We present  the summary of the final report on the study of the effectiveness of mechanisms for public consultation.

The report was commissioned by the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy within the "Studies on the Effectiveness of Mechanisms for Public Consultation" implemented under the Operational Program Human Capital 2007-2013 and co‐financed by the European Union under the European Social Fund.

DOWNLOAD >>>

We present The diagnosis of infrastructure organizations, identifying the needs of non-governmental organizations for their services. You can find the summary in English on page number 16.

The publication was co-financed by European Social Fund within the Priority V of the Operational Programme Human Capital 2007-2013.

DOWNLOAD >>>

We present conclusions of the study Diagnosis od NGO operations with regard to the existence of standards of operation. You can find the summary in English on page number 7.

The publication was co-financed by European Social Fund within the Priority V of the Operational Programme Human Capital 2007-2013.

DOWNLOAD >>>

We present one of the basic regulations concerning social economy in Poland - Act of 27 April 2006 on Social Cooperatives.

DOWNLOAD THE DOCUMENT>>>

DOWNLOAD PDF VERSION>>>

The process of preparation for the European Year of Voluunteering 2011 - co-workers.

---

The European Year of Volunteering 2011,  how to change yourself and the world

We present the consolidated text of Act of law of April 24th 2003 on Public Benefit and Volunteer Work, after last amendment on January 22nd 2010.

DOWNLOAD THE CONSOLIDATED TEXT >>>

On 6-7 May 2010 representatives of the Department of Public Benefit in the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy in Warsaw attended the European conference on the social economy: doing business differently, Challenges and Opportunities in a Global World, held in Toledo. Conference was organized by the Ministry of Labour and Immigration in Spain within the agenda of the current Spanish presidency in the Council of the European Union.

Overall objective was to present the contribution of social economy enterprises and entities to the development of the EU 2020. Participants also took efforts to propose and develop new ideas for the social economy promotion, aiming at economic recovery in regard to the current economic crisis. The Conference gave an opportunity to exchange various concepts and information about different realities of the social economy at the European level, with special attention to the Spanish experience of a Social Economy Act.

The official inauguration was preceded by a meeting of Ministries and Government representatives from invited countries. During the meeting, amongst the representatives of Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium, Malta and Croatia, also Polish delegation outlined development of the social economy in Poland.

The Conference was inaugurated by Ms. Maravillas Rojo, the Secretary-General for Employment in Ministry of Labour and Immigration in Spain. Next Mrs Joanna Drake, a representative of the European Commission, took the floor. Amongst the hosts, speakers and guests of the Conference were  representatives of the Spanish region Castilla La Mancha, European Commission, European Economic and Social Committee, the supreme representatives of international and national organizations of social economy entities, associations, foundations, and academic and scientific centers engaged in development of the social economy.

The Conference recalled the request to the EU Member States and EU Institutions to maintain the social economic issue on the agenda of the forthcoming presidencies.

The message addressed to the Member States called for setting up a legal framework that will provide recognition for the components of the social economy.  European Commission was requested to support social enterprises. In this context, the Spanish draft of law on the social economy has been recognized as a benchmark for similar initiatives at national and EU level, tending to identify the social economy entities as an important social and economic players.

Summary of the Conference on the Ministry of Labour and Immigration in Spain Website: www.tt.mtin.es/eu2010/en/noticias/empleo/201005/EMP20100511-001.html

Today, the EU Council decided that 2011 will be designated the "European Year of Volunteering". The organisation of the Year had been proposed by the European Commission and received a positive opinion by the European Parliament.

Welcoming the Council's decision, Mr Maroš Šefčovič, the Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Youth, said: ''Volunteering is a way for individuals to make a valuable contribution to society. At the EU level, volunteering promotes civic participation, social cohesion and provides learning opportunities for the volunteers as well as a multitude of benefits for society at large. I am pleased that our idea to have a European Year dedicated to promoting volunteering activities received such solid support from the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers."

The European Commission has been committed to promoting volunteering for a long time. A milestone was achieved with the establishment of the European Voluntary Service in 1996 as part of the Youth in Action Programme. The "European Year of Voluntary Activities Promoting Active Citizenship"-to give it its formal title-in 2011 will be the next step in the Commission's efforts to foster volunteering in Europe and to help civil society, local and regional communities and Member States to achieve the following objectives:

• Work towards an enabling and facilitating environment for volunteering in the EU;

• Empower volunteer organisations and improve the quality of volunteering;

• Reward and recognise achievements gained in volunteering activities; and

• Raise awareness of the value and importance of volunteering.

The European Year of Voluntary Activities Promoting Active Citizenship is widely supported by civil society and the European Parliament and is envisaged as a bottom-up campaign, in which civil society will play a large role.

The European Parliament has approved EU funding for the Year, as follows: €  2 million for preparatory actions in 2010, and €  8 million during the Year itself.

To know more:

European Commission Press Release ( IP/09/862, 03 June 2009): 2011 to be the European Year of Volunteering

http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/09/1836&type=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

1259 logo and slogan proposals have been received. 3500 people have cast their vote over the two weeks of the public online voting and more than 7000 have visited the website during the same period. You can now see the most voted logos and slogans on http://www.eyv2011.eu/.

The 20 short-listed logos and slogans have been submitted to the European Commission, which, with the help of a high level panel composed of representatives of European institutions, civil society and media professionals will do the final selection. The finalists will be informed by the end of November 2009 and invited to come to Brussels for an award cerimony that will take place on 16 December 2009.

If you would like to know more about the European Year of Volunteering 2011, visit this page.

http://www.cev.be/1-let's_slogo!_20_logo_and_slogan_proposals_for_the_european_year_of_volunteering_2011_short_listed_74-EN.html

In this place there will be provided data concerning progress in the implementation of the National Cohesion Strategy, to be updated on a weekly basis. The published information will concern:

• number and value of applications for co-financing,
• number and value of co-financing contracts,
• value of payment claims,
• level of use of allocations for the 2007-2013 period.

According to data generated from the KSI SIMIK 07-13 National Information System, since the start of programmes until 26th July 2009, 74,800 applications (correct from the formal point of view) were submitted for the global amount of co-financing (both Community and national funds) of PLN 157.1 billion.

During the same period, 15,676 contracts for co-financing were signed with beneficiaries, for the amount of co-funding on the part of the EU of PLN 34.3 billion, which constitutes 11.7 percent of allocation for the 2007-2013 period.

The value of beneficiaries' expenditure recognised as eligible, resulting from submitted payment claims was PLN 6.1 billion, and in the part of EU co-financing - PLN 4.9 billion.

http://www.mrr.gov.pl/english/european_funds_2007_2013/implementation/strony/level_of_implementation.aspx

Former prime minister of Poland, Jerzy Buzek, has been voted by MEPs as the new head of the European Parliament.

Buzek was supported by 555 MEPs and received support from five of the assembly's largest political groups. He will hold the post for the next two and a half years, when a candidate from the Socialist group will take over.  

Speaking to the parliament directly after the vote was announced, Tuesday morning, Jerzy Buzek said: "To everyone who voted for me I will try not to abuse your trust. To those who did not vote for me I will try to win your trust."

Centre-right MEPs were buoyant before the vote, knowing that the position was all but set up for Buzek after weeks of negotiations and deal making by MEPs.

"We are going to the session in Strasbourg in a very good mood because we are expecting that our candidate will become the head of the EP," stated Robert Fitzhenry, press secretary of the European People's Party (EPP),

The EPP holds 265 of the 785 seats in parliament and of which Jerzy Buzek is a member.

The vote took place at the inaugural session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Buzek had just one rival - Eva-Britt Svensen from Sweden who had the support of leftwing MEPs outside of the main Socialist group (PES). In order for Buzek to win the vote he had to gain support of 50 percent of MEPs plus one.

Though this is the first high-profile position a Pole has held in the European Union, powers of the president are limited. President of the European Parliament's role includes chairing meetings and sessions, representing the European Parliament and maintaining contact with various international institutions.

"Functions of the head of the European Parliament are mainly representative in character. The role is rather symbolic," explains Tadeusz Chabiera of the Polish Institute of International Affairs.

Buzek's has declared his priorities as leader ofd the parliament as being, "Climate change, energy security he economic crisis and the Eastern Partnership."

Popular choice

Jerzy Buzek, a Protestant, was prime minister of Poland during the AWS led government from 1997 to 2001.

He was born in Silesia in 1940 and is a chemical engineer by training. He was active during the Solidarity years as an organizer at regional and national level.

He was elected to the Sejm, the lower house of parliament, in 1997 and was quickly elected as prime minister.

After losing his seat in 2001 he retired briefly from politics until he was elected as an MEP in 2004 European parliamentary elections.

In 2009, he was re-elected as an MEP for the Civic Platform party  - with a record number of votes in Poland - and became the European People's Party's candidate for president of the European Parliament. (mmj/pg)

http://www.polskieradio.pl/thenews/international/?id=112013

This year Poland is spending more than 20 million euros for 300 projects to help people in forty countries around the world.

The first chemist's shop in the Georgian Pankisi Gorge, a wholesale food market in the Crimea as well as fighting corruption in Ukraine and the promotion of tourism in rural areas of Georgia and Moldova, are just a few of examples of the projects financed by Polish Aid, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informs.

The biggest support is directed to seven priority countries: Afghanistan, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Palestinian National Authority and Angola. The aid programs are being implemented both by the state and in cooperation with NGOs and often they are a part of the Eastern Partnership - the EU's new policy towards former communist countries to the east of Poland who want closer ties with the European Union.

Another important part of the Polish Aid program is closely connected with Poland's engagement in Afghanistan. Twenty different projects worth 4.5 million euro are being realized in the Ghazni Province, where Polish troops are deployed. (jg/pg)

More about the aid programs: http://www.polishaid.gov.pl/

http://www.polskieradio.pl/thenews/international/artykul111092_poland_spends_20_mln_euro_on_foreign_aid.html

The European Commission has decided to propose that 2011 be designated the "European Year of Volunteering". The Council is expected to endorse this decision, after the European Parliament has been consulted, by the beginning of next year. In the European Union, millions of citizens are volunteering. People of all ages make a positive contribution to
their community by investing some of their free time in civil society organisations, in youth clubs, in hospitals, in schools, in sport clubs, etc. For the Commission, volunteering is an active expression of civic participation and strengthens common European values such as solidarity and social cohesion. Volunteering also provides important learning opportunities, because involvement in voluntary activities can provide people with new skills and competences and can even improve their employability. This is particularly important in this time of economic crisis. Volunteering plays an important role in sectors as varied and diverse as education, youth, culture, sport, environment, health, social care, consumer protection, humanitarian aid, development policy, research, equal opportunities and external relations.

Volunteering has a great, but so far under-exploited, potential for the social and economic development of Europe. Dedicating 2011 to the topic of volunteering will help Member States, regional and local communities and civil society achieve the following objectives:

1. Work towards an enabling and facilitating environment for volunteering in the EU;

2. Empower volunteer organisations and improve the quality of volunteering;

3. Reward and recognise volunteering activities; and

4. Raise awareness of the value and importance of volunteering.

The Commission expects that the European Year of Volunteering will lead to an increase in volunteering
and to greater awareness of its added value, and that it will highlight the link between voluntary engagement at local level and its significance in the wider European context.

The European Year of Volunteering should help volunteers and volunteering organisations from everywhere in Europe to meet and to learn what is done best in other countries. The public authorities will be able to learn
more about volunteers and making volunteering easier. Citizens who do not know much about volunteering should find out more about it, and maybe become volunteers one day themselves. And finally, the European
Year should give recognition to the volunteers.

The Commission proposes to allocate a budget of 6 million Euros for the European Year and an additional amount of 2 million Euros for the preparatory actions starting in 2010.

The proposed activities should focus on communication and awareness-raising measures, such as conferences, seminars, exchange of experience and publications. Similar activities shall be run in the Member States through national coordination structures. The emphasis will be placed on funding projects with a volunteering dimension in the EU's action programmes, such as the 'Youth in Action Programme', for example. The aim is to involve all levels - European, national, regional and local. The ownership of the European Year shall remain with the volunteers and the volunteer organisations, and many activities and celebrations will be organised from the bottom-up.

http://ec.europa.eu/citizenship/news/news820_en.htm

Only 7% were against the membership, but 25% claimed that it was neither good nor bad. The probe proved that support for EU membership in Poland had dropped by 10 points since last year - and the number of those who didn't think it was good or bad rose by... 10 points.

65% said that EU entry had not affected their lives in any significant way. 66% said it affected the situation of Poland - out of this number 9% were of the opinion it was to Poland's disadvantage. 63% in opposition to 6% said EU membership had improved Poland's international position.

(AK)

http://www.poland.pl/news/article,Poles_pleased_with_EU_membership,id,356628.htm

New York, USA: A UN General Assembly committee has unanimously adopted a new UN resolution that calls on governments to mobilize support for volunteerism research and asks the UN system to integrate volunteerism into its programmes.

More than 70 countries co-sponsored the resolution proposed by the Governments of Brazil and Japan, and Japan and Germany made supporting remarks.

The General Assembly (GA) 'Third Committee' deals with Social, Humanitarian and Cultural affairs. It met on 23 October 2008 to discuss the report of the UN Secretary-General on progress since the International Year of Volunteers (IYV) in 2001.

The new resolution, which will be voted on by the GA in the next weeks, requests the UN system to integrate volunteerism into its policies, programmes and reports and calls on governments to mobilize support for volunteerism research.

It also looks forward to the tenth anniversary of IYV in 2011 ('IYV+10'). Noting that IYV in 2001 had contributed to the vibrancy of volunteerism globally, the resolution schedules two plenary meetings of the 66th session of the General Assembly in 2011 devoted to its follow-up.
 
Japan expressed its appreciation to the co-sponsoring countries and provided some background to its support for volunteerism. The Japanese delegate highlighted the sacrifice of Japanese UNV volunteer Atsuhito Nakata, who was killed on active service while monitoring the Cambodian elections in 1993.

Japan also noted the outpouring of volunteering during recovery efforts after the Kobe earthquake, which led to its advocacy for the International Year of Volunteers. Recalling that the new resolution highlights the contribution of volunteerism to development, the delegate said he hoped that it would continue to generate support for voluntary efforts.  

Germany remarked on its longstanding support for volunteerism, recognizing the important work of UNV as a global leader in the promotion of Volunteerism for Development. The delegate hoped to see UNV play an active role in IYV+10, including "at its headquarters in Bonn".

The delegate expressed appreciation for the nature of UNV's work and the universality of its programme activities, citing the broad scope of its work and the extensive reach of its geographical involvement.  UNV was a major actor in the promotion of South-South collaboration, she said.

In addition, she called on member states to contribute to the Special Volunteer Fund, which allows UNV to pursue innovative Volunteerism for Development projects.

Germany also appreciated the opportunity to host UN agencies in Bonn, said the German delegate, and will continue to extend support to them.

Source:
http://www.unv.org/en/news-resources/news/doc/un-committee-approves-new.html

An elementary school and local medical checkpoint funded from Polish humanitarian aid have been opened in the southern Chinese province of Guizhou.

The province, one of the poorest regions of the country, has been hit by three cataclysms over the past year - extremely severe winter, an earthquake and flood.

Forty thousand dollars in Polish funds went to the rebuilding of a school in the village of Fangtian. Thanks to this some 200 children will benefit from education in their locality without the need for commuting to distant facilities. The medical checkpoint will serve the needs of 2500 families.

The ribbon cutting ceremony has been attended by the Polish ambassador in China Krzysztof Szumski.

The construction work was supervised by the Chinese Red Cross Foundation.

http://www.poland.pl/news/article,Polish_aid_to_China,id,349841.htm

"The idea for the "Professional Employment Services for the Social Economy and the Third Sector" project originated in the Department of Public Gain of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy in the autumn of 2006. The decision to provide public employment services with education and training in social economy and the third sector was driven by the new challenges facing this particular professional group.

The drop in the unemployment rate resulting from Poland's growing economy and job-oriented immigration has revealed or rather confi rmed the existence of a disadvantaged labour market group for whom conventional work activation tools (training, supported employment) deployed by employment services have proven ineff ective.

Recent years have also witnessed the introduction of new legal and organisational solutions promoting the development of civil society and the social economy. Legislation such as the Act on Public Benefi t and Volunteer Work, the Act on Social Employment and the Act on Social Cooperatives have given rise to numerous initiatives, both civic and public, aimed at integrating people threatened with social exclusion and strengthening the potential of the civic sector. New grass-roots initiatives inspired by civic organisations require strong support from public administration partners. Public employment services need to expand their knowledge of the social economy and the third sector if they are going to become eff ective partners in promoting labour market policies. Educational programs addressed to public employment services are needed to support inter-sectoral cooperation and to expand the range of available activities.

The mission of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy is to promote education and good practices in a manner which complements and creates better access to innovative solutions to social problems. The "Professional Employment Services for the Social Economy and the Third Sector" project is an excellent example of this.

This project aims to design and implement an innovative training program for 450 county and regional labour offi ce personnel. The training program is to be supplemented by this guide which is a comprehensive source of knowledge on the social economy and the third sector. The initiators of the project decided to make the program more attractive by introducing a strategic game with supplementary material on the social economy. The "Professional Employment Services for the Social Economy and the Third Sector" project is supported by a call centre and an interactive website for educating public employment services. The website contains the latest news, commentaries and advice on new social economy services and tools. The e-learning platform has proven most eff ective in supporting the exchange of knowledge and experiences between project participants. The opening conference, the meeting which summarised the results and the workshop on expanding and systematising social economy knowledge have all pointed to a clear need for third sector projects. The "Professional Employment Services for the Social Economy and the Third Sector" project was carried out by the Department of Public Gain with the assistance of the Foundation for Social and Economic Initiatives. We hope that this publication will serve as a valuable source of information on the social economy in Poland as well as a useful guide for public employment services."

(from the Introduction)

Download some of the project's publications:

• The Social Economy And Public Employment Services In Poland - Principles, Prospects And Directions For Cooperation >>>
  
  
  

  ---

  
  

Clean up the World aims to build environmental awareness and initiate activities for environmental protection. For the next three days thousands of volunteers equipped with gloves and plastic bags will be cleaning the Polish streets.

It was Mira Stanislawska-Meysztowicz, a Polish-born Australian, who brought the concept of Clean Up the World to Poland in 1994. It instantly became the biggest grassroots, environmental campaign in the country. For this year, the organiser of the three-day campaign, Our Earth Foundation, has planned competitions for schools, cleaning up litter and collecting recyclable paper, workshops in can recycling centres and cleaning up the Vistula river banks. The finale of the event is planned for Sunday and it will an outdoor concert at the Constitution Square in Warsaw.

(AP)

http://www.poland.pl/news/article,Volunteers_gearing_for_Clean_up_the_World_Campaign,id,346539.htm

In a press interview three weeks ago, President Lech Kaczynski said he would not sign the treaty at this moment because the Irish rejection made it ‘pointless'. Earlier this week, he assured French president Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris that Poland would not be an obstacle in the ratification process.

According to the CBOS survey, sixty percent of Poles think that despite the problems with the adoption of the EU reform treaty and the so-called European constitution, EU members states should continue the integration process. Thirteen percent of respondents say that the integration process should be brought to a halt.

(KG)

http://www.poland.pl/news/article,Over_half_of_Poles_want_the_President_to_sign_the_Lisbon_Treaty,id,338248.htm

On the eve of Europe Day, UKIE presents a report on assessment of Polish 4-year EU membership. From the report it appears that Poles in the majority think that Poland has a future in the EU. Report is available at the UKIE website.

The report includes information about different aspects of Polish integration with the EU, including for example macro economical change accompanying Polish membership, processes in labour market, in agriculture, in area of freedom, security and justice.

From the report it appears that the majority of Poles (78%) supports Polish membership. Poles see bright future of Poland in the EU over the coming 10-20 years. As much as 69% of citizens think that Poland will definitively or rather benefit from membership. Not only young, educated people who live in big cities, but also groups which were anxious before accession like for example farmers express a positive attitude towards the EU.

The EU membership brings Poland real profits:

- From May 2007 to May 2008 there were noticeable the mid and long-term effects of accession, reflected in an economic growth, which towards the end of 2007 reached 6.5%. Last year was the second year in a row of the accelerated growth, in which a rate of increase exceeded 6%.

- In less than 4 years since Poland has joined the EU, unemployment dropped almost by half - from 20% in 2003 to 11.4% in 2007, and a nominal growth of salaries caused a substantial increase in consumption.

- The above-mentioned mid and long-term effects of accession are connected with growing amount of support and absorption of pre-accession and structural funds granted for Poland. Budgetary transfers in 2007 were over 8 billion euros, which was over 2% of Polish GDP. Consequently, since the day of accession a positive balance of cash flows from EU has been improving which at the end of 2007 reached 5.2 billion euros.

- In the second half of 2007 a decrease in emigration of Poles for financial reasons was observed. In the past 12 months the main direction of migration remained Great Britain, Germany and Ireland.

- There is still a large inflow of foreign direct investments as an indirect effect of accession, the amount of which was almost 12.8 billion euros in 2007. It is estimated that thanks to DFI, about 1.2 million jobs have been were created in Poland so far.

- Looking back from a 4 year perspective, it can be clearly seen that Polish accession to the EU has boosted change in the rural regions: it accelerated the modernization and restructuring of agriculture, it had a positive effect on development of rural areas. The instruments and actions of the CAP stabilized the production conditions, gave financial spur to investment measures and changed the picture and functioning of rural regions. Thanks to favourable economic situation in agriculture as well as transfers from community and national budgets, the income of Polish farmers increased by 13.7%in 2007 (while in the EU27 increased on average by 5.4%).


- Perhaps the most important event during the fourth year of Polish membership was entrance into Schengen area. It was a multistage process which demanded many amendments to legislation as well as a considerable administrative and organizational effort. Thanks to competent use of the EU funds Polish participation in the Schengen system affected to a small degree the national budget.

- We obtained a clear of the EU member states and institutions assuring that in a case of vital problems relating to relations with external partners (Russian embargo on Polish food), each country can count on solidarity and support of its partners (it is a proof of significant importance of the principle of solidarity).

The report also points out challenges related with the EU membership:

- Growth of wages has triggered off a higher level of consumption and thus affected economic development. At the same time the increase in consumer demand entailed inflationary pressure. Inflation accelerated from 1% in 2006 to 2.5% in 2007 and to 4.1% in the first quarter of 2008. However, it is worth to mention that the global economic situation and national factors were the source of a rise in prices, which were not directly connected with Polish accession.

- At present, only few Poles perform important functions in the European institutions. But filling the quotas in the European institutions entails negative consequences like driving employees out of government administration.

http://www.ukie.gov.pl/WWW/en.nsf/0/9C2CC1C9AF9AD2E3C125744E0049ADCD?Open

Europe day is celebrated today in Poland, commemorating the 1950 declaration of French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman that was the nucleus of United Europe.

Special events are being held throughout Poland. A tram driving through the western city of Poznan will take aboard all those wishing to learn how to benefit from EU funds. A meeting with the Slovenian ambassador to Poland is planned for the afternoon; Slovenia now hosts the rotating EU presidency. In Bydgoszcz, northern Poland, a huge tent is set up in the city center inviting to take part is competitions and lectures. In Warsaw, European Meetings run since the beginning of the week and will wind up on Saturday with the annual Schuman Parade organised by the Robert Schuman Foundation in the capital.

Europe day at schools is an event organised by the European Commission with its ambassadors planning to visit schools in 39 regions in 12 EU states.

http://www.poland.pl/news/article,Poland_celebrates_Europe_Day,id,327828.htm

The country's largest charity organization, the Catholic Caritas Polska donated money for the most needy and started a special campaign of raising money for Burma. Right now, money is needed more than clothes. Local volunteers cooperating with Caritas International on the site of the tragedy will make sure the funds are spent on most pressing needs.

http://www.poland.pl/news/article,Poland_helps_cyclone-stricken_Burma,id,327360.htm

The Lisbon will Treaty will strengthen the European Union and thereby also Poland - says EU Commissioner for Regional Policy Danuta Huebner in an interview for the Polish news agency PAP.

Danuta Huebner predicts that the role of the bloc's cohesion policy will grow as will outlays on its implementation.

Huebner told PAP that the new treaty is needed by the EU as much as by Poland as it meets Poland's expectations. It gives the EU citizens a more democratic union, increases the role of institutions created through direct voting and puts a clear division between national powers and the joint powers of the bloc.

(AK)

http://www.poland.pl/news/article,Lisbon_Treaty_a_blessing_for_Poland_says_EU_Commissioner,id,326008.htm

http://www.ukie.gov.pl/www/en.nsf/DocByNews?Open&Count=-1&RestrictToCategory=Current%20news>Press%20releases

Civic Initiatives Fund (FIO) is a governmental programme for the years 2005 - 2007, passed by the Council of Ministers in August 2004 and administered by the minister responsible for social care issues.

The Fund is a grant programme addressing non-for-profit organizations, formed for the purpose of initiating and strengthening civic initiatives, in cooperation with NGOs. It is complementary to the already functioning solutions and practice in this area.

The programme stems from the idea of strengthening the civic sector which is being implemented by the government with the help of legal, informational, infrastructural, financial and institutional instruments.

The superior objective of the FIO is providing financial support to civic initiatives aiming at:

• supporting activities initiated by NGOs in the area of public tasks defined in the article 4 of Law on Public Benefit Activities Volunteerism.
• supporting cooperation between NGO and public sectors, 
• providing financial support to NGO activities to enable the use of the EU funds, 
• supporting comprehensive endeavors in the area of civic initiatives, demanding integrated  forms of NGO activity, 
• promotion of good practice, model solutions in the area of subsidiarity rule implementation, standards of cooperation and shaping the democratic social order.

In the Rules of the Programme, corporate volunteering was named as one of supported activities.

In the years 2005-2007, the government allocated the amount of 90 million zloty for the purpose of the FIO priorities implementation. In 2007 additional amount of 20 million zloty was granted for the Programme.

There are plans to continue strategic goals of Civic Initiatives Fund in the form of Civic Initiatives Fund Operational Programme for the years 2008- 2013. Among five priorities named in the draft of the Operational Programme, special meaning for promotion of CSR has Priority IV. Social entrepreneurship development, incorporating two major areas of support: Social entrepreneurship and three-sector partnership promotion and corporate volunteering. Projects accomplished in that area should promote combining economic (professional) with social activity.

In its World Report 2008, Human Rights Watch surveys the human rights situation in more than 75 countries. Human Rights Watch identified many human rights challenges in need of attention, including atrocities in Chad, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia's Ogaden region, Iraq, Somalia, Sri Lanka, and Sudan's Darfur region, as well as closed societies or severe repression in Burma, China, Cuba, Eritrea, Libya, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam. Abuses in the "war on terror" featured in France, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, among others.

This year's report is Human Rights Watch's 18th annual review of human rights practices around the globe. Each country entry identifies significant human rights issues, examines the freedom of local human rights defenders to conduct their work, and surveys the response of key international actors, such as the United Nations, European Union, Japan, the United States, and various regional and international organizations and institutions.

World Report 2008 is available online.

http://www.un-ngls.org/

Bonn, Germany: Development organizations are making increasing use of online volunteers through the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) Online Volunteering service (http://www.onlinevolunteering.org/). The number of online projects offered on the website grew by 28% in 2007 and the service is poised to grow further with the addition of French and Spanish services.

More than 1,035 development organizations are now registered with the UNV Online Volunteering service, up from 915 in 2006. They posted 3,600 online volunteering opportunities in 2007, up from 2,800 opportunities in 2006. This gave 2,400 online volunteers the chance to engage in development work via the UNV Online Volunteering service in 2007; many of the online volunteers worked on more than one assignment.

To cater to the growing demand, UNV is upgrading the Online Volunteering service with the substantial financial support of Irish Aid, the Government of Ireland's programme of assistance to developing countries. The website is being redesigned in 2008 and will eventually expand from English language services to include French and Spanish, which is expected to result in further growth.

"This is great news for the development organizations that post assignments, and the people and communities in developing countries who ultimately benefit," said UNV Executive Coordinator Ms Flavia Pansieri. "The growth in online volunteerism shows that there are tremendous opportunities to engage people all over the world in development through volunteerism and the internet, and that this is being increasingly acknowledged by development organisations."

Ms Pansieri noted that the increased demand for online support was easily accommodated by the thousands of people who regularly visit the website of the UNV Online Volunteering service to search for opportunities that match their skills and interests. In 2007, online volunteers made an average of two bids for every assignment posted on the service.

Development organizations propose assignments on the website, and these are assessed by skilled individuals from around the world who offer their services online.  The service is free for the organizations and the volunteers.

UNV Online Volunteering service manager Ms Elise Bouvet attributed the growth to satisfied users who are spreading the word and boosting the growth of the Online Volunteering community. A recent satisfaction survey showed that 77% of the volunteers are "satisfied" or "very satisfied" with their online volunteering experience. The same survey found that 84% of organizations engaging online volunteers via the UNV Online Volunteering service rated their collaboration as "good" or "excellent".

"Online volunteers can support development activities in many ways, including support for income generation projects by sharing their business and marketing knowledge or editing the project proposals," said Ms Bouvet. "They can improve knowledge management by building a database or devise a survey, and they can facilitate communications by helping organisations create a website or write a newsletter."

Online volunteer Ms Yin Mei of  Singapore recently noted that online volunteering "has added a new dimension to how I apply my skills and has deepened my interest in development work".

The Youth for Technology Foundation (YTF) in Nigeria is an example of the development organisations using the UNV service to engage online volunteers in its projects. YTF Executive Director Ms Njideka Harry said that the UNV service had "allowed YTF to achieve results that wouldn't have been possible with our on-site program alone. Involving online volunteers, YTF has not only fulfilled its mission to bridge the digital divide, but we have also actively bridged the cultural divide as well." Danielle Brunin from the United States, who volunteered online with YTF, said: "this online volunteering experience had an important impact on my life because I feel as though I am able to make a difference in the world and use my skills, even though I'm not on the ground in the areas where the Youth for Technology Foundation operates. It allows me to genuinely feel as though I am part of the world community."

Organizations wishing to involve online volunteers in their development activities may register at http://www.onlinevolunteering.org/.

http://www.unv.org/en/news-resources/news/doc/online-volunteering-soars.html

The campaign entitled ‘On a good path' aims to show how human trafficking cannot be treated as a marginal problem, as many victims fail to report the crime.

There are an estimated 15,000 victims of human trafficking connected with Poland, be it as a country of origin, transit or destination.

La Strada's campaign is being advertised on huge billboards throughout Poland and many famous personalities from the world of film, politics and culture have lent their support.

(AK)

http://www.poland.pl/news/article,NGO_launches_anti-human_trafficking_campaign,id,312545.htm

Pursuant to the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) the entire intervention of the European Social Fund in Poland for the years 2007-2013 will be covered by the Operational Programme Human Capital, the objective of which is to allow full deployment of human resources through an increase in, the objective of which is to allow full deployment of human resources through an increase in employment and of adaptation potential of enterprises and their personnel, improving the educational level of the society, reducing areas of social exclusion and support for establishment of administrative structures of the state. Within the Programme support would be provided to the following areas: employment, education, social integration, development of the adaptation potential of employees and enterprises, as well as issues related to development of human resources on rural areas, with creation of efficient and effective public administration of all levels as well as health promotion of human resources.

DOWNLOAD:
Human Capital Operational Programme [2,13 MB] >>>

http://www.funduszestrukturalne.gov.pl/NR/rdonlyres/F76AAC55-7A92-44E6-A9BF-4C2E5F30248C/42481/HCOP_EN_18January2008_final.pdf

Newswise - The civil society sector in a wide range of countries contributes about as much to gross domestic product as do the construction and finance industries and twice as much as the utilities industry, according to a Johns Hopkins University report released today at the first "Global Assembly on Measuring Civil Society and Volunteering" in Bonn, Germany.

These findings emerge from data generated by official statistical agencies in eight countries that are the first to implement new guidelines contained in the United Nations Handbook on Nonprofit Institutions, which was issued by the United Nations Statistical Division in 2003. These guidelines call on statistical agencies, for the first time, to pull together data on nonprofit institutions that up to now have been scattered in official statistics, and to estimate as well the value of volunteer work.

"We now have an officially sanctioned method for capturing the economic scale and importance of civil society and volunteering around the world, and what it is revealing is that this set of organizations is far more important than we have realized," noted Lester Salamon, report author and director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies, which helped the United Nations draft the handbook and has been involved in promoting its implementation.

According to the report, the civil society sector -- comprising private, not-for-profit hospitals, schools, social service agencies, symphonies, environmental groups and many other organizations -- accounts on average for 5 percent of the GDP in the countries covered, and exceeds 7 percent in some countries, such as Canada and the United States. By comparison, the utilities industry -- including gas, water, and electricity -- in these same countries accounts on average for only 2.3 percent of GDP, the construction industry for 5.1 percent, and the financial intermediation industry embracing banks, insurance companies, and financial services firms, for 5.6 percent.

Other findings in this report, which covers Australia, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Japan, New Zealand and the United States, include the following:

• For the five countries on which historical data are available (Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Japan and the United States), nonprofit institutions (NPIs) have recently been growing at an average rate that is twice the growth rate of GDP (8.1 percent per year vs. 4.1 percent);
• Nonprofits account for the lion's share of value added in many critical human service fields. In Belgium, for example, they provide more than 40 percent of the value added in health and more than two-thirds of the value added in social services;
• Health and education account, on average, for 60 percent of the economic contribution of NPIs, though this varies widely by country;
• Philanthropy, including volunteering, generates at most only about one-third of nonprofit revenue. The balance comes from government and fees;
• Within philanthropy, gifts of time (i.e. volunteering) outdistance gifts of cash by almost two to one;

The "Global Assembly on Measuring Civil Society and Volunteering" at which this report has been released is the first official gathering of statistical offices involved in implementing the new U.N. NPI handbook around the world. The assembly, being held at the U.N. offices in Bonn, Germany, was organized by the Center for Civil Society Studies at the Johns Hopkins Institute for Policy Studies in cooperation with United Nations Volunteers and the United Nations Statistics Division. In addition to the eight countries that have already issued the NPI Satellite Accounts called for in the U.N. NPI handbook, 20 additional countries, both developed and developing, have committed to doing so and a number of others are about to begin implementation. The result will boost significantly the visibility and credibility of this set of institutions and permit more coherent public and private policies towards them.

The full text of the report "Measuring Civil Society and Volunteering: Initial Findings from Implementation of the U.N. Handbook on Nonprofit Institutions" is available at http://www.jhu.edu/ccss . Printed copies can be purchased for a small fee by e-mailing unhandbook@jhu.edu".

http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/533702/

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-12/06/content_7206725.htm

The third European MarketPlace on Corporate Social Responsibility, hosted by CSR Europe, took place in Brussels on 29 November 2007. A record number of 650 participants from companies, NGOs, national governments, media and the European Commission attended this unique peer-to-peer event.  

Highlights of the MarketPlace included: 

• Around 90 CSR solutions presented by some of the world's leading companies
• Information stands and co-building sessions of 16 CSR Laboratories in which business and stakeholders tackle key CSR challenges together
• Awards for the most outstanding solutions and Laboratories chosen by a stakeholder panel and the public
• Launch of CSR Europe's new website with a special section on the European Alliance for CSR

Read more below and check also images from the event, speeches and other documents, and the press page.

Sharing CSR Solutions at the MarketPlace

More than 90 CSR practitioners from different companies presented their top CSR solutions at the MarketPlace made of small market stalls divided in thematic sections.

Compared to the previous years, the third MarketPlace saw an increase in the number of solutions related to mainstreaming CSR and equal opportunities. For the first time, skills and competence building surpassed environmental protection as the category with the most solutions. This MarketPlace also featured a record number of solutions from companies in the Central and Eastern European region.

The 90 solutions presented at the event were selected among a total of 180 solutions submitted by CSR Europe's members and partners. All submitted solutions are now available online in CSR Europe's solutions database.

Co-inventing Solutions in CSR Laboratories

The CSR Laboratories launched during 2007 under the umbrella of the European Alliance for CSR were presented at the MarketPlace through information stands and co-building sessions.

The information stands allowed participants to gain insight into Laboratory projects involving companies and stakeholders across sectors and addressing key societal challenges, such as wellbeing in the workplace, responsible supply chain management, demographic change, and many others.

The co-building sessions invited participants to provide input into the work of the Laboratories and to contribute further even beoynd the event itself.

The MarketPlace featured Laboratory co-building sessions on topics such as

• Sustainable Business at the Base of the Pyramid, led by Danone
• Skills for Employability Enhanced through Employee Community Involvement, led by Citi, KPMG, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
• Demographic Change, led by BASF, Evonik, SAP
• Responsible Supply Chain Management, led by HP, Titan, Volkswagen
• Mainstreaming Diversity in the Company, led by L'Oréal  
• Science in Schools, led by IBM
• CR and Market Valuation of Financial and Non-Financial Performance, led by Telecom Italia, Lloyds TSB
• European Alliance for Skills for Employability, led by Microsoft, Randstad, Cisco, State Street

Read more about these and other CSR Laboratories in the Alliance section of our website.

Awards for Outstanding CSR Solutions and Laboratories

At the closing session of the MarketPlace, an international stakeholder panel of 12 participants from academia, press, NGOs, consumer organisations and public sector presented awards for the 5 most outstanding CSR solutions and the 4 most outstanding CSR Laboratories presented at the MarketPlace. In addition, all MarketPlace participants had the opportunity to vote for their favourite CSR solution. Read more about the awards.

Engaging in the European Alliance for CSR

CSR Europe is a key partner of the European Alliance for CSR, an open partnership for enterprises committed to innovative and responsible business practices. The MarketPlace offered Alliance partners the opportunity to share their views on the mid-term progress of the Alliance launched in 2006.

At the opening session, European Commissioners Günter Verheugen and Vladimir Spidla stressed the important role that companies' CSR initiatives play for the success of the European Strategy for Jobs and Growth. The Commissioners also called for closer cooperation between all actors in society, a goal that the Alliance has set our to pursue. Read the speeches.

As part of its contribution to the Alliance, CSR Europe launched its new website featuring a section dedicated to the Alliance. Read more about the European Alliance for CSR.

Event Sponsors

The third European MarketPlace on CSR was made possible with the support of HP, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, Suez and Volkswagen.

http://www.csreurope.org/pages/en/marketplace2007.html

1. Enabling disadvantaged groups and communities to gain wider access to opportunities and services and to enhance the delivery of these services;
2. Inclusion and participation and promoting the involvement of all stakeholders, in particular the disadvantaged, in processes that affect their well being;
3. Community mobilization through voluntary action.

In the hundreds of camps and centres managed by UNHCR and partners around the world for the internally displaced and refugee populations, volunteerism, volunteer action and volunteers, including UNV volunteers, are best complementing the work of UNHCR and making real contributions in these three distinctive areas.

The sheer resilience, determination and will of refugees and displaced persons themselves is admirable - in times of emergency and humanitarian crisis the affected themselves are always the first to "volunteer" and "mobilize" themselves.

For example, in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in Pakistan in 2005, with strong recognition and support from the Government, volunteer action on the ground played a very effective role - with thousands of volunteers from all over the country as well as from different parts of the world collectively participating in rescuing the victims and supplying them with urgently needed relief and services.

In the context of UNV collaboration with UNHCR, UNV supplied UNV volunteers to assist in the implementation of UNHCR's work. It also went one step further and supported the Government of Pakistan in establishing and launching the "National Volunteer Movement" to complement and support the activities of the government and the international aid community, including those of UNHCR.  By tapping its own nationals, and especially through tapping into the wealth of knowledge and skills of the affected communities themselves, the crisis and its enduring recovery efforts could be owned and addressed by the people of Pakistan with a greater sense of local direction, management and ownership.

http://www.unv.org/en/news-resources/resources/on-volunteerism/doc/unvunhcr-working-together.html

Related documents:

UNV Statistical Overview 2006 (complete file, 2.67MB)
UNV volunteers worldwide (2.52MB)
UNV financial report 2006 (156KB)
UNV volunteers assignments (100KB)

Other languages: en français  

http://www.unv.org/en/news-resources/resources/statistical-overview-2006/doc/unv-statistical-overview-2006.html

Poland's civil rights spokesman Janusz Kochanowski has appealed to Poles to condemn genocide in Darfur, Sudan, and to support an aid initiative of the Polish Humanitarian Action organization.

Kochanowski said that in light of Polish experience, it is a special obligation of each and every Pole to protect human dignity and human rights. The Polish ombudsman spoke with disapproval of the inaction of public opinion in the majority of European countries on the bloodshed in Darfur.

The Polish Humanitarian Action group, together with some mass media, are mobilizing help for plans to drill deep water wells in Darfur and give the people there access to drinking water.

KB

http://www.poland.pl/news/article,Poland_must_condemn_Darfur_genocide,id,283833.htm

Polish President Lech Kaczyński has said Poland could not accept the voting system in the European Council proposed in the bloc's constitutional treaty.

He told a press conference that Poland, alongside the Netherlands, would lose the most under the new system. 'No self-respecting state can stand idly by looking at such a course of events', he said, adding that Poland does not want to abuse its veto power.  President Kaczynski said that many controversial issues could be resolved in E.U. legislation rather than in a joint constitution.

http://www.poland.pl/news/article,Poland_wants_to_keep_its_voting_power_in_the_EU,id,274899.htm

The World Congress of Families continues in Warsaw with the debates in working groups dealing with such issues as 'from overpopulation to under-population and the demographic challenges of the 21st century', 'from the small family to the celebration of the large family', and 'from the family as an obstacle to development to the family as the source of social renewal and progress'.

The speakers have included deputy prime minister Roman Giertych and former speaker of Parliament Marek Jurek. The Congress has brought to Warsaw some three thousand participants from over 60 countries - pro-family leaders, grass-roots activists and representatives of NGOs. The event is held under the honorary patronage of Polish President Lech Kaczynski.

(kaka)

http://www.poland.pl/news/article,World_Congress_of_Families_in_Warsaw,id,274898.htm

Foreign minister Anna Fotyga has delivered a policy address in Parliament. She declared Poland's government support for the idea of an open Europe to include new members, countries of the Balkan region, mainly Croatia. Poland will also work for EU eastward enlargement to encompass Ukraine and Moldova. It is in favour of Turkish integration as well, said the head of Polish diplomacy.

Minister Fotyga voiced hope for reaching a new EU agreement with Russia. She emphasized the need to seek guarantees for political and energy security of all Union member countries. Anna Fotyga said that Poland, Lithuania and Estonia should be equal partners with the EU in implementing policies aimed at Russia.

Minister Fotyga spoke of Poland's support for US presence in Europe. The Polish government is also in favour of closer cooperation between EU countries and NATO, assured the foreign minister in her policy speech to Parliament.

(kaka)

http://www.poland.pl/news/article,Poland_wants_open_Europe,id,274644.htm

New York Times

THE HAGUE, Feb. 27 - International prosecutors on Tuesday designated their first suspects in atrocities in the Sudanese region of Darfur, selecting a government minister and a militia commander to bring to trial.

Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, said he had presented close to 100 pages of evidence and asked the judges to issue summonses for the two men, Ahmad Harun and Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-al-Rahman.

Mr. Harun, currently Sudan's deputy minister for humanitarian affairs, was a senior government official in charge of the military and police and intelligence forces in Darfur as civilians were killed, raped and chased from their homes in the region, the prosecutors said.

His "unlimited" budget, the prosecutors said, allowed him to arm and finance Mr. Rahman, also known as Ali Kushayb, the militia leader who led fighters in a brutal campaign of violence against civilians. "We have focused on some of the most serious incidents," Mr. Moreno-Ocampo said.

The announcement came after 20 months of criminal investigation into Darfur's enormous bloodshed and humanitarian disaster. Human rights activists described the two suspects as powerful but not among Sudan's top leaders.

At a news conference in The Hague, Mr. Moreno-Ocampo declined to say whether the most important figures in Sudan's political or military hierarchy would be held accountable for the mass killing, looting, rape and general devastation in Darfur, which has uprooted more than two and a half million people, according to the United Nations.

The prosecution is believed to be investigating crimes by the government, the militias aligned with the government and the rebel forces they oppose.

Court officials said the prosecutor favored a strategy of focusing on specific events to which he can link individuals, rather than pursuing broad, ambitious indictments. He may also be following the path of other war crimes tribunals, building a base of evidence with lesser cases before moving up the chain of command. But the arrival of any Sudanese suspects at the court is far from assured.

In Khartoum, the Sudanese minister of justice immediately said the nation did not recognize the court's jurisdiction, did not intend to hand over anyone and would try any cases itself. Sudan has told Mr. Moreno-Ocampo that it has already arrested 14 people for human rights violations, including Mr. Rahman. Even so, human rights groups said most of those arrested in Sudan have been low-level fighters.

The prosecutors' decision, and the reaction from Khartoum, raised the basic difficulty the court faces: how to investigate, let alone put on trial, officials from sitting governments.

The International Criminal Court, embraced by 104 countries but independent from the United Nations, has a broad mandate to investigate war crimes and crimes against humanity. But it has no police to enforce its summonses or arrest warrants, leaving it dependent on the very governments it may be investigating, as in the case of Sudan.

Such issues have confronted United Nations war crimes tribunals for a decade, with prosecutors for Uganda's genocide and the wars in the Balkans still begging for the arrests of important suspects.

For the first Darfur case - the court is handling cases in three other African nations - the prosecution has focused on violence in four villages and towns, starting in the summer of 2003.

In April of that year, Mr. Moreno-Ocampo said, rebels attacked Al Fasher airport in Darfur, destroying planes, killing government soldiers and kidnapping the Sudanese air force commander. That was a turning point in the conflict, the prosecutor said, and led to intense recruiting of Arab militiamen, or janjaweed, who have been aligned with the Arab-dominated government.

The janjaweed focused on the civilian population, he said, on the rationale that they were supporters of the rebels.

"This strategy became the justification for the mass murder, summary execution and mass rape of civilians," Mr. Moreno-Ocampo said.

At the time, Mr. Harun was the minister of state for the interior, and oversaw the Darfur Security Desk.

Mr. Harun was seen traveling with well guarded boxes of cash and was observed distributing money, weapons and ammunition throughout Darfur, according to the prosecutor's statement, and worked closely with the militia leader, Mr. Rahman.

On one occasion, in early August 2003, Mr. Harun arrived by helicopter in the Darfur town of Mukjar as janjaweed militia were moving in and gave a public speech. According to the prosecutor, Mr. Harun said that since the children of the Fur tribe had become rebels, the Fur people and their possessions had become booty for the militia. Immediately upon his departure, the janjaweed "looted the entire town," the prosecution statement said.

Mr. Rahman personally led the attack on Mukjar and three other villages and towns, the statement said. By mid-2003 he was commanding thousands of janjaweed. His forces pillaged and burned homes and shops, killed hundreds of people and tied women to trees and repeatedly raped them. According to the prosecution, Mr. Rahman took part in a number of summary executions.

He was arrested in Sudan in November and is being held on a different set of human rights violations.

Mr. Moreno-Ocampo said his staff tried to meet with him, and with Mr. Harun, in recent weeks, but the Sudanese government prevented it.

FAIR USE NOTICE. This document may contain copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. NGOWatch is making this article available in our efforts to advance the understanding of NGO accountability, human rights, labor rights, social and environmental justice issues. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

http://www.ngowatch.org/articles.php?id=596

By Howard W. French

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

LUSHAN, China

For as long as he can remember, Du Jianhua's dream has been to find a way to contribute to his society.

Starting small, the glass cutter began by cleaning up litter around this town. Later, he began tracking the way garbage was dumped into the Nansha River, fouling the waterway he'd played in as a boy. Soon he began looking into mining and the clearing of forests in the hill country of Henan Province, where he grew up, and finally, hoping to spur the local government to action, he presented it with a report on his findings.

When the local environmental bureau dismissed him out of hand, he decided to form his own nongovernmental organization, or NGO.

"This is when I realized that volunteers are weak in our society," Du said. "No matter what we say, the government doesn't listen, but just ridicules us. The only way forward is to form an organization and to unite with other groups."

Over the next two years, Du, 37, worked hard to build a local environmental group and then to get it officially registered. His bid for legal status was frustrated, however, leading to two lawsuits, both of which he lost.

But if his battle often seemed lonely, the efforts of this man, with little more than a high school education and a strong dose of willpower, have been anything but alone.

In the space of 15 years, China has gone from having virtually no independent groups of any kind to having more than 300,000 NGOs by official count. Counting groups not registered with the government, some estimates place the number as high as 2 million. And as Du's experience attests, NGO- type activism has spread out of the big cities and well beyond the intellectual class that gave rise to the movement in the early 1990s by taking on what were politically less risky issues, after the Tiananmen Square massacre, such as environmental protection.

This explosion has begun to change the relationship between citizens and the government, and many activists say it has pushed the authoritarian system in the direction of greater openness and accountability. It has also aroused concerns, with some officials warning that NGOs could become a Trojan horse for Western-style democratization.

Although they rarely use the word Western to describe the inspiration for their efforts, for many activists within this movement, gradual democratization is precisely the point.

"In the past all decisions were made according to the government's sole judgment," said Wang Yongchen, a co- founder of Green Earth Volunteers, one of the country's oldest NGOs. "What we're saying is not only the government, but the nongovernment sector, too, should participate in decision-making so that broader public interests can be reflected in decisions. During this process, NGOs can help achieve good governance and a pluralism where decision-making will take into account multiple voices."

Activists like Wang tout the achievements of the movement, which they say has already changed many of the rules of the game. This has been achieved, they say, by organizing public hearings about government decisions, and by educating ordinary people about their rights.

An important landmark for the movement was the environmental impact assessment law, which took effect in 2003 and for the first time provided for public hearings on construction projects.

Still, the Chinese government requires that for any NGO to become a legal entity, it must first obtain sponsorship from a state agency, meaning any group whose agenda is seen as provocative or adversarial stands little chance of securing registration.

The standards of what constitutes provocative vary, and a near universal complaint of NGOs is that the boundaries of the acceptable are seldom clear.

Ren Guoliang, for example, a former soldier who is HIV-positive, formed an outreach group in the city of Xian of people with the virus for others who are infected, but could not find a local government department that would sponsor its registration.

"The government looked at us as if they thought we might have some political motivation, like there was some kind of political risk involved, as if infected people would start causing trouble," said Ren, 26.

This led to a decision made by a million or more other groups facing similar frustrations: to operate in a gray zone, technically illegal and sharply limited in operations.

"Because we can't have a bank account, it becomes very difficult to raise funds," Ren said.

"The other thing is that when we talk with a local government, or with infected people, our identity becomes an issue. People ask you for your credentials and for introduction letters, and not having them makes things really difficult."

Ren's is typical of the new kind of activism, which is not easily discouraged even in the face of such severe restrictions.

"People have much more information now, and they're much more willing to defend their rights, and I believe the future is very bright."

Outside of the major cities, where NGO activity is booming, the rules of registration also typically mean that groups with grievances must approach local governments to seek their sponsorship for registration.

Wang Ziqing, a leader of a farmers' group in Zhejiang Province that seeks to stop government appropriation of farmland, had this experience.

"They say we're fighting with the government and that's why they won't approve us," said Wang, 46.

Denied registration, Wang has repeatedly traveled with groups of farmers to Beijing to file complaints about the provincial government, frequently resulting in their detention and forcible return home by security agents.

"We have produced all of the necessary materials, but they just say, 'Your farmers' association is illegal,'" he said.

While many in government appear to see tighter law enforcement and old tactics involving a mixture of cash payments and intimidation as the best way to quell disturbances, others see the NGO movement as an increasingly valuable outlet for social tensions, because it channels people's grievances into legal and peaceful forms of mobilization.

"The government must allow civil society to grow and allow citizens to associate and organize together," said Jia Xijin, deputy director of the NGO Research Center at Tsinghua University. "That's a healthy situation, and the government has to realize that, otherwise the situation could become very dangerous."

http://www.ngowatch.org/articles.php?id=589

http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8602953

DAVOS, Switzerland -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair and musician Bono on Friday urged countries and companies that have pledged to aid Africa to keep their promises and their helping hands extended.

A failure to do so would nullify the efforts made so far, said Blair, who made debt relief for Africa the platform of his presence at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting two years ago and again at the summit of the Group of Eight nations in 2005.

"I think it's important that the momentum is redoubled for the G-8 meeting this June in Germany," Blair told an audience that included U.S. senators, world leaders, corporate chiefs and World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz. "There are good things that have happened, both on debt cancellation and a lot of work done on HIV and AIDS."

South African President Thabo Mbeki and Liberian President Ellen Sirleaf Johnson agreed with Blair's call to redouble efforts to provide aid to Africa.

"For God's sake, we shouldn't be so poor," Johnson said. Africa is rich in natural resources but corruption, crushing debt and social services that need improvement have kept the continent in poverty.

"Get rid of the debt and that frees us to get to our objective," she said at the session, part of the World Economic Forum's annual meeting.

Bono, who last year launched his Red campaign to raise money to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in Africa, was more direct. He said corruption "is Africa's No. 1 problem. Above HIV/AIDS, above malaria, above catastrophe and conflicts."

"But there's also corruption that we should talk about north of the equator," he said, referring to a failure to move more quickly to cancel debt owed by many African countries and provide aid for anti-malaria netting or cheap vaccines. "I fear for the promises we made being kept."

Looking ahead to the G8 summit, Bono, like Blair, said it was imperative that African debt-relief remain a priority.

"As we go into Germany, this is where we find out if we are making progress, and if we fail it is corruption of the highest order, in my opinion," he said.

"Africa is this magical, extraordinary continent and we've got to start describing it more as an opportunity than a burden," Bono said.

Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates, an ardent supporter of campaigns to bring vaccines to the continent, said the momentum for Africa could be continued.

"I'm incredibly hopeful _ the breakthroughs are coming," he said. "We can solve the health crisis and generate a rich continent."

FAIR USE NOTICE. This document may contain copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. NGOWatch is making this article available in our efforts to advance the understanding of NGO accountability, human rights, labor rights, social and environmental justice issues. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

http://www.ngowatch.org/articles.php?id=584

source: http://www.economist.com/world/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8462893

Institutions from Małopolska have the possibility to apply until 17 January 2007 for a SMART funding for projects focussing on revitalisation and support for NGOs. A guideline for applicants and the application form are available from Marshal Office.

źródło: http://www.smart-rfo.org/smart/news.asp?sprache=en&detail=ja&id=179

UNITED NATIONS: The U.N. Security Council called an emergency meeting Tuesday on the fighting in Somalia between Ethiopian forces backing the country's weak transitional government and the powerful Islamic militia that controls most of the country.

Francois Lonseny Fall, the U.N. secretary-general's special representative to Somalia, was expected to brief the council on the latest developments in the country, which has not had an effective government since 1991.

Forces supporting the Council of Islamic Courts have been under heavy fire since Sunday, when Ethiopia sent fighter jets across the border to help Somalia's internationally backed government push out the Islamic militia. Ethiopia bombed the country's two main airports and helped government forces capture several villages.

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said Tuesday that Islamic fighters were making a tactical retreat after suffering heavy casualties as government and Ethiopian troops advanced.

On Dec. 6, the Security Council authorized an African force to protect Somalia's government against the increasingly powerful Islamic militia, but that force has not been deployed.

The council's resolution, sponsored by the United States and co-sponsored by the council's African members, also partially lifted an arms embargo on Somalia so the regional force could be supplied with weapons and military equipment and train the government's security forces.

At the same time, it threatened targeted sanctions against others violating the arms embargo.

The resolution also urged the Islamic movement that had taken control of the capital and most of southern Somalia in recent months to stop any further military expansion and join the government in peace talks. It threatened Security Council action against those who block peace efforts or attempt to overthrow the government. No measures were mentioned, but they could include sanctions.

FAIR USE NOTICE. This document may contain copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. NGOWatch is making this article available in our efforts to advance the understanding of NGO accountability, human rights, labor rights, social and environmental justice issues. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

source: http://www.ngowatch.org/articles.php?id=567

UN Watch today expressed its disappointment at the weak resolution adopted by the UN Human Rights Council at the close of its special session on Darfur, Sudan. The resolution merely expresses "concern regarding the seriousness of the human rights and humanitarian situation in Darfur," urges all parties to sign and implement the Darfur Peace Agreement, and "welcomes" the Sudanese government's "cooperation."

In a statement delivered on behalf of 31 NGOs at the session, UN Watch had urged the Council to adopt a strong resolution holding the government of Sudan to its obligation to protect the people of Darfur and insisting that it accept the UN peacekeeping force mandated by the Security Council last August, which Khartoum has repeatedly refused.

"Today's resolution not only does not condemn the government of Sudan, or any other party to the Darfur conflict, for the ongoing, egregious human rights violations there, it does not even include the word 'violation,' " said UN Watch Executive Director Hillel Neuer. "This soft approach confirms the double standard in the Council's work: Israel is repeatedly and harshly condemned, while other countries are treated with kid gloves." Israel is the only country that the Council has censured for human rights violations in its six months of existence. To date, the Council has passed eight condemnatory resolutions and held three special sessions against the Jewish state.

The immediate result of today's resolution will be the dispatch of an assessment mission to Darfur but, according to Neuer, "any concrete Council action to try to improve the situation there is still a long way off." The mission was deemed necessary because Sudan and its allies in the Council have insisted that widespread reports of the dire crisis in Darfur -by UN officials, humanitarian and human rights organizations, and the media- are "exaggerated" and based on "misinformation."

The mission will consist of "five highly qualified persons to be appointed by the President of the Human Rights Council following consultation with the members of the Council," as well as the Council's independent expert ("special rapporteur") on Sudan. "Although it remains to be seen who will be chosen, this compromise seems better than the African Group's initial proposal that the mission should be carried out by Human Rights Council members themselves," commented Neuer.

The joint NGO statement also expresed its hope that today's special session "is just the beginning of the Council's active engagement, not only on Darfur, but on all major human rights crises worldwide." The Council's obsessive focus on Israel, at the expense of the world's worst human rights crises, has been widely criticized, not only by human rights groups, but also by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. At the Council's last session, UN Watch urged the body to turn its attention to 19 of the world's most egregious situations, including those of Burma, Cuba, North Korea, and Zimbabwe.

FAIR USE NOTICE. This document may contain copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. NGOWatch is making this article available in our efforts to advance the understanding of NGO accountability, human rights, labor rights, social and environmental justice issues. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

source: http://www.ngowatch.org/articles.php?id=563

Poland's military rulers have declared a state of emergency after imposing martial law and placing leaders of the Solidarity trade union under arrest.

The country is effectively sealed off from the outside world with the military insisting the action is necessary to prevent the country from descending into civil war.

Borders with East Germany, the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia have been closed and air space over Poland has been shut.

It is aimed at curbing the growing influence of the independent trade union Solidarity who reacted to the measures by calling a national strike.

Prime Minister General Wojciech Jaruzelski announced the crackdown on Solidarity on national television.

He warned Poles the country could no longer function under current tensions but pledged no blood would be spilt.

"We have been patient but now our patience has run out," he said.

The army was immediately dispatched to the streets in a massive show of military strength imposing strict censorship and a curfew.

The newly formed Military Council for National Salvation is instructed to shoot anyone breaking the new laws.

Angry crowds

Soldiers are patrolling Warsaw in armed personnel carriers with automatic weapons.

Those on foot are patrolling the streets with riot shields and truncheons.

In the sparse reports leaking out of Poland it is understood some angry crowds have formed in Warsaw jeering and shouting "Gestapo" at soldiers.

Solidarity party offices have been raided and its leaders arrested except for Lech Walesa.

He has avoided detention by agreeing to negotiations with the government.

Demonstrations in Austria, staged mainly by Polish refugees seeking asylum there, have erupted against the action in Poland.

The Pope has called for an end to the strife and said no more blood should be shed in his homeland.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/13/newsid_2558000/2558955.stm

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in his farewell address, criticized the Bush administration, warning that America must not sacrifice its Democratic ideals while waging war against terrorism.

In remarks prepared for delivery Monday at the Truman Presidential Museum and Library, Annan also said the Security Council should be expanded. "Human rights and the rule of law are vital to global security and prosperity," Annan's text said.

When the U.S. "appears to abandon its own ideals and objectives, its friends abroad are naturally troubled and confused," he said.Annan, who leaves the United Nations on Dec. 31 after 10 years as secretary-general, has become an increasingly vocal critic of the war in Iraq.

He said in the text that the U.S. has a special responsibility to the world because it continues to have extraordinary power.

Annan summed up five principles that he considers essential: collective responsibility, global solidarity, rule of law, mutual accountability and multilateralism.

He chose the Truman museum for his final major speech in part because it is dedicated to a president who was instrumental in the founding of the United Nations. His text repeatedly praised the Truman administration but never mentioned Bush by name.

"As President Truman said, 'The responsibility of the great states is to serve and not dominate the peoples of the world,'" Annan said.

"He believed strongly that henceforth security must be collective and indivisible. That was why, for instance, that he insisted when faced with aggression by North Korea against the South in 1950, on bringing the issue to the United Nations," Annan said.

"Against such threats as these, no nation can make itself secure by seeking supremacy over all others."Annan also called for a reform of the Security Council, saying its membership "still reflects the reality of 1945.

" He suggested adding new members to represent parts of the world with less of a voice.He said the permanent members, the world powers, "must accept the special responsibility that comes with their privilege.'

"The Security Council is not just another stage on which to act out national interests," he said in another jab at Bush.

Annan has a had a strained relationship with the administration and with outgoing U.S. Ambassador John Bolton.

He was criticized by some in the administration and in Iraq after saying earlier this month that the level of violence in Iraq is much worse than that of Lebanon's civil war and that some Iraqis believe their lives were better under Saddam Hussein.

He also has urged the international community to help rebuild Iraq, saying he was not sure Iraq could accomplish it alone.

Bolton also is leaving this month. He resigned in the wake of the November elections, which gave Democrats control over the next Congress, making his Senate confirmation unlikely.

After a private dinner Tuesday night at the White House for Annan, Bolton joked that "nobody sang 'Kumbaya.'

"Told at the time of Bolton's comment, Annan laughed and asked: "But does he know how to sing it?"

FAIR USE NOTICE. This document may contain copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. NGOWatch is making this article available in our efforts to advance the understanding of NGO accountability, human rights, labor rights, social and environmental justice issues. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

source: http://www.ngowatch.org/articles.php?id=561

BEIJING, Dec. 10 - Rules requiring Chinese lawyers to submit to government supervision when representing clients in politically delicate cases have dealt a serious blow to the country's legal system and should be rescinded, Human Rights Watch said in a report to be issued Monday.

The rights group said the rules, known as "guiding opinions," effectively shut down the legal system to people fighting official land confiscations, forced relocation, corruption, pollution and other politically delicate matters in China's one-party system.

"These restrictions effectively deprive people with lawful collective complaints of meaningful legal representations and risk instilling a sense of futility about legal avenues of redress," the report said. "That may exacerbate social unrest in the future."

The Chinese police have reported a surge in "mass incidents," including large demonstrations, in the past several years, with 87,000 such events in 2005.

Statistics for the first nine months of 2006 showed a decline in the number of protests from the year before, but Human Rights Watch said that the numbers were subject to political manipulation and that anecdotal evidence suggested rising discontent.

The "guiding opinions," which were put into effect in the spring, require lawyers who accept cases that involve 10 or more plaintiffs suing organs of the government or the ruling party to submit to "guidance and supervision" by their local judicial bureau and the All-China Lawyers Association, which are under government control.

They also must obtain consent from at least three partners in their law firm before accepting such cases, and they must refrain from "stirring up" news media coverage.

The rules are part of an effort to suppress expression rather than to address the causes of social unrest, lawyers and rights advocates say.

Although rapid economic growth has lifted hundreds of millions of Chinese out of severe poverty, weak property rights and poorly enforced labor and environmental laws have made China's transition to a market economy painful for many millions of people without power to protect their interests.

Lawyers, self-styled legal rights advocates and journalists have been the most conspicuous victims of a campaign by President Hu Jintao to create a more "harmonious society." They have been accused of leading people to take to the streets over lost jobs, unpaid wages, environmental degradation, land seizures and other sources of discontent.

After a rise in protests in 2005, including several well-publicized confrontations in which protesters were killed by riot soldiers or thugs, the authorities moved to prevent social disputes from gaining momentum.

Luo Gan, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee who oversees police and judicial matters for the ruling party, said in an speech published in a state-run magazine that officials should take "forceful measures" against lawyers or rights advocates who use the law as a pretext to "undermine social stability."

State security officers and the police have arrested or intimidated people associated with China's weiquan, or rights protection movement. At least four prominent lawyers and leading rights advocates, Gao Zhisheng, Chen Guangcheng, Guo Feixiong and Zheng Enchong, were charged with crimes after accepting politically delicate cases.

Human Rights Watch said in its 70-page study of the conditions for defense lawyers that many faced less obvious but nonetheless serious threats to their independence. Their licenses are subject to renewal annually. They depend on the good will of the police, prosecutors and court officials if they wish to take even rudimentary steps to defend their clients.

Several prominent defense lawyers, including Zhang Sizhi, who helped mold the profession after China emerged from the Cultural Revolution, have criticized the "guiding opinions." On Internet sites for lawyers, the rules have been called the biggest blow to the legal system since lawyers won some independence in the 1980s.

The government has defended the rules in the state-run media. Officials contend that they are intended mainly to protect lawyers and plaintiffs in delicate cases and to "safeguard legal rights." Many lawyers and plaintiffs hold the opposite view.

Human Rights Watch said China could not have an effective legal system until it respected the independence of lawyers and freed them from enforcing the will of the ruling party.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/11/world/asia/11china.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Civil groups and non-government organizations (NGOs) on Saturday challenged members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) who will have their Summit in Cebu City this month on human rights issue. Lidy Nacpil, vice president of Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC), said the civil groups plan to hold a week of action starting from December 9, parallel to the holding of the ASEAN Summit.

She said that among the issues to be discussed during the week of action will be the crisis in East Timor, the junta in Myanmar, territorial disputes in South China Sea, and the killings in the Philippines.

"Our activities will be peaceful and creative exercises of our basic right to freedom of expression and assembly," Nacpil said.

Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez earlier said no group will be allowed to hold rallies during the ASEAN leaders' three-day Summit starting on December 10.

"If they do (hold rallies), they will be arrested and thrown to the sharks," he said in a flippant remark.Various human rights groups here said they particularly want to highlight in their rallies "the deteriorating situation in the Philippines" where over 764 leftist activists have allegedly been murdered since 2001.

The government however said the reports of political killings is bloated and is part of a black propaganda campaign mounted by communist insurgents.President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo recently created the "Melo Commission" solely to investigate human rights violation in the country.

Retired Justice Jose Melo, head of the Commission, said they're in the process of conducting dialogues with the victims and relatives of victims of human rights violation.

He said they're coming up with a report to be submitted to President Macapagal Arroyo before the year ends.

The report would be based on the results of their dialogue with the victims and relatives of the victims, he added.International human rights advocates such as Amnesty International have criticized the spate of killings of activists and mediamen in the Philippines.

In their report in August, Amnesty International said that "a failure to prosecute any of the killers risks perpetuating a cycle of human rights violations.

"Failure to punish the killers sends "a message of de facto state tolerance for such practices," it added.

Dubbed as the ASEAN People's Camp and Week of Action, among the activities in the peaceful protest is a parade of some 500 fishermen on board 100 boats along the Mactan Strait in Cebu City on December 11.

The 100-boat fluvial parade is their way of showing their protest against trade and liberalization of fisheries by ASEAN member nations, Nacpil said.

Wilson Fortaleza, president of Sanlakas-Laban ng Masa, said some 30 international and local organizations would be joining the week-long protests, to be highlighted by a people's camp at the grounds of the University of the Philippines-Cebu starting on December 12.

This will be capped by a simultaneous demonstrations and rallies in Metro Manila and other ASEAN cities on December 13, he added.Exhibits, workshops, seminars, bazaars, and a concert would also take place during the people's camp, the organizers said.

FAIR USE NOTICE. This document may contain copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. NGOWatch is making this article available in our efforts to advance the understanding of NGO accountability, human rights, labor rights, social and environmental justice issues. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Source: http://www.ngowatch.org/articles.php?id=559

    International Volunteer Day: What is it?  The International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development (IVD) was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly through Resolution A/RES/40/212 on 17 December 1985. Since then, governments, the UN system and civil society organizations have successfully joined volunteers around the world to celebrate the Day on 5 December.

IVD offers an opportunity for volunteer organizations and individual volunteers to make visible their contributions - at local, national and international levels - to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. 

Over the years, rallies, parades, community volunteering projects, environmental awareness, free medical care and advocay campaigns have all featured prominently on IVD.

These events are led by IVD national committees comprising partners from the UN system, governments, civil society organizations (including national and/or international volunteer involving organizations) and committed individuals. Some IVD committees also include representatives from the media, academia, foundations, the private sector, faith groups, and sports and recreational organizations.

In response to calls by volunteer groups and governmental representatives around the world, the United Nations General Assembly in November 2002 adopted Resolution A/RES/57/106, which invited the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme to develop a global Internet volunteer resource to take forward gains made during the International Year of Volunteers (IYV) 2001 through expanded networking and knowledge management. UNV responded by launching the World Volunteer Web on 5 December 2002. Since then this website is the global focal point for the IVD campaign.

The critical question is, however, what happens on 6 December? Newspapers may turn their attention elsewhere and sound bites may fade away, but the work of volunteers goes on with or without publicity and well-deserved recognition. The spirit of IVD must live on as well. In its 2001 resolution, the United Nations General Assembly called on "governments, with the active support of the media, civil society and the private sector, to observe 5 December, IVD, and to include activities focused on following-up on the achievements of IYV".

Encouraging more people to volunteer is a 365-days-a-year task. If you consider the committed work of volunteers of all ages around the globe, carrying out every imaginable kind of activity, IVD should be a day that never ends.

source: http://www.worldvolunteerweb.org/intl-volunteer-day/background.html

NATO soldiers' involvement in both reconstruction and combat in Afghanistan endangers relief workers and undermines long-term development, nongovernment groups say, as NATO leaders meet in Riga.

NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) has an important role to play in stabilising the war-torn country, but the idea that the military can bring both protection and development to win peace has yet to be proved, they added.

Below-expected reconstruction after 25 years of war was, meanwhile, ratcheting up public frustration, leaving the country at a "dangerous crossroads", the Agency Coordinating Body For Afghan Relief (ACBAR), the umbrella body of NGOs said. Incapacity meant only about a quarter of this year's development budget had been spent, it said.

But the international community had also only delivered on 56 percent of its commitment of nearly 30 billion dollars to the destitute nation, it said in a statement urging NATO nations to rethink their role here.ACBAR also questioned ISAF's "quick impact projects", such as handing out stationery to schools kids, and involvement in other relief and reconstruction work.

"Military actors are not trained in development and their approaches are often undertaken with little community ownership or capacity to support community maintenance over time," it said.

"Further, when military forces do quick impact projects it can also seriously undermine and threaten the aid efforts of civilian agencies.

"For example, ISAF-led provincial reconstruction teams want to hand out free vaccinations for livestock but this can have adverse effects on a national strategy for vaccinations and undermines a para-vet system being set up, a kind of fast-reaction unit modelled on paramedics.NGOs have also expressed concern that the involvement of soldiers in aid will blur the difference between troops and relief workers, further putting them in the sights of insurgents and challenging their neutrality.

By August, 28 aid workers have been killed this year compared with 31 for the whole of last year, ACBAR said.

The private Norwegian Refugee Council agreed in a separate statement that ISAF had a key role to play in security efforts, including police and defence reform and bringing alleged war criminals to trial.But it should keep out of development which must be distinct from military operations, it said.

"NATO should do what it does best -- support the security sector and keep the peace -- so that aid agencies can do what we do best -- deliver protection and assistance to civilians in need," said the council's Ann Kristin Brunborg."We have observed that the engagement of NATO forces in peace and combat operations simultaneously is blurring local perceptions of the reasons behind foreign intervention in Afghanistan," she said.

The killing of civilians in military offensives, for example, undermines "peace operations" in more stable areas. Human Rights Watch has estimated 1,000 civilians have been killed in unrest this year.

"It also threatens the safety and security of our beneficiaries and our staff, especially when such killings spur communal unrest," Brunborg said. The council and ACBAR said the theory that the military could bring both protection and development to win peace had yet to be proved.

"With 11 times more cash being spent on military assistance than development aid in Afghanistan, that's one raucously expensive hypothesis," Brunborg said.

Over the past five years, the international community had spent more than 82.5 billion dollars on military assistance but only 7.3 billion dollars in development help, the council said.Afghanistan is in a "perilously fragile" situation with frustration about unmet expectations in a context of "extreme poverty, low capacity, deteriorating security and increasing illicit activities," ACBAR said."Unless the needs and expectations of the Afghan people are met shortly, the country could easily slide back into chaos."

FAIR USE NOTICE. This document may contain copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. NGOWatch is making this article available in our efforts to advance the understanding of NGO accountability, human rights, labor rights, social and environmental justice issues. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

source: http://www.ngowatch.org/articles.php?id=557

The United Nations Human Rights Council on Tuesday rejected a bid by the European Union and Canada to place primary responsibility on Sudan to prevent human rights violations in the country's conflict-riven Darfur province. The EU had submitted amendments to a resolution sponsored by the African group of countries, which called for "an immediate end to the ongoing violations of human rights and international humanitarian law," without making any reference to a government role in the conflict.

The resolution was passed in its unaltered form with 25 votes in favour, 11 against and 10 abstentions.The EU amendments instead had stressed the "primary obligation of the Government of Sudan to protect all individuals against violations, including sexual and other forms of gender-based violence and the use of child soldiers.

"The Council voted 22 against the amendments, 20 in favour and 4 abstentions. Finland's ambassador, representing the EU, expressed his "deep disappointment" that it had not been possible to reach an agreement on the resolution, and his "deep concern at the ongoing culture of impunity" regarding rights violations in Darfur.

Canada's ambassador also regretted the inability to reach a deal, saying the African draft failed to address the essential issues of the conflict. "The people of Darfur should not have to wait another six months" until the Human Rights Council next sits, for concrete action to be taken by the international community, he said.

FAIR USE NOTICE. This document may contain copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. NGOWatch is making this article available in our efforts to advance the understanding of NGO accountability, human rights, labor rights, social and environmental justice issues. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

source: http://www.ngowatch.org/articles.php?id=556

source: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/public/story_page/015-124-327-11-47-902-20061121STO00123-2006-23-11-2006/default_en.htm

source: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/expert/infopress_page/014-12659-317-11-46-902-20061113IPR12546-13-11-2006-2006-false/default_en.htm

Associated Press

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - U.N. Secretary-General

Kofi Annan worked with key African, Arab, European leaders in Ethiopia on Thursday to break the deadlock over worsening violence in Sudan's Darfur region.

Annan said summit members set up three committees to discuss the key issues: strengthening a beleaguered African peacekeeping force, enforcing a faltering cease-fire, and reinvigorating peace talks.

"We are having very good and constructive discussions," he said at the African Union headquarters in Ethiopia.

Annan wants U.N. peacekeepers to replace an African Union force in Darfur. Sudan has so far blocked a U.N. contingent, and Annan wants to stop the killings in Darfur before he leaves office Jan. 1. One proposal is for a joint AU-U.N. peacekeeping force.

Sudanese Foreign Minister Lam Akol did not rule out the proposal. "We are still discussing these points," he said.

The meeting drew senior officials from the African Union, the Arab League, the

European Union, Sudan, the United States, China, Russia, Egypt, France and a half-dozen African countries.

In recent days, pro-government militia known as janjaweed have stepped up attacks on villages in Darfur, killing dozens of people, international observers said Wednesday. In one raid, janjaweed militiamen - backed by government troops - forced children into a thatched hut, then set it ablaze, killing parents who tried to rescue the children, rebels said.

Speaking Wednesday in neighboring Kenya, Annan said the United Nations still wants to send its own troops. It has proposed replacing the 7,000-member African Union mission in Darfur with some 20,000 U.N. peacekeepers.

"We have not given up the idea of strengthening the force in Darfur," Annan said. "We need to continue our efforts to calm Darfur ... the border area between Chad and Sudan is very fragile and volatile."

After years of low-level clashes over water and land in the vast, arid Darfur region, rebels from ethnic African tribes took up arms against Sudan's Arab-dominated central government in 2003. Khartoum is accused of unleashing the janjaweed. The militiamen are accused of many of the atrocities in a conflict that has killed some 200,000 people and chased 2.5 million from their homes.

The conflict has destabilized a wide region that includes parts of neighboring Chad and the Central African Republic. The chaos has been exploited by rebels from Sudan, Chad and the Central African Republic, and ethnic violence mirroring attacks in Darfur has been seen in Chad in recent weeks.

The Sudanese army has denied any connection to janjaweed attacks, saying the claims were politically motivated.

Some in Darfur say the government has let loose janjaweed forces in Darfur recently to put down an umbrella coalition of rebels, the National Redemption Front, which has rejected a peace deal and clashed with government forces.

The African Union said at least 30 people were killed and 40 wounded in the janjaweed raid Saturday in the north Darfur town of Sirba and that attacks were also reported nearby.

Human Rights Watch has called for a major increase in the Darfur peacekeeping force to stop the growing number of attacks on civilians.

The New York-based advocacy group said it has documented renewed aerial bombing of civilians both in Darfur and inside neighboring Chad since late October.

"We're seeing a regional war against civilians, with armed groups on both sides of the border actively supported or tolerated by the Sudanese and Chadian governments," Peter Takirambudde, Africa director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. "The high-level meetings in Ethiopia must produce a clear plan for immediate deployment of international troops to protect civilians in Darfur and eastern Chad."

The aid agency Medecins Sans Frontiers reported that thousands of people have fled their homes and refugee camps in Darfur. The agency said it was also increasingly difficult to provide aid to the victims because of the violence.

FAIR USE NOTICE. This document may contain copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. NGOWatch is making this article available in our efforts to advance the understanding of NGO accountability, human rights, labor rights, social and environmental justice issues. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

source: http://www.ngowatch.org/articles.php?id=549

Introduction
One of the most innovative funding mechanisms that has emerged in recent years is the microcredit programs. Millions of people without access to credit have benefited from them in many parts of the world. Their goal is to loan modest amounts of money, at reasonable interest rates, to individuals or small businesses. Sometimes loans are made to small groups who manage the loan among themselves. Increasing the income-generating capacity of individuals and small businesses encourages economic activity and helps alleviate poverty and reduce unemployment.

Commercial banks, government-sponsored programs, international development agencies, and local CSOs have employed this strategy in many parts of the world. This section will look at how local CSOs can use these programs to provide economic opportunity for people while strengthening the fabric of civil society.


Benefits 
Providing credit for economic activity accomplishes many goals simultaneously. It creates economic autonomy at the grassroots level and reduces unemployment. It helps alleviate poverty while eliminating people's reliance in times of emergency on money lenders who charge high interest. By stimulating economic activity, it raises living standards and builds a healthy economy from the grounds up. 

Microfinancing CSOs themselves can also benefit directly from these programs. Generally, CSOs engaged in microcredit programs are membership organizations whose members benefit from their services. The interest earned from loans can be used to strengthen and expand the organization. When CSOs have other programs in addition to their microfinancing functions, the income from the interest finances these programs. They can also use these funds to finance public projects such as building a school or hospital, benefiting both their own members and the larger community. 


Women and Microcredit
Women have traditionally augmented their family income by earning money for services they provide and products they create in their homes. Access to credit can especially benefit women who wish to expand their home-run economic activity and go into business for themselves. The experience of recent decades has shown that women are especially reliable for paying back their loans and for using their income to improve the lives of their families. Many lending organizations favor giving credit to women because they have better repayment records and make better social investments-in their children, their families, and their communities. 


Types of Microfinancing CSOs
CSOs can provide credit using a number of different strategies. However, it must be kept in mind that providing financial services is a complex operation. The success of such organizations very much depends on the legal and economic context in which they operate. They need a trained staff, access to financing expertise, and strong accountability measures to operate efficiently and honestly. 

Cooperative banks and credit unions are two of the most common forms of microfinancing CSOs. 

a. Cooperative Banks
Cooperative banks are nonprofit institutions that are owned by members who are shareholders and elect the bank's board of directors. Borrowers are required to buy a percentage of their loan in bank shares, thus becoming shareholders. The interest earned on the money that is loaned to shareholders is invested in the bank to increase its capital base and provide larger loans and reach more members.

b. Credit Unions
Credit unions are created through the investment of members in the organization and are run by them. The funds raised from the membership create an equity base that is normally loaned out to members. A CSO that works as a credit union may also spend its income in public service or invest it in activities that earns more income for the organization.

Sources of Capital
CSOs that provide financial services to their membership or communities generally need seed capital to start up. This capital base can come from a variety of sources, singly or in combination.

a. Organizations
Organizations that provide start-up capital for microfinancing CSOs include international organizations such as the World Bank, USAID, and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, as well as foundations and other CSOs such as Ford Foundation, Oxfam, and Opportunity International. National private foundations or other CSOs may also provide funds. In addition to capital, these organizations can provide finance and technical support which are crucial to the success of a CSO's microcredit program. 


b. Membership Savings
Ideally, the equity base of a microcredit program of a CSO should come from its members to ensure the organization's autonomy and long-term sustainability. The savings of members can provide this capital. By consolidating their individual savings, members create a large credit base from which they can all benefit.


c. Joint Ventures
Creating capital through a joint effort is also a possible strategy. There have been many successful such ventures between international and local organizations with the private sector. Local and international businesses interested in operating in a community can be resourceful partners in building a capital base for a local microfinancing CSO.

source: http://www.mihancivilsociety.org/

The current programming period will come to an end in December 2006. The Commission, the Member States and the regions are preparing for the new programmes for 2007-2013. The renewed cohesion policy and its instruments constitute about one third of the EU budget. Priority is given to less developed Member States and regions. The new policy will aim to promote growth-enhancing conditions for the Union's economy and will focus on three new future objectives: convergence, competitiveness and cooperation.

All Polish regions are eligible for the "Convergence" Objective.

Between 2007 and 2013, in Poland, 100% of the population will live in "Convergence" regions. This is no change compared to the period 2000-2006 during which 100 % of the population lived in regions supported under "Objective 1".

source: INFOREGIO factsheet, October 2006, http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/atlas2007/fiche/pl_en.pdf

Bangladeshi economist Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank he created won the Nobel Peace Prize  for leveraging small loans into major social change for impoverished families.

The Grameen Bank's pioneering use of micro-credit has been duplicated across the globe since Yunus started the project in his home village three decades ago. Loans as low as $9 have helped beggars start small businesses and poor women buy cellular phones and basket-weaving materials.

Yunus said he believes the Nobel committee endorsed his view that bridging the gap between rich and poor countries in an age of increasing globalization is critical to reducing conflict around the world.

"You cannot go on having absurd amounts of wealth when other people have problems of survival," he said. "If you can bring an end to poverty, at least from an economic point of view, you can have a more livable situation between very rich people and very poor people, very rich countries and very poor countries. That's our basic ingredient for peace."

Bangladesh's first Nobel Prize exhilarated a poor nation more accustomed to news of natural disasters, disease and political upheaval. A massive public assembly was planned for Saturday in Dhaka to honor Yunus and the Grameen Bank, according to bank officials who said their offices were besieged Friday by customers, citizens and politicians offering congratulations.

The $1.4 million prize will be split between the Grameen Bank and Yunus, the bank's managing director. Yunus said he would use his share to set up a company to make low-cost, nutritious food for the poor and to establish an eye hospital for poor Bangladeshis.

Yunus and the Grameen Bank are hardly household names outside of Bangladesh, but Yunus has been one of the world's most prominent and renowned leaders of poverty alleviation. The Grameen Bank model has been duplicated in more than 100 countries, from Uganda to Malaysia to Chicago's South Side.

The bank they created -- Grameen means "village" in the Bengali language -- not only defied conventional lending rules by making loans to the poorest of the poor, but challenged cultural taboos by giving most of the loans to women in a Muslim-dominated society where rural women at the time were seldom allowed to touch money or work outside of their homes. The bank issues most of its loans to women because Yunus discovered that they spent their money more carefully and paid back the loans in far high percentages than did men.

Today, the bank has 6.61 million borrowers and 2,226 branches. The bank reports that it has lent $5.72 billion over the past 30 years and claims a 98 percent repayment rate.

"Micro-credit has proved to be an important liberating force in societies where women in particular have to struggle against repressive social and economic conditions," the Nobel Prize committee said in its citation Friday.

Three years ago, the bank started a program to give beggars -- or "struggling members" -- lines of credit of about $9 to purchase small items such as bread, candy, pickles and toys. Recipients of the loans then resell the goods "to supplement their begging," according to the bank's description of the program, which is intended not only to empower beggars, but to boost their morale and dignity.

"Yunus's long-term vision is to eliminate poverty in the world," the Nobel Prize committee said. "That vision cannot be realized by means of micro-credit alone. But Muhammad Yunus and Grameen Bank have shown that, in the continuing efforts to achieve it, micro-credit must play a major part."

fragments of the article Micro-Credit Pioneer Wins Peace Prize By Molly Moore

Washington Post Foreign Service
Saturday, October 14, 2006; Page A01

On 20th December 2005 Department of Public Benefit has activated a new internet data base - official register of Public Benefit Organizations in Poland based on National Court Register.

If you would like to find some information about one of the four thousand public benefit organizations in Poland, please click on this link>>

According to the data on the individual tax statements for 2004 – presented annually by the Ministry of Finances read more>> – 680 541 taxpayers abated the income tax because of a remittance in aid of public benefit organizations (1%), which amounted to 41 616 thousand zloty:

• 676 912 personal income taxpayers, who subject to the general fiscal regulations, i.e. progressive tax scale, donated 41 040 thousand zloty,
• 3 629 flat-rate taxpayers donated 576 thousand zloty.
  

The amount of taxpayers, who donated 1% of the tax in aid of public benefit organizations, increased 88,2% as against last year. In 2003 only 80 320 taxpayers took an opportunity of a donation 1% of the tax in aid of public benefit organizations.

The Ministry of Social Policy has been worked out the up-to-date project of The Strategy of Social Policy for the years 2007 – 2013. Possible remarks are able to be proposed to August 31st 2005 by social partners.

The Ministry of Social Policy invites non-governmental organizations, corporate entities, churches’ organizations and religious unions to take part in II edition of an open bid competition on the foremost offers in 2005, which are financed with the funds of "the Governmental Program - Civic Initiatives Fund (FIO)".

The open bid competition is carried out according to regulations of the public benefit and volunteer work Act of law and the document of March 8th 2005 ”Basic governmental’s course of actions in the field of performance the Governmental Program – Civic Initiatives Fund in 2005”.

The offers must execute one of the mentioned below aims:

• support activities initiating by non-governmental organizations in the field of public tasks,
• support the development of co-operation between non-governmental and public sectors,
• and support interdisciplinary activities in the field of civic initiatives;

and at the same time must include one of the following area:

• social security,
• social integration and activation,
• human and civic rights and freedoms,
• science, culture, education and upbringing,
• public safety and national defense.

It will be financed only these offers, which are contained on statutory unpaid and paid public benefit work.

The quantity of funds amounts to about 8 million zloty, the maximum sum of grant, of which applicants can apply for amounts to 250 thousand zloty; minimum – 5 thousand zloty.

On 10^th of  August 2005 in the Ministry of Finance was held a press conference, which summed up the individual tax statements for 2004. Read more>>

According to the data on the individual tax statements for 2004 the final sum of 1% of the tax in aid of public benefit organizations in 2004 amounted to 41.616 thousand zloty.

Personal income taxpayers, who subject to the general fiscal regulations, i.e. progressive tax scale, donated 41.040 thousand zloty. On this group are taxpayers of:

On 27th of July 2005 was held a plenary session of Council for Labour Protection in floor of the House in Warsaw. It was talked over the issue of observance regulations by organisations, which benefit from volunteers work. A particular notice was pointed out the requirement of personal safety measures. The Ministry of Social Policy and the National Labour Inspectorate agree with this requirement. The beneficiary is obliged to guarantee the appropriate personal safety measures determined by the type of benefits provided and related hazards.

The beneficiary also notify the volunteer of any risk to health and safety stemming from the process of providing benefits, and on the rules of protection against occupational threats and hazards. However, this duty may assume different forms, depending on the beneficiary abilities. It may be a talk with the volunteer or a leaflet with this information. It doesn’t have to be a training like in case of employee. For the sake of the beneficiary the most important thing is the volunteer’s confirmation of being notified of any risk to health and safety stemming from the process of providing benefits, on the rules of protection against occupational threats and hazards, and on the rights and duties. The beneficiary also isn’t obliged to aim the volunteer to a check-up.

The Council of Ministers adopted two acts – significant for the civil society development:

• The Strategy of Support of Civil Society for the years 2007 – 2013,

• Report on working of the Act of Law on Public Benefit and Volunteer Work (since the day of come into force till 31st December 2004).

It is an important event not only for non – governmental organization sector, but also for public administration.

It is to said that the report should be an inspiration for development of legal and economic conditions of third sector activity and for improvement of work of public administration.

The Strategy, as a document that confirms a vision of long – term thinking about social problems, should be an important criterion in the process of creating the Operational Programs (within the framework of the National Development Plan for the years 2007-2013).

We would like to thank all partners that participated in process of creating of these acts.

Dear Sirs,

The Department of Public Benefit of the Ministry of Social Policy is currently working on the Operational Program Civil Society. The Department is responsible for drafting this difficult document, which shall influence (according to the National Development Plan) on the distribution of 700 million EURO. We believe that suggestions of NGOs operating in various fields shall improve the quality of this document.

That is why, Public Benefit Works Council and the Department of Public Benefit is kindly asking all non-governmental organizations to send us any suggestion to be taken into consideration in the Operational Program. Please, express your opinions, especially concerning areas in which you are experts.

It should be also noticed, that an important element of the Operational Program shall be the Civil Society Development Strategy. For the time being, the draft strategy available at www.frso.pl serves as a basis for discussion. The Department of Public Benefit is also working on the strategy, and waiting for opinions of the non-governmental sector at www.pozytek.pl .

On the basis of assumptions for the strategy, we want to prepare concrete elements of the Operational Program: PRIORITIES and ACTIVITIES must be completed with TYPES OF PROJECTS (with examples), APPLICANTS and BENEFICIARIES.

It should be also remembered that it must be possible for projects within given activities to be co-financed from the European Social Fund. Please find enclosed information on areas and activities that may apply for ESF support.

Due to the schedule of the National Development Plan, please send your suggestions by April, 18, 2005, at (pozytek@mps.gov.pl), and consider that a date of the first stage of common work on the NDP.

Ministry of Social Policy announces recruitment procedure for experts for program evaluation of applications to be submitted to the “Governmental Program – Civil Initiatives’ Fund”. Selected candidates shall be invited to an interview.

Today two national daily papers the: "Rzeczpospolita" and "Gazeta Wyborcza" published an announcement of conditions and the deadline for submitting grant applications to the “Governmental Program – Civil Initiatives’ Fund” in 2005.