Network News Rights & Democracy Network Issue 8 August 2, 2006

NEWS FROM THE NETWORK

THE NETWORK ON THE INTERNATIONAL SCENE

World Urban Forum III : Rights & Democracy Delegation at Malaspina University hosts an event

It is in full room that on june 21, at the occasion of the 3rd World Urban Forum (Vancouver, B.-C.) the Rights & Democracy Delegation at the Malaspina University College hosted an event entitled Community Building in Ethnically Diverse Cities.

The event was a lively presentation and discussion of creative ideas and street level initiatives aimed at solving conflicts, reducing inequality, and expanding political representation in multicultural communities, both locally and abroad.

For more information

World Peace Forum: Rights & Democracy Delegation at McGill University runs a workshop on the «Let’s Teach Human Rights 2006» project

At the World Peace Forum 2006, held in Vancouver, British Columbia, from June 23 to 28, 2006, students from McGill University’s Rights & Democracy Delegation ran a workshop on how they created the successful «Let's Teach Human Rights» project, and how similar projects can be initiated by other interested groups. The team also presented it to the Rights and Democracy Delegation of Malaspina University-College. Discussions among members of the Delegation and workshop participants led to interesting proposals and suggestions for setting up such an event. The result of these exchanges will soon be available online on our website.

Second World Forum on Human Rights, Nantes, France
Rights & Democracy Network roundtable: Global Citizens in Networks: International Solidarities for Human Rights, July 13th, 2006

The Rights & Democracy Network was selected to present a roundtable at the World Forum on Human Rights, which took place from July 10 to 13, 2006 in Nantes, France. The theme revolved around the concept of global citizenship: Global citizens in networks: international solidarities for human rights. The first part of the roundtable focused on the participation of M. Jean-Louis Roy, President of Rights & Democracy, Mrs. Lone Lindholt, from the Danish Institute for Human Rights and M. François Dupuis, from the Department of Foreign Affairs Canada. The various presentations highlighted the necessity of building global citizenship together and the important role universities play. They also dealt with the importance of strengthening networks and transferring knowledge and, finally, using concrete examples, demonstrated the power of networks. Mohammed Dicko of Moncton University, Edith Sagnan of Université de Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Maude Hébert of Université de Sherbrooke and Alexis Bensaad of Université Mohammed V-Souissi, Rabat, Morocco, gave heartfelt testimonials on their respective experiences with the various twinning initiatives undertaken by the Network in its internationalization phase. The feedback from the participants in the room was extremely encouraging: a dynamic, interactive, gender-balanced roundtable, which involved students and put forward solid initiatives. The World Forum on Human Rights thus ended on a note of hope.

For more information, click here.

Canada-Asia Student Forum: the role of youth and student movements in promoting democracy and human rights

On June 13, 2006, about 40 student Network members, Canadian and Asian experts and some Rights and Democracy staff members participated in the Canada-Asia Student Forum, held in Toronto on June 13, 2006, as part of Rights & Democracy’s annual international conference on strengthening democracy in Asia. Among them, ten students from all over Canada had been selected and sponsored by Rights & Democracy. They were able to interview Canadian and Asian experts who participated in the conference, such as Patrick Brown, Vitit Mutharbhorn and Irene Fernández. The interviews will be included in a documentary being made about the Forum. The Forum provided an opportunity for many interesting presentations and exchanges among participants and speakers, who came from Nepal, Asia-Pacific, Burma, Canada, ... Relationships were formed and projects are already being planned. To read the participants’ comments and thoughts, visit the Canada-Asia Student Forum online.

Academic year 2005-2006: A year full of challenges, projects…and successes!

The list of projects for the 2005-2006 academic year, accompanied by a summary of each project, is now available online. Discover what the Network’s Delegations have accomplished over the past year. And take a look at the 2005-2006 photo album of the Network, available in 2 versions:

Network at a Glance (Slideshow version for high speed connections)
Network at a Glance (Static & accessible version)

Are you thinking about a project you would like to get started on this fall? Don’t hesitate to contact us at network@dd-rd.ca. We can give you advice, answer your questions and put you in contact with the executive members of your Delegation.

Stories from the field : the Network members around the world

CALL FOR PROPOSALS – NEXT DEADLINE: AUGUST 21, 2006

Many members of the Network have had diverse and unique experiences throughout the world in the fields of human rights and democracy. Some travel simply to discover another country, others to do an internship or study abroad, to volunteer or even to return to live in their country of origin. The Network is inviting its members to share their experiences in developing countries. To participate, just write a short article of a maximum of 500 words. You can also include photos. Send your articles at network@dd-rd.ca. The articles selected will be published in the next edition of the Network News. The deadline to submit your articles is August 21, 2006.

AFRICA : Read Network member and summer assistant Ayesha Harji’s story. Ayesha took part in a four-month cycling expedition in Africa, and used the opportunity to raise funds and awareness about various issues, such as health, social services and education.

Read Ayesha's story

 

 

Rights & Democracy Network Summer «5 à 7»

On July 26, the Network team invited members from the Montreal region to get together for a «5 à 7» (a happy hour so-called because it typically goes from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.). It was a great opportunity for the members from the universities in the region to get to know each other better, to chat and to learn more about the various projects carried out within the Network during the summer season. This event confirmed what was stated at the Network roundtable at the 2 nd World Forum on Human Rights in France : what makes networks powerful is the human contact among individual members.

If you feel like organizing a social event with members of the network in your region, contact Geneviève Paul, Network Liaison Officer. We will be pleased to link you up with executive members of your Delegation and with other delegations in your region.

DELEGATION NEWS

Laval and Sherbrooke University Delegations in nomination for the Jacques-Couture Award of the MICC

The Rights & Democracy Network and its Delegations of Sherbrooke and Laval Universities have been selected as finalists for the Jacques-Couture Award being offered as part of the eight edition of the Citizenship Awards of the ministère de l’Immigration et des Communautés culturelles du gouvernement du Québec (MICC) (Department of Immigration and Intercultural Communities of the Quebec provincial government). This honour goes to the team members of the projects Sur la piste des réfugiés 2006of each of the two universities for their efforts in promoting a better understanding among cultural communities. Our congratulations to the executive committee members of the projects for their exceptional work: Karine Turcotte, Matthieu Bélanger, Murielle Pallarès, Marie-Anne Amadieu, Yasmine Smirès and Reine Bohbot (Université Laval) and Julie Rivet, Maude Hébert and Cindy Duquette (Université de Sherbrooke). We also want to thank and congradulate all the people invovlved in these projects: the organizing committees, the numerous volunteers and their parteners, including the invaluable support they received from the personnel of the Delegations' respective institutions.

For more information about this project (French only)

RIGHTS & DEMOCRACY NEWS

Rights & Democracy condemns the targeting of civilians in the recent conflict in the Middle East

MONTREAL – July 18, 2006 – «Rights & Democracy strongly condemns the targeting of civilians in the recent escalation in hostilities in Israel, Lebanon and the Palestinian Territories. Such attacks on the innocent, be they targeted or indiscriminate, are a clear violation of international humanitarian and human rights law, including the Geneva Conventions.»

Source: http://www.dd-rd.ca/site/media/
index.php?lang=en&subsection =news&id=1807

HUMAN RIGHTS NEWS

1st World Outgames Montreal 2006

Considering important to learn more and to highlight global human rights issues regarding Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered (LGBT) communities, especially with regard to developing countries, Rights & Democracy Network mandated Ayesha Harji to attend the International Confrerence on LGBT Human Rights. The conference was being held as part of the 1st World Outgames in Montreal, from July 26 to August 5, 2006. The Conference proved to be an extremely interesting and informative opportunity: participants and keynote speakers came from around the world to educate themselves, to share their work, or to stand in solidarity for the equal protection of human rights for all. The Conference was comprised of more than 200 workshops dealing with Essential Rights, Global Issues, the Diverse LGBT Community, Participation in Society, and Creating Social Change, as well as plenary sessions focusing on LGBT issues in the 5 geographic regions of the world. Some of the highlights of the conference were hearing Martina Navratilova, tennis player, reaffirming the need for a worldwide solidarity in the fight for the recognition of LGTB rights and the presentation of the Declaration of Montreal, a document that will be taken to the United Nations and to national governments.

With this solid starting point on LGBT issues, hopefully the Rights and Democracy Network will be able to get more involved in the promotion of LGBT rights through the activities and events of their Rights & Democracy Delegations in the upcoming year. Full report on the workshops to come.

Read the Declaration of Montréal (PDF Version)

INTERNATIONAL DAYS & YEARS

Source : ONU

9 August 2005 : International Day of the World’s Indigenous People

«In 1994, the General Assembly decided that the International Day of the World's Indigenous People shall be observed on 9 August every year during the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People» (resolution 49/214 of 23 December).
Source: http://www.un.org/events/indigenous 

This year, this international day will follow the recent decision of the new Human Rights Council to back the adoption of the draft UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

More: http://www.dd-rd.ca/site/media/index.php?lang=en&subsection=news&id=1801

JOBS & INTERNSHIPS

• TO COME: CALL FOR APPLICATIONS FOR VOLUNTEER POSITIONS IN THE EDITORIAL TEAM OF THE NEW NETWORK MAGAZINE.

The Network’s on-line forum announces job and internship opportunities in Canada and around the world. Currently, you’ll find postings for jobs and internships at CIDA, Journalists for Human Rights, and the International Institute for Sustainable Development.

To access the forum, you must be a member of the Rights & Democracy Network. Become a member by signing up here:

http://www.rightsdemocracy.net/en/membres/devenez_membre.htm

If you are already a member, visit the Forum’s jobs and internships section by clicking here:

http://www.rightsdemocracy.net/network-forum/index.php?login_lang=en

News from the Network Team

The Network team is growing! Three people joined the team for the summer: Ayesha Harji, Network assistant, John Wires, regional liaison officer and Katryna Smith, regional liaison officer.

Ayesha Harji recently graduated from Mount Allison University after completing an Honours undergraduate degree in International Relations and Hispanic Studies. She will be starting her Master's degree in Public Administration at Dalhousie University in September 2006 and hopes to couple her degree with a Bachelor's degree in Law. Her areas of interest are Latin America, child's rights, the United Nations, and globalization. In addition to undertaking smaller projects over the summer, her major assignment is to lay the groundwork for a human rights magazine to be launched by the Network in the coming months.

John Wires will be entering his 4th year at Glendon College, York University as an International Studies major. However, he will be focusing much of his 4th year on a certificate in Law and Social Thought and hopes to attend law school the following year. He is interested in corporate social responsibility (CSR) and will be helping the Network in organizing a regional event on business and human rights.

Katryna Smith is a student of Indigenous Studies at the First Nations University of Canada in her 4th year. She hopes to graduate from her program and enter a School of Journalism in 2007. Her main areas of interest are Indigenous rights, child's rights, disabilities, the Millennium Development Goals and journalistic human rights interest stories. Her main project for the summer is working on the Network's on-line magazine.

ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER

Network News is a newsletter published by the Rights & Democracy Network.

The Network Team:
Coordinator: Cynthia Gervais
Liaison Officer: Geneviève Paul
Webmaster: Sylvain Aubé
Administrative Assistant: Diane Migneault
Network Assistant: Ayesha Harji
Regional Liaison Officer: John Wires
Regional Liaison Officer: Katryna Smith

Rights & Democracy Network
1001, boul. de Maisonneuve E., Suite 1100
Montréal, Québec H2L 4P9 CANADA
Phone: (514) 283-6073 #259
Toll-free: 1-877-736-3833
Fax: (514) 283-3792
network@dd-rd.ca
www.rightsdemocracy.net

Past issues :

Issue 07 (May 4, 2006)
Issue 06 (April 12, 2006)
Issue 05 (March 21, 2006)
Issue 04 (March 1, 2006)
Issue 03 (February 16, 2006)
Issue 02 (January 31, 2006)
Issue 01 (January 17, 2006)

Network News · Projects · Jobs and Internships · Newsletters · About Us