Social Watch E-Newsletter - Issue 194 - November 21, 2014

The Arab NGO Network for Development (ANND), in collaboration with Christian Aid and Social and Economics Policy Monitor Palestine, explore in their comparative study on “Tax Systems in Six Arab Countries” how the tax systems of Arab countries have contributed to the lack of opportunity, growing inequalities, marginalization and exclusion suffered by the majority of people living in the Arab region.
The revolutions witnessed by some countries in the region and the instability and crises in others are in part a demonstration of the people’s rejection of these inherent structural disparities. Paradoxically, as the report shows, it is the tax policies of these countries that present one of the key means by which local resources could be redistributed and mobilized to restore socio-economic justice to the poor and to foster more self-reliant development. 
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Private military and security companies (PMSCs) have become a relevant topic in international relations and in academic literature during the last decades: the case of Executive Outcomes in the 90s, the well-known actions of Blackwater in Iraq, and G4S controversial practices are good examples of this. The controversial collaboration of these companies with the United Nations has rarely been an open discussion, neither in the public sphere nor in academia. However, in recent years, several studies have attempted to illuminate this relationship, including the work of Lou Pingeot. Read more

In a letter submitted to the UN Secretary General, RightingFinance addressed a number of requests in regards to financing aspects of the upcoming Synthesis Report that the Secretary General’s office is preparing as input for the intergovernmental negotiations on the Post-2015 Development Agenda Summit.
The letter makes reference to the human rights audit that RightingFinance carried out on the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Finance report, assessing it from the perspective of international human rights principles including those of maximum available resources, non-retrogression, minimum core, non-discrimination and equality, participation, transparency and accountability, access to justice and access to remedies. Read more

The UNCTAD Virtual Institute and the UNCTAD Trade, Gender and Development Section have pooled their expertise to develop an on-line course on trade and gender from January 19 to March 8, 2015.
The course targets academics, policymakers and representatives of civil society in developing and transition countries involved in research, teaching, policy formulation and implementation, or field work in the area of trade and gender. Qualified women candidates, as well as candidates from sub-Saharan Africa and the least developed countries, are particularly encouraged to apply.
The deadline for applications is 1 December, 2014. Applicants must hold a Master's degree in Economics, Law, Political Science or a related area, and have an excellent knowledge of English. Read more