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 About
the Lutheran Office for World Community
(LOWC)
LOWC Update - #11
November 2007
An occasional, informal bulletin of news, events and resources
for LOWC partners.
News
World AIDS Day is Dec. 1 — take the leadership pledge!
To celebrate the 2007 and 2008 World AIDS Day theme of leadership,
the World AIDS Campaign has launched the Stop AIDS Leadership
Pledge. Pledges collected online, by mail and at events, will be
used to create exhibitions, banners and other visibility actions
during major events in 2008. With a goal to get at least 100,000
signatures, these pledges will leverage greater political leadership
on universal access to AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support
and act as a visual example for key national and international
decision-makers to follow. Take the lead. Pledge your leadership now
to stop AIDS.
To see the pledge and learn about other events, as well as materials
in more than 7 languages go to:
http://www.worldaidscampaign.info/
43.7 million people against poverty break Guinness record
Over 43.7 million people in 127 countries have broken the Guinness
World Record – set last year at 23.5 million - for the largest
number of people to “STAND UP AGAINST POVERTY” in 24 hours.
The “Stand Up and Speak Out” record attempt took place from Oct.
16-17 and was jointly organized by the United Nations Millennium
Campaign (UNMC) and the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP)
with a wide range of other partners. The challenge saw millions of
people physically and intentionally standing up against poverty,
inequality and in support of the Millennium Development Goals.
People of faith remain strong supporters of taking action for the
MDGs, which events taking places in churches all over the world.
More info:
http://www.standagainstpoverty.org
NGO participation in Universal Periodic Review at Human Rights
Council
*Deadline for submissions : Nov. 20 2007
The United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) will hold its first
session of the Universal Periodic Review from 7-18 April 2008. The
HRC will review sixteen States, in this order: Bahrain, Ecuador,
Tunisia, Morocco, Indonesia, Finland, United Kingdom, India, Brazil,
Philippines, Algeria, Poland, Netherlands, South Africa, Czech
Republic, and Argentina. The review will be based on a three-part
set of documents - information provided by the State; the HRC's own
documentation and other UN documents on human rights in the country
concerned; and information from other stakeholders, including NGOs,
which is to be summarized by Office of the High Commissioner for
Human Rights (OHCHR). The 'tentative deadline' for submissions by
NGOs to the first UPR session had been extended to 20 November 2007.
If you would like more information about submitting an NGO report
under the auspices of the Lutheran World Federation, please contact
Emily Davila.
New Research and Reports
New website monitors MDGs
The United Nations on Thursday launched a new Web site powered by
Google and network equipment maker Cisco that will show how and
where the world is succeeding or failing in meeting the Millennium
Development Goals on ending poverty. The creators of the Web site
said that better monitoring of progress should spur success.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that the site would, for the
first time, present all the information on the goals in one place,
allowing closer monitoring and helping identify places in need of
greater attention. The site gathers statistics from around the world
to give a snapshot of how each country is doing in meeting the eight
goals, from cutting infant mortality to reducing hunger. [AP]
http://www.mdgmonitor.org/
Progress made in fight against malaria
Significant gains in the fight against malaria in sub-Saharan Africa
are being made, according to a new report, Malaria and Children,
prepared by UNICEF on behalf of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership (RBM).
The report contains a comprehensive assessment of the progress that
has been made in malaria control.
Executive summary
http://www.rollbackmalaria.org/docs/unicef2007/malariaUnicef2007ExSum
Full report in English and French:
http://www.rollbackmalaria.org/
Foreign Policy in Focus: religion & foreign policy
In this series of articles, FPIF focuses on the role of religion in
global affairs.
http://www.fpif.org/fpifinfo/4590
New report on indigenous women and the United Nations – good
practices
Despite their enormous assets and contribution to society,
indigenous women still suffer from multiple discrimination, both as
women and as indigenous individuals. They are subjected to extreme
poverty, trafficking, illiteracy, lack of access to ancestral lands,
non-existent or poor health care and to violence in the private and
the public sphere. This publication contains cases submitted by the
different UN agencies about their work with indigenous women in
Africa, Asia and Latin America.
http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/publications/Indigenous/indwomen07.htm
Draft manual on the right to water and sanitation
There is growing interest in the contributions of human rights to
efforts to extend access to water and sanitation, but little
practical information is available at present on how this can be
achieved. This manual aims to address the information gap, and
offers insights on practical difficulties such as resource
constraints, on the inability of low-income users to pay for water,
weak institutional capacity and the need to strengthen the political
will to implement the right to water.
http://www.cohre.org/manualrtws
IASC guidelines on mental health and psycho social support in
emergency settings
The psychological and social impacts of emergencies may be acute in
the short term, but they can also undermine the long-term mental
health and psychosocial well-being of the affected population, with
long-term impacts on human rights and development. In the early
phase of an emergency social supports are essential to protect and
support mental health and psychosocial well-being. These guidelines
recommend selected psychological and psychiatric interventions for
specific problems, and include the insights of practitioners from
different geographic regions, disciplines and sectors, as well as
reflect an emerging consensus on good practice among practitioners.
http://www.who.int/mental_health/emergencies/
guidelines_iasc_mental_health_psychosocial_june_2007.pdf
Toolkits and resources
Take action for 16 days of activism against gender violence
The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence links the dates,
November 25, the International Day Against Violence Against Women,
and December 10, International Human Rights Day, to emphasize that
such violence is a human rights violation. This year’s theme is
around:
*Demanding and securing adequate funding for work against VAW;
*Calling for greater accountability and political commitment from
states to prevent and punish all forms of violence against women in
practice, not just in words;
*Increasing awareness of the impact of violence against women,
including engaging in measures to end it by men and boys;
*Evaluating the impact and effectiveness of work to prevent violence
against women;
*Securing the space for advocacy and defending the defenders of
women’s human rights in their work to end gender based violence.
Download the toolkit for the 16 days campaign in English, French,
Spanish, Italian:
http://www.cwgl.rutgers.edu/16days/kit07/kit.html
New handbook on rights of people with disabilities
Aiming to help lawmakers better understand the new Convention on the
Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol, the
main United Nations human rights office and its partners have
launched a handbook on the treaty's provisions. With 650 million
persons with disabilities worldwide, the new guide aims to help
address the marginalization that so many have suffered worldwide.
The Convention and its Protocol were adopted by the General Assembly
in December 2006.
http://www.ipu.org/english/handbks.htm#disabilities
Advent in a time of AIDS
Produced by the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance, the 37 reflections in
this devotional calendar demonstrate the leadership of Christians
around the world who are engaged at all levels of the response to
the HIV pandemic. The devotional is intended to be used from World
AIDS Day, 1 December, to Christmas, whether celebrated in Western or
Eastern traditions. The reflections can be used as individual
devotions or to initiate group discussion or prayer. Contributors
include Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, Rick and Kay Warren, Rev.
Canon Gideon Byamugisha, Rev. Dr. Walter Altmann, Dr. Musimbi
Kanyoro, Sister Maria Cimperman, Erik Sawyer, Pastor Patricia Sawo,
Bishop Paul and many more.
The calendar can be downloaded in three languages, English,
French and Spanish. Single copies can be downloaded or ordered for
free from:
www.e-alliance.ch/hivaids_adventcal.jsp
Claiming Rights, Claiming Justice: A Guidebook on Women Human
Rights Defenders
This guidebook aims to help women human rights defenders name the
specific risks, violations and constraints they face in their work.
It presents a practical discussion of the useful mechanisms
developed by the state and also the civil society to provide redress
and remedy, and to protect women human rights defenders. It is
intended to be used by human rights and other organizations to
further a gender perspective in the monitoring and documentation of
human rights.
To download or find order information:
http://www.defendingwomen-defendingrights.org/
New toolkit on gender and energy for sustainable development
This toolkit and resource guide aims to help planners and
practitioners integrate gender and energy considerations into
development programmes, including those focusing on energy
improvements. Written by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
and the International Network on Gender and Sustainable Energy (ENERGIA).
http://www.undp.org/energy/genenergykit/index.html
Grants and Opportunities
Best practices in global health award
*Nomination deadline: February 15, 2008.
The Best Practices in Global Health Award is given annually to
celebrate and highlight the efforts of a public health practitioner
or organization dedicated to improving the health of disadvantaged
and disenfranchised populations, and to recognize the programs that
effectively demonstrate the link between health, poverty and
development. The person or organization selected for this award must
be able to demonstrate the success of the program(s), measurable
results in the field, as well as possess the ability and expertise
to share, inspire and extend best practices for improving health.
http://www.globalhealth.org/conference/view_top.php3?id=743
Institute for building African women’s movements
*November 19-22, 2007
Just Associates (JASS), in partnership with Action Aid International
and Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa, (OSISA), is
organizing a 4-day movement-building institute around Building
African Women’s Movements. This institute is the first phase of a
long-term process that aims to strengthen the leadership, strategies
and collective power of African women living with and working on
HIV/AIDS in order for their voices and demands to be visible and
influential at all levels of decision-making.
For more information, please visit:
http://www.justassociates.org/index_files/call_for_participation.pdf
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