Dignity News

* Solidarity with the People of Haiti

* “Towards a Non-Violent Economy”

Other News

* World Social Forum 2010

* Special IPS TerraViva WSF Coverage

* World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2010

* Implementing Cultural Rights Seminar

* The FutureUN Project: Global Survey on the Future of the UN Development System

Action Appeals

* Drop Haiti’s Debt

* International Women’s Day 2010: Take Action Now!

Announcements

* Call for Partners/Activities: University on Youth and Development

* UCONN/UNESCO Call for Applications for International Leadership Forum

* United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) / e-Learning Courses for NGOs

Forthcoming Events

* 15th Annual Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies Conference

* Harvard Symposium: The MDGs and Human Rights

* OHCHR Meetings

Publications

* State of the World’s Indigenous Peoples

* 2010 Education for All Monitoring Report

* Urgency Required: Gay and Lesbian Rights are Human Rights

*** Solidarity with the People of Haiti - The European Anti Poverty Network (EAPN) and Dignity International have joined together to express their solidarity with the people of Haiti at this time of enormous suffering and struggle for survival and recovery in their country. Both organisations call on their members to take concrete measures to support the many actions aimed at assisting the people of Haiti to deal with this humanitarian disaster. Enormous efforts are needed for Haiti while ensuring that financial support and resources needed for other parts of the globe facing humanitarian crisis are not diminished. EAPN and Dignity International commit to continue their efforts to achieve a world where resources are shared more equally, which would be a world where all countries would be better placed to deal with 'natural' disasters.

Source: EAPN / Dignity International

*** Towards a Non Violent Economy - From the 30th of January to the 3rd of February 2010, Dignity International participated in the International Conference on the Non-Violent Economy organised by Gandhi International, Ekta Parishad and the South Asia Peace Alliance. The conference was held in Bhopal, India.

During the five full days of deliberations over one hundred scholars and activists from India and many other countries of the world committed to social justice put their heads together to construct a local-global economy not driven by consumerism and material wealth, but one based on human dignity using three key concepts advanced Mahatma Ghandi.

Participants considered in depth the concept of “swaraj” or economic independence based on the satisfaction of and collective needs, the concept of “swadeshi” local self-sufficiency and small scale domestic production which respects life and the environment, and the concept of “trusteeship”, economics as a means to ethical and spiritual good.

Dignity International was represented by Aye Aye Win, Executive Director and Jerald Joseph, Advisor for the Capacity Building programme. Both actively contributed to various aspects of the conference programme.

In the final day P. V. Rajagopal, President of Ekta Parishad and member of the Board of Dignity International, presented the plans for Jansatayagra 2012 – a non violent protest march that will involve 100,000 landless people from different states of India who have been deprived of their livelihood and natural resources. He outlined the massive scaling up of action from local to global levels to reach out to a critical mass, to put critical pressure to reach a boiling point to bring about change. “History will not forgive us if we don’t take the responsibility now”, he said.

The conference ended with a Call to Action with concrete plans at national and organisational levels to support the JanSatayagra in 2012.

For the Final Call to Action, the Final Programme and Short Video clips relating to the Conference please check the home page of the Dignity International Website.

*** World Social Forum 2010 - Celebrating its tenth year of existence, the World Social Forum (WSF) took place in 2010 in a decentralised manner, with at least 27 regional, national and local events throughout the world over the next period (see agenda on the WSF official website). Opening this process, the regional event "FSM 10 Years: Greater Porto Alegre" took place from January 25th to 29th in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, with more than 500 decentralised activities in the cities of Porto Alegre, Gravataí, Canoas, São Leopoldo, Novo Hamburgo and Sapiranga. One of the core activities of the Greater Porto Alegre Social Forum is the International Seminar "10 Years Later: Challenges and proposals for another possible world" which will feature more than 70 intellectuals and social leaders around the world, many of whom have integrated the process of creation and construction of the WSF in the last ten years.

Sources: Choike / WSF

*** Special IPS TerraViva WSF Coverage - Ten years ago the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre burst onto the world stage giving social movements and civil society the space to challenge the orthodoxies symbolised by the World Economic Forum. The IPS TerraViva World Social Forum 2010 online site - provides independent, professional reporting in many languages from many of the events, along with comment and analysis on the challenges that drive social movements.
Coverage of the events gathered momentum at the Greater Porto Alegre 10 Years Social Forum, 25 - 29 January, in Porto AlegreThe complete online IPS TerraViva newspaper archive available at IPS TerraViva WSF 2010 provides a unique contribution to understanding the history and achievements of this hugely influential global social process. For more information visit the IPS website or write to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Source: IPS

*** World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2010 – This meeting of business leaders took place in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland 27 - 31 January. The theme of this year’s conference was “ Improve the State of the World: Rethink, Redesign, Rebuild”. For further information CLICK HERE>>>

Source: World Economic Forum

*** Implementing Cultural Rights Seminar – 1 - 2 February 2010, Palais des Nations, Geneva. What is the nature and scope of cultural rights within the human rights system? This among other questions on the cultural component of ESC rights was the subject of a recent seminar conducted by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), in partnership with the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF) and UNESCO, and in collaboration with the Observatory of diversity and cultural rights (Fribourg – Switzerland). The meetings focused on the parametres of, issues arising from, and challenges posed by cultural rights. The seminar aimed at clarifying concepts and at reflecting upon main issues raised by the realisation of cultural rights. The discussion will also provide valuable insights that will help the Independent Expert in fulfilling her mandate and in identifying how best to implement cultural rights, while ensuring the universality, indivisibility and interdependence of human rights. To learn more about this seminar CLICK HERE>>>

Source: OHCHR

*** The Future UN Project: Global Survey on the Future of the UN Development System - The Future UN project intends to examine the future of the United Nations Development System. The project has arisen from a recognition that the 30 agencies of the UN Development System have lived through several decades of a fast-changing global environment and will need to adapt to the new realities, challenges and actors. The project is being launch by conducting a short global survey. To read more, CLICK HERE>>>

Source: The FUNDS Project

*** Drop Haiti’s Debt - As Haitian families search for survivors and relief rolls in, Haiti is still staggering under US$1 billion in old debts racked up by unscrupulous lenders and unelected governments of the past. But in recent days, a worldwide outcry has grown to cancel Haiti's debt -- and while some key lenders are rumoured to be holding out, the IMF and some key governments have indicated that debt relief could be within reach. More pressure is needed. Sign the petition which will be delivered to the IMF and G7 finance ministers at their crucial meetings in coming days – To learn more and sign the petition, CLICK HERE>>>

Source: Avaaz

*** International Women’s Day 2010: Take Action Now! - To honour the resilience of millions of women survivors of war around the world, Women for Women International is hosting a global campaign called Join me on the Bridge on International Women's Day: March 8, 2010. On that day, women from Rwanda and Congo will meet together in peace on a bridge between their countries to demand an end to war and to demonstrate that women can build the bridges to peace and development. At the same time and in solidarity, we will bring women (and men!) together on bridges throughout the world, creating a truly global movement that says NO! to war and YES! to peace and hope. To take action now, CLICK HERE>>>. For further information, additional resources and listing of 2010 activities on International Women’s Day, CLICK HERE>>>

Source: Women for Women

*** Call for Partners/Activities: University on Youth and Development - The University on Youth and Development is an activity jointly organised by the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe, the Spanish Government (INJUVE), the European Youth Forum (YFJ), the Spanish Youth Council (CJE) and other international youth organisations. The 11 th Edition will held in the CEULAJ, Mollina,  Spain,  on 12-19 September 2010. The deadline for submission of proposals is the 5 th of March 2010. CLICK HERE FOR THE >>>Application form. >>>Call for partners

Source: The North-South Centre, Council of Europe

*** UCONN/UNESCO Call for Applications for International Leadership Forum - The UNESCO Chair & Institute of Comparative Human Rights at the University of Connecticut invites applications for the sixth annual International Leadership Programme: A Global Intergenerational Forum, to be held August 6 - 14, 2010 in Storrs, Connecticut (USA). Applications must be received by February 26, 2010. The Forum seeks to empower young leaders by involving them in finding solutions to emerging human rights problems, and nurturing individuals to be effective leaders in the field of human rights. For more information CLICK HERE>>>

Source: University of Connecticut

*** United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) / e-Learning Courses for NGOs - The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) is pleased to announce its first online course for 2010 on Multilateral Conferences and Diplomacy scheduled to take place from 01 to 26 March. In the framework of your organisation's consultative status with ECOSOC, this course will help facilitate participation in United Nations activities, and more specifically multilateral conferences. More information on the content and fees for all 2010 online courses is available at http://www.unitar.org/mdp/e-learning Online registration is available at http://www.unitar.org/mdp/e-learning/registration Should you have any questions, please contact the Multilateral Diplomacy Programme (MDP) Team at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Source: UNITAR

***Harvard Symposium: The MDGs and Human Rights – Harvard Law School, Cambridge, Massachusetts 22 – 23 March 2010. Are the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and human rights complementary or conflicting? What are the consequences for the road to 2015 and beyond? Leading scholars and practitioners come together at Harvard on 22-23 March to discuss.

Keynote speakers include:

More>>> information, programme and registration .

Source: Norwegian Centre for Human Rights

*** 15th Annual Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies Conference – Istanbul, Turkey, 28 – 30 April 2010 – (HumanDHS) This conferenceis being organised by the HumanDHS network, the Bogaziçi University Peace Education Center (BUPERC), the Quality and Peace Education Center (KALBE-MER), the Turkish Center for Schools of Quality and the Association for Continuous Improvement (Sü Ge Der) in collaboration with other supporting organisations. You are invited to share the peace-based experiences and studies conducted at your institution and in your world region. If you would like to attend, please send your contact information and a brief biography. If you would like to lead a topical group or give a brief presentation, please send an abstract or brief paper (both in Word and PDF format, if possible) of your proposal to:

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Please visit the website for the latest update about the developing programme. There is no registration fee for this conference.

Source: HumanDHS Network

*** OHCHR Meetings – All meetings take place in Geneva unless otherwise noted.

*** State of the World’s Indigenous Peoples - On 14 January 2010, the first edition of The State of the World’s Indigenous Peoples was launched. Its preparation, overseen by the Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues of UN-DESA’s Division for Social Policy and Development, was a collaborative effort in which a wide range of experts and organisations participated. More information is available online.

Source: UN-DESA

*** 2010 Education for All Monitoring Report - According to a report by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the financial crisis threatens to set back education worldwide. The aftershock of the global financial crisis threatens to deprive millions of children in the world’s poorest countries of an education, the 2010 Education for All Global Monitoring Report warns. It also looks at concrete solutions for making sure that no children are excluded from schooling. More information is available online.

Source: UNESCO

*** Urgency Required: Gay and Lesbian Rights are Human Rights - The book Urgency Required focuses on urgent issues of gay and lesbian liberation, taking a historical perspective and reflecting worldwide geographic diversity. Employing the term ‘LGBT-persons’, the acronym used for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender, it explores concepts and strategies for taking steps towards decriminalisation and equal civil, social and economic rights and treatment regarding sexual orientation and gender identity. To read more CLICK HERE>>>

Source: Hivos

If you are working in the area of human rights with a special attention to different aspects of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, we would love to hear from you. To contribute, email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it