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Network Newsletter  Rights and Democracy Network Number 12 September 11, 2007 Newsletter Sections |
Call for candidates: Rights & Democracy Network International Retreat
Deadline : September 13, 2007
Participants at last year’s retreat
The Rights & Democracy Network is organizing an international retreat in the greater Montreal area (about 45 minutes from downtown Montreal) on September 27, 28, 29 and 30, 2007. The objective of this retreat is to enable our active members and new members from across Canada and from Morocco to meet each other, share information and views, and participate in training workshops. For more information and to download the registration form: http://dd-rd.net/en/reseau/nouvelles/2007-08-29.htm
The Network team grows
The Network recently welcomed Elana Wright back as Liaison Officer after a year of maternity leave. Over the last year, her replacement, Genevieve Paul, had a real impact on the growth of the Network, and we would like to thank her for her hard work, and wish her great success as she begins graduate work in human rights at the University of Essex in the UK. For those who haven’t met her yet, Mireille Ouellet joined the Network team as International Liaison Officer in early spring this year, and has been working on the internationalization of the Network. Mireille is an alumnus of the Université Laval Delegation, and was one of the organizers of the 2005 edition of On the Refugees’ Path.
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Network summer staffers
Marie-Anne Amadieu
and Marion Viau at
World Refugee Day
in Montreal.
This summer, the Network benefited from the contributions of several Network members working in the Montreal office. Jean-Sébastien Marier from York University’s Glendon College and UQAM student Marion Viau contributed their boundless energy as summer interns. Laura Arlabosse-Stewart brought her expertise to the Network as a Communications Consultant, and Marie-Anne Amadieu offered her experience with Université Laval’s On the Refugee’s Path project to develop a manual for future editions of the project. Joan Christiansen did an internship exploring women’s rights in Kenya. These students’ valuable contributions to the Network are much appreciated, and we wish them well as they return to school or begin their careers as young professionals.
Your Delegation in the news
Has your Delegation been in the media? If your projects or activities have received media attention, send us the reference, so that we can highlight it on the Network’s website. For print media, send us the name of the publication, the date, the headline, the byline, and the website, if possible. For radio and television interviews, send us the name of the media, the name of the program, the date, the city, and the subject of the interview, as well as the web link if possible. For example:
Radio-Canada Quebec, April 8, 2006, Interview with Karine Turcotte, for Claude Bernatchez's morning radio show 'Première heure' about the Université Laval project ‘Sur la piste des réfugiés’. www.radio-canada.ca/regions/Quebec/nouvelles/200504/08/008-camp_ulaval.shtml
Delegations across Canada recruiting new Network members
This month, the Rights & Democracy Network Delegations at Malaspina University-College, University of Alberta, University of Manitoba, Laurentian, Glendon College, UQAM, Dalhousie, Memorial, and others are gearing up for the new school year with recruitment activities during their school’s clubs days. September is the perfect time to inspire students to get active in promoting human rights and democracy on their campus. If you haven’t already planned a recruitment table or activity at your university, it’s not too late. Email network@dd-rd.ca if you’d like to get some creative ideas on how to recruit new members, or if you’d like to have Network posters, flyers, and/or t-shirts sent to you to help you with your activities.
Three Delegations host visiting African Commissioners
Stories of human rights abuses in Africa are very common in the media. What often go unreported are the efforts of African mechanisms of human rights protection and promotion on the continent. This month, three Rights & Democracy Delegations will host events featuring two visiting members of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
From Benin, Commissioner Reine Alapini Gansou, the Commission’s Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, will speak on September 25 at the Université Laval, and on September 26 at York University’s Glendon College. Ms. Gansou will describe how regional human rights mechanisms in Africa work, the challenges the Commission faces, and what Africans and Canadians alike can do to support them.
On September 25 at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), Commissioner Bahame Tom Nyanduga, from Tanzania, who is the Special Rapporteur for Refugees, Asylum Seekers, Internally Displaced Persons and Migrants, will bring his expertise to a discussion about the On the Refugees’ Path project, which will be presented this year by the UQAM Delegation. He will bring his ideas and suggestions related to his work with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Representative of the United Nations Secretary General, as well as with the African Union on the issues of refugees and displaced persons.
More details to come in the next issue of Network News.
4th Youth Francophone Parliament: Above and beyond Parliamentary Training
by Marion Viau, Université du Québec à Montréal
From July 2-7, 2007, I had the privilege of attending the Parlement francophone des jeunes (PFJ) (Francophone Youth Parliament) that was held in Libreville, Gabon. The week was extremely full, since it was my first visit to Gabon, and to Africa, and because I spent time getting to know the 60 participants and having endless discussions with them on a wide range of topics. Through conversations and dialogue, I realized that a worldwide Francophone culture in fact exists and unites us, and especially that the PFJ provides a progressive concept about youth: youth are not only the future, they are the current protagonists and they can contribute to the same political issues that global decision-makers tackle.
Iranian writer and dissident Akbar Ganji wins Rights & Democracy's 2007 John Humphrey Freedom Award
Akbar Ganji, the celebrated Iranian journalist and dissident who spent six years in prison for exposing rights abuses committed by Iran’s Fundamentalist regime, is the winner of Rights & Democracy’s 2007 John Humphrey Freedom Award.
Mr. Ganji’s fearless commitment to human rights, democratic development and non-violence is an inspiration and source of hope to his fellow Iranians. A journalist by trade, Mr. Ganji’s work has appeared in pro-democracy newspapers across Iran, most of which the government has since shut down. He has also written 10 books, including the bestselling The Dungeon of Ghosts (1999) and The Red Eminence and The Grey Eminence (2000). To read more: http://www.dd-rd.ca/site/media/index.php?id=2140&subsection=news
Now available: Rights & Democracy’s Annual Report 2006-2007
The Struggle for Democracy: Human Rights Defenders on the Frontlines.
To download PDF: http://www.dd-rd.ca/site/_PDF/publications/annual_reports/annualReport2006-2007.pdf
Indigenous leaders voice hope that UN assembly will soon adopt rights declaration
6 September 2007 – Indigenous leaders today expressed hope that the United Nations General Assembly next week will adopt a declaration outlining their rights and outlawing discrimination against them.
Although the UN Human Rights Council endorsed the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples – which has been drafted and debated for more than two decades – last June, the Assembly deferred action after some Member States raised concerns.
To read the full article: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=23728&Cr=indigenous&Cr1=
Source: United Nations Human Rights News
International Ozone Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer 2007
Celebrating 20 Years of Progress in 2007
16 September will mark the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Montreal Protocol, the landmark international treaty to protect the stratospheric ozone layer. To date, 191 countries have signed the Protocol, which prompts countries to phase out the production and consumption of ozone depleting chemicals.
The Montreal Protocol has been hailed as perhaps the most successful international treaty to date and provides a message of hope for working cooperatively to solve major environmental problems.
For more information : http://ozone.unep.org/french/20th_anniversary/
The Network’s on-line forum announces job and internship opportunities in
If you are already a member, visit the Forum’s jobs and internships section by clicking here: http://www.droitsdemocratie.net/network-forum/index.php?login_lang=en
Network News is a bi-weekly newsletter published by the Rights & Democracy Network.
The Network Team:
Liaison Officer: Elana Wright
Liaison Officer - International: Mireille Ouellet
Webmaster: Sylvain Aubé
Administrative Assistant: Diane Migneault
Rights & Democracy Network
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Phone: (514) 283-6073
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Fax: (514) 283-3792
network@dd-rd.ca
www.rightsdemocracy.net
Available issues :
Issue 31 (June 1st, 2010)
Issue 30 (March 16, 2010)
Issue 29 (November 9,2009)
Issue 28 (September 25, 2009)
Issue 27 (July 28, 2009)
Issue 26 (March 27, 2009)
Issue 25 (January 29, 2009)
Issue 24 (December 9, 2008)
Issue 23 (October 29, 2008)
Issue 22 (August 27, 2008)
Issue 21 (July 23, 2008)
Issue 20 (April 24, 2008)
Issue 19 (March 27, 2008)
Issue 18 (January 24, 2008)
Issue 17 (December 20, 2007)
Issue 16 (November 27, 2007)
Issue 15 (November 6, 2007)
Issue 14 (October 18, 2007)
Issue 13 (September 25, 2007)
Issue 12 (September 11, 2007)
Issue 11 (Summer 2007)
Issue 10 (April 13, 2007)
Issue 9 (November 2006)
Issue 8 (August 2006)
Issue 7 (May 4, 2006)
Issue 6 (April 12, 2006)
Issue 5 (March 21, 2006)
Issue 4 (March 1, 2006)
Issue 3 (February 16, 2006)
Issue 2 (January 31, 2006)
Issue 1 (January 17, 2006)
