World Alliance for Citizen Participation	A Free Weekly Newsletter Promoting Civic Existence, Expression & Engagement Please send contributions, comments and questions to editor@civicus.org.
21 November 2008 ISSUE No. 416 PUBLISHER CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ingrid Srinath MANAGING EDITOR Eric Muragana EDITORS Devendra Tak Nastasya Tay Katsuji Imata OCCASIONAL CONTRIBUTORS Carol Baloyi Elizabeth Robson Henri Valot Tania Gobena Tanzilya Salimdjanova Vicente García-Delgado ABOUT e-CIVICUS  The CIVICUS weekly electronic publication is keeping tens of thousands of people informed of the developments taking place in civil society, the factors that are affecting them and the impact they are having on creating an informed and knowledgeable civil society.  e-CIVICUS WELCOMES CONTRIBUTIONS  e-CIVICUS offers a useful channel through which you and your organisation can share your news, publicise your events and articulate the issues you face. Please send us your contributions by Monday for publication in the coming week to editor@civicus.org. All contributions must focus on civil society issues or have a civil society angle. To read the contribution guidelines, click here.  REPRODUCTION OF e-CIVICUS The content of this newsletter can be translated into another language and reproduced in other publications, as long as due acknowledgment is made to CIVICUS.  e-CIVICUS DISCLAIMER Although CIVICUS makes all reasonable efforts to obtain prima-facie reliable content for  e-CIVICUS, CIVICUS cannot guarantee the accuracy of the reports, views or opinions of third-party content providers, nor does CIVICUS necessarily endorse the views reflected therein.  CONTACT US P.O. Box 933 Southdale, 2135  South Africa  Tel: +27 11 833 5959 Fax:+27 11 833 7997 1112 16th Street NW, Suite 540  Washington D.C.  20036 USA Tel: +202 331-8518 Fax: +202 331-8774 Websites: www.civicus.org www.civicusassembly.org To subscribe or unsubscribe: email subscriptions@civicus.org TELL A FRIEND Would you like to share this newsletter with a friend? Please forward their e-mail address to subscriptions@civicus.org Support CIVICUS To make an on-line donation click here. Join CIVICUS Join or renew your CIVICUS Membership on-line now click here.  Civil Society Watch Monthly Bulletin The CIVICUS e-newsletter Civil Society Watch Monthly Bulletin  is an action-oriented newsletter distributed to over 7,400 people around the world, featuring insightful interviews, updates on threats to civil society, and analyses of current situations. Read more at www.civicus.org. CIVICUS blog Our recently launched blog gives you the opportunity to use your voice and engage with the rest of civil society. Please visit http://civicus.civiblog.org	FROM THE DESK OF CIVICUS' SECRETARY GENERAL Send your comments and contributions to editor@civicus.org. Creating the Future or Defending the Past? By Ingrid Srinath, CIVICUS Secretary General Dear friends and colleagues, In Indian mythology, the Samudramanthan, or churning of the ocean, produced both the deadly poison that could exterminate the world and the nectar of immortality. It is now clear to all, except a few die-hard market fundamentalists, that the crisis confronting us is neither limited to financial markets nor to particular countries. While diagnoses of causes and prescriptions of remedies still vary, it is apparent that we are about to witness a global ripple effect of unprecedented scale and severity. There are only two choices. One, limit intervention and reform to the series of quick fixes aimed at finding-the-floor for markets and return to business-as-usual as quickly as possible. Votaries of this approach differ only in their tolerance of collateral damage. How many millions more is it OK to push over the edge of starvation? Which jobs merit being saved and which will be permitted to fall by the wayside? The other is to seize the opportunity to invent a new global economic order and system of governance based on accountability, sustainability and justice. To read this week's column, click here. CIVICUS Poll Question This week’s question:| Do you think the current financial crisis and its impact on the poor is the most pressing issue civil society should be focusing on? a. Yes b. Yes, but not to the exclusion of other equally critical issues c. No d. Don't know To answer the question, click here. Previous question: Do you think this weekend's G20 meeting in Washington will help prevent an acceleration of the global financial crisis and its impact on poverty? a. Yes b. No c. Don’t Know Results: a. - 20%, b. - 78.2%, c. - 1.8% JOIN US - BECOME A CONTRIBUTING FRIEND OF e-CIVICUS e-CIVICUS keeps tens of thousands of people and organisations informed of the many developments taking place in civil society around the world. As a subscriber you know the value e-CIVICUS can bring to your work. Do you have a friend who works for a more just world? Would you like to share this e-newsletter with them? Why don’t you suggest they register for a free subscription? They can send an e-mail to subscriptions@civicus.org or fill out the subscription form here. Alternatively, please forward their e-mail addresses to us and we’ll contact them on your behalf. Please send your contributions by Monday every week to editor@civicus.org. Your contributions assist us to broaden the scope of reporting civil society news and cover the ever-expanding world of e-CIVICUS . All contributions must be focused on civil society issues or have a civil society angle. Vacant Office Space is available at CIVICUS House Size - 198m² without partitioning. The space has recently been re-vamped and includes 24-hour manned security. Please contact Ms. Estelle Baker on +27 11 833 5959 or e-mail at Estelle.baker@civicus.org. e-CIVICUS DIALOGUES Point of View: No more Top-Down Leadership By Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum Source: NewsWeek Many articles have been written in the past few weeks about the need to reform international governance organisations like the United Nations, Bretton Woods and the G8. The general idea is that if such organisations had worked better, the financial crisis would have been averted. While it is obvious that 21st century economic and political challenges cannot be adequately handled by institutions set up for a post-World War II (WWII) world, the proposals put forth so far are still too entrenched in traditional thinking. What we need now is to realise that today's world is far more Asian and African than the one that gave birth to these institutions. For details click here. From Intelligent Funder to Intelligent Recipient: Civil society’s intermediary role in delivering change By Svitlana Kuts, President of Center for Philanthropy What is an intelligent funder? Discussion at the Intelligent Funding Track from 2006, the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) and CIVICUS have jointly been hosting the "Intelligent Funding Track” (IFT) at the CIVICUS World Assembly. In Glasgow this year, the topic for discussion was: what is an intelligent funder and how we can disseminate innovations and new approaches to funding, which are more cost-effective, downwardly-accountable and user-friendly? The two IFT fellows recently wrote a paper on this subject. To read the papers click here.   The myth of NGO superiority Source: Peter Nunnenkamp, Kiel Institute for the World Economy Recent research suggests that non-governmental organisations (NGOs) do not provide better targeted or more efficient aid than state-run development agencies. They do not seem to even try to outperform the latter by focussing on the neediest or by working in particularly difficult environments. In their response to this article, VENRO, the German NGDO platforms, provides additional facts and gives a more comprehensive view of the situation. For details click here.   Read more... CIVIL SOCIETY NEWS Trials of activists show Burma unwilling to reform, says CIVICUS  CIVICUS believes that the ongoing trials of at least 70 activists in Burma, for their peaceful participation in the September 2007 protests, is a clear sign that the government will not fulfil promises of democratic reform. “Peaceful protest is not a crime. The imprisonment of these activists shows that the government remains intolerant to dissenting views, and unwilling to reform,” said Ingrid Srinath, CIVICUS Secretary General. For details click here.  Red Cross debates impact of financial crisis on humanitarian work in South Africa Source: Devendra Tak, CIVICUS Communications and Media Manager What impact will this global financial crisis have on ongoing humanitarian and development efforts in Southern Africa ? In an effort to explore this important issue, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies hosted a panel discussion on 18 November at the Wanderers Sport Club in Johannesburg, featuring senior South African economist Dr Iraj Abedian, the head of the Southern African Regional Office of UN OCHA, Ms Kelly David and Françoise Le Goff, the head of the International Federation’s Southern Africa Zone. The discussion was facilitated by South African journalist Xolani Gwala, host of SAfm’s PM Live. For details click here. G20 Trade Union leaders call for "recovery and reform plan" Source: International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)  Trade union leaders from the G20 countries met with the heads of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank and several heads of government and other government officials, including the president of Brazil, Lula da Silva and the prime ministers of Japan, Taro Aso, and Australia, Kevin Rudd. For details click here.  Civil society grants from World Bank's Civil Society Fund Source: Accra Mail (Accra) The World Bank has presented a total of US$ 35,000 to ten civil society organisations (CSOs) to undertake social and economic projects aimed at complementing its assistance operations. Majority of the beneficiaries would focus on implementing programmes geared towards empowering the citizens to reposition themselves appropriately for the 7 December general elections in Ghana . For details click here.  The G20 is not enough, says World Council of Churches Source: World Council of Churches (WCC)  As many of those "responsible for the current financial meltdown" meet "behind closed doors in Washington , D.C. "to discuss the future of the global economy, the World Council of Churches (WCC) has challenged the legitimacy of the so-called "G20" group of nations and called for broader participation. The international financial architecture needs "a paradigm shift," says the WCC . For details click here.  Arrests. Beatings. Torture. All part of job description for Uzbek rights activists Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty It has been nearly six months since Uzbek human rights activist Mutabar Tojibaeva, 45, was released from Tashkent city prison, but she says she still has nightmares about her captivity, especially her time in solitary confinement. For details click here. Rights advocates tell Russia to halt warplane sales to Sudan Source: Howard Lesser, VOA News.com A New York-based human rights group, Human Rights First, is asking the Russian Federation to suspend all arms sales to Sudan following media reports that Moscow recently sold 12 MiG-29 fighter jets to Khartoum . Human Rights First is urging Russia to take steps to ensure that the war planes are not used to attack civilians or rebel groups in Sudan’s conflict-riddent western region of Darfur, said Julia Fromholz, director of Human Rights First’s Crimes Against Humanity Programme. For details click here.  Read more... GLOBAL CALL TO ACTION AGAINST POVERTY ( GCAP ) AND UN MILLENNIUM CAMOPAIGN (UNMC) G20 failed to help people worst hit by financial crisis Source: The Huffington Post “The G20 has failed to consider the plight of the people who have been least responsible for this global financial crisis but who are suffering the most -- men women and children in developing countries,” said Kumi Naidoo , Co-Chair of GCAP and CIVICUS Honorary President. While the leaders seemed to share common ground on issues related to financial growth, they failed to use this unique opportunity to offer specific relief to people struggling to survive the combined effects of the fuel, food and financial crises of the past year. The absence of much greater specificity in the Summit Declaration is to be deeply lamented. For details click here.  Civil society calls for $300 bn bailout of world’s poor at G-20 Source: United Nations Millennium Campaign The United Nations Millennium Campaign is calling for world leaders to allocate US$ 300 billion in additional aid and debt relief to the world’s poorer countries, to make up for the Growth Domestic Product ( GDP ) they are forecast to lose as a result of the global financial crisis over the next two years. “Independent forecasts that the global financial meltdown will cost developing countries US$ 300 bn in GDP over the next two years do not adequately take into account the effects of shrinking exports and remittances, the global credit squeeze, and rising unemployment and poverty,” said Salil Shetty, Director of the United Nations Millennium Campaign. For details click here. Call for joint European action to ensure aid commitments are met Source: EndPoverty 2015 Millennium campaign More than 1 mn Europeans mobilised on October 17 -- the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty -- under the Stand Up and Take Action initiative, to ask their governments to keep their commitments on increasing aid quantity and quality, debt relief and trade opportunities that will help poor countries to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). With this strong message, the United Nations Millennium Campaign (UNMC) is participating in the European Development Days (EDD) in Strasbourg from 15-17 November. For details click here.  Read more... MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS (MDGs) U.N. looks to Doha Summit for answers By Thalif Deon, Inter Press Service ( IPS ) As the spreading global financial crisis threatens to cripple banks, stock markets and manufacturing industries in the developing world, the United Nations is now focusing on the outcome of a major international conference on Financing for Development (FfD) scheduled to take place in Doha next week. The oil and gas-rich emirate of Qatar , which is hosting the conference, is seeking a high political profile for a meeting open to all 192 member states, compared with last week's economic summit in Washington which was restricted to 20 developed and developing nations. For details click here.   Community-Led Total Sanitation and the MDGs Source: Institute for Development Studies ( IDS ) 19 November was the World Toilet Day - but this is no time for toilet humour. Almost 6,000 people, mainly children under five, die every day because of poor sanitation, hygiene and lack of access to clean water, making sanitation one of the most important challenges for developing countries. The Institute for Development Studies ( IDS ) and partners in Bangladesh , India and Indonesia are currently engaged in research, action learning and networking on Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS). For details click here. UN seeks record US$ 7 bn in aid for 2009 Source: Reuters "The United Nations on Wednesday launched its largest ever aid appeal, saying it will need US$ 7 bn (5.5 bn Euros) to help 30 mn people in 31 countries during 2009. The Humanitarian Appeal 2009 is the largest since the creation of the so-called Consolidated Appeals Process in 1991, with Sudan accounting for more than a quarter of all intended funds. For details click here Read more... GET INVOLVED! Join the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence Campaign 25 November - 10 December 2008 Source: Center for Women’s Global Leadership The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence is an international campaign originating from the first Women's Global Leadership Institute sponsored by the Center for Women's Global Leadership in 1991. Participants chose the dates, 25 November, International Day Against Violence Against Women and 10 December, International Human Rights Day, in order to symbolically link violence against women and human rights and to emphasize that such violence is a violation of human rights. This 16-day period also highlights other significant dates including 29 November, International Women Human Rights Defenders Day, 1 December, World AIDS Day, and 6 December, which marks the Anniversary of the Montreal Massacre. For details click here. To participate in the electronic discussion click here.  Read more... ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY World Women's Report 2008/09 calls for stronger accountability mechanisms Source: GhanaHomePage The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) which seeks to address critical issues affecting women was launched in Accra . The Biennial Progress of the World's Women Report 2008/2009 has the sub-title "Who Answers to Women? Gender and Accountability". It said stronger accountability mechanisms for tracking progress on gender equality were needed to meet national and international commitments to women's rights. For details click here.  Vodafone tops 2008 Accountability Rating of world’s largest corporations Source: www.accountability21.net AccountAbility and Csrnetwork have launched the fifth Accountability Rating published annually in Fortune International, with Vodafone re-gaining the position it occupied in 2006, making it the most accountable of the world’s largest corporations (G-100) according to the rating. The Accountability Rating is produced by AccountAbility and Csrnetwork, with support data from ASSET4 and is the only independent initiative to measure how all of the world's biggest companies build responsible practices into the way they do business. For details, on this year's rating click here. Read more... CIVIL SOCIETY ACTIVISM AND GLOBAL INSTITUTIONS Civil society calls on UN Human Rights Council for Special Session on DRC Source: World Movement for Democracy Nearly 30 democracy and human rights organisations around the World, including the World Movement’s African Democracy Forum (ADF) issued a letter to the UN Human Rights Council calling for a special session regarding the worsening human rights situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo ( DRC ). In the letter, the organizations assert that there are more than 250,000 new internally displaced persons (IDPs) since heavy fighting resumed in late August, making the total number of IDPs in North Kivu now over one million. For details click here.  Voices from the South: Impact of global financial crisis on developing countries Source: Institute of Development Studies, Sussex, UK, 2008 The global financial crisis is already beginning to have an impact on the ‘real economy’ in poorer countries around the world. However, the debate in the west about the impact of the crisis has largely ignored its impact on the developing world, and the voices of people from these countries are rarely heard. This report presents snapshots of the financial crisis as seen by 21 thinkers, academics and policymakers in 14 developing countries. For details click here.  Read more... CLIMATE JUSTICE Climate Wrongs & Human Rights -- Putting people at the heart of climate-change policy Source: Oxfam International briefing paper "In failing to tackle climate change with urgency, rich countries are effectively violating the human rights of millions of the world’s poorest people. Continued excessive greenhouse-gas emissions primarily from industrialised nations are - with scientific certainty - creating floods, droughts, hurricanes, sea-level rise, and seasonal unpredictability. Such rights violations could never truly be remedied in courts of law. Human-rights principles must be put at the heart of international climate-change policy making now, in order to stop this irreversible damage to humanity’s future. For details click here.  Barack Obama addresses Global Warming Summit Source: Foon Rhee, The Boston Globe President-Elect Obama made a surprise address at the Governors' Global Climate Summit in Los Angeles , where he promised that his administration will provide leadership on issues related to climate change. Obama is pledging to make America more energy independent and to also slash carbon emissions by focusing on alternative sources such as wind and solar energy. Through the magic of video, President-elect Barack Obama encourages governors and others to tackle global warming. For details click here.  Climate change & MDGs top agenda at UN & WIPO meeting in Geneva Source: World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) WIPO is a unique organisation with a unique contribution to make in meeting the global challenges faced by the United Nations (UN) family, UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon told WIPO staff during his first ever visit to the Organisation’s Geneva headquarters on 18 November. “WIPO can be a champion in helping to meet the Millennium Development Goals; a champion in joining the global efforts to combat climate change; a champion in helping to tackle high food and energy prices,” he said. For details click here.  Read more... PROFILES DONOR: The German Marshall Fund of the United States The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) is a non-partisan American public policy and grantmaking institution dedicated to promoting greater cooperation and understanding between the United States and Europe . GMF does this by supporting individuals and institutions working on transatlantic issues, by convening leaders to discuss the most pressing transatlantic themes, and by examining ways in which transatlantic cooperation can address a variety of global policy challenges. In addition, GMF supports a number of initiatives to strengthen democracies. Founded in 1972 through a gift from the German parliament as a permanent memorial to Marshall Plan assistance, GMF maintains a strong presence on both sides of the Atlantic . For details click here.  MEMBER: The World Resources Institute ( WRI ) The World Resources Institute ( WRI ) is an environmental think tank that goes beyond research to find practical ways to protect the earth and improve people's lives. Its mission is to move human society to live in ways that protect the environment and its capacity to provide for the needs and aspirations of current and future generations. Because people are inspired by ideas, empowered by knowledge, and moved to change by greater understanding, WRI provides -- and helps other institutions provide -- objective information and practical proposals for policy and institutional change that will foster environmentally sound, socially equitable development. For details click here.   Read more on the previous member profiles... BOOKS, REPORTS & RESOURCES  Global Governance: The Problematic Legitimacy Relationship Between Global Civil Society and the United Nations Source: Kenneth Anderson, American University Washington College of Law One issue of globalisation is the question of whether, how, and to what extent an economically integrating world requires a politically integrated planet - a world that has a global law, regulation, and enforcement that transcends all lesser political authority and to which all other political entities must cede their sovereignty. It is a very old debate and an ancient dream, the world unified in peace under a single universal law and a supreme lawgiver who will end the wars and feuds and injustices and material want of the world as a whole. For many, a politically integrated world is morally and politically desirable on its own terms. For details click here.  Civil society perspectives & recommendations on Financing for Development  Source: Financing for Development - Civil Society Engagement Analyses carried out by civil society organisations for the review process on Financing for Development (FfD) highlight the fact that governments are facing a double challenge at the up-coming FfD Conference in Doha: On the one hand, they have to find ways of substantially increasing the transfer in real terms of public resources to the South, while ensuring that public revenue is generated and mobilised for poverty eradication, decent work, achieving gender equality, and improving the livelihoods of the population. For details click here.  World Survey: Onslaught against Trade Unions claimed 91 lives Source: International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) The publication of this year's ITUC Annual Survey of Trade Union Rights Violations reveals an appalling record of union-busting, anti-union laws, intimidation and violence against workers' representatives in 2007. A worldwide total of 91 trade unionists were murdered for defending workers' rights, with Colombia , where 39 lost their lives, by far the worst offender yet again. Second-worst was Guinea , where the regime of President Lansana Conte was directly responsible for the killing of 30 unionists during brutal repression of union-organised public demonstrations against corruption and violations of fundamental rights. The Survey, which covers worker rights violations in 138 countries, reveals a number of disturbing trends. For details click here. Read more... CONFERENCES & EVENTS Civil Society Organisation Forum 25 - 27 November 2008, Doha , Qatar The Doha Civil Society Organisation Forum will be held just prior to the Doha International Review Conference on Financing for Development. This forum will offer a unique and great opportunity for CSOs and NGOs to carry their engagement forward by preparing strategic policy interventions for their participation in the Round Tables, as well as a civil society address to the plenary of the Conference. For further details, click here. To download the programme, click here. The Forum will be followed by the Doha International Review Conference on Financing for Development which will assess progress made, reaffirm goals and commitments. The Conference will take place on 29 November to 2 December and will include eight plenary meetings. The plenary meetings will be held on 29 November. For details click here.  Commonwealth Civil Society Consultations 26 November 2008, London, UK The Commonwealth CSO consultations’ main focus of this consultation will be the engagement of civil society in Commonwealth Ministerial Meetings, which has been an area of significant growth over the past few years. In addition, the consultations will discuss the role of civil society in commemorating 60 years of the modern Commonwealth of ‘freely and equally associated’ states. The theme of Commonwealth Day (9 March) and of the entire year 2009 is ‘thecommonwealth@60 - serving a new generation’. The consultation will afford participants with an opportunity to discuss how civil society looks at the work of the Commonwealth. For details click here.  Read more... FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES 2008 USAID Development 2.0 Challenge Application Deadline: 5 December 2008 The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced the launch of the 2008 USAID Development 2.0 Challenge sponsored by the Global Development Commons. USAID is sponsoring a challenge to find the best in mobile innovations for good. Through a NetSquared community vote, fifteen finalists will be chosen. A panel of judges, selected by USAID, will then select the winners. The first place winner will receive a grant of US$ 10,000, the two runner-ups will receive grants of US$ 5,000 each. All three winners will have the opportunity to present their ideas to senior USAID officials, experts, and the public in Washington D.C. The Community Vote will take place from 8-12 December 2008. For details click here. Read more... WORKSHOPS & COURSES Training: EPPI-Centre presents Evidence for policy, practice and personal decisions 01 March 2009 - 30 April 2009 , University of London , UK The Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Co-ordinating Centre (EPPI-Centre) module will interest students wanting to familiarise themselves with debates around participation in and the use of research. EPPI-Centre will critically analyse research from the perspectives of policy makers, practitioners and personal decision makers, and explore methods for evidence-informed decision-making. The module will include innovative methods for involving different actors in doing and using research. Teaching is centred on four one-day workshops. The course requires a working understanding of systematic review methods. For details click here.  International Expert Group workshop on implementation of article 43 of UN Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples 14-16 January 2009, United Nations Headquarters This Expert Group Meeting is being organised following a recommendation of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, approved by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) decision 2008/249, which authorised a three-day international expert group meeting on the implementation of Article 42 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and requested that the results of the meeting be reported to the Permanent Forum at its eighth session. The workshop will discuss the way in which the UNPFII should address its mandate under Article 42 of the Declaration. For details click here.  Read more... CALL FOR PAPERS, SUBMISSIONS, SURVEYS & NOMINATIONS Call for nominations for young humanitarian  Application Deadline: 30 November 2008 The Charles Bronfman Prize has launched its 2009 award cycle, marking the start of this year's international quest for extraordinary, young humanitarians. The Prize celebrates the vision and talent of an individual or team under 50 years of age, whose humanitarian work has contributed significantly to the betterment of the world. Its goal is to bring public recognition to young, dynamic individuals whose Jewish values infuse their humanitarian accomplishments and provide inspiration to the next generations. An internationally recognised panel of Judges selects the Prize recipient(s) and bestows an award of US$ 100,000. For details click here.  Call for NGO applications for OHCHR travel support to attend the Durban Review Conference Application deadline: 15 December 2008 Resolution 61/49 of the United Nations General Assembly called for the organisation of Review Conference on the Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action. The Review Conference is scheduled to take place in Palais des Nations, Geneva/Switzerland from 20 - 24 April 2009 with the participation of all relevant stakeholders, including non-governmental organisations. The Preparatory Committee for the Durban Review Conference (PC. 1/12) has requested the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to revitalise the voluntary fund for the Durban Review Conference to cover expenses related to the preparatory process, including the participation of NGOs. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is providing funding, in the form of pre-paid tickets, to support the travel of selected NGO representatives to the Durban Review Conference. Applications forms are available in English, French and Spanish. Read more... APPOINTMENTS This week, new civil society job openings have been added to the CIVICUS website. Please click here. Should you wish to publish a New Vacancy, please click on Add job. Please add an expiry date for applications. JOBS OF THE WEEK Membership Manager Application Deadline: 24 November 2008 CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation Location: Johannesburg , South Africa For more information click here. Programme Manager/Chief Executive Officer Application Deadline: rolling basis starting 16 December 2008 Twaweza East Africa Location: Dar es Salaam , Tanzania For more information click here. CONTACT e-CIVICUS e-CIVICUS is a free weekly online publication keeping tens of thousands of people, organisations and programmes informed of the many developments and factors that affect civil society and their impact on creating a more just world. We value your comments and suggestions. Please send these to the Editorial Team at editor@civicus.org. Unsubscribe: To unsubscribe from e-CIVICUS , get a password reminder, or change your subscription options by entering your subscription email address: Click here.