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.

For the past two decades Eurostep and its membership have worked towards equal opportunities and justice between North and South – hence the name. A lot has been achieved in calling for socially just and inclusive EU policies, especially in regard to developing countries. But the global and European contexts have fundamentally changed since 1990 and so have civil society organisations. Against this backdrop and in order to adapt to these changes, the current membership has made the decision to change Eurostep’s structure, membership and purpose. Eurostep is embarking on a process of transition towards being defined more clearly within Social Watch.

Investments in agriculture are urgently needed, as the sector is the main source of livelihood for people living in hunger in developing countries. The kind of investment needed, however, is an issue which is currently at the heart of many international policy debates on food security and nutrition. With the global financial crisis, governments are struggling to find the resources to support the sector and dependence on donor aid is proving to be a risky strategy. As a result, the private sector has been identified as an important partner, resulting in their increased involvement in agricultural development. But can their involvement be used to realise the right to adequate food? Most investment in smallholder agriculture is made by smallholders themselves, but these (definitely private) investments are rarely the ones alluded by initiatives for “private sector involvement.”  The public sector also plays an important role in enabling and maximising smallholders’ own investment through extension services, research and development, infrastructure development, support for collective bargaining and access to credit, amongst other initiatives. Whilst there is certainly a place for support from private investors, they are often made up of a vast and diverse range of actors with varying interests which do not always align with poverty alleviation and food security.

Speakers and attendees at the seminar said that the post-2015 Development Programme ought to include many areas neglected in the MDGs. Roberto Bissio, Social Watch, finds that the poverty threshold of $1.25 is too low and artificially reduces the the number of people who are recorded as living in poverty. It makes poverty invisible in rich countries and pays no attention to the shame and suffering it causes throughout the world. 

We, as members of the global civil society, urge the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, Roberto Azevedo, and heads of member states, to take the issue of food security in developing countries as a matter of serious and immediate concern, and not to render the G-33 proposal on public food stockholding a travesty by asking developing countries to agree to the current text on the peace clause.