News

Abdessatar Ben Moussa.
(Photo: Chawkitabib.info)

The implementation of an observatory to monitor next month’s elections is the current priority of the Tunisian League for Human Rights (LTDH, one of the focal points of Social Watch in that country), announced its new chairperson, Abdessatar Ben Moussa.

Demonstration in Yemen.
(Photo: HRITC)

Yemeni people are suffering from a deteriorating human rights and security situation, and the abusers should be subject to justice in order to restore stability and to allow a political dialogue, warned Ezzadin Al-Asbahi, director of the Human Rights Information and Training Center (HRITC, focal point of Social Watch) last week. Al-Asbahi took part in an interactive dialogue at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights about the crisis in the Arab country.

Source: Better Aid

The report “Aid Effectiveness 2005-2010: Progress in Implementing the Paris Declaration”, released on Thursday by the OECD, shows that the richest countries, which currently provide the lion’s share of development aid ($120 billion of aid annually), have made disappointing progress in making this significant sum work to address poverty.

Source: CARDET

A project proposal for the development of a multilevel network in the Mediterranean Region for organizations and public bodies working for immigrant integration in Europe will be submitted to the Cyprus Ministry of Interior by the Center for the Advancement of Research and Development in Educational Technology (CARDET, focal point of Social Watch in that country).

 The objective of the network will be the sharing of knowledge, experiences and practices related to migrant integration in local societies. Through this sharing and exchange of best practices, all participants will benefit, according to CARDET, which is seeking support among other NGOs of the region.

Eritrean refugees in a demonstration
(Photo: EEPA)

Sources: IDN-InDepthNewsEEPA

The European Union (EU) and the European Parliament censured the Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki for sending independent journalists and "thousands of Eritreans" to jail, and urged the African Union to exert pressure on the government to free prisoners. “Europe finally condemns Eritrea; but does it do anything to support the Eritreans?” asked Professor Mirjam van Reisen, founder and director of Brussels-based Europe External Policy Advisors (EEPA).

Hanaa Edwar in Stockholm
(Photo: Hanna Navier/Kvinna till Kvinna)br>

Sources: International Peace BureauKvinna till KvinnaIPS

On October 29 Hanaa Edwar will receive the Sean MacBride Peace Prize in Potsdam, Germany, but she will not rest until seeing her efforts crowned in Iraq. “I have to do this for the Iraqi people. We continue to fight for peace, equality and democracy,” said Edwar, co-founder and current Secretary-General of the Al-Amal Association (focal point of Social Watch in that country), in an interview with the Swedish feminist organization Kvinna til Kvinna.

The debate conducted by
Social Watch and Governance Now in New Delhi
(Photo: Chinky Shukla/Jesudasu Seelam)

Sources: Social Watch IndiaGovernance Now
Do regional parliamentarians have a voice in Indian democracy? What is the role of parliamentary committees? What exactly is the ambit of a parliamentarian? Questions like these were debated at “People, Parliament and Performance”, a discussion conducted by Social Watch India in partnership with Governance Now magazine in New Delhi.

Sources: ECLAC, Representatives of the civil society

Representatives of the governments of Latin America and the Caribbean who convened this week in Santiago de Chile didn’t include among their recommendations to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio2012), to be held next year in Brazil, the concept of “green economy”.

Revista Finance & Development

Sources: Finance & Development

Civil society organizations have been arguing in vain for years that combating inequity is not just an ideological position but a practical policy option, and not to adopt it would be fatal for the world economy and for human development. And now at last inequity is becoming a key subject for concern in international financial institutions and among the academics whose theories underpin their operations.

Nabil el-Araby, head of the League,
with Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad last Saturday.
(Photo: Government of Syria)

Source: International Federation of Human Rights

More than 170 national, regional and international civil society organizations sent an open letter to Dr. Nabil El Araby, Secretary General of the League of Arab States, urging the bloc to put pressure on Syria’s government to effectively end the crackdown on peaceful opposition, release all political prisoners and provide compensation for victims.

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