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Network Newsletter  Rights and Democracy Network Number 20 April 24, 2008 Newsletter Sections |
Celebrating 5 years of promotion of human rights and democracy
Five years ago, the Rights and Democracy Network was just an idea. On university campuses across Canada, one by one, students, faculty, and staff who are passionate about human rights and democracy joined the Network, and started Delegations on their campuses.
Now, five years, 35 Delegations, over 150 projects, and over 1000 members later, the Network has established itself with a solid foundation in Canada, as well as in Burkina Faso and Morocco.
Network members are invited to celebrate this momentous occasion at our 5th anniversary gala, which will be held at the Studio Juste pour rire, in downtown Montreal, on the opening night of the Network’s annual event. The evening will begin at 7 pm with a cocktail where veteran and recent members, partners, Rights & Democracy staff and members of the board of directors will meet and celebrate. A keynote speech will be given by Denise Otis of the UN High Commission on Refugees, which will be followed by an awards ceremony where the Network will present awards of recognition to five Delegation projects from the last five years, as selected by a jury of past and current Network staff.
The evening will continue as old and new contacts connect and celebrate five years of promotion of human rights and democratic development among university students in Canada and around the world.
All Network members are welcome to attend this event. To confirm your attendance, RSVP before April 25, 2008 by phone (514) 283-6073, ext. 274, or by email at network@dd-rd.ca.
To become a member of the Network, visit: http://www.dd-rd.net/members/.
Call for Delegation photos and videos!
Amalia Jimenez at a University of Manitoba
Delegation Event
Do you have photographs and videos of your Delegation's projects and activities this year?
We are currently compiling our website's yearbook and would love to include your photos! You will be credited for your photos, which will be protected under a Creative Commons License.
Send your pics to webnet@dd-rd.ca as soon as possible! Deadline is April 28th!
(Maximum: 10Mb by email)
Visite last year's yearbooks
The UQAM Delegation presents the 2008 edition of On the Refugees’ Path
The UQAM On the Refugees’ Path organizing committee will bring this project to Montreal for the 2008 edition of this Network event. In order to offer a multitude of perspectives, several aspects of refugee experience will be presented, under the themes: Understanding, Imagining, Feeling, and Experiencing.
On Friday, May 2, the 24 hour refugee camp experience will begin, where 50 people will walk on the path of a refugee for a day and a night. The participants will face some of the challenges that displaced people face as they struggle for a refuge.
On Saturday, May 3 and Sunday, May 4, the Delegation will present three different roundtables, exploring the realities and challenges of humanitarian work with refugees, international refugee law and its applications in Canada, and the integration of refugees in Quebec and Canadian society. Speakers will include Denise Otis of the UNHCR, Janet Dench of the Canadian Council on Refugees, and Sylvain Thibault from Projet Refuge.
Also on Saturday and Sunday, the public is invited to take a guided tour of the refugee camp, as well as visit community kiosks, an information forum, video installation art, a photo exhibit, and children’s drawings.
All events will take place at the Université du Québec à Montréal, Pavillon J.-A.-DeSève, 320 Sainte-Catherine Est, Métro Berri-UQAM. For the detailed schedule, visit: http://www.surlapistedesrefugies.net/2008/en_accueil.html.
University of Saskatchewan Delegation moves beyond the headlines on Afghanistan
The Delegation at the University of Saskatchewan went deeper into the dialogue on Canada's relationship with Afghanistan and its peoples at an event entitled “Into Afghanistan: Moving Beyond the Headlines” on Friday, April 11, 2008.
The focus of the forum was to move beyond the political discourse of whether Canada should or should not continue the war in Afghanistan, in order to explore some of the interconnections and interrelationships between Canadians and Afghans.
The three panellists were Johann Reimer, a member of the delegation and a student at the University of Saskatchewan who served in Afghanistan; Fraiba Jalal, also a University of Saskatchewan student, who left Afghanistan in 1992 when she was 9 years old; and Ron Wheeler, an Associate Professor of Political Studies at the University of Saskatchewan, who has personal and academic experience in Afghanistan.
To a packed audience, these three panellists, with such different perspectives on this war-torn country, shared their personal experience, and their views on the current situation, offering a new, more intimate understanding of the relationships between Canadians and Afghans today.
For more information about this event, visit: www.dd-rd.net/usask, or the Facebook event page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=30913150455.
Carleton Delegation to present perspectives on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Excerpt from Delegation Poster
The Rights and Democracy Delegation at Carleton University will present an evening called “Canada’s Human Rights Paradox: Canada and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples” on Monday, May 5 at 7 pm at the Bronson Center in Ottawa.
The event will begin with some Indigenous artistic performances and will be followed by a panel discussion focussing on the UN Declaration, and what this human rights instrument means for Indigenous Peoples in Canada and around the world. The panel will discuss the Declaration’s history, Canada’s positions on it, its significance for Indigenous communities in Canada and abroad, an how Indigenous Peoples can use this human rights instrument to ensure their rights are respected. At this event, the Delegation also hopes to highlight the importance of making links around the world on this issue.
Among the invited guests are representatives from the Assembly of First Nations, the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatanii, the Métis National Council, Amnesty International, Rights & Democracy, Aboriginal civil society and the Conservative government.
For more information, visit: http://www.dd-rd.net/carletonu.
Network members around the world
Read Stories from the Field by Network members including Kate Press (Carleton) in Sierra Leone, Ayesha Harji (Dalhousie) cycling across Africa, John Wires (Glendon College, York University) in El Salvador, Angelique Myles (Memorial University) in China and Kevin Freedman (University of Winnipeg) in West Papua:
http://www.dd-rd.net/cms/site/en/storiesfromthefield.
Do you have an experience overseas to share? Submit your Story from the Field to network@dd-rd.ca.
Rights & Democracy to Launch New Project on Women's Rights in Afghan Family Law Reform
Kabul - March 27, 2008 – Rights & Democracy will launch its new $5 million project in support of Afghan-led efforts to entrench the domestic rights of women and girls in six provinces, including Kandahar, on April 7, 2008 in Kabul.
The project launch will be followed by a day-long conference on the challenges of family law reform in Afghanistan and lessons learned from similar efforts in Morocco. The new project, entitled A Measure of Equality for Afghan Women: Rights in Practice, will be funded over four years primarily by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and implemented by Rights & Democracy's Afghan-staffed Kabul office and its head office in Montreal.
To read more: http://www.dd-rd.ca/site/media/index.php?lang=en&subsection=news&id=2239
Past injustices should spur battle against modern forms of slavery
Source: UN
As the United Nations honoured the memory of the victims of the transatlantic slave trade, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed the hope today that the struggle against “one of the greatest atrocities in history” will inspire the world in the battle against modern forms of slavery such as forced labour and human trafficking.
“Even as we mourn the atrocities committed against the countless victims, we take heart from the courage of slaves who rose up to overcome the system which oppressed them,” Mr. Ban said at a special ceremony at UN Headquarters marking the first International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
To read more : http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=26090&Cr=slavery&Cr1=#_
Somalia is again polio-free
10 000 health workers stop polio virus through immunization
Source : World Health Organization
Somalia is again polio-free, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) announced, calling it a 'historic achievement' in public health. Somalia has not reported a case since 25 March 2007, a major landmark in the intensified eradication effort launched last year to wipe out the disease in the remaining few strongholds.
Against a backdrop of widespread conflict, large population movements and a dearth of functioning government infrastructure, transmission of poliovirus in the country has been successfully stopped.
To read more: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=26081&Cr=somali&Cr1
World Press Freedom Day: May 3, 2008
Freedom of Expression, Access and Empowerment
Freedom of Expression is a fundamental human right as stated in Article 19 of the UN Declaration of Human Rights. This is especially worth recalling as we mark the 60th anniversary of that declaration.
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At this year’s World Press Freedom Day celebration, UNESCO would like to explore how media freedom and access to information feed into the wider development objective of empowering people. Empowerment is a multi-dimensional social and political process that helps people gain control over their own lives. This can only be achieved through access to accurate, fair and unbiased information, representing a plurality of opinions, and the means to actively communicate vertically and horizontally, thereby participating in the active life of the community.
>> Read more
Looking for a challenging summer job?
The Network’s on-line forum announces job and internship opportunities in Canada and around the world. To access the forum, you must be a member of the Rights & Democracy Network. Become a member by signing up here: http://www.dd-rd.net/members/
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 newsletter published by the Rights & Democracy Network.
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Liaison Officer: Elana Wright
Administrative Assistant: Diane Migneault
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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)
