Human Rights Council 18th SPECIAL SESSIONThe Human Rights Situation in the Syrian Arab Republic 2 December 2011Delivered by Renate Bloem Thank you, Mme President, CIVICUS is deeply concerned at the crimes against humanity being committed in Syria as we speak.

by Andrew Firmin, Acting Research Manager, CIVICUS International Volunteer Day, and the culmination of the 10th anniversary of the International Year of Volunteers, offers an opportunity to emphasise the important role of volunteerism in civic life.

This joint submission from Association for Progressive Communictaion (APC), Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS), CIVICUS, Gender Links Highway Africa Chair in Media and Information Society,  IDASA, ODAC, Right 2 Know, Southern African NGO Network (SANGONet), Section27 and SERI focuses on: freedom of expression; the right to information; freedom from censorship; freedom of the press; the right to privacy; and the importance of affordable access to the internet.

Since the last High Level Forum in Accra, more than 20,000 civil society organisations (CSOs) - including trade unions, women’s groups, youth groups, faith-based organisations and other social movements – in more than 90 countries, have been consulted on the process, agenda and expected outcomes of the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness (HLF-4) that is meeting here in Busan.

CIVICUS outlines urgent concerns related to the environment in which civil society activists and human rights defenders operate in the Philippines.

CIVICUS outlines urgent concerns related to the environment in which civil society activists and human rights defenders operate in Brazil, and about threats faced by them in the exercise of the freedoms of expression, association and assembly.

Johannesburg.

About the CSI-RA Civil society self-assessment contributes to strengthening the evidence base for civil society advocacy; providing a platform for civil society to identify shared needs; and assisting the planning and strategising of civil society around common challenges and opportunities.

The State of Civil Society 2011: Through an Artist's Lens CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation is seeking the ‘design of the year’ for the cover of The State of Civil Society 2011 report.

CIVICUS and the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) outline urgent concerns related to the environment in which civil society, human rights activists and ordinary citizens operate in Bahrain, and the vicious attacks by government security forces on those who dare to exercise their rights of expression, assembly and association.

CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation launched its new civil society self-assessment tool, the Civil Society Index Rapid Assessment (CSI-RA) at the Africa Forum on Civil Society and Governance Assessments, 10 to 12 November 2011.

To Member States of the United Nations Human Rights Council: Joint Call by Civil Society for a Special Session of the UN Human Rights Council to consider the findings of the Syrian Commission of Inquiry and ensure accountability 22 November, 2011 Your Excellency, As civil society organizations from around the world we urgently call on the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council (HRC) to convene a special session on Syria immediately after the release of the report of the HRC International Commission of Inquiry on Syria (the Commission of Inquiry), which is due before the end of November 2011.

The online film festival gives Every Human Has Rights (EHHR) and Tri Continental Film Festival (TCFF) a new platform to raise awareness about human rights abuses.

The clothes have no emperor Just how much can the state restrict a peaceful protest? Call for "Snapshots" TCFF and EHHR launch online film festival CIVICUS interview with Billy Mayaya Bill is a ‘shameful moment’ for Israel Palestinian civil society launches campaign to reform international aid to Palestine in run up to Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness And much more.

Read the call in: English | French | Spanish | Russian | Portuguese Chinese ENGLISH The State of Civil Society 2011 is a new initiative of CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation and it will be the only annual report on the health and state of civil society, and the enabling environment for civil society, authored by the civil society sector itself.

Occupy: Reinventing leadership, governance and economic paradigms Promoting Human Rights in Uzbekistan - a Crisis Response Fund Appeal Nnimmo Bassey on what to expect from Durban climate talks On the road to Busan: Interview with Emele Duituturaga Third day of the trial against Ales Bialiatski: clear signs of a politically-motivated trial And much more.

Dear members and partners, We would like to kindly remind you that CIVICUS, as Operating Partner of the NGO Major Group facilitating the Rio+20 process, is very much interested in receiving your contributions to the Zero draft of the Rio+20 outcome document by the November 1st deadline (5pm Eastern Standard time, close of business in New York).

CIVICUS is joining fellow civil society organisations to urge G20 leaders to put human rights norms and principles at the centre of their decision-making on financial regulation and climate change during their upcoming Summit in Cannes, France.

Opening Plenary: The Global Context for Civil Society by Ingrid Srinath Where do we, civil society, find ourselves as we near the end of 2011? The heady optimism of the 1990s following the fall of the Berlin wall and its promise of a global wave of democracy and freedom, and the growing power of citizen action symbolized by the protests at the WTO in Seattle were quickly followed by a decade of the “war on terror” used as an excuse by many governments around the world to restrict freedoms of information, expression, and assembly.

Uganda was reviewed recently by the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) as part of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process.

People power for aid effectiveness CIVICUS Secretary General at Commonwealth People's Forum Joint Open Letter on Bahrain Cuba 'Ladies in White' founder Laura Pollan dies Bahrain: Repression against workers and attacks against Trade Union Rights are still going on G20 finance ministers face growing public anger for failing to reform financial system Civil Society at a Crossroads? Read this issue online now.

Dear Commonwealth Heads of Governments, This letter follows an earlier letter on this subject that many of us jointly wrote to Commonwealth Foreign Ministers, prior to their meeting in New York on 22 September 2011.

Opening Up Uganda’s Civil Society Space at the United Nations Human Rights Council Together with our colleagues from Uganda, Civicus organized a side event at the United Nations Human Rights Council on October 10, 2011, focusing on Civil Society Space in Uganda.

CIVICUS Secretary General Ingrid Srinath is travelling to Perth, Australia, from 25-28 October 2011, to take civil society messages to Commonwealth decision-makers.

The Conference on Volunteer Action for Development will be taking place from the 17 – 19 of October at the FNB Learning Centre, Sandton, Johannesburg.

Authoritarian regimes, co-opted institutions, the absence of enabling legislation and a persecuted civil society are some of the central factors holding back the fulfilment of the fundamental rights of freedoms of many an African citizen.

South Africa fails an ethical test: Dalai Lama cancels planned visit Q&A: Africa's legislated civil society crackdown Comments and proposals on the second draft of the Busan draft outcome document Civic Engagement Measurement System Bahrain medical staff sentenced for treating protesters Civil society comes of age in Jamaica World Bank-IMF annual meetings 2011 Online Consultation on the CFS Global Strategic Framework Read this issue online.

Following the publication of the revised Busan Outcome Document (BOD), CIVICUS has raised several concerns regarding the  global trend of the increasing dis-enabling environment for CSOs that affects their effectiveness and role as independent development actors.

Trying to use a water pistol to stop a charging rhino IMF-World Bank civil society town hall meeting Joint letter to Secretary of State Clinton regarding Uzbekistan Busan CSO pre-event; Register now Africa's energy future heading down a dark tunnel Sentencing to prison of lawyer Moses Richards, a chilling message to the Gambian human rights community Read this issue online or subscribe to receive future issues in your inbox

Cyril Ritchie* The  world  is  today  a  poorer  place,  following  the  immensely  regretted  death  of  Wangari  Maathai,   an  outstanding  woman,   an  outstanding  humanist,   an outstanding  innovator,   an outstanding  civil  society  activist,   an  outstanding  leader.

Remarks by Laila Iskandar, Chairperson, CID Consulting (a social enterprise in Cairo, Egypt), Board Chair, Spirit of Youth NGO in Cairo (situated in the garbage collectors’ neighbourhood of Manchiyet Nasser), and Member, Global Recyclers without Borders Network Thank you for the invitation to this Town Hall meeting.

Defining civil society CIVICUS call for papers: 10th International Society for Third Sector Research conference, Siena, Italy  Sign the petition to free Ales Bialiatski MDGs: Time to get it rightWhen the road to democracy gets hijacked Aid transparency campaigners welcome new ‘open-government’ initiative And loads more! Read this issue online or subscribe to receive future issues in your inbox.

By Mr Letshego Mokeki, National TISDA Coordinator, Transparency International (TI) Following up on findings of their research report, TI is currently undertaking two campaigns in South Africa to strengthen civil society and capacity in financial management in primary education.

The 10th International Society for Third Sector Research (ISTR) on the theme “Democratisation, Marketisation and the third sector’, will take place during July 10-13, 2012 in Siena, Italy.

The special issue of the e-CIVICUS, highlighting happenings, news and opinions from the just concluded CIVICUS World Assembly in Montreal.

Civil society is undergoing its most significant crisis and change for a generation.

The dialogue stretches beyond Montreal! The spirit of the CIVICUS World Assembly is reaching far beyond the Palais Des Congres in Montreal.

This is the final instalment of our conversation with Ms.

On Friday 2 September in Johannesburg, CIVICUS will  launch  our new report on the health of civil society, Bridging the Gaps: citizens, organisations and dissociation.

Français From 2010 to 2012, the CIVICUS World Assembly is being co-hosted by the Institut du Nouveau Monde (INM) in Montreal, Canada.

Mario Lubetkin is Secretary General for Inter Press Services (IPS), a communications institution with a global news agency at its core and is dedicated to raising the voices of the South and of civil society.

Ales Bialiatski, a prominent civil society activist in Belarus, was arrested on 4 August 2011.

Social activist, Makoma Lekalakala*, recently sat down with Elizabeth Hira, of CIVICUS’ Policy Unit, to discuss climate change from the perspective of South Africans, the task of mobilisation, and the role of women in climate justice.

CIVICUS recently joined several international civil society organisations in writing to the Government of Angola to draw attention to a number of concerns and to present urgent requests with regard to the humanrights situation in Angola.

Melita Steele has been with Greenpeace Africa as a climate and energy campaigner for a year and a half.

Click to view on YouTube Click to listen/download from iTunes store On Wednesday 20 July, 2011, CIVICUS World Alliance for Citizen Participation, hosted a webinar, geared towards developing policy recommendations for civil society organisations (CSOs), public and private sector donors and governments to enable them to bridge the gap between traditional CSOs and online activists.

A teleconference hosted by CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation 14:00 – 16:00 GMT on Friday 12 August 2011 It is my pleasure to invite you to participate in a regional consultation geared towards identifying and better understanding the key issues and state of civil society in the region, as well as how governments, CSOs and the private sector can better support the strengthening of civil society in the region.

Analysis Faith-based economics.

Melita Steele, Climate and Energy Campaigner, Greenpeace Africa, speaks to Elizabeth Hira of CIVICUS Melita Steele has been with Greenpeace Africa as a climate and energy campaigner for a year and a half.

Analysis The sanctity of life: Norway and Somalia - a study in contrast Civil Society and post-disaster reconstruction: the case of Japan  The Making of Social Justice: Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture News Egypt civil society decries decision to ban international monitoring of the elections Time for democratic dialogue in Malawi - not death threats and unfounded treason charges After Sri Lanka polls, civil society groups say 'voters were threatened'