Social Watch News
Published on Thu, 2013-03-07 23:15
Demonstration at Tahrir Square,
Cairo.(Photo: EACPE)
|
Almost two years have passed since human rights and feminists organizations expressed their deep concern at the escalation of policies that reinforce impunity, do not protect citizens and do not guarantee the right of peaceful assembly. The exclusion of women from the public sphere through direct incitement and aggression must be condemned. The heinous crimes of sexual violence can not be separated from the decline of the social status of women.
The revolution of January 25, as the Egyptians call it, is the fourth in the last hundred and thirty years. The modern national movement has sought an effective national sovereignty, particularly with regard to economy and the ability to ensure socio-economic justice in the distribution of wealth and income. The Egyptian people discovered that without internal democracy it is impossible to preserve the conquests from previous revolutions. January 25 revolution asserts, then, the centrality of democracy, not only as a utopian goal, which practical implementation would be deferred indefinitely, but to lay the foundations of a modern, independent and prosperous country.
|
Published on Thu, 2013-03-07 00:00
"Illicit financial flows - generated from crime, corruption, embezzlement and tax evasion - represent a major drain on the resources of developing countries, reducing tax revenues and investment inflows, hindering development, exacerbating poverty and undermining the enjoyment of human rights," a United Nations independent expert has said.
In an interim report presented at the current twenty-second session of the UN Human Rights Council, Independent Expert on foreign debt Mr Cephas Lumina said that it is estimated that, on average, developing countries lost between US$783 billion and US$1,138 billion in illicit financial outflows in 2010.
The expert added that these flows have increased in real terms to 8.6 per cent over the period 2001-2010, suggesting that existing measures to tackle the problem have not had a significant impact.
|
Published on Mon, 2013-03-04 23:00
4-Rivers construction underway
on the Nakdong River. (Photo:
Lauren Stahl, internationalrivers.org)
|
Since the end of the Korean War in 1950, the country has achieved sustained economic growth. GDP, which at that time was US$ 67, doubled in a decade, between 2000 and 2010, Korea joined the OECD in 1996 and achieved most of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). But inequality, as a side effect of economic growth, is present. There is no more extreme poverty but diversified poverty, and society still has challenges that are not shown by the indicators.
The government's economic policy has encouraged assembling industry export-oriented with cheap labor. Between 2000 and 2009, relative poverty rates for children, seniors and women increased. Poverty is concentrated in the elderly at female level, low education, vulnerable health and in rural areas. It is clear that the government needs to implement policies to reduce socioeconomic inequality that go beyond reducing inequity and poverty, by creating quality jobs and social protection programs.
|
|
Source: 
. Published on Mon, 2013-03-04 23:00
|
|
Published on Fri, 2013-03-01 09:34
|
Published on Thu, 2013-02-28 17:53
For over a decade the debate, research and practice focused on extreme poverty. However, the key to the new development agenda could be somewhere else, much less illuminated by the political debate: inequality. This is what emerges from several months of consultations with academics and civil society organizations performed by the specialized agencies of the United Nations on women and children, UN Women and UNICEF.
|
Published on Thu, 2013-02-28 17:22
Feministas en el Congreso Nacional.
(Foto: CEM-H).
|
The Center for Women's Studies-Honduras (CEM-H), the Center for Women's Rights, the Women's Network of Colonia Ramón Amaya Amador, the Women's Network of Manzanal, the Women's Network of the Red Cross Col were present on February 22 before Congress in order to lobby and monitor that the proposal for a typification of femicide coordinated with the Ministry of Human Rights and Justice is in line with the work performed for more than ten years by feminist organizations for the construction of an offense that punishes men who kill women because they are women.
The typification of femicide means to improve the registration systems of the judiciary, as well as to review and elaborate necessary, relevant and timely legislation for the recognition and punishment of other forms of violence against women.
|
Published on Thu, 2013-02-28 13:57
" |
"Fiscal policy – and hence also tax policy – is one of the most important steering instruments of governments. The true priorities of policies are often revealed more clearly by budgets and tax legislation than they are by declarations and action programmes.
Also, a government’s fiscal policy reflects the political influence of certain interest groups. Are defence budgets or social welfare budgets being raised? Who enjoys tax reliefs, and how are they compensated for? Answers to these questions are crucial to whether governments are fulfilling their international and national commitments or whether they may not be meeting them under the pretext of budget policy constraints.
|
Published on Thu, 2013-02-28 13:37
WTO headquarters in Geneva.
(Photo: WTO)
|
Civil Society letter to members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) concerning a further extension of the transition period for Least Developed Countries (LDCs) under Article 66.1 of the TRIPS agreement.
|
Published on Thu, 2013-02-28 13:01
Public documents resulting from the presidential summits are usually boring and predictable, but the Santiago Declaration, issued on Sunday, January 27 following the EU-Latin American summit stunned diplomatic circles with a new consensus on the state’s role and responsibilities of transnational corporations.
|
SUSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
Submit
|
