World Alliance for Citizen Participation

A Free Weekly Newsletter Promoting Civic Existence, Expression & Engagement Please send contributions, comments and questions to editor@civicus.org.

05 September 2007 ISSUE No. 355 PUBLISHER CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Micha Hollestelle COPY EDITOR Laureen Bertin MANAGING EDITOR Eric Muragana OCCASIONAL CONTRIBUTORS Carla Suarez Carol Baloyi Douglas Rutzen Julia Sestier Tania Gobena 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 OF CIVIL SOCIETY NEWS 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 no later than Tuesday 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, please visit www.civicus.org/new/media/ e-civicuseditorialguidelines-finalDraft.doc REPRODUCTION OF e-CIVICUS Readers are welcome to reproduce, in part or in full, all sections of this newsletter, however please request permission to do so first. When reproducing or retransmitting content, please credit sources and authors. 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. Similarly, links provided in e-CIVICUS may point to Internet sites that may be of interest to our readers; however CIVICUS does not take responsibility for, nor necessarily endorse their content. Stories are provided for information purposes only, and readers who intend to rely on information provided through such stories are strongly recommended to double-check its accuracy by reference to other sources first. Opinions expressed by contributors to e-CIVICUS are solely those of the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of CIVICUS, its Board of Directors, managers or staff, or any CIVICUS members or partners. Please do send your comments and suggestions to editor@civicus.org .  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.civilsocietywatch.org www.civicusassembly.org To subscribe or unsubscribe: email subscriptions@civicus.org TELL A FRIEND Do you have a friend who works for a more just world? Would you like to share this newsletter with them? Please forward their e-mail address to subscriptions@civicus.org We value your comments, suggestions and contributions. Speak to us at editor@civicus.org Support CIVICUS You can make an on-line donation at www.civicus.org/new/donatev2.html Join CIVICUS Join or renew your CIVICUS Membership on-line now at www.civicus.org/new/joinv2.html 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 around the world, featuring insightful interviews, updates on threats to civil society, and analyses of current situations. Read more at www.civilsocietywatch.org CIVICUS blog What do you think? Have your say on the CIVICUS Blog! CIVICUS seeks to amplify the voices and opinions of ordinary people and give expression to the enormous creative energy within civil society. Our recently launched blog gives you the opportunity to use your voice and engage with the rest of civil society. Have your say by visiting http://civicus.civiblog.org

FROM THE DESK OF CIVICUS' SECRETARY-GENERAL Send your comments and contributions to editor@civicus.org Enforced disappearances threaten us all By Kumi Naidoo, CIVICUS Secretary-General Dear e-CIVICUS Subscriber, 30 August was the 'International Day of the Disappeared'. While, understandably, the media cannot cover each International Day with equal attention, I was surprised to notice the limited attention that 'The International Day of the Disappeared' received in mainstream media. After all, next to civil society activists, many of the disappeared are journalists. This should be no big surprise, as both activists and journalists, much to the dislike of repressive regimes, strive to uphold the freedom of opinion and information as stated in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The twentieth century was bloodstained by states systematically targeting those who were not subscribing to the state ideology. I vividly remember, following the death of a close friend, Lenny Naidu, and the disappearances of several activists, how I feared for my brother’s life. After I fled South Africa in the early 1980s, it was a “relief” for me to find out that my younger brother was “safely” being detained by the apartheid regime without charge. To this day, I still hope to find out more about a friend, Mthintwa Tobias Badumuti, with whom I worked in the anti-apartheid movement. I am aware, however, that this may never happen. To read more on the column, please see www.civicus.org/new/content/deskofthesecretarygeneral80.htm Amnesty International and the International Day of the Disappeared 30 August is observed each year by Amnesty International and other activists worldwide as the International Day of the Disappeared. Activists remember those who have disappeared and their relatives, and take action to get disappeared persons released or charged with a recognisable crime and given a fair trial if they are still in custody. Activists also seek to bring the perpetrators of enforced disappearances to justice. To "disappear" is to vanish, to cease to be, to be lost. But the "disappeared" have not simply vanished. For more information, see http://news.amnesty.org.au/comments/international_day_of_the_disappeared Missing persons: not enough is being done The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) marked the International Day of the Disappeared on 30 August by calling on the international community to renew its commitment to addressing the plight of missing persons and their families. In addition, the ICRC is presenting a report entitled Missing Persons - A Hidden Tragedy, which calls attention to the tragic predicament - all too often ignored - of people unaccounted for in connection with armed conflict and other situations of violence, and of their families. "Ever since wars have been fought, people have gone missing," noted Pierre Krähenbühl, the ICRC's director of operations, when presenting the report at the organisation's Geneva headquarters. For more information, see www.icrc.org/Web/Eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/missing-news-290807 CIVICUS Poll Questions Each week, a new question is posted on the CIVICUS website. Let us know what you think. If you have a poll question you would like to ask, please email editor@civicus.org. This week’s question:  Will the Convention against Enforced Disappearances eradicate enforced disappearance of people?  Answer the question at www.civicus.org/new/poll.asp?c=048451 Previous question: Do Northern civil society organisations (CSOs) have any added value apart from grant making? Results: Yes - 75%, No - 14%, Don’t Know - 11% Terms of Reference for CIVICUS organisational evaluation The purpose of the exercise is to undertake an evaluation of CIVICUS which will assist the organisation to align its structure, governance, resources and programmes to meet agreed strategic directions. Interested candidates are invited to send a letter of interest indicating their approach, their availability and estimated costs to the Chairperson of the Board, CIVICUS, c/o the Secretary General. Please e-mail to Estelle.baker@civicus.org; or fax to +27 (0)11 833 7997, for the attention of Estelle Baker. For more information, see www.civicus.org/new/media/CIVICUS-TORorganisational-evaluation-21August2007.doc CIVICUS submission to the 2007 meeting of the Commonwealth Committee Commonwealth commitment to civil society In recent years, the Commonwealth has publicly recognised the value of civil society and committed itself to working with this important sector. The Coolum Declaration of 2002, for instance, talked of the Commonwealth “family” and the “need for stronger links and better two-way communication and coordination between the official and non-governmental Commonwealth”. Again in 2005, in Malta , heads of government “noted the steps taken by the Commonwealth and its institutions to mainstream civil society in all its activities and called for these efforts to be increased." CIVICUS applauds the important work being implemented by Commonwealth institutions, most notably the Commonwealth Foundation, but draws to the attention of Heads of Government some disturbing trends. For more information, see www.civicus.org/new/media/CIVICUSCOW07submission.pdf e-CIVICUS DIALOGUES Recognising the brevity of time: Partner Vetting System Comments by Douglas Rutzen, International Center for Not-for-Profit Law In July, the Bush Administration proposed a plan to conduct “national security” screenings of individuals and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) associated with the United States Agency for International Development. The plan would require these NGOs to provide the US government with personal information about their officers, directors, and key employees, including phone numbers, addresses, e-mail addresses, and “government issued identification information.” This personal data would then be used to screen the individual against secret watch lists of individuals with terrorist ties. The International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (a Civil Society Watch Advisory Group Member) and an array of other NGOs are vigorously challenging this ill-conceived proposal. For more information on these comments, see www.civicus.org/new/media/ICNLcomments-USAIDPVS.pdf Civil return to democracy in Pakistan By Afiya Shehrbano, sociologist based in Karachi, Pakistan While acknowledging that we are currently wading through a political quagmire, it is equally important to recognise that both the agenda and the potential role of civil society seems hazy and confused. Sensing the impending return to democratic rule, many have begun to question the viability of democratic dispensation, even where a transition to a people's government does take place freely and fairly. In part, this is the fallout of prolonged dictatorial rules. Shehrbano reminds us that “society forgets that democracy needs to be constructed and that it is ours to define as we will”. For more information, see www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=70612 Do capitalists fund revolutions? By Michael Barker, doctoral candidate at Griffith University, Australia To date capitalists have financially supported two types of revolution: they have funded the neoliberal revolution to “take the risk out of democracy”, and they have supported/hijacked popular revolutions (or in some cases manufactured ‘revolutions’) in countries of geostrategic importance (i.e. in countries where regime change is beneficial to transnational capitalism). The former neoliberal revolution has, of course, been funded by many right-wing philanthropists intent on neutralising progressive forces within society, while these types of ‘democratic revolutions’ are funded by an assortment of ‘bipartisan’ quasi-non-governmental organisations.  For more information, see www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=41&ItemID=13689 CIVIL SOCIETY NEWS Civil society building bridges in Israeli and Palestinian International efforts to achieve a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would prove close to impossible without the active support of civil society groups, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said in a message read by Angela Kane, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs. Addressing the opening session of the United Nations International Conference of Civil Society in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace at the European Parliament in Brussels, Kane said civil society actors were helping build bridges between the Israeli and Palestinian peoples, strengthening institutions and providing critical humanitarian and other assistance. For more information, see www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/EKOI-76L2U9?OpenDocument Putin may go, but civil society has been weakened in Russia Since coming to power in 2000, Russia 's Vladimir Putin has implemented a system known alternately as "managed democracy" or "sovereign democracy." Its essential features are a strong and unaccountable executive, a subservient legislature and judiciary, stage-managed elections with predictable results, and a so-called "power vertical" in which regional and local elites are subordinate to the Kremlin. Civil society has been weakened, public liberties restricted, and the media tightly controlled. Putin has also tightened Russia 's macroeconomic policy and stabilised the country's once-turbulent finances. For more information, see www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2007/08/a728d464-224e-4ba1-8560-ad580c9c1d71.html Rights-US: Low-income housing on the chopping block Even as people around the United States and the world recall the horrors of Hurricane Katrina two years ago, which displaced tens of thousands of the Gulf Coast's poorest residents, government-subsidised housing has come under increasing attack by policymakers in the U.S. As Linda Couch, deputy director of the National Low-Income Housing Coalition, told Inter Press Agency (IPS), starting in the 1990s, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) encouraged the demolition of 100,000 units. Since then, local authorities across the country have destroyed at least 78,015 public housing apartments under HOPE VI, with another 10,354 planned for demolition, according to HUD data. For more information, see www.civicus.org/new/media/Housing-ChoppingBlock.doc Civil society efforts in war footing needed to fix water and sanitation issues in Asia Civil society representatives, government officials, sanitation experts and funding agencies are unanimous that Asia’s water delivery and sanitation problems should be tackled with the same urgency as disaster relief. ''People will not wait five to ten years for water. They will take it now, illegally if necessary. Time is of the essence,'' says K. E.Seetharam, water and urban development specialist at the Asian Development Bank (ADB). A team of water experts who are working round the clock to prepare a forward-looking document called Asian Water and Development Outlook (AWDO), funded by the ADB, met in Singapore for three days of consultations. For more information, see www.civicus.org/new/media/WarFootingNeeded-FixWater.doc  Civil society, MPs to fight child abuse in Uganda The Uganda Parliamentary Forum for Children (UPFC), a non-partisan group of MPs, on 29 August signed a memorandum of understanding to promote the rights of, and support policies favourable to, children with child-focused civil society organisations (CSOs). Save the Children explained that civil society organisations would, among others; monitor the child rights situation in the country and regularly pass on their findings to the UPFC, especially when action is required from Parliament. The UPFC chairperson, Ms Ruth Tuma, said, "We need each other for the welfare of the children. Uganda has set the pace in the region by having a Parliament dedicated to the cause of children. We therefore need this partnership." For more information, see www.monitor.co.ug/news/news090310.php Civil society far from local needs in Albania Organisations fostering civil society development are powerful actors in Albania , and have been central in promoting democratisation in the formerly communist country. Donors are often accused by local civic organisations of being inflexible, withholding vital information on common projects and of putting forward abstract guidelines which are not based on any study of local conditions and needs. "Morally civic organisations should represent those who they claim to represent, but legally they are obliged towards the donors, so I think donors should be more responsible," Auron Tare, director of the Albanian National Trust told Inter Press Agency (IPS). For more information, see www.civicus.org/new/media/CivilSociety-FarLocalNeeds.doc Threat of public sector strikes still hangs over government in Chad Trade unions in Chad have suspended a strike that closed hospitals and schools in the capital for three months, but some analysts are warning that the unions remain a powerful disruptive force and the significance of the strikes should not be underestimated. Union leaders threatened to take their dispute onto the streets but the four-month strike turned out to be peaceful. “The strike is not over – it is simply suspended and can restart at any moment,” union co-ordinator Djibrine Assali told IRIN. For more information, see www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=74095 Media: Most exclusionist institution in India Inter Press Agency (IPS) Interview with Palagummi Sainath Palagummi Sainath, winner of this year’s Ramon Magsaysay award in the category for journalism, literature, creative communication and arts, believes that while India has a free press there is a growing disconnect between mass media and mass reality, arising from monopolistic trends. In an interview with IPS correspondent Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, Sainath, who is widely respected for his reportage on rural issues, says that the ‘dumbing down’ process is actually pure business strategy on the part of media moguls. For more information, see www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39121 ACCOUNTABILITY The Accountability Rating 2007: How accountable are the world's largest companies? This autumn, the world’s largest companies will be rated once again on their progress in building social and environmental responsibility into business strategy, operations and community engagement. For the first time, the Accountability Rating will be enhanced by new data on social and environmental impacts. The Accountability Rating which is devised by CSR Network and international think-tank AccountAbility, ranks the Fortune Global 100, examining how successfully companies integrate responsible business practices into their core activities. For more information, see www.civicus.org/new/media/AccountabilityRating2007.doc Why is accountability critical for capacity development? When people think about capacity development, they usually have in mind training or some kind of activity aimed at organisational strengthening. The assumption is that better trained personnel and more technologically-advanced operating systems will automatically result in better service delivery. Experience suggests otherwise. While investments in staff, procedures and systems in the public sector (the ‘supply side’) are important, organisations tend to perform better when they are held to account by their owners, shareholders or clients (the ‘demand side’). It is the pressure exerted by these groups that creates the incentive to perform. For more information, see www.capacity.org/en/journal/feature/using_accountability_relationships_to_support_capacity GET INVOLVED! Take action against enforced disappearances! Urge your government to: Ratify the Convention at the earliest opportunity and without reservations undermining the object and purposes of the Convention; Declare that it recognizes the competence of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances to receive and consider communications from individuals and states according to Articles 31 and 32; and Enact effective implementing legislation without delay Letters should be addressed to Ministers of Foreign Affairs of all countries. To get involved, see http://web.amnesty.org/pages/393-100807-action-eng  Take Action: Bottled water costs us the earth The bottled water industry is global in nature. But it is designed to sell the same product to two completely different markets: one water-rich and the other water-scarce. The question is whether this industry will have different outcomes in these two worlds. Or will we, for two opposite reasons, agree that their business costs society the earth and that it is not good for human development? To get involved, see http://southasia.oneworld.net/article/view/152662/1  PERSPECTIVES ON THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS AND THE GLOBAL CALL TO ACTION AGAINST POVERTY Delegations to Political Decision Makers The Global Call to Action against Poverty this week launched details of its co-ordinated ‘Delegations to Political Representatives’ which will happen in and around the annual Whiteband Day, October 17. Twenty country coalitions have already decided to put together a delegation of senior civil society representatives and set up meetings with politicians to present their demands. These demands are in many cases centred on reform of the International Financial Institutions, World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF), who will hold their annual meetings in Washington just days after the October 17 mobilisation. For more information on how to join or organise a delegation to your political representative on October 17, see www.whiteband.org/GcapSpecials/anti-poverty-day/delegations-to-political-decision-makers  2007 MDGs report: Urgent need to strengthen implementation 7 July was the mid-point for evaluating the progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), as agreed by all the countries of world. These MDGs range from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education, all by the target date of 2015. National Social Watch Coalition in India , a network of civil society partners, came out with a national report on India ’s progress on MDGs. Civil society groups in the State of Madhya Pradesh came out with an implementation audit report on seven out of eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on 9 July. For more information, see www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=126012 Why civil disobedience campaigns will be necessary to eradicate extreme poverty in the world? By Dr Zeki Ergas , scholar and social activist. Founder of Millennium Solidarity Geneva Group, Secretary General of PEN International's Swiss Romand Center The eradication of extreme poverty in the world is one of the half-dozen or so major challenges facing mankind today. Firstly, in the geographical sense, poverty exists all over the world, including in the rich countries. In the United States , for example, 13 per cent of the population live below the poverty line - defined here as 'ordinary' poverty which is somewhat different from 'extreme' poverty, defined by some international organisations as having less than a dollar a day on which to survive. For more information, see www.mediaforfreedom.com/ReadArticle.asp?ArticleID=4128 UN-backed forum examines role of ICT in achieving the MDGs Over 1 000 participants from 66 countries have gathered at the United Nations Centre in Addis Ababa to explore how the latest information and communication technology (ICT) can help countries overcome poverty and advance development. “ICT for Development and Prosperity” is the theme for the three-day World Information Technology Forum in Ethiopia . For more information, see www.civicus.org/new/media/UN-backed-forum-examines-role-ICT.doc CIVIL SOCIETY ACTIVISM ON GLOBAL INSTITUTIONS UN seeks measures to combat climate change crises By Jonathan Tirone and Mathew Carr in Vienna Rising sea levels are likely to prompt mass migrations accompanied by conflicts and sanitary crises, requiring urgent planning to guarantee food and other essentials, a UN conference on climate change heard. Funds of $67 billion annually in 2030 “may represent the lower bound of the amount actually required'' to help people in developing countries adapt to climate change, the United Nations said in a report to the meeting in Vienna. Money is needed to ensure access to food supplies, healthcare and infrastructure. For more information, see www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=a8EAvfD5BgIA&refer=latin_america Common South Asian approach in global forum stressed Stalling of the Doha Round of trade negotiations at the multilateral level, and slow progress at the regional level around the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) have presented challenges in addressing the inequities of global trade, said trade experts and economists. Speaking at a Regional Seminar on the Future of Trade Policy in South Asia organised by the South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics & Environment (SAWTEE), with support from Oxfam Novib, experts from South Asian Countries emphasised the need for concerted efforts by South Asian countries. For more information, see www.gorkhapatra.org.np/content.php?nid=25948 Water crisis may threaten social stability Addressing the 17th Annual World Water Week, UN Under-Secretary-General Anna Tibaijuka told global participants that water will become a dominant world issue in the next few years. She added that there is an urgent need to find new approaches that will better utilise limited natural resources as the supply of water may threaten social stability. For more information, see www.ipsterraviva.net/Europe/article.aspx?id=5101 PROFILES DONOR - Trust for Civil Society in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE Trust) The CEE Trust acts as a mechanism for helping independent, active networks of organisations and citizens working for the public good. Its major goal has been to promote the development of civil societies in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. After a recent review, the Trust has identified several specific areas of general concern, relating to a broader understanding of the sustainability of civil society, namely: Relationship and networking practices; Public credibility and support; Organisational reforms; Strategic capacities; and Participatory culture. The CEE Trust’s new strategy caters for a wider definition of civil society, based on a broader understanding of well-organised and large NGOs, including other formal and informal organisations. For additional information see www.ceetrust.org MEMBER - PROSHIKA: A Centre for Human Development PROSHIKA: A Centre for Human Development, one of the largest non-government organisations (NGOs) in Bangladesh, was founded in 1976. PROSHIKA envisages a society which is economically productive and equitable, socially just, environmentally sound, and genuinely democratic. PROSHIKA's mission is to conduct an extensive, intensive and participatory process of sustainable development through empowering of the poor. Over the years, PROSHIKA has reached over 2.14 million households through its development programmes, created over 9 million employment/self-employment opportunities for the poor, and assisted over 1.24 million households out of poverty. For more information, e-mail  idrc@proshika.bdonline.com. BOOKS, REPORTS &RESOURCES Book Review - World Inc: How the Growing Power of Business is Revolutionising Profits, People and the Future of Both By Anne Moore Odell The role of companies is rapidly expanding in the 21st century with the rise of the "global equity culture," globalization reclaimed and renamed, puts forth Bruce Piasecki in his sixth book, "World Inc: How the Growing Power of Business is Revolutionising Profits, People and the Future of Both." Using his experience as an advisor to Toyota, HP, and other trend-setting companies, Piasecki sets out to prove that companies need to reconsider outdated business models that overlook the social needs of consumers and instead move toward social response capitalism. For more information, see www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/article2354.html Librarianship and Human Rights: A 21st Century Guide By Dr Toni Samek In this book, the reader will encounter a myriad of urgent library and information voices reflecting contemporary local, national, and transnational calls to action on conflicts generated by failures to acknowledge human rights, by struggles for recognition and representation, by social exclusion, and the library institution’s role therein. This book’s approach to library and information work is grounded in practical, critical, and emancipatory terms; social action is a central pattern. The book is conceived as a direct challenge to the notion of library neutrality, especially in the present context of war, revolution, and social change. For more information, see www.chandospublishing.com/catalogue/record_detail.php?recordID=82 Global Trends and Transitions: 2007 Survey of Think Tanks The Think Tanks and Civil Societies Programme is pleased to announce the publication of ‘Global Trends and Transitions: 2007 Survey of Think Tanks’, an in-depth survey of all known public policy research organisations, or “think tanks,” worldwide. James McGann, Director of the Think Tank and Civil Societies Programme “the think tanks’ think tank”, specialises in the study of research organizations, and the survey was carried out in order to develop an empirical base for further research on trends that are currently affecting think tanks. The findings contained in the report are a follow-up to the 1999 comprehensive assessment of this class of institutions. For more information, see www.civicus.org/new/media/FindingsGlobalSurveyThinkTanks.pdf Breaking the chains: Eliminating slavery, ending poverty This year's International Youth Day has a particular resonance, because 2007 is the Bicentenary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act, which saw an end to legal slavery in the British Empire. Throughout 2007, governments and civil society are supporting a range of events that remind us of the suffering caused by the transatlantic slave trade and commemorate those who fought for its abolition, but also address its legacy and the need to fight against the slavery that still exists in the world today. Earlier this year, the UK Department for International Development (DFID) launched a publication called "Breaking the Chains: eliminating slavery, ending poverty". For more information, see www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/slavery-brochure.pdf CONFERENCES & EVENTS The Ethical Supply Chain Summit 2007 29-30 October 2007, Amsterdam, Holland The Ethical Supply Chain Summit 2007 provides a great forum for dynamic discussion and lively debate on the important issue of ethical supply chains. The Chain Summit 2007 is the largest event in a long line of ethical procurement and sourcing conferences run by Ethical Corporation, following on most recently from the Ethical Sourcing Forum held in Paris last year. For more information, see www.ethicalcorp.com/supplychain National Human Service Leaders Summit 19 September 2007, Washington, D.C., USA The National Human Service Leaders Summit will bring together leaders from the field to learn, network, and share best practices. The opening plenary will include Larry Snyder of Catholic Charities USA and Alex Sanchez of United Way of America discussing major strategies for reducing poverty and building family economic success. For more information, see www.nydic.org/nassembly/nls.htm FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES Winners of the 2nd Edition of the Euro-Med Award for the Dialogue between Cultures 2007 The First Edition of the Euro-Med Award for Dialogue was launched by the Anna Lindh Foundation (ALF) and Fondazione Mediterraneo, Head of the Italian ALF National Network, in November 2005, about “Mutual Respect among people of different religions or any other belief” and the prize was awarded to the Mar Musa Al Habashi Monastery in Syria, represented by Father Paolo Dall'Oglio. The winners were chosen by the Anna Lindh Foundation Heads of National Network of the 37 Euro-Med Countries during an election round last July. For more information, see www.civicus.org/new/media/PressRelease-EuroMedAwardWinnerEN.pdf Humphrey Fellowship Programme Application Deadline: Varies by country The Humphrey Fellowship Program offers a ten-month stay at a journalism college in the United States to study journalism and undertake professional affiliations at US news organisations. The programme includes financial support for studies, travel, workshops and seminars, a monthly stipend, funds for books and a computer subsidy. Applicants should have a minimum of 5 years of substantial professional experience. For more information, see www.iie.org/Template.cfm?&Template=/programs/hhh/fellinf.htm Japanese Award for Outstanding Research on Development Application Deadline: 17 September 2007 Recognises 2 recipients with prizes - one for US$30,000 and another for US$5,000 - plus travel expenses, to present proposals at the Ninth Annual Global Development Conference, Brisbane, Australia, in January 2008. Awards will be granted for outstanding research proposals that provide new dimensions to development research on any of the 5 selected themes. For more information, see www.comminit.com/awards2007/awards2007/awards-1646.html Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) Grants Application Deadline: Rolling deadlines OSISA is calling for funding proposals to support projects in Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe that are both national and regional. The programmes broadly focus on education, media, information and communication technology (ICT), human rights, and democracy. For more information, see www.osisa.org/osisa/guidelines COURSES & WORKSHOPS Project Planning and Proposal Writing 17 September - 4 November 2007, University of British Columbia This course provides participants with the skills necessary for planning and writing project proposals in the field of international development. Under the guidance of the Certificate in International Development professional facilitators, participants will use a variety of tools, such as the Logical Framework Analysis, conceptual models and problem trees to plan and write a project proposal. For more information, see http://cic.cstudies.ubc.ca/cid/courses.html#CID612 CALL FOR PAPERS, SUBMISSIONS & NOMINATIONS Call for Expressions of Interest: CIVICUS seeking institutional partnership for Civil Society Index Programme Application Deadline: 9 September 2007 As one of its central programmes, CIVICUS has designed and implemented the Civil Society Index ( CSI ), a participatory needs assessment tool for civil society at the country level. The CSI uses multiple research tools and consultation processes to generate an assessment of the state of civil society in a given country. Based on the programme’s findings, CIVICUS has issued a number of publications, most recently the Global Survey of the State of Civil Society ( Bloomfield : Kumarian Press, 2007). For more information, see www.civicus.org/new/media/CSI-call-institutional-partnership-(July2007).doc. You can also download the call in Spanish at www.civicus.org/new/media/Llamado-contrapartes-institucionales(Julio 2007).doc Call for application: High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development Application Deadline: 16 September 2007 In a letter dated 27 July to all permanent missions to the United Nations in New York , the President of the General Assembly confirmed 22-23 October as the dates for the High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development. The President asked all Member States to be represented at the highest possible level during the Dialogue. The Financing for Development Office (FfDO) and NGLS have opened the application process for participation in the High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development, as well as informal interactive hearings with representatives of civil society organisations (11 October 2007). For more information on the application for participation, see www.un-ngls.org/ffd/sign.php Call for Applications: Partner organisations for the implementation of the CIVICUS Civil Society Index Application Deadline: 18 September 2007 The CIVICUS Civil Society Index ( CSI ) team is pleased to announce its call for applications to implement the CSI in five African countries in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The CSI is initiated and implemented by, and for, civil society organisations at the country level. It also actively involves and disseminates its findings to a broad range of stakeholders including government, donors, academics and the public at large. For more information, see www.civicus.org/new/media/Call-forApplications-CSI-Partnerorganisations.doc Nominate a University to receive a free copy of CIVICUS’ Global Report on the State of Civil Society, Volume 1: Country Profiles Application Deadline: 30 September 2007 The Civil Society Index (CSI) programme is currently distributing 30 copies of the CIVICUS Volume 1 Global Report on the State of Civil Society: Country Profiles to universities around the globe, free of charge. This groundbreaking work examines the state of civil society in 44 countries by looking at the structure, values, environment and impact of civil society. The nominated university will receive a programme and/or project about civil society, or a department, in political science, development studies, or sociology that teaches civil society issues. The donated book will be sent out to the university library or specific department for use by all students and faculty. For more information, see www.civicus.org/new/media/CIVICUS-CSI-volume1-NominationUniversities20070824.doc APPOINTMENTS This week 6 new civil society job openings have been added to the CIVICUS website. Please visit www.civicus.org/new/jobs.asp JOB OF THE WEEK Secretary General Application Deadline: 01 October 2007 CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation Johannesburg, South Africa For more information, see www.civicus.org/new/jobs_info.asp?id=1095 TELL A FRIEND   Do you have a friend who works for a more just world?  Would you like to share this newsletter with them? Please forward their e-mail address to subscriptions@civicus.org CONTACT e-CIVICUS We value your comments, suggestions and contributions. Please send these to Editorial Team at editor@civicus.org  e-CIVICUS is a free weekly online publication keeping tens of thousands of people, organisations and programmes informed of the many developments that are taking place in civil society organisations around the world, the many factors that are affecting the impact of civil society on creating a more just world. Subscribing to e-CIVICUS: For a free subscription to e-CIVICUS, please fill out the form at www.civicus.org/new/content/ecivicussubscription.htm. To unsubscribe from e-CIVICUS, get a password reminder, or change your subscription options by entering your subscription email address: Click here