After the informal negotiations earlier this month at the UN Headquarters in New York on the way to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio2012), several civil society organizations decided to hold next week a consultation in La Paz, Bolivia, to discuss the Latin American and Caribbean agenda at the meeting and to prepare the simultaneous People’s Summit.

Gyekye Tanoh. (Photo: Gulf Times)

The Economic Justice Network (EJN), a coalition of Ghanaian civil society organizations, has cautioned African countries involved in the negotiation of the Economic Partnership Agreements not to succumb to the pressure from European Union to sign the agreement as it has the potential of disintegrating the regional economies, reported several communications media.

Egypt presidential elections posters and billboards. (Photo: gr33ndata/Tarek/Flickr/CC)

The Egyptian Association for Community Participation Enhancement (EACPE, focal point of Social Watch in the Arab country) said it would not monitor the presidential elections this week because of the restrictions placed on non governmental organizations by the government.

Palestinian people also take the streets. (Photo: Issam Rimawi/APA)

A large group of Arab NGO Network for Development (ANND) members and partners is visiting Washington this week to express the positions and perspectives of civil society organizations from Middle East and North Africa on the United States foreign policy towards the region. Twelve activists and experts representing ten countries (Egypt, Tunisia, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, Morocco, Bahrain, Yemen, Sudan, and Iraq) are also seizing the opportunity to enhance spaces for the dialogue between Arab groups and US civic stakeholders and policy makers.

Special Rapporteur Magdalena Sepúlveda. (Photo: UN)

A group of United Nations independent experts urged the European Union (EU) to take the lead in promoting the adoption of a global financial transaction tax (FTT) to offset the costs of the enduring economic, financial, fuel, climate and food crises, and to protect basic human rights.