The Peacebuilding Commission plays a unique role in (1) bringing together all of the relevant actors, including international donors, the international financial institutions, national governments, troop contributing countries; (2) marshalling resources and (3) advising on and proposing integrated strategies for post-conflict peacebuilding and recovery and where appropriate, highlighting any gaps that threaten to undermine peace.
In 2010 the Peacebuilding Commission is being reviewed to assess its progress so far and determine its future direction. In a statement at the launch of the 2010 Review, the Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that in its short existence, the PBC had shown its worth but looking ahead, Member States must consider how to make its impact more tangible at the country level. He stated the Review must consider how it can consolidate its contribution and apply that to other countries, redress both the weaknesses and challenges that emerged and how the Commission can enhance its partnership and working methods with partners in the field and at Headquarters
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Older people often describe their work in social change organizations as sustainin social movement activity from the 1960s and 1970s, whereas younger people are trying to create new movements for change. People across generations noted that they currently did not feel a part of “a social movement.” The measure of movement building activity is dominated by aging leadership that refers to their own (orimagined) experience of movements in the 1960s and 1970s. New movements will evolve by learning from the movements of the past, and developing room for thecreation of new ideas/forms of movements for the future.
There are also issues of class, gender, immigration status, ability, sexual identification and orientation, among others that call for an analysis of how organizations integrate these issues into their work. The creation and understanding of identities for those outside of the structures of power is crucial in the work of social change organizations. Most assistance in this area is geared to majority culture groups who look for training on diversity. The need to develop a deeper understanding of these issues in social change groups is critical in developing movements that can relate across issue areas.
Social change groups must be both aware of and challenge the effects of dominant
Future Funding
•that movement activity cannot be accountable if it is funded from outside its constituency group, but most social change groups with paid staff are not membership or constituency supported Instead, they rely on funds from outside their base. Groups struggle over whether they are accountable to their constituents or to their funders.
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Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, or any other status. We are all equally entitled to our human rights without discrimination. These rights are all interrelated, interdependent and indivisible.
Universal human rights are often expressed and guaranteed by law, in the forms of treaties, customary international law , general principles and other sources of international law. International human rights law lays down obligations of Governments to act in certain ways or to refrain from certain acts, in order to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms of individuals or groups.
Universal and inalienable
The principle of universality of human rights is the cornerstone of international human rights law. This principle, as first emphasized in the Universal Declaration on Human Rights in 1948, has been reiterated in numerous international human rights conventions, declarations, and resolutions. The 1993 Vienna World Conference on Human Rights, for example, noted that it is the duty of States to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms, regardless of their political, economic and cultural systems.
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Most African countries are consequences of colonization, neo- or re-colonization, and structural adjustment programs are visible. There is a growing number of poor people living in rural areas without basic public services like water, health services and education, while the main urban centres are showing a concentration of wealth in the hands a small group of people. The suburbs are becoming more crowded than ever, and everyday life is a big challenge.
If we look at the kind of agriculture policies that are being proposed for our countries today, we do not find any reason to believe that there is real interest in tackling the root causes of poverty or in promoting broad-based rural development. The economic structural adjustment programs have severely weakened our agriculture economies. And now, the Economic Partnership Agreements are a weapon that has the potential to destroy our local markets for agriculture products. While the green revolution may result in increased production of a few food items, it is not without its social and environmental costs. There is considerable evidence that the green revolution benefited those farmers who could afford the technology, at the expense of poor farmers who could not.
This led to increased landlessness as poor farmers became indebted and lost their holdings, increased migration to the cities and the paradox of increased hunger. Despite the claims of increased food production, widespread hunger still persists in the countries in which it was implemented, although a number of them have food surpluses for significant exports. The irony of our global economy is that food flows through trade from areas were people are hungry toward areas where there is money. |
There is growing recognition of the importance of linking Sexual and Reproductive Health, Rights (SRHR) and HIV and AIDS in order to increase the effectiveness of the global response to the HIV epidemic. The majority of HIV infections are sexually transmitted or associated with pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding. The risk of HIV transmission and acquisition can be further increased by the presence of certain sexually transmitted infections.
In addition, sexual and reproductive ill-health and HIV share root causes, including poverty, gender norms and inequality, cultural norms and social marginalisation or criminalisation of the most vulnerable populations.The global Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will not be achieved without ensuring access to SRH services and an effective global response to the epidemic.
As most people think of their sexual and reproductive lives in a holistic way with HIV and AIDS as only one consideration, mobilising and considering sexual and reproductive well-being more broadly opens up many more opportunities for addressing HIV at different levels in ways that resonate with different groups.
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