth International, and Centre for International Environmental Law that monitors WTO activity in Geneva in an effort to facilitate advocacy by civil society actors to redress imbalances in the world trading system. WTO Watch has merged with the IATP Trade Observatory to provide the most comprehensive collection of information resources related to trade, globalisation and sustainable development.
http://www.tradeobservatory.org/

Transparency International is an international non-governmental organisation devoted to combating corruption, bringing civil society, business, and governments together in a powerful global coalition. Through its International Secretariat and more than 90 independent national chapters around the world, it works at the national and international level to curb both the supply and demand of corruption.
http://www.transparency.org/

WEDO (Women’s Environment and Development Organisation) is an international advocacy organisation that seeks to increase the power of women worldwide as policymakers at all levels in governments, institutions and forums to achieve economic and social justice, a healthy and peaceful planet, and human rights for all.
http://www.wedo.org/

WEED was founded in 1990 as an independent non-governmental organization with offices in Berlin and Bonn. WEED is campaigning for the globalization of democracy, justice, human rights and environmental sustainability. WEED thinks that this requires a fair world economic system, a fundamental change in international institutions like the IMF, World Bank and WTO and a democratization of our World Order.
http://www.weed-online.org/themen/english.html

World Council of Churches is a fellowship of 342 churches, in more than 100 countries in all continents from virtually all-Christian traditions.
http://www.wcc-coe.org/

The World Guide Guide is a reference book updated every two years. It includes more than 240 countries of the world with their history, maps, statistics and the main challenges they face. The World Guide 2005-2006 contains a round-up of global issues such as the current armed conflicts and human security, the economies of the future, energy (its shortcomings and alternatives), Latin America today, the Information Society and the actual beneficiaries of Official Development Assistance. The World Guide is currently available in Spanish, English and Italian. The publication is regularly updated in Spanish online:
http://www.guiadelmundo.org.uy/

World Social Forum is an open meeting place where social movements, networks, NGOs and other civil society organizations opposed to neo-liberalism and a world dominated by capital or by any form of imperialism come together to pursue their thinking, to debate ideas democratically, to formulate proposals, share their experiences freely and network for effective action. Since the first world encounter in 2001, it has taken the form of a permanent world process seeking and building alternatives to neo-liberal policies.

In Brazil:
http://www.forumsocialmundial.org.br/

The 7th World Social Forum will be held from January 20 to 25, in Nairobi (Kenya).
http://www.socialforum.or.ke

World Watch Institute is an independent research organization that works for an environmentally sustainable and socially just society, in which the needs of all people are met without threatening the health of the natural environment or the well-being of future generations. By providing accessible and fact-based analysis of critical global issues, Worldwatch informs people around the world about the complex interactions between people, nature, and economies.
http://www.worldwatch.org

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