Social Watch E-Newsletter - Issue 231 - September 11, 2015

The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on principles to guide sovereign debt restructuring processes on the afternoon of 10 September.
This landmark resolution was submitted to the General Assembly by South Africa (current chair of the Group of 77 and China developing countries). It was initiated by Argentina in the wake of the vulture funds lawsuit by an international hedge fund against the country.
The resolution yielded a ‘yes’ vote from 136 countries from Latin America, Asia, Africa and the Caribbean. A ‘no’ vote was registered by 6 countries: the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada and Israel. An ‘abstain’ vote, meaning that these countries abstained from voting either yes or no, was registered by 41 countries. Read more

The UN General Assembly resolution on “Basic Principles on Sovereign Debt Restructuring Processes” represents the first step in a process towards introducing institutions that can deal on a more fair and humane way with situations of sovereign debt crises, a demand that had been at the forefront of civil society struggles for a long time. Read more

The Supreme Court (SC) has ordered the executive and legislative departments to answer a recent petition of anti-pork barrel advocates against the government’s spending of lump sum and discretionary funds in this year’s budget.
In session yesterday, the justices decided to require the Palace and both houses of Congress to comment on the petition for certiorari and prohibition filed last Sept. 1 by Social Watch Philippines, led by former national treasurer Leonor Briones. Read more

The Palestinian Non-governmental Organizations Network (PNGO) raised concerns and warned of a dangerous deterioration in the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip due to severe drop-long power cuts caused by the fuel outage. PNGO stated that power outage in the besieged Gaza Strip seriously affects basic life facilities in particular health,water, education and sanitation as well as vital sectors.
PNGO demanded the international community and Arab and Palestinian parties as well to immediately carry on their responsibility to find real time and strategic solutions to the power cut offs in the Gaza Strip. Read more

Are you interested in actionable information to promote social change? Are you an advocate for gender equality or women’s economic empowerment? Join us in an interactive webinar.
The WORLD Policy Analysis Center (WORLD) is offering an opportunity to learn about its unique set of tools – interactive maps, data, and easy-to-understand factsheets on rights, laws, and policies affecting women’s equal opportunities and empowerment in 193 countries. Read more