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Dignity News | Partners' News | Other News | Action Appeals | Announcements | Events | Publications
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Dignity News
* West African Regional Linking & Learning Programme on Human Rights in Development
* From Poverty To Dignity – Another World is Possible
* Dignity and Human Rights Stripped at the Airport
* Bridging Connections with UN Office of OHCHR
Partners' News
* Continuous Fight for Land Rights
Other News
* OHCHR Statement on International Women’s Day
* FIAN: Equal Land Rights for Women
* General Strike Looms in Wisconsin, USA
* Libya Suspended from the Human Rights Council
Action Appeals
* Urgent Appeal to Change the Mindset
* Colombia: 123 Families Return to Las Pavas Land
Announcements
* GHANA: Seeking Regional Director for West and Central Africa
* Health and Human Rights Call for Papers
Events
* Panel: Women's ESCR in Kenya under the New Constitution
* 4th Annual Training on Monitoring Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Publications
* Russian version of Compendium of Good Practice
* High Stakes: Girls’ Education in Afghanistan
*** West African Regional Linking & Learning Programme on Human Rights in Development - In conjunction with the World Social Forum 2011 (6 th to 11 th February), Dignity International organized a West African Regional Linking and Learning Program on Human Rights in Development in Dakar, Senegal, in collaboration with the West African Civil Society Forum (WACSOF) and Student and Youth Travel Organisation (SYTO Senegal). A total of 21 participants from 10 countries were selected from more than 120 applicants to participate in this program.
The Dignity International West African Programme family
Throughout the program, 11 modules (including the understanding of Human Rights and Development to Globalisation, and Human Rights Based Strategies) were presented to the participants in a challenging yet fun learning process. Besides learning the theories and principles of human rights based development, participants also developed skills to utilize participatory methods, which are equally as important as the theories as it promotes a two-way learning between the facilitator and participants, assisting future engagement processes with actors involved in the development. As it was a regional training, participants exchanged ideas, stories and learned from each other’s experiences on the ground as they discovered common factors and solutions to the struggles faced. Participants also shared that the module flow was very systematic and strategic as it has allowed them to learn about the linkages between development and human rights.
Participants discovering relationships through a human rights based approach
using the Web of Life
Ms Assumta from Cameroon placing her flower at the "Dignity Tree of Hope"
On the other hand, the program provided participants from West Africa the opportunity to build a better network amongst Wet African participants. The discussions with the West African Civil Society Forum (WACSOF) proved worthwhile as WACSOF plays an important role in promoting pro-peoples policies at The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) level. The participants also took up Prof Oumar’s (Chairman-WACSOF) challenge to setup, if not participate, nationally in chapters of WACSOF in order to engage more effectively and strategically.
The Dignity International team - staff, trainers and volunteers
that made the West African programme a success
At the end the programme, to ensure the networking and solidarity continues, the West African participants decided to form the West African Dignity network which will focus on information sharing and exchange of advocacies among each other. Participants also requested for Dignity International to develop trainers for the non-English speaking regions, especially Francophone regions, in order to provide maximum and equal opportunity for everyone to participate in future trainings.
*** From Poverty to Dignity – Another World is Possible - Dignity International actively participated in the World Social Forum (WSF) on the 6 th to 12 th February in Dakar, Senegal. The Dignity International team at the WSF consists of 9 individuals, comprising of staff, partners, trainers and volunteers. DI organized 3 successful Forums with the help of our partners – European Anti Poverty Network (EAPN -Europe), Ekta Parishad ( India), Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (MST-Brazil) and Nairobi Peoples Settlement Network (NPSN- Kenya), and played active roles at the thematic assemblies. We also had the opportunity to work with friends from Amnesty International, National Association of Professional Environmentalists (Uganda), African Biodiversity Network (Africa) and Institute for Culture and Ecology ( Kenya).
From Poverty to Dignity – Another World is Possible: Dignity International in full force
at the World Social Forum opening march
Over the years, the WSF has been the apex of civil society solidarity against the neo-liberal and imperialistic agendas by capitalist. The WSF is also seen as the alternative to the World Economic Forum. It provides a platform for sharing of struggles and victories from the ground, advocacies on various issues, spaces for exchanges of programs and ideas, networking among civil society actors and various other forms of activism against neo-liberal hegemony. Hence, it was crucial for Dignity International to use this space to raise and discuss critical issues related to Economic Social and Cultural Rights. The workshops/forums organized by Dignity International were:
i. North-South Poor Demand Dismantling Oppressive Financial Systems
The panel consisted of Fintan Farrel and Yota Arvaniti from EAPN, Maria Raimunda Souza from MST, Ramesh Chandra from Ekta Parishad, and was moderated by Jerald Joseph, Executive Director of Dignity International. This panel of discussion brought together the poor from both North and South to analyze the oppressive nature of financial institutions, and demand their regulation and accountability towards their actions, also the global relations between multinational corporations and the poor.
Fintan Farrel and Yota Arvaniti from the European Anti Poverty Network (EAPN) sharing about the poverty struggles of Europeans and their strategies to fight oppression
ii. Corporate Land Grabbing
Moderated by Jerald Joseph, Executive Director of Dignity International, this panel consisting of Ramesh Chandra (Ekta Parishad), Humphrey Otieno (NPSN), Munini Mutuku (NPSN) and Maria Raimunda Souza (MST) deliberated on how the poor have been consistently subjected to the mercies of land-grabbing by corporate entities with the support of the state in the current approach adopted as PPP (Public Private Partnership). This phenomenon is exposed through the voices of community leaders. As land has become such an important commodity, governments and corporations are using every means to get it away from people for financial gains.
Maria Raimunda Souza from Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (MST), Brazil, sharing, "Either the land is for all or it is for nobody".
iii. Global Campaign on Housing and Land: An open Space Discussion on Global Strategies
This round table discussion was jointly organised with Amnesty International. It was moderated by Daniel Valls, the Regional Campaign Coordinator – Africa, Amnesty International and Jerald Joseph, the Executive Director of Dignity International. This space was utilized to brainstorm on the possible strategies that can be used in a global campaign on housing and land rights, and the proposed strategies will be executed at the grassroots, national and international levels.
(A detailed write-up on Dignity’s three forums can be found in our website)
DI Team at the WSF Assemblies
Dignity International also participated in the assemblies on Housing, Land Grabbing, Human Rights and Social Movements, that became converging points of consolidation of discussions and actions plans among civil society actors at a mass movement level. Among some of the statements and outputs from the assemblies include joint signature campaigns and formation of coalition against land grabbing.
Kindly find links to statements endorsed by Dignity International in our website. Dignity International partners and friends are invited to be signatories and share the petition among other NGOs.
*** Dignity and Human Rights Stripped at the Airport - On the 1st of February 2011, upon arrival at the Dakar International Airport, three Nigerian participants of Dignity International's West African Regional Linking and Learning on Human Rights in Development programme were detained for more than an hour, and one of them was even stripped-searched. None of them were given any explanation or information in regards to the procedures practised by the authorities at the airport. And with that gross violation of dignity and human rights of our three friends, the Dignity International families, together with our partner network West African Civil Society Forum (WACSOF), express our outrage at this incident and demand for an apology from the authorities. Click here to read our our original letter in French to the authorties.
Click here to read our letter of protest towards this incident and our demand for an apology in English.
*** Bridging Connections with UN Office of OHCHR - On 25 February 2011, Dignity International hosted a meeting between 40 civil society organizations representatives in Malaysia and Ms. Christine Chung, Malaysian Desk Officer from the UN Office of High Commission for Human Rights (OHCHR). The meeting was facilitated by Jerald Joseph, Executive Director of Dignity International.
The meeting was held in conjunction with Ms. Christine’s visit to the country and with the purpose of understanding the various UN human rights mechanism/system available.
Miss Christine Chung sharing about her role at the UN OHCHR
Ms. Christine explained that the Malaysian Desk is the UN OHCHR’s focal point for human rights issues in Malaysia and also functions as a liaison with other divisions and functions. In the UN system, there are various special procedures, reviews, and treaty mechanisms that can be used as a platform for human rights advocacy; but unfortunately, these are not optimally utilised by civil society and Malaysian issues are not adequately highlighted at UN level despite its pressing issues.
An audience with Miss Christine Chung, Malaysian Desk Officer from
the UN Office of High Commission for Human Rights (OHCHR)
The meeting enabled the participants to establish contact with the Malaysian Desk. Through this acquaintance, it is hoped that advocacy of human rights issues in Malaysia will receive the dire attention they deserve and also the NGO will better utilise the UN Human Rights mechanisms in a more effective way.
*** Continuous Fight for Land Rights - JKOASM (Peninsular Malaysia Orang Asli Villages Network) is an organisation that defends the rights of Indigenous Peoples in West Malaysia, which covers a population of about 160,000. They are called the Orang Asli, consisting of 18 tribal goups.
JKOASM was formed to create unity among the Malaysian Orang Asli grassroots communities, to act as an active body and a strong voice to the government in terms of oppression and injustice towards the rights of Malaysian Orang Asli .
Indigenous Day Celebrations August 2010
JKOASM organised a campaign to generate awareness about the existence of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), and the government’s plan to introduce an Orang Asli’s Land Alienation and Development Policy, that will drastically impact the indigenous peoples in Malaysia.
JKOASM prioritizes this campaign as it is a catalyst for the indigenous grassroots to booze their confidence and rise against any oppression imposed upon them by the government. The campaign was conducted with a series of workshops, forums, discussion groups and giving out informative pamphlets.
At the end of the campaign, JKOASM successfully gathered 4,000 individuals of the Orang Asli commuities from 7 states, to assemble at the administrative capital of Malayisa, Putrajaya, with a memorandum of protest against the Orang Asli’s Land Alienation and Development Policy which was introduced by the government on 4th December 2009. This policy had to be objected because throughout the process of planning and drafting of contents of the policy, the rights of the Orang Asli in all aspects were abandoned.
Orang Asli Protest in Administrative Capital, Putrajaya
JKOASM Chaiperson, Tijah Chopil handling over Memorundum of Orang Asli
to YB Dato' Seri Haji Mohd Shafie, the Minister of Rural and Regional Development, Malaysia
JKOASM ended the year 2010 with a land conference from the 13 th till the 16 th of December 2010, with the participation of delegates from the seven states. At this conference, a central working committee was officially formed, with the responsibilities to design and plan programmes and activities towards the achievement of the said goals.
To date, the government has yet to provide information on the introduction of this new law that would impact the indigenous communities. JKOASM and other NGOs have been asking to see the draft law prior to its introduction into Parliament, but that has met with silence from the authorities.
The struggle continues.
*** OHCHR Statement on International Women’s Day - GENEVA (8 March 2011) By High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay – On this day, I salute the women of the Middle East and North Africa, along with women all over the world who are taking great risks to stand up and fight for dignity, justice and human rights for themselves and for their compatriots. In Egypt and Tunisia, women were on Twitter, on Facebook, and on the streets. Women from all walks of life were marching alongside men, pushing boundaries and breaking gender stereotypes, just as eager for change, for human rights and for democracy.
The work, however, is far from over. In these moments of historic transition in Egypt and Tunisia, it is important to ensure that women’s rights are not set aside as something to be dealt with after the ‘crucial’ reforms are won. Women’s rights should be at the top of the list of new priorities. While women have played an important role in the call for change, concerns have already been raised that constitutional reviews and the development of reforms are undertaken without their full participation. In fact, there are worrying signs about the content of some proposed reforms in Egypt being downright discriminatory. The women and men in the Middle East and North Africa must ensure this is not the case.
Education benefited women in Tunisia and Egypt, enhancing their human rights, including their participation in the political and economic life of their countries. Yet, like other members of society, women suffered the impact of repression, corruption and lack of social justice. Many women in Tunisia and Egypt endured torture, were arbitrarily detained, and silenced. Their privacy was invaded and their family life violated. They were the first to suffer from job cuts and continue to constitute the highest number of unemployed. Salary discrepancies between men and women in the private sector have been striking. Representation in public life remained limited. In addition, discriminatory laws and policies based on gender stereotypes continued to negatively impact their work.
To read the entire statement CLICK HERE>>>
Source: OHCHR
*** FIAN: Equal Land Rights for Women - On the centenary of International Women’s Day 2011, FIAN calls for equal land rights for women worldwide. Access to and control over land is one of the most important means for men and women in rural areas to realise their right to food. Discriminatory practices, however, have driven women into increased marginalisation, especially when it comes to access to resources such as land, water or seeds. As a consequence, women are disproportionately affected by hunger and malnutrition. To read more CLICK HERE>>>
Source: FIAN
*** General Strike Looms in Wisconsin, USA – Wisconsin Governor Walker's bill will strip public-sector unions of the right to collectively bargain regarding all workplace issues other than basic wages. Workers would no longer have a legal say in their pensions, their healthcare plans, workplace safety, or any other pertinent issues. Without collective bargaining, we have no legally-recognised way to influence how we are treated at our jobs. Workers with access to a union have an opportunity to make their workplaces more democratic. Think about how much time we dedicate to work and work-related activities. With so much of our lives spent in undemocratic workplaces, how could we have real democracy in the rest of our lives?
The impact of Walker's bill reaches far beyond unions and public servants. Stripping public workers of their right to bargain affects the rights of everyone who works for a living. This attack on workers' rights will not stop with the public sector or with Wisconsin. These anti-union bills are spreading around the country from Indiana to Ohio to Nebraska in an effort to serve the corporate elite by lowering labour costs and weakening all labour. To read more CLICK HERE>>>
Source: IWW
*** Libya Suspended from the Human Rights Council – On 1 st Marchthe General Assembly suspended Libya from the United Nations Human Rights Council for “gross and systematic” human rights violations because of President Muammar Al-Qadhafi’s violent repression of peaceful protesters demanding his ouster.
The vote by the 192-member Assembly, for which a two-thirds majority was required, followed a request last Friday from the Geneva-based Council itself that it suspend the North African country – one of the top UN right’s body’s 47 elected members – and was passed by acclamation.
It was the latest measure taken against Mr. Qadhafi’s regime by the UN, where the Security Council has already imposed sanctions and requested that the International Criminal Court investigate it for possible crimes against humanity. Only Venezuela expressed reservations about Tuesday’s suspension on the grounds that an investigation was needed first – but it did not stand in the way of the vote.
Terming the Qadhafi regime’s actions “flagrant human rights violations,” the President of the General Assembly, Joseph Deiss, warned that there can be no security or development without respect for rights. To read more CLICK HERE>>>
Source: UN News Centre
*** Urgent Appeal to Change the Mindset - The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development - Rio 2012, must change the dominant mindset by:
Restoring public rights over corporate privileges - after thirty years of strengthening the power of investors and big corporations through deregulation, trade and financial liberalisation, tax cuts and exemptions, and weakening the role of the state; and after the market-driven financial meltdown.
The principles and values of the Rio Declaration and the UN Millennium Declaration, adopted by heads of states and governments, are threatened and urgently need to be re-established. They include Human Rights, Freedom, Equality, Solidarity, Diversity, Respect for Nature, and Common but Differentiated Responsibilities. Corporate interests do not uphold these principles and values.
Taking equity seriously - after thirty years of policies that further widened the gap between rich and poor and exacerbated inequities and inequalities, not least regarding access to resources.
Unbridled market forces have favoured the strong, thereby widening the economic divide. This requires the state to redress the imbalance, eliminate discrimination, and ensure sustainable livelihoods, decent work and social inclusion. Intergenerational justice requires restraint and responsibility of the present generation. It is urgent to establish more equitable per capita rights towards the global commons and to the emission of greenhouse gases, taking fully into account historical responsibility.
Rescuing nature - after more than sixty years of global warming, loss of biodiversity, desertification, depletion of marine life and of forests, a spiralling water crisis and many other ecological catastrophes.
The environmental crisis is hitting the poor much more than the affluent. Knowledge-intensive solutions including technologies are available to restore natural systems, and dramatically reduce pressures on climate and the environment while improving human well-being. A “green economy” is attainable but must be embedded in a holistic concept of sustainability. What we need is a change of lifestyles.
To read more and take action CLICK HERE>>>
Source: Choike
*** Colombia : 123 Families Return to Las Pavas Land - Demand that their right to adequate food and related rights be guaranteed during and after their return! July 14, 2009, 123 families living in the rural area known as Las Pavas, in township of Buenos Aires in the El Peñón municipal jurisdiction. To read more and support this action CLICK HERE>>>
Source: FIAN
*** GHANA: Seeking Regional Director for West and Central Africa – Voluntary Service Overseas’ (VSO) overarching goal is to eradicate poverty in its widest sense. We believe that people are the most effective agents of change and that real progress is only possible through working together, sharing knowledge and acting globally.
This is a significant strategic management role with ultimate responsibility for the quality and success of programmes in the six countries that make up our West and Central Africa Region. Working through others, you will ensure that volunteer engagement is high, funding opportunities are maximised and development programmes are robust and innovative. To learn more about this position CLICK HERE>>>
Source: Voluntary Service Overseas ( UK)
*** Health and Human Rights Call for Papers - Save the date! Next ISHHR Capacity Building Workshops & Conference in Tbilisi, Georgia 6-9 October 2011
Abstract submissions close on 1 June 2011. To submit an abstract or just register click here. ISHHR brings together professionals and people affected by trauma and human rights abuses from all over the world every few years for a major conference to combat these effects.
International Capacity Building Workshops and Conference on Health and Human Rights is a four day distinctive event created by ISHHR to bring together health specialists, human rights advocates, social workers and other professionals that work to eliminate gross human rights violations and assist affected people all around the world. Participants share knowledge on how to combat the effects of trauma, torture and human rights abuses on mental health and gain new skills.
Participants of ISHHR workshops and conferences reach out to approximately 50.000 torture survivors around the world that benefit from the services of colleagues that receive training about the latest developments in rehabilitation techniques to be used towards creating healthier communities following conflicts, exchange information with colleagues from all around the world working under different circumstances, and probably add to the literature.
Your centres might have been affected from the radical decrease in UNVFVT grants for 2011. As for ISHHR, these cuts have been shattering, since UNVFVT funding subclass for training and seminars for professionals assisting victims was suspended for 2011. We need our colleagues from developing countries to make it to Tbilisi this October, as much as we need those from the developed world to make this global networking and learning experience meaningful to all. For more information on sponsoring this event go to become a sponsor. For more information CLICK HERE>>>
Source: ISHHR
*** Panel: Women's ESCR in Kenya under the New Constitution - FIDA Kenya and ESCR-Net will be organising a two part discussion on strategies for advocacy and litigation on women's ESCR under Kenya's new Constitution, which enshrines economic, social and cultural rights. To learn more, CLICK HERE>>>
Source: ESCR-Net
*** 4th Annual Training on Monitoring Economic, Social and Cultural Rights - For human rights professionals interested in enhancing their work on monitoring economic, social and cultural rights. Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, Geneva, Switzerland.
Read more >>
Source: Equalinrights
*** OHCHR Meetings and Events
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WG on communications / 8th session
From : 11-04-2011 To : 15-04-2011
PW 1st floor
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Ad Hoc Committee on the elaboration of complementary standards to ICERD / 3rd session
From : 11-04-2011 To : 21-04-2011
PW Grd Floor
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International Coordinating Committee of National Institutions (ICC) / 24th session
From : 17-05-2011 To : 19-05-2011
PN XVIII
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(ICC) Workshop on role of prevention in the promotion & protection of HR / 1st session
From : 20-05-2011 To : 20-05-2011
PN XIX
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*** Russian version of Compendium of Good Practice - The Russian version of Human Rights Education in the School Systems of Europe, Central Asia and North America: A Compendium of Good Practice is now available. The Compendium collects 101 exemplary practices and was developed by HREA in cooperation with the publishers OSCE/ODIHR, Council of Europe, OHCHR and UNESCO. Learn more >>
Source: HREA´
*** Report : Challenges faced by women in Civil Society in Africa - On the occasion of International Women's Day, CIVICUS reviews the status of women in civil society in Africa through a report that lists key concerns and challenges for women human rights defenders on the continent. The report calls upon African governments, regional bodies, the international community and civil society to act in earnest to protect these women. The report's conclusion argues that while advancements have been made in acknowledging the role and rights of women in recent years, there remain deeply rooted cultural, religious and patriarchal perceptions that continue to inhibit the work of women human rights defenders across the continent.
Download the report [PDF] and read the press release
Source: CIVICUS
*** High Stakes: Girls’ Education in Afghanistan - Millions of girls have entered school in Afghanistan, since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. It is one of the few good news stories of the last nine years. However, the deteriorating security situation and the international community’s focus on stabilisation and counter-insurgency rather than on long-term development means this good news story is in danger of turning bad. A new approach from both the Afghan government and donors is urgently required to hold onto the gains that have been made.
This report is based on field research carried out in the summer of 2010 in 17 provinces out of a total of 34 in Afghanistan. It was conducted by Oxfam and 15 partner organisations, including 13 Afghan non-governmental organisations (NGOs) plus CARE and Swedish Committee of Afghanistan (SCA). To read more and access a free copy of this report, CLICK HERE>>>
Source: Oxfam International
