Social Watch news

Social Watch, together with the United Nations Non-Governmental Liaison Service (UN-NGLS) and the Third World Network (TWN), organized a panel on 'Reforming Finance for the MDGs' within the framework of the 'Informal Interactive Hearings of the General Assembly with Non-governmental organizations, Civil society organizations and the Private sector' that took place from 14-15 June 2010 at UN Headquarters in New York.

Hardly any measures taken by the countries to tackle the crisis have highlighted promotion of women's employment and livelihoods. There is need for an enabling environment that integrates a comprehensive justice and human rights framework with social and gender justice at the forefront of internationally agreed development goals including the MDGs said Natalia Cardona from Social Watch and member of the Women's Working Group on Financing for Development. 

Mr. Roberto Bissio, Coordinator of Social Watch, spoke at the Conference "Making Equal Rights Real" organized on 1 May 2010 by The Institute for Health and Social Policy. The meeting was an opportunity for an international group of leading practice, policy and academic experts to present and discuss how people have found creative and effective strategies for ensuring that their national and international legal rights are met. Bissio said the economic crisis has brought governments back to a leading role and the key question now is what do governments do with the economy and how much people-centered are their policies.

Source: ILO
GENEVA (ILO News) – Growing instability in financial markets and the sovereign debt crisis in Europe may put global economic and jobs recovery efforts at risk, according to a report by International Labour Office Director-General Juan Somavia to be discussed at the ILO’s annual conference.

Several organizations, such as the World Alliance for Citizen Participation (Civicus) or Human Rights Watch, have condemned the attack on humanitarian ships, including the killing of at least nine activists and the wounding of many more, by the Israeli military in international waters on 31 May and call for the Israeli government to be held accountable under international law.

In preparation for the Summit on Least Developed Countries (LDC-IV) which will take place in Turkey next year Social Watch is participating in a series of events at the regional level and international level.  Most recently Social Watch was invited to participate on May 19, 2010 in a Panel Event on Resource Mobilization for LDCs’ Sustainable Growth and Development at Columbia University.  

Source: Third World Network
New York, 18 May (Chee Yoke Ling and Saradha Iyer) -- Preparations began on Monday for a United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in 2012 to review the implementation progress and gaps of the historic outcomes of the 1992 "Rio de Janeiro Summit" on environment and development as well as other relevant UN meetings.

The Euro-Mediterranean Non-Governmental Platform has learned with stupefaction the arrest of Mr. Ameer Makhoul, General Director of Ittijah, by the Shabak. It raises the voluntarily dramatization of this arrest since it was carried out at night and at Mr. Makhoul’s home.

Mr. Ameer Makhoul has already been harassed by the Israeli Security Services who exercised humiliating checks on him in the borders and banned him recently from traveling outside Israel.

The dynamics of International Financial Institutions and private capital in the globalized world has often acted as delimiting factors to state sovereignty. The role of Social Watch as a ‘watch dog’ gains significance in the current context of multiple crisis stressed the Pan-Asian Workshop: "Who pays? The global crises and what needs to be done – an Asian perspective" held in New Delhi, India, 22- 24 February 2010.

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