Social Watch news
Published on Fri, 2011-10-28 08:22
In the last three weeks more than a hundred people have died in floods in Central America, and on Tuesday the governments of these countries demanded that the rich North should meet its “moral obligation” and “pay its environmental debts”. At a summit meeting in San Salvador they said, “The industrial development that began in 1850 is the main cause of the climate change we are all suffering from today” and the countries that have benefited from that process have “a duty to contribute to the costs of prevention and reconstruction in our countries”. |
Published on Thu, 2011-10-27 13:20
The successful examples of Sri Lanka, Costa Rica, Rwanda, Thailand, Iran, Brazil and Kerala in India “demonstrate that investment by the state in the social sectors, and particularly in education, health and welfare, has a significant positive impact on the health and social indicators of the whole population”. This is the most relevant conclusion of the third Global Health Watch, conceived as an “alternative world health report” by activists and academics. |
Published on Wed, 2011-10-26 12:18
Bangladeshi civil society organizations demanded participation in the management of the official climate change funds for their representatives and those of the affected communities, to enhance their transparency and accountability. The claim was made at a national consultation in Dhaka, moderated by Equity and Justice Working Group (EquityBD), an alliance of several institutions and renowned citizens. |
Published on Mon, 2011-10-24 17:22
The Supreme Criminal Appeals Court of Bahrain dropped on Sunday several charges against 20 doctors accused of serious offences related to the political unrest occurred in February. “This is a positive step and it is good for the justice system,” said Bahrain Human Rights Society secretary-general Dr Abdullah Al Deerazi, reported Gulf Daily News. |
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Published on Fri, 2011-10-21 12:56
It is often argued that social and economic investments that benefit children and poor households are not affordable or that government expenditure cuts are inevitable during adjustment periods. But a paper published by Unicef shows valid alternatives, even in the poorest countries. |
Published on Fri, 2011-10-21 12:50
Far from putting an end to the hunger in the world and from improving farmer’s quality of life, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are raising food insecurity and health hazards and failing to increase the yields of crops, according to new scientific studies. And now Chinese authorities prepare to ban the commercialization of transgenic rice and wheat for the next five to ten years, as reported the Third World Network (TWN). |
Published on Thu, 2011-10-20 11:59
Twenty-one human rights organizations (among them the Egyptian Association for Community Participation Enhancement, focal point of Social Watch in that country) accused this week the interim government in Cairo and the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces of inciting the sectarian violence that caused almost 30 deaths this month in Maspero. |
Published on Wed, 2011-10-19 09:22
The Nepalese Campaign for Climate Justice Network (CCJN) and other groups organized a demonstration on Oct. 12 near the office of the World Bank in Kathmandu against the role of that international financial institution in the Green Climate Fund. |
Published on Mon, 2011-10-17 12:03
Tens of thousands people took the streets of New York, Vancouver, Madrid, Rome and dozens of other cities in North America, Europe and other regions this weekend, to protest against corporate greed and the steps taken by the governments to put an end to the economic and financial crisis. This movement “is taking off all over the world,” said Armine Yainizyan, expert with the Canadian Center for Policy Alternatives, one of the focal points of Social Watch in that country. |
Published on Thu, 2011-10-13 17:24
The first decade of the 21st century was a lost decade in the fight against poverty, in spite of the excellent performance of the emerging economies, said Roberto Bissio, coordinator of Social Watch, on the eve of the international days on hunger and poverty. Social Watch, a network of citizen organizations monitoring social policies around the world, launched today a Basic Capabilities Index (BCI) derived from well-being indicators which shows very slow progress in the last twenty years. This index contradicts the assessment of the World Bank, according to which extreme poverty would have halved around the world between 1980 and 2005. |
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