Social Watch E-Newsletter - Issue 155 - November 29, 2013

It is unconscionable to require Yemen to fully implement a sophisticated regime of intellectual property protection as a condition to trade internationally, argue civil society organizations from around the world in a letter to the World Trade Organization. Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the Arab region. It has extremely weak infrastructure, and underdeveloped scientific and innovative capacities. Yemen faces massive challenges in ensuring its population has access to education, health and other basic services as the country emerges from a period of civil unrest.

The accession of Yemen to the WTO will be decided in the coming ministerial meeting of the trade organization in Bali, Indonesia. Strict adherence to the protection of intellectual property should not be a precondition, argue the signatories. Read more

Hanaa Edwar, secretary general of Al-Amal Association, the Iraqi member of Social Watch has been named “Arab Woman of the Year 2013” by Takreem for her distinctive hard work, courage and successes in the field of civil society and human rights for equality, women's rights, and the empowerment of women to participate effectively in society and political life.

In her speech at the award ceremony, Hanaa Edwar expressed her thanks, deep gratitude to Takreem, and stressed her sense of greater responsibility beyond the borders of her homeland. She also thanked her colleagues at Iraqi Al-Amal Association and many civil society organisations for the support and assistance she received during her work, who,together, planted the seeds of hope in the wounded Iraq. Read more

Do you know how much your government collects in taxes? How much are wealth and incomes taxed, as opposed to wages or consumption? Does the government gather information on the share of taxes paid by different social groups (e.g. women/men, rural/urban, different ethnic groups)? Is the revenue collected enough to raise adequate resources for the realization of human rights?

Is your government party to investment or trade agreements that curtail its capacity to collect taxes?

Are human rights and gender equality impact assessments conducted in relation to budget planning and execution? Is the data collected disaggregated by sex, age, income, location, ethnicity, disability and other relevant criteria? Read more

A delegation of the Arab NGO Network for Development (ANND) visited Brussels between the 4th and the 8th of November 2013, where it met with officials at the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Euro-Med Parliamentary Assembly and the European civil society. The delegation focused on five key issues during the meetings, as well as hearings at the European Parliament and deliberations at the forum it organized during the visit with the participation of European CSOs and representatives of the European Commission and the European In-vestment Bank (EIB). These issues are the Euro-Arab political relations, especially regarding the challenges of democratic transition, faced by some of the region’s states and peoples, particularly Egypt and Syria. Euro-Arab economic relations, with a focus on trade relations and ongoing negotiations with Morocco to reach in-depth and comprehensive free trade agreements. The European policy on foreign aid and the relationship with civil society. Issues related to security and peace in the region, and immigration and the movement of citizens between both sides of the Mediterranean. Read more