DAWN’s Supplement on ICPD+15: ICPD+15 at the Crossroads: Health, Rights and Citizenship; Advocating for Full Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights: Still and Uphill Battle; Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights and Global Finance - Crisis or Opportunity?; ICPD Agenda Remains Fragmented. See pdf: DAWN’s Supplement on ICPD+15
How can civil society most effectively work for peacebuilding? This paper presents the findings of a comparative research project which analysed the performance of civil society in regards to protection, monitoring, advocacy, socialisation, social cohesion, facilitation, and service delivery in situations of war and armed conflict. It concludes civil society can play an important supportive role, but the effectiveness of its activities varied substantially.
The Honduran crisis as reported by Honduran Feminists in Resistance
On June 28, the democratically elected President of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya, was forcibly removed from power and exiled to Costa Rica by the Honduran military in a coup d’état. On September 21, Zelaya returned to Honduras with the support of the government of Brazil and has taken refuge in the Brazilian Embassy where thousands of people from around the country have amassed to show their support for a return to democracy. In response, the de facto government deployed the police and Armed Forces to control the demonstrations resulting in violent attacks against the thousands of peaceful protesters. Below are some of the highlights received from the women of the Honduran Feminists in Resistance who have been on the frontlines of pro-democracy actions and resistance since the coup occurred three months ago. Read the rest of this entry »
By John W. Foster, researcher at the North-South Institute
Crowded into Monumental Baptist Church, several hundred youth, community folk and activists spent three hours with Nobel Prize winner Joe Stiglitz, Steelworkers leader Leo Gerard, Washington-based Emira Woods, Enrique Daza of the Hemispheric Social Alliance, Carl Redwood Junior of the Hill District Consensus Group, Rev. John Welsh of the Pittsburgh theological school, Tammy Ban Luu of the Labour/Community Strategy Center of Los Angeles and others. On the “hill”, just down the street from the tent “village” and in one of Pittsburgh’s “no go” areas (according to our taxi driver), the atmosphere was charged with enthusiasm.
Source: SACSIS
Justice Richard Goldstone is accused of being unfair to Israel in his investigative report on the war in Gaza, which the Israeli government has stepped up efforts to discredit in the international media. But Phyllis Bennis, author of “Understanding the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict,” contends that there is no way that the credibility of the Goldstone report can be challenged. The real challenge, she says, is how much pressure we, as civil society, can bring to bear on our governments to make the report real.
The General Assembly of the United Nations adopted a resolution that takes the next step in the process of creating the new women’s rights entity at the U.N. In the text below are the Gender Equality Architecture Reform (GEAR) talking points on the passage of the resolution. Read the rest of this entry »
The regional commissions as well as women’s organizations, coalitions, and networks are planning regional activities over the coming months to discuss achievements and setbacks regarding the twelve critical areas of concern as outlined in the Beijing Platform. In many of these meetings and conferences, an emphasis will also be placed on examining how the global financial crisis will impact achievements towards improving women’s rights. See a preliminary list of regional activities, pdf.
UN Special Rapporteur on Housing, Miloon Kothari, visting the Phiri community in South Africa
Source: Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE)
Mazibuko right to water case reaches Constitutional Court of South Africa
The Geneva-based Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE), with the cooperation of the South Africa-based Legal Resource Centre, has intervened as amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) in a historic human rights battle in South Africa. After a five year legal battle, the landmark case of Mazibuko and others vs. the City of Johannesburg and others will finally be heard on the 2nd and 3rd of September by the Constitutional Court of South Africa.
Segragated bus. Photo: Anar Green
Source: Ynet
Haredi (followers of conservative Orthodox Judaism) women have decided they’re sick of keeping kosher. Ten years after Egged and Dan bus companies came up with the ‘kosher’ bus lines - which require female passengers to sit in a separate section at the back of the bus - a campaign is being launched to fight the segregation.
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20 Papers on Workers, Women, Unions, International Solidarity, Communications and Culture. See full text, pdf format.
Choike.org updates Social Watch Blog
