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 About
the Lutheran Office for World Community
(LOWC)
LOWC Update - #8
February 2007
An occasional, informal bulletin of news, events and resources
for LOWC partners.
News
UN looks forward with election of new Secretary General,
continued reform
In a continued effort for reform and coherence, a report from (now
former) Secretary General Kofi Annan recommended a series of
significant changes now being reviewed by UN member states. Notable
recommendations include:
• Plans for “One UN” at the country level, where one UN
representative would oversee all UN-related agency operations, i.e.
a reinforced Resident Coordinator
• A new high-level Under Secretary General position on gender,
serving as the head of an entity consolidating three existing UN
departments: UN Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the Division for the
Advancement of Women and the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender
Issues. The new entity would focus on both policy/global levels and
would also strengthen focus on gender equality at the
operational/country levels.
Looking Forward – the UN in 2007:
• The Convention on Rights of People with Disabilities and its
Optional Protocol, after four years of drafting, is open for
ratification by Members States, having been adopted by the General
Assembly on December 13, 2006.
• The International Convention for the Protection of All Persons
from Enforced Disappearance was adopted late last year by the
General Assembly.
• The General Assembly agreed to hold a Follow-up International
Conference on Financing for Development (FfD) in Doha, Qatar in the
second half of 2008. LOWC will be monitoring the preparatory
process.
• The theme for the 51st session of the Commission on the Status of
Women is the elimination of all forms of discrimination and violence
against the girl child. The Lutheran World Federation will be
sending 3 delegates from Brazil, Germany and Indonesia to New York
for the meeting. This is the first substantive session to focus on
the girl-child, with a review theme of empowering men and boys in
gender equality. For more information, write
Emily Freeburg
LWF monitors women’s rights convention
During the month of January, the Lutheran Office for World Community
has monitored the the proceedings of the treaty body for the
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against
Women (CEDAW) on behalf of member churches for the following
countries: Austria, Colombia, India, Namibia, Netherlands,
Nicaragua, Netherlands, Peru, Poland, and Suriname. If you would
like to see a copy of these reports, please email
Emily Freeburg
In 2007 the following countries of interest to the LWF will be
reviewed by CEDAW:
CEDAW 38th session (14 May-1 June 2007): Mauritania, Mozambique,
Serbia
CEDAW 39th session (23 July-10 August 2007): Bolivia, Brazil,
Estonia, Guinea, Honduras, Hungary, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya,
Republic of Korea, Singapore
For the CEDAW reviews, countries submit reports at least every
four years about the status of women in their countries regarding
education, violence against women, minority groups, employment,
education, among other issues. LWF Churches and World Service
Programs in these countries are encouraged to send 2-5 page “shadow
reports” detailing issues covered by CEDAW to the Lutheran Office
for World Community. These reports are of great benefit to the CEDAW
experts to further the national application of this human rights
treaty. One way to prepare these reports is to read what a
government has submitted to the UN, and respond in detail to any of
the issues they may have misrepresented or overlooked.
To read the country reports, or see the "issues and questions" up
for discussion, go to:
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw . This monitoring by LOWC
is part of a wider effort coordinated by the LWF Office for
International Affairs and Human Rights to monitor compliance by
States Parties with a number of international human rights treaties.
New Research and Reports
New reports: Elimination of all forms of discrimination and
violence against the girl-child
In preparation for the annual session of the Commission on the
Status of Women, the UN has commissioned a series of reports on
elimination of discrimination and violence against the girl child.
Studies cover a range of topics including: engaging men and boys;
girls in conflict situation; harmful traditional practices;
trafficking; and education. Youth voices also respond to the theme.
Research on many of these themes has been limited in the past. To
view the new research go to:
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/egm/elim-disc-viol-girlchild/egm_elim_disc_viol_girlchild.htm#bg
A New Report: "Wikis, Webs, and Networks: Creating Connections
for Conflict-Prone Setting"
This report recommends ways to improve connectivity between the
various actors working in conflict-prone settings. The ultimate goal
is to enable local populations to prevent and mitigate conflict and
help rebuild their country. Connectivity allows for, but does not
guarantee, frequent and meaningful interactions, which can help
diverse actors develop a common operating language, plan and conduct
joint exercises, and integrate operations during crises. User-driven
content, in which all individuals contribute information, share
concepts, and evaluate resources, is the practical choice for
environments with conflicting and unreliable data.
For further information and to download the report, please go to:
http://www.eldis.org/cf/search/disp/DocDisplay.cfm?Doc=DOC22817&Resource=f1conflict
Guidelines on Gender-based Violence Interventions in
Humanitarian Settings
These UN guidelines, with a focus on Prevention and Response to
Sexual Violence, are a field-friendly tool on how to set up a
gender-based violence program stressing the need for a coordinated
approach. It is now available in 5 languages and being rolled out
with extensive capacity building support in Columbia, Pakistan and
Uganda. (Languages: Arabic, English, French, Spanish, and soon to be
in Russian.) Go to:
http://www.who.int/hac/techguidance/pht/womenshealth/en/index.html
Human Rights Watch launches World Report 2007
The Bush administration has proven largely incapable of providing
leadership on human rights, while China and Russia are embracing
tyrants in their quest for resources and influence, according to
Human Rights Watch’s World Report 2007. But rather than assuming the
leadership mantle, the European Union's approach is mired in
procedures that emphasise internal unanimity and rotation over the
effective projection of EU influence to protect human rights, said
the 556-page volume's introductory essay. "Since the US can't
provide credible leadership on human rights, European countries must
pick up the slack," said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human
Rights Watch." For more information, see
www.hrw.org/wr2k7
Capacity Development for Policy Advocacy: Current thinking and
approaches among agencies supporting civil society organisations
This new Working Paper (WP260) presents a summary of current
thinking on issues of capacity building for Northern and Southern
organizations involved in using research-based evidence in policy
processes, and provides some examples of current practice among
organizations involved in work similar to that of the Civil Society
Partnership Programme (CSPP) which produces several policy types of
publications. For more information, see
www.odi.org.uk/CSPP/Publications/Index.html
World Bank civil society engagement: A review of years 2005
and 2006
The 106-page report is divided into five sections: policy dialogue
and consultations; civic engagement and participation; operational
collaboration and institutional partnerships; global, regional, and
country-based engagement; and outreach to civil society
constituencies. In each section the review describes, with rich
details, how the Bank has reached out and involved civil society in
its policy formulation, research, training, funding, and
implementation initiatives. There are also two annexes which
describe civil society involvement in CAS consultations in 50
countries and PRS formulation in 41 countries. For more information,
see
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/mdg/rc/ItemDetail.do?itemId=1084987
Addressing the differential impacts of trade on women and men
This conference report points to the lack of mechanisms that exist
to hold the World Trade Organisation (WTO), governments, and other
international players to account for women's rights. As the WTO did
not exist at the time of the Fourth World Conference on Women, the
resultant Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA) does not specifically
address concerns around the WTO and its impact on women's lives. The
report is divided into individual presentations, panel discussions
and an overview of regional advocacy concerns. For more information,
see:
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/gender/rc/ItemDetail.do?itemId=1085026
The Millennium Villages Project ending rural poverty in Africa
Proponents of the Millennium Villages Project argue that the complex
problems facing rural development in Africa require a ‘big push’ if
substantive progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
is to be made and propose the simultaneous introduction of
improvements in agriculture, health, transport, energy, technology,
telecommunications and internet connectivity, costing US$110 per
person per year over five years, and funded mainly from aid flows.
This paper examines the challenges this initiative faces, and the
questions it raises, in its search for ‘quick wins’ to reach the
MDGs. For more information, see:
www.sarpn.org.za/documents/d0002277/index.php
NGO Accountability
Concerns about the role and accountability of NGOs have been voiced
from different quarters in recent years. Some donors, governments,
corporations, and international agencies raise important questions
about the effectiveness of NGO work and the legitimacy of their
advocacy. Some NGOs have also recognized the need to ensure good
practice in the wider voluntary sector. With this in mind, the new
Development Dossier from NGLS, “Debating NGO Accountability” by Dr.
Jem Bendell, puts democracy and human rights firmly at the centre of
the debate about NGO accountability. For more information, see:
http://www.un-ngls.org/site/article.php3?id_article=202
Toolkits, manuals and new web resources
'Time to Talk: a guide to family life in the age of AIDS'
The Strategies for Hope Trust announces the launch of 'Time to Talk:
a guide to family life in the age of AIDS'. This is the third title
in the 'Called to Care' toolkit of handbooks, designed for use by
churches and faith-based organizations. 'Time to Talk' is intended
for use with church groups by pastors, lay preachers, religious
orders, catechists, trainers, leaders of Christian men's and women's
organizations, and other lay church leaders. It is based on a series
of workshops for local church leaders and their spouses, run by the
Anglican Diocese of Southern Malawi.
The book contains guidelines for running group activities - role
plays, games, quizzes, discussions, Bible readings and other
participatory exercises. These are all designed to help men and
women examine the attitudes, beliefs and behaviors that can spread
HIV and, if necessary, make changes in their own lives. The book
also contains attractive illustrations, relevant Bible readings and
basic information (in simple, non-technical language) about HIV and
AIDS.
'Time to Talk' can also be downloaded from the Strategies for
Hope website, or requested through the website:
www.stratshope.org
Millennium Campaign Toolkit
This toolkit aims to assist you and your civil society organization
or church in campaigning for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The Millennium Development Goals form an ambitious agenda for
reducing poverty and improving lives. World leaders formulated the
MDGs at the United Nations Millennium Summit in September 2000. Each
goal contains one or more targets to be reached by 2015, and each
country has to set realistic, time-bound and measurable national
development goals in line with these targets. For more information,
see
www.millenniumcampaign.org/site/pp.asp?c=grKVL2NLE&b=475517
Making your voice heard in the EU - A guide for NGOs in 8
languages
The Civil Society Contact Group has just published the training
handbook “Making your voice heard in the European Union (EU) - A
guide for NGOs”. It is specifically designed for NGOs and activists
that are in the process of establishing a European strategy. It does
so by providing tailor-made information on EU institutions, the way
European NGOs work, as well as lobbying “tips”, illustrated by
examples of EU level campaigns. It is available in English, French,
German, Hungarian, Latvian, Polish, Portuguese and Slovene at
http://act4europe.horus.be/code/EN/actions.asp?id_events=120
Tools together now! - a toolkit of 100 participatory tools to
help facilitate community mobilisation
The toolkits take communities through a process of
-assessing together
- planning together
- acting together
- monitoring, evaluating and reflecting together and
- scaling up together.
Download or order through the website:
http://www.aidsalliance.org/sw36326.asp
Community engagement for antiretroviral treatment - Trainers'
manual
The number of people accessing antiretroviral treatment (ART) is
rapidly expanding in many countries. There is increasing recognition
of the importance of community-focused support for ART uptake and
adherence in collaboration with formal health services. NGOs and
CBOs therefore need appropriate training on ART and how it affects
communities and people with HIV. The manual is designed to assist
training facilitators who work directly with communities affected by
HIV/AIDS. It is also a useful resource for health care staff who
train community caregivers or health workers and for national and
international organizations or consultants providing technical
support to CBOs and NGOs.
Download or order through the website:
http://www.aidsalliance.org/sw31860.asp
Opportunities and Events
Women’s Leadership Scholarship Programme
Application Deadline: 23 March 2007
The Women’s Leadership Scholarship (WLS) program (formerly the
Native Leadership Scholarship) creates educational opportunities for
women who are grassroots leaders, organizers and activists from the
global south and/or from indigenous groups. WLS invests in women's
leadership by supporting non-doctoral graduate education in human
rights, sustainable development, and public health. The awards help
the recipients meet the costs of tuition, fees, books, educational
supplies, housing, maintenance, and travel to and from the home
country and the educational institution. More information is
available in English, Spanish, and French at
www.nativeleaders.org/index.html
Ford Foundation International Fellows Programme
Application Deadline: varies from one country to another
The International Fellowships Programme (IFP) provides opportunities
for advanced study to exceptional individuals who will use this
education to become leaders in their respective fields, furthering
development in their own countries and greater economic and social
justice worldwide. To ensure that Fellows are drawn from more
diverse backgrounds than ever before, IFP will actively recruit
candidates from social groups and communities that lack systematic
access to higher education. For more information, see
www.fordfound.org/news/more/11272000ifp/index.cfm
This issue of LOWC Update has been produced by Dennis Frado and
Emily Freeburg.
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