World Alliance for Citizen Participation	A Free Weekly Newsletter Promoting Civic Existence, Expression & Engagement Please send contributions, comments and questions to editor@civicus.org.
15 January 2009 ISSUE No. 421 PUBLISHER CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Devendra Tak Ingrid Srinath MANAGING EDITOR Eric Muragana EDITORS Nastasya Tay Katsuji Imata OCCASIONAL CONTRIBUTORS Adam Mukendi Anabel Cruz Carol Baloyi David Kode Elizabeth Robson Henri Valot Kumi Naidoo Vicente García-Delgado ABOUT e-CIVICUS  The CIVICUS weekly electronic publication is keeping tens of thousands of people informed of the developments taking place in civil society, the factors that are affecting them and the impact they are having on creating an informed and knowledgeable civil society.  e-CIVICUS WELCOMES CONTRIBUTIONS  e-CIVICUS offers a useful channel through which you and your organisation can share your news, publicise your events and articulate the issues you face. Please send us your contributions by Monday for publication in the coming week to editor@civicus.org. All contributions must focus on civil society issues or have a civil society angle. To read the contribution guidelines, click here.  REPRODUCTION OF e-CIVICUS The content of this newsletter can be translated into another language and reproduced in other publications, as long as due acknowledgment is made to CIVICUS.  e-CIVICUS DISCLAIMER Although CIVICUS makes all reasonable efforts to obtain prima-facie reliable content for  e-CIVICUS, CIVICUS cannot guarantee the accuracy of the reports, views or opinions of third-party content providers, nor does CIVICUS necessarily endorse the views reflected therein.  CONTACT US P.O. Box 933 Southdale, 2135  South Africa  Tel: +27 11 833 5959 Fax:+27 11 833 7997 1112 16th Street NW, Suite 540  Washington D.C.  20036 USA Tel: +202 331-8518 Fax: +202 331-8774 Websites: www.civicus.org www.civicusassembly.org To subscribe or unsubscribe: email subscriptions@civicus.org TELL A FRIEND Would you like to share this newsletter with a friend? Please forward their e-mail address to subscriptions@civicus.org Support CIVICUS To make an on-line donation click here. Join CIVICUS Join or renew your CIVICUS Membership on-line now click here.  Civil Society Watch Monthly Bulletin The CIVICUS e-newsletter Civil Society Watch Monthly Bulletin  is an action-oriented newsletter distributed to over 7,400 people, featuring insightful interviews, updates on threats to civil society, and analyses of current situations. Read more at www.civicus.org. CIVICUS blog Our recently launched blog gives you the opportunity to use your voice and engage with the rest of civil society. Please visit http://civicus.civiblog.org	FROM THE DESK OF CIVICUS' SECRETARY GENERAL Send your comments and contributions to editor@civicus.org. An eye for an eye in Gaza? By Ingrid Srinath, CIVICUS Secretary General Dear friends and colleagues, "An eye for an eye, and soon the whole world is blind," declared Mahatma Gandhi. Israel has, over the past three excruciating weeks in Gaza, used the ancient Biblical and Hammurabic dictum as a fig-leaf to justify its inhumane, collective punishment of defenceless Palestinians. The world has simply watched in horror as about 1000 men, women, children and even relief workers have been ruthlessly killed, subjected to state terror and deprived of the most basic humanitarian relief -- in apparent retaliation for the actions of Hamas militants. On their part, the Israeli spokespersons have dismissed the outrage over civilian casualties, claiming justification in precedents set by the so-called war on terror. And both parties have ignored with utter impunity all the demands from civil society, world leaders and the United Nations Security Council for an immediate cessation of violence and secure access to humanitarian agencies, observers and the media. To read her first column in 2009, click here. Poverty will devastate Palestinian people without immediate ceasefire in Gaza Source: Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) The Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) condemns the prolonged border blockade, the on-going air and ground attacks on Gaza and missile attacks on Israel. The world’s largest anti-poverty alliance calls upon the international community to intervene to bring about an immediate ceasefire so goods and people can move freely through Gaza’s borders. “Collective punishment is against international law, and many of the victims are civilians, including children. The conflict has serious implications on the availability of food, water and medicines in Gaza. Spending on war and conflict is directing valuable resources away from anti poverty programmes,” said Ziad Abdel Samad, Coordinator Arab NGO Network for Development (ANND), member of GCAP Arab Region and CIVICUS board member. For details, click here. FORTHCOMING CAMPAIGN: Desmond Tutu joins CIVICUS campaign to fast for Zimbabweans Source: Ecumenical News International Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu called on his fellow South Africans to stage solidarity fasts to support the people of Zimbabwe, who are struggling with poverty and drought. Tutu, who as archbishop of Cape Town in the 1980s and 1990s waged an outspoken campaign against his country’s apartheid regime, called on South Africans to express their solidarity with their northern neighbours. CIVICUS is planning to launch a similar campaign within two weeks. "We’re expecting several hundred South Africans to join for one, two, three, four days or more," said Kumi Naidoo, Honorary President of CIVICUS and the co-chair of the Global call to Action against Poverty (GCAP). CIVICUS is calling on Pretoria (South African capital) to speak out against what it describes as the violence of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and his government. For details, click here. CIVICUS team discovers passive genocide on visit to Zimbabwe CIVICUS Zimbabwe Solidarity Mission report CIVICUS undertook a visit to Zimbabwe from December 19-26, 2008 , in response to the worsening crisis in the country. The mandate of the mission included expressing solidarity with civil society groups in Zimbabwe who are subjected to severe repression, investigating reports of breakdown of the rule of law and governance structures in the country and obtaining suggestions for action and strategies by which international and African civil society organisations can provide support to civil society in Zimbabwe. Observing the total governance and economic collapse in the country, Kumi Naidoo, Honorary President of CIVICUS and co-chair of the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) noted: “The situation in Zimbabwe is much worse than what is believed by Africans and citizens around the world alike. It has been a bleak Christmas, characterised by despair, desperation and destitution with a particularly devastating impact for women and children.” For details on the visit, click here. MUST WATCH: ‘Time 2 Act’, an urgent Zimbabwean appeal on film to South African leaders for decisive action. Filmed by the CIVICUS team, it provides an unique perspective through interviews within Zimbabwe. It is available on You Tube in three parts, click here. CIVICUS Poll Question This week’s question: Does civil society have a role to play in the Gaza crisis? a. No, the problem is out of civil society’s hands b. Yes, strong action by civil society can end the war c. Not sure To answer the question, click here. Previous question: In the New Year, will you be active in strengthening civil society?  a. I’ll be even more active than previously b. I’ll maintain my role c. Sorry, I’m unable to participate Results: a. - 68.2%, b. - 25%, c. - 6.8% JOIN e-CIVICUS - BECOME A CONTRIBUTING FRIEND e-CIVICUS keeps tens of thousands of people and organisations informed of the many developments taking place in civil society around the world. This e-publication seeks to encourage and amplify the voices of those struggling for a more just world. As a subscriber, you know the value e-CIVICUS can bring to your work. Do you have friends who work for a more just world? Why don’t you suggest they register for a free subscription? They can send an e-mail to subscriptions@civicus.org or fill out the subscription form here. Alternatively, please forward their e-mail addresses to us and we’ll contact them on your behalf. Please send your contributions by Monday every week to editor@civicus.org. All contributions must be focused on civil society issues or have a civil society angle. CIVICUS World Assembly 2006-2008 in Glasgow, Scotland - What did it mean to you? Deadline to complete the survey: 15 February 2009 Did you attend the CIVICUS World Assembly in Glasgow, Scotland between 2006 and 2008? We are very interested in finding out whether you have undertaken any activities, made new partnerships, or joined new networks as a result of your attendance. What is the legacy of the World Assembly for you, and what impact has attending the conference had for your work? Please visit our brief survey to tell us more, click here. e-CIVICUS DIALOGUES Why on Earth would a Foundation try to get rid of all of its money? By Gara LaMarche, The Atlantic Philanthropies The aspect of The Atlantic Philanthropies in which people have the most interest is not that we are one of the largest foundations in the world - in fact, the largest private funder in the countries in which we operate, outside of the U.S. - or that we have a legal status that permits us to be extensive and vigorous funders of advocacy, nor that we take a comprehensive approach to evaluation and have, somewhat rare for our field, an in-house unit for carrying it out. Instead, what is most fascinating to observers is that our board is committed to spending our more than $3 billion endowment and ending the foundation as we know it in the next eight years. For details, click here. And then they came for me: Sri Lanka Source: Editorial of The Sunday Leader No other profession calls on its practitioners to lay down their lives for their art save the armed forces and, in Sri Lanka, journalism. In the course of the past few years, the independent media have increasingly come under attack. Electronic and print-media institutions have been burnt, bombed, sealed and coerced. Countless journalists have been harassed, threatened and killed. It has been my honour to belong to all those categories and now especially the last. For details, click here. Read more... CIVIL SOCIETY NEWS Cease-fire refusal reckless and totally unacceptable Source: International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) The refusal of Israel and Hamas to accept the UN Security Council Resolution calling for a cease-fire is totally unacceptable, and will cost the lives of yet more innocent civilians, as Israel further escalates its military action and Hamas continues to fire rockets across the border. Israel has faced a barrage of international criticism for the conduct of its military campaign, including from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon who expressed "deep dismay" over mortar strikes on school buildings full of people seeking refuge from the fighting. Several UN agencies, along with the Red Cross, have also censured Israel for failing to respect international humanitarian law as medical workers have been denied access to wounded civilians, and aid workers and journalists have been killed or wounded. "Any such violations of international humanitarian law must be condemned in the strongest terms. In any case, the death and wounding of hundreds of innocent people is completely unacceptable," said ITUC General Secretary Guy Ryder. For details, click here. Global evangelical body issues bipartisan peace call to Israel and Hamas Source: Ekklesia, a new way of thinking The World Evangelical Alliance has urged the international community to make all possible efforts to end the "complex" conflict in Gaza and southern Israel and expressed sympathy for all its victims. "The God who is near wants to bless the Jewish people but not at the expense of the Arab people and He wants to bless the Arab people but not at the expense of the Jewish people," declared the Rev Dr Geoff Tunnicliffe, international director of the World Evangelical Alliance. For details, click here. Tough times are getting worse for NGOs in Russia Source: The Moscow Times Amid fears that Western money might be funneled to Russian NGOs to incite unrest, the government enacted a stringent law in 2006 that led to the closure of many NGOs and greatly increased the bureaucratic burden on those that remained. The future is looking even bleaker now. The scarcity of funding combined with continued uncertainty about the authorities' actions is shaping into a perfect storm for NGOs. A top concern for many activists in recent weeks has been the government's failure to publish a vital list of which organisations can issue grants without having to pay taxes on them. Many donor organisations make tax-exemption an essential requirement for releasing the money. For details, click here.  Rights groups concerned by potential delay in closing Guantanamo Bay Source: JURIST legal news and research Human rights groups are concerned about US President-elect Barack Obama's intentions to keep the Guantanamo Bay detention center open for at least 100 days after taking office, according to a report in the Miami Herald. Obama told ABC news in an interview that he would close the base but that doing so would be complicated. American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) executive director, Anthony Romero urged Obama to waste no time making good on his campaign promise to shut down the prison and the military commissions. For details, click here.  ARTICLE 19 endorse UN call for Free Access of Media in Gaza ARTICLE 19 Press Statement ARTICLE 19 welcomes the UN Human Rights Council resolution of 12 January which calls for “Free access of media to areas of conflict through media corridors” into Gaza and strongly condemns the IDF’s (Israeli Defence Force) targeting of media professionals there. The nature of the conflict and dangerous security situation has placed very severe restrictions on the ability of both Palestinian and international journalists to report freely from Gaza. ‘It is imperative that foreign media professionals are allowed entry into Gaza and that those currently in the conflict zone are able to report freely and impartially on the situation there, including the humanitarian cost and disaster.’ said Agnes Callamard, Executive Director for ARTICLE 19.’ For details, click here. Read more... GLOBAL CALL TO ACTION AGAINST POVERTY (GCAP) AND UN MILLENNIUM CAMPAIGN (UNMC) Watch The BBC World News TV with Salil Shetty, UN Millennium Campaign To watch the BBC World News TV HARDtalk interview broadcast on 6 January, when Stephen Sackur spoke to the director of the UN Millennium Campaign, Salil Shetty, click here. Urban food poverty in Kenya has increased by two per cent Source: Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) The Global Call to Action Against Poverty says that in 1997, urban food poverty incidence in the country stood at 38.3 per cent, and that 11 years later, it stands at 40.5 per cent. The organisation’s national coordinator, Mr Mwangi Waituru, said the country’s social security nets should be rebuilt to complement financial investments aimed at curbing urban food poverty. “The current consumer society is rapidly eroding the traditional security nets system, leaving the poor more and more vulnerable,” Mr Waituru said in Mwiki at the launch of a one-year campaign to eradicate hunger. For details, click here. MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS (MDGs) Major role for private sector to achieve the MDGs in Kuwait Source: Kuwait Times The UN Global Compact asks businesses to respect human rights, to ensure safe workplace conditions, environmental standards and to practice good corporate governance. This commitment in itself is a crucial component of how business can support the MDGs. Today, more than 3,000 companies from more than 100 countries have participated in the Global Compact. "To reach the MDGs, we need to consider how we can best respond to and how we can break with business as usual. A broad and global response is needed to make full use of all the financial, intellectual and organisational resources we can muster, particularly in these very challenging economic times," said Valerie Cliff, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative in Kuwait. For details, click here. Nigeria needs N14 bn annually to achieve the MDGs on sanitation Source: ThisDay online For Nigeria to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) target on sanitation, the country needs an annual budget of N14 billion, said Mr Peter Cookey, an environmentalist. Quoting United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) statistics, Cookey told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that the country was off track to meet the MDGs target on sanitation. He said this was so because of Nigeria's failure to fulfill the requirement right from 2000 when the MDGs commitment commenced. Cookey said the country needed funds to address the challenges facing the sector in order to achieve the target by 2015. "It may shock you to hear that 71 million Nigerians have no access to toilets,” urged the environmentalist. For details, click here. Read more... GET INVOLVED! Solidarity with Palestine: Crisis responses and movement building Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper By Kole Kilibarda, organiser with the Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid in Toronto As the number of deaths from Israel's carnage in Gaza mounts, more and more people in Canada are being moved to take action. Of course, the question quickly becomes: "What can I do?" Among the countless petitions, creative actions, protests, media alerts, letter writing campaigns, public statements and fundraising drives, how can we make the biggest collective impact on Israeli policies as people living in Canada? How can we build a movement that respects all of our different experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and understandings and at the same time effectively responds to Palestinian calls for solidarity? For details, click here.  Open letter to US Congress: Don't turn the page on administration's misdeeds By Sarah Buckmaster, Northeast Portland I am very concerned that the new Congress will simply try to "turn the page" of history on the past transgressions of the Bush administration. When the Clinton administration chose to ignore their responsibility to investigate Iran Contra, the American public got something far worse two decades later with the Bush administration. If this Congress chooses to give this administration a pass on any possible illegalities from the last eight years, no doubt, in a decade or two there will be an administration violating the Constitution and committing illegalities at a level never seen before in the history of this country. For details, click here.  Read more... ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY Transparency campaign condemns arbitrary arrest of anti-corruption campaigners and calls for their release in Gabon Source: Afrique Liberation Publish What You Pay (PWYP) campaign, the global civil society movement for transparency in the oil, gas and mining industries, condemns the arbitrary arrest of anti-corruption campaigners in Gabon, including PWYP Gabon Co-ordinator Marc Ona and PWYP Gabon member Georges Mpaga. “Our Gabonese colleagues do not have access to legal assistance and we do not know anything about their detention conditions. We are seriously concerned about their physical and mental integrity and are afraid that they might be at risk of ill-treatment,” said Radhika Sarin, the international coordinator of Publish What You Pay. “We call on the international community to insist that they be released.” For details, click here. Call for participation: AA1000 SES Revision Survey Online Source: AccountAbility, www.accountability21.net AccountAbility has kicked-off the start of the New Year with the AA1000 Stakeholder Engagement Standard (AA1000 SES) revision survey. As with the revision of the AA1000AS, this survey marks the first step in the revision of the AA1000 SES which will serve to identify the main issues that need to be addressed in the next edition of the Standard. The AA1000 SES is a principle based, open-source framework for quality stakeholder engagement. The AA1000 SES applies to businesses, civil society and labour organisations, public bodies and multi-stakeholder partnerships and is relevant across a full range of engagements from micro-level issues specific engagements to macro-level engagements on major societal concerns. To participate in the survey, click here. UN Global Compact responds to NGO letter Source: CSRwire in New York - 12 January 2009  Georg Kell, Executive Director of the United Nations Global Compact respond to an international coalition of civil society organisations. The letter is a response to an open letter to Georg Kell published by the coalition on 7 January 2009. As the issue of business and peace is a great concern of UN Global Compact, "we are indeed very keen to ensure that whatever actions we take within the initiative reduce human suffering and make a positive contribution to improving the situation in conflict-afflicted countries around the world, and not undermine or make situations worse. After having received the advice and guidance of a number of Board Members, we have decided not to handle this matter as an integrity issue of an individual company, PetroChina," said Georg Kell in a letter to civil society organisations. For details, click here.  Read more... CIVIL SOCIETY ACTIVISM AND GLOBAL INSTITUTIONS European civil society organises response to the global financial crisis Source: EURODAD (European Network on Debt and Development) The global financial crisis that erupted in 2008 will have dramatic consequences for all countries during 2009 and beyond. The impact will be economic, social, environmental and political. The developing world, which is a victim rather than a cause of this crisis, has been marginalised in many of the discussions to date, but is now becoming very directly affected. For details, click here.  Human Rights Watch calls on Obama to reverse 'Damage' of Bush years By Heather Maher, Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty Human Rights Watch (HRW) has used its annual report to urge the incoming Obama administration to make the protection and defense of human rights the central tenant of its policy decisions on foreign and national affairs. The group says that is the only way to undo what it calls "the enormous damage of the Bush years." HRW's London director, Tom Porteous, says President George W. Bush's "war on terror" has been waged without regard for human rights, with the result that many governments around the world have turned a similarly blind eye to the issue. For details, click here.  Towards a “Global Deal” to revive and broaden the benefits of growth By Richard Samans, Senior Fellow at American Progress and Managing Director of the World Economic Forum There is a great deal riding, both economically and politically, on the international community’s ability to find the common ground necessary to reverse the current vicious circle in the world economy and turn it into a stronger virtuous circle of synergistic advances of living standards in rich and poor countries as they integrate. The recent economic crisis, as well as the combination of rising inequality in many newly industrialising countries and stagnating real wages in the United States and other advanced industrialised countries, has sown doubts about whether global integration can live up to its billing as a force for shared progress. As a result, the social consensus behind free trade has frayed noticeably in recent years, particularly in developed countries. For details, click here.  Read more... CLIMATE JUSTICE Business, civil society urge EU to slash oil dependency  Source: EurActiv.com Europe must reduce its oil demand by over half within the next 40 years to tackle climate change and address growing difficulties in securing access to fossil fuels, an European Union (EU) consultative body argued. In an opinion addressed to MEPs ahead of their adoption of a report on long-term oil supply and demand trends, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) stated that the only way out of the climate crisis was to instigate a change "comparable in scale to a new industrial revolution”, steering the world economy from excessive dependence on fossil fuels towards alternative energy sources and increased efficiency. For details, click here.  Report: Climate Change: Stronger, Faster, Sooner By Dr. Tina Tin, WWF Recent scientific research -- published since the deadline for the latest assessment report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) -- reveals that global warming is accelerating far beyond the 2007 IPCC forecasts. This brief collects some of the key findings, including particular impacts of climate change in Europe. This sobering perspective comes at a critical time during the political negotiations of the European Union climate and energy package, which will set emission reduction targets out to 2020. An ambitious package could put the European Union (EU) in the driver's seat for negotiating a breakthrough to a successful global deal to tackle climate change that we so desperately need. For details, click here. Eastern Europe: Go with Putin, or go nuclear By Claudia Ciobanu, Source: Inter Press Service (IPS) The gas crisis has placed environmental concerns on the backburner, and raised demands for nuclear production at plants once considered unsafe. Bulgarian authorities have had to restart one unit of Bobov Dol thermal plant because of the shortage of gas. The Bobov Dol plant is one of the main polluters in the country, lacking a sulphur purification facility and producing greenhouse emissions above the permitted level. Following Bulgaria's entry to the European Union (EU), units of Bobov Dol had to be shut down to meet European environmental standards. Similarly, with entry to the EU, Bulgaria has had to start phasing out its nuclear plant at Kozloduy, considered an environmental and safety hazard. Kozloduy was producing much of the electricity used in the country, and allowed Bulgaria to become an exporter in the Balkans. For details, click here.  Read more... CAPACITY BUILDING  Managing NGOs: How to lead organisations more effectively Publisher: National Minority AIDS Council, USA, 2008 Successful Community-Based Organisations (CBOs) can attribute their success to employing 15 key components that support organisational effectiveness. One of these components is leadership development. This manual aims to give learners new insight and specific tools to lead their organisations more effectively and develop better relations with employees and partners. It is based on the premise that a community’s capacity to effectively coordinate HIV/AIDS efforts depends on skilled leadership. For details, click here. PROFILES DONOR: European Social Fund The European Social Fund (ESF), created in 1957, is the European Union’s main financial instrument for investing in people. It supports employment and helps people enhance their education and skills. This improves their job prospects. ESF seeks to reduce differences in prosperity across the EU and enhance economic and social cohesion. ESF funding is spread across the EU, however, most money goes to those countries and regions where economic development is less advanced. Maximum funding available is Pound 1,000,000. The grant is available for any organisation, public, private or third sector legally formed, except sole traders, that is able to deliver ESF provisions. For details, click here. MEMBER: The Management Centre of the Mediterranean The Management Centre of the Mediterranean was established in 2001 by the Cyprus Turkish Association of Managers. Its mission is to provide impact-driven training, consultancy, and research services for the productive working of public, private and civil society organisations (CSOs); to teach and apply innovative management know-how; to establish and improve systems to effectively utilize international and local projects for development; to contribute to organisational and social reconciliation activities; and to pursue and support sustainable development activities. The Management Centres programs include social participation and diversity, capacity building and organisational development, work-based learning and professional development, and private sector and economic development. For details, click here. Read more on the previous member profiles... BOOKS, REPORTS & RESOURCES An educators guide to Crimes of War Authors: J. Waldman; Crimes of War Project; the United States Institute of Peace Publisher: Human Rights Education Associates, 2007 Despite the advanced state of development of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, the world continues to witness heinous crimes of war. The intention of this educator's guide is to make prominent writings of field journalists on war crimes accessible to youth, young adults, and future decision makers, as well as to inform the general public. It provides content on war crimes in a variety of ways: creating thematic groupings from Crimes of War, summarising articles, providing discussion questions and in-depth activities, defining terms, and referencing additional film, print and web resources. It is intended for use in senior level high school classes, advanced placement classes and university classes. For details, click here.  International Growth Centre (IGC) launched at the University of Oxford Source: FinChannel, Open Source Information Secretary of State for International Development, Douglas Alexander has launched a new centre, to be led by the University of Oxford and the London School of Economics (LSE), to provide practical help to promote economic growth in developing countries. The Department for International Development (DFID) will provide £37 mn over the next three years to fund the new International Growth Centre. "As the economic climate threatens to force people into poverty, we need even greater political leadership than we have seen in the last decade to ensure that the progress we have made is not reversed," said Douglas Alexander. For details, click here.  Read more... CONFERENCES & EVENTS World Social Forum 2009 27 January - 1 February 2009, Belem do Para, Brazil The registration for organisations, individuals and press for the World Social Forum (WSF) has been extended to17 January. Those who miss the deadline may still register in the act of accreditation on 25 January 2009. For details, click here. 2009 Africa Grantmakers Affinity Group (AGAG) Annual Retreat Connecting Knowledge: Education, Health and Civil Society 23 - 25 February 2009, Chantilly, VA, USA The Africa Grantmakers' Affinity Group (AGAG) is a network of funders who have formed an association where they can share and learn from each other about the most effective ways to support development efforts in Africa. Each year AGAG hosts an Annual Retreat. The 2009 Annual Retreat will explore the theme "Connecting Knowledge: Education, Health, and Civil Society." For details, click here. Read more... FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES The Power of Us: Re-Imagine Media Challenge Application Deadline: 21 January 2009, 6:00 pm EST (21:00 GMT) Join We Media and Ashoka’s Changemakers Challenge in the search to find the best new ideas for inspiring a better world through media and technology. We Media and Ashoka’s Changemakers are looking for business and non-profit venture ideas and will award $50,000 in seed funding to the innovators who can bring the best ideas to life. For details, click here.  WWSF PRIZE for women’s creativity in rural life Application Deadline: 31 March 2009 The Women’s World Summit Foundation (WWSF) cordially invites submission of nominations for its 16th annual edition of the PRIZE for women’s creativity in rural life, honouring creative and courageous women and women’s organisations working to improve the quality of life in rural communities around the world. Since inception of the prize programme in 1994, laureates have been honoured for their creativity (as of 2009 US$ 1000 per laureate and US$ 3000 for established organisations in Africa). Nominations guidelines are available in English and French.  Read more... WORKSHOPS & COURSES Role of civil society in fighting corruption 19 January 2009, Sana’a, Yemen The Human Rights Information & Training Center (HRITC) is working on the final arrangements for holding the first regional session in the Arab world on the role of civil society in combating corruption. This session is being implemented by the HRITC in Yemen in cooperation with the American Beyster Institute’s Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), and is considered the first step in training civil society activists to fight corruption. The training programme will provide an overview of the United Nations Convention against Corruption, and discuss different methods of combating corruption. The session is calling for participation of 35 representatives from civil society organisations in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Sudan, Morocco, Tunisia and Yemen. For details, click here.  Training: EPPI-Centre presents Evidence for policy, practice and personal decisions 01 March 2009 - 30 April 2009, University of London, UK The Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Co-ordinating Centre (EPPI-Centre) module will interest students wanting to familiarise themselves with debates around participation in and the use of research. EPPI-Centre will critically analyse research from the perspectives of policy makers, practitioners and personal decision makers, and explore methods for evidence-informed decision-making. The course requires a working understanding of systematic review methods. For details, click here.  Read more... CALL FOR PAPERS, SUBMISSIONS, SURVEYS & NOMINATIONS European Commission call for proposals: NGO, Civil Society, Local Authorities Capacity-building Application Deadline: 9 February 2009 The European Commission has issued a Call for Proposals for NGOs around the world under its “Non-State Actors and Local Authorities in Development”. The thematic objective of the Programme is to build the capacities of NGOs and the local authorities so that they can work efficiently with local communities, raise public awareness of developmental issues, promote education, organise anti-poverty efforts and increase dialogue, participation and cooperation between international development organizations, countries and other actors. The specific objectives of the support are to improve the capacity of NGOs so that they can effectively participate in local, national and international decision-making processes, improve linkages and partnerships with North-South and South-South organizations and local authorities. For details, click here.  Call for Papers, Posters, Round Table Proposals, Practitioner Contributions and Product Demonstrations Application Deadline: 26 March 2009 The International Conference on e-Government (ICEG 2009) is an opportunity for academics to share the latest thinking on e-Government research. e-Government developmental trends, adoption, architecture, transformation, barriers, success factors and management are factors that have lead to an escalation of the level of research activity on the topic. This is not least because the rise in e-Government provision brings with it a greater interest in the study of e-Government, from both a practical and a theoretical point of view. For details, click here. Read more... APPOINTMENTS This week, new civil society job openings have been added to the CIVICUS website. Please click here. Should you wish to publish a New Vacancy, please click on Add job. Please add an expiry date for applications. JOBS OF THE WEEK Civil Society Index Programme Officer Application Deadline: 26 January 2008 CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation Location: Johannesburg, South Africa For details, click here. CONTACT e-CIVICUS e-CIVICUS is a free weekly online publication keeping tens of thousands of people, organisations and programmes informed of the many developments and factors that affect civil society and their impact on creating a more just world. We value your comments and suggestions. Please send these to the Editorial Team at editor@civicus.org. Unsubscribe: To unsubscribe from e-CIVICUS, get a password reminder, or change your subscription options by entering your subscription email address: Click here.