| NOVEMBER 2003
NOVEMBER 2003 IN THIS
ISSUE: ·
Regional
Event ·
Member
Relations ·
Civil
Society Gatherings Western Africa Civil Society Forum, Abuja, Nigeria 29-30 November 2003.ICSW
co-hosted a two-day forum for a group of leading West African civil
society organizations (CSOs) on 29 and 30th November in
advance of the Commonwealth People’s Forum and the Commonwealth
Heads of Government Meeting taking place in December 2003 in Abuja,
Nigeria. The Pan African Institute for Development West Africa (PAID
WA) co hosted the event, which was also supported by the
Commonwealth Foundation. The two day event formed part of our
Regional Cooperation Project that is supported by the Governments of
Denmark, Finland and the UK. The first day of the forum concentrated on building relationships between civil society organizations in the region to develop plans for ICSW’s advocacy with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The agenda focused on social and economic issues of regional concern. Participants included ICSW members from the Central and West Africa region and several from Francophone countries. The opening session was chaired by Denys Correll, ICSW’s Executive Director. Welcoming remarks were made by Mr. Jiandu, on behalf of the Director of the Ministry of Cooperation and Integration in Africa (Nigeria), Colin Ball, Director of the Commonwealth Foundation, and Rosetta B. Thompson, Director of PAID WA. The first
planning session was chaired by George Ahadzie, ICSW’s Regional
President for Central and West Africa. Mr Ahadzie provided an
introduction to ICSW’s work in the region and the goals of the
Regional Cooperation Project. Mr.
Kennedy Barsisa of the ECOWAS Social and Cultural Programme made a
presentation on ECOWAS and the involvement of CSOs in the
integration and development process of the region.
The second session which was chaired by Charles Abbey
Chairman of ICSW’s member Ghana Association of Private Voluntary
Organisations in Development and enabled
further elaboration on the contribution of CSOs in addressing
regional development concerns.
Mr. Bolaji
Ogunsheye, Regional Policy Advisor UNDP/SURF
delivered a candid and dynamic presentation on the issues and
options that CSOs face in the pursuit of fulfilling the Millennium
Development Goal (MDG) challenge. After these inputs two working
groups were formed allowing ICSW members in the region to meet
separately with ICSW staff to develop concrete proposals on how to
enhance dialogue and the participation of civil society within
ECOWAS. The
second day of the forum continued the progress of the other working
group dedicated to strategic planning for the newly formed West
African Network on Capacity Building of Civil Society Organizations.
The members of this network, which are primarily from
Commonwealth member states, analysed capacity building needs of CSOs
in the region. Sessions were chaired by Rosetta B. Thompson and Memunatu B. Pratt,
Coordinator of the Peace & Conflict
Studies Programme of the University of Sierra Leone.
The group worked on the operational logistics for achieving
the goals of the network that will build new links between CSOs in
West Africa. They identified potential partners and three programme
areas for their upcoming activities: co-hosting the West African
Social Forum, conducting a regional training on poverty reduction
policy and practice and joining ICSW with ECOWAS advocacy
activities. The last presentation of the forum was delivered by Lt.
Gen Arnold Quainoo, Executive Director of the Centre for Conflict
Resolution in Ghana. He spoke about how the scourge of war and
violent conflicts in the region have negatively impacted development
and placed greater urgency on CSOs to build capacity to serve
fractured communities. ICSW
will continue to share the progress of planning and activities in
West Africa. Commonwealth
Civil Society Consultations
The Commonwealth Foundation hosted meetings on 10 and 11 November 2003 at Marlborough House in London to increase the awareness of Commonwealth senior officials of the contributions of civil society organisations to democracy and development. On the 10th presentations by regional representatives on the outcomes of Commonwealth’s series of six regional consultations were considered and key issues were taken up to ensure that effective civil society/government partnerships on development and democracy would be included in the CHOGM discussions. The gathering on the 11th was an unprecedented opportunity for civil society representatives to dialogue with participants in the Committee of the Whole, which is comprised of senior officials responsible for preparing the agenda for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. The
effort was worthwhile as the final Communique from the Commonwealth
Heads of Government stated, “Heads
of Government received the Report of the Commonwealth Foundation and
commended its work in developing civil society’s engagement and
partnerships
with governments in the Commonwealth. They expressed appreciation
for the positive contribution of civil society in advocacy and
capacity building for democracy and sustainable development in
member countries.” ICSW congratulates the Commonwealth Foundation
on its very successful initiative of bringing the issues of civil
society to CHOGM. It
is unfortunate that press coverage of the CHOGM concentrated on the
meeting’s struggles over Zimbabwe’s suspension and the steps
that the Commonwealth can take to; facilitate
the early return of Zimbabwe to the Councils of the Commonwealth,
promote national reconciliation in Zimbabwe and assist towards a
return to normalcy and economic prosperity for the people of
Zimbabwe. Much more than Zimbabwe was discussed. Engendering
the response to HIV/AIDS
VSO, an international development charity that
works through volunteers, convened a conference on 19 November 2003
at the Royal Commonwealth Club in London to launch its new HIV/AIDS
campaign, AIDS Agenda. The
campaign focuses attention on the need to promote equality between
women and men as part of an effective response to HIV/AIDS. VSOs’
new report, Gendering AIDS: Women, Men, Empowerment, Mobilization, is based
on extensive hands on experience of VSO partner organizations and
people living with HIV and AIDS in South Africa, Namibia, India and
Cambodia. Panel members at the conference included Coordinators of
Positive Women Network, India; The Rainbow Project, Namibia; and the
International Community of Women Living with HIV and AIDS, UK. They discussed examples from the developing and developed world that
demonstrate how inequalities between women and men fuel the spread
of HIV and AIDS. They
argue for the need to reform traditional conceptions of gender roles
in the negotiation of sexuality and economic distribution. By
failing to place gender concerns at the heart of the response to
HIV/AIDS, some interventions may actually be exacerbating the impact
of HIV/AIDS on women. While
they applaud policies
and commitments of national governments and international
organizations, which have made the connection between gender and
HIV/AIDS there are problems with implementation.
VSO recommends that donors prioritise
assistance for national governments to train front line staff on
policies and laws intended to uphold women’s rights as well as
addressing gender
balance though poverty reduction programming.
The
War on Terror: A Battle for Development? Since
11 September 2001 global security and the ‘war on terror’ have
dominated international relations. A seminar sponsored by BOND, the
British consortium of development NGOs, on 19 November 2003 at the Foreign Press Association in London analysed
how this focus on security and terrorism is impacting development. BOND argues that the ‘war on terror’ is; drawing
political and media attention away from development concerns,
politicising aid allocations, changing the nature of donor
cooperation with developing countries and being used to justify
practices that undermine the achievement of development goals and
international commitments on human rights. These trends are a cause
for concern for those who work to keep development initiatives
focused on improving the living conditions of poor people.
Participants stressed that the
poor want security and that it is often the case in developing
countries that the state is the most threatening agent of terrorist
acts based on a lack of legitimacy to govern.
In response to these critiques, the
perspectives of three bilateral donors were aired at the seminar.
The Organisation
for Economic Co-operation and Development
(OECD) recently released development cooperation guidelines that
provide a lens on terrorism prevention compiled by the Development
Assistance Committee. OECD argues that aid is and always has been
political, why else would many OECD member states have their
development assistance departments located in their foreign
ministry? The European Union (EU)
foreign policy is concerned with how to maintain development focus
while pressing peace and security. The group was reminded that the
EU is the world’s most generous donor and thus it must maximise
its influence but does face upcoming challenges from accession
countries that show little interest in development cooperation. The UK
Department for International Development (DFID), which is autonomous
from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, concentrates on
development interventions in failing states, is concerned with the
ability for citizens to voice critiques and argues for optimism
regarding the commitments made at the International Conference on
Financing for Development which were made after 11 September. Nevertheless the fulfilment of sufficient ODA is less likely
as donor governments are drawn into the battlefields of the ‘war
on terror’ and pursue agendas that undermine human security and the spirit of development cooperation.
The content of Global Cooperation may be freely
reproduced or cited provided the source is acknowledged. The views
expressed in this publication are not necessarily the policy of ICSW.
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Newsletter
Editor: Felicity
Daly, Project Officer, London Global Office ICSW Contact Details Website: www.icsw.org
Email icsw@icsw.org London
Global Office: 16
Hatton Wall, London EC1N 8JHN, Tel: +
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Global Office: PO Box
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Nakirya, Programme Assistant /Administrator
President: Solveig
Askjem
Vice President: Bushra
Gohar
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Michael Raper
Executive Director: Denys Correll
If you have any questions or need further information on any of the activities or issues mentioned in this newsletter, please contact: Felicity Daly, Project Officer, at the Secretariat in London, or reply to this email. icsw@icsw.org.
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