This Sunday we’ll all be able to observe the election in Córdoba, Argentina

#CBAvota #boletaunicaCBA This coming Sunday 7th August, report on what you see at your polling station and tell us about your experience using the new Boleta Única voting system (where voters receive one ballot paper showing the names of all candidates, as opposed to the old system where voters would receive a separate ballot paper for each candidate). You can do this through your Twitter account or by sending an SMS to 351 2581379. 

Next Sunday, 7th August, provincial authorities will be elected across Córdoba for the first time using the new Boleta Única voting system, as well as an electronic vote pilot to be tried out in La Falda. On that day, the Córdoba Transparente programme (a joint initiative between FUNDEPS and Ciudadanos 365) will reveal its domesticElectoral Observation Mission.

Non-governmental organisations have been authorised for the first time to take charge of the electoral observation process in Córdoba. Córdoba Transparente’s observation team will invigilate the running of the polling booths which will be using the electronic vote in La Falda and the Boleta Única voting system in other localities of the province, gauging the electorate’s perceptions in the use of these voting methods. They’ll also be present at the counting centres in La Falda and Feriar to monitor the scrutinising processes there.

Voters’ observation of the new system

To complement the work carried out by the observation team, we would like to invite all voters to become electoral observers themselves on polling day by using your mobile phones and social networks. By sending us an SMS to 351 2581379 or by posting on our Twitter account (with the hashtags #CBAvota y #boletaunicaCBA) all citizens will be able to report on what they witness at their polling station and tell us about their experience of using the Boleta Única voting system.

We aim to complement the work carried out by the electoral observation team with the perspective of every citizen, meaning we’ll all be contributing to a transparent and democratic process. The lessons learned from this experience will be implemented in October’s national elections.

How to report via SMS? (without additional charges)

It’s really simple, all you have to do is send us an SMS to 351 2581379 with your report, indicating your polling station. Your SMS reports are received via the FrontlineSMS system and posted anonymously on the @CBAvota Twitter account.

In order to receive a reminder on polling day, you have to send us an SMS with the word VOTO before Sunday.

To avoid your report being posted on the @CBAvota Twitter account, you must precede your message with the wordNOPUBLICAR.

If an SMS was sent to you in error and you don’t wish to receive anything else from the number 351 2581379, reply with the word DESUSCRIBIR.

What can citizens report to us?

Problems getting the polling booths open on time;

Delays in casting votes;

Difficulties in using the Boleta Única voting system;

Propaganda used by a candidate or the use of party emblems;

Orientation or inducement to vote a certain way;

Hampering of the vote;

The absence of election officials at the polling station, etc.

We also invite you to make any other comments relating to the electoral process and use of the Boleta Única voting system.

To find out more about the elections: www.eleccionescordoba.com.ar – http://www.eleccionescordoba.com.ar/ is where you can look up where to vote (Electoral Register) and have a go on a Boleta Única simulator.

Translated by Thomas Mcguinn

DESC Committee Publishes a List of Issues to Tackle in the Examination of Argentina

The social and cultural economic rights Committee has published a list of issues that should be considered when examining the third periodic report on Argentina, highlighting questions on the access to adequate housing.

Continuing in the process of analysing and reporting on the obligations of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) the DESC committee published a document listing the issues that should be tackled when examining the third periodic report on Argentina. In the development of this document, the Committee recalled the presentations carried out by civil society organisations, such as the general document coordinated by the Centre of Legal and Social Studies (Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales-CELS-) in which FUNDEPS worked with the recommendations and questions regarding the right to access adequate housing.

In the recently published document, the Committee puts questions to the Argentine government regarding the general obligations of the pact and the specific rights that were promised to be guaranteed. Regarding the right to access to adequate housing, some questions put forth by FUNDEPS in the text presented by the Argentine NGO Alliance ( Alianza de ONGs de Argentina) stand out. In the text, it was stated that “the federal state has, in the last seven year, executed a housing policy on a larger scale than in previous policies, the scope and effectivity of this policy are limited. Equally, there is little clarity regarding the criteria used to decide whether to build in one jurisdiction and not another” As such, enquiries were made into a national housing policy and its articulation on different levels. Additionally, there were questions in the document regarding “the precautions the Argentine state will adopt to avoid evictions leaving families out on the street”, something that is also suggested by the Committee when questioning whether their general comment 7 is being fulfilled. A comment that, amongst other recommendations, states that “evictions that leave people without housing and exposed to the violation of other human rights should not take place.” Below, we present some of the questions submitted by the DESC Committee to the Argentine government.

Initial Information and General Dispositions of the Pact.

Please notify the Committee if the party state is considering the possibility of ratifying the First Optional Protocol of the Pact

Please provide the last available statistical data on the socioeconomic situation of indigenous peoples, particularly on the impact of poverty, life expectancy, literacy rates and access to employment.

Please notify if the party state has implemented their public policies and/or action plans to modify and eliminate attitudes, cultural practices, ingrained stereotypes and discrimination against women in the party state and provide information on its implementation where applicable.

Specific Dispositions of the Pact

The Right to Work

Please provide current and broken down data on employment in the informal sector, with an indication of the policies, programmes and measures adopted by the party state to assure access to basic services and social protection of those employed in this sector, particularly women.

The Right to the Enjoyment of Equitable and Satisfactory Working Conditions

Measures carried out by the party state to guarantee the right to the enjoyment of equitable and satisfactory working conditions in the informal sector, including migrants who find themselves in an irregular situation and especially regarding women.

Union Rights

Please clarify if the right to strike, enshrined in the Constitution, is fully guarantee in practice and if it can be exercised by all registered unions, regardless of their position in accordance with the Law of trade union associations

Protection of Family, Mothers and Children.

Please describe the planned or adopted measures to prevent situations of forced labour, especially in the textile industry in rural areas.

The Right to Access to Adequate Housing

Please provide up to date information on the measures adopted by the party state to guarantee that evictions are carried out in accordance with international principles and directives and general comment No 7 (1997) of the Committee regarding the right to adequate housing: forced eviction.

Please clarify if there is an existing national housing policy and if it includes the principles of the right to adequate housing, including culturally appropriate alternatives for indigenous peoples.

Please provide information on the measures adopted by the party state to improve access to water and sanitation that is insufficient in quantity and quality in rural areas.

The Right to Physical and Mental Health

Please formulate comments on teenage pregnancy rates, secret abortions and sexually transmitted diseases in the party state and provide information on the measures carried out by the party state to guarantee that teenagers have access to public sexual and reproductive healthcare services and a comprehensive sexual education.

The Right to Education

Please provide information on the concrete measures adopted to tackle elevated disparity in the access to primary school education and the subsequent educational levels between the City of Buenos Aires (Federal Capital) and the rest of the country.

Documents:

– Observación General 7: El derecho a una vivienda adecuada: los desalojos forzosos

–  Comité DESC: Listado de temas a abordarse en el examen del tercer informe periódico de la Argentina

Fundeps participates X National Congress Political Science

FUNDEPS participa en el X Congreso Nacional de Ciencia Política.

El pasado viernes 29 de julio, Juan Camusso (FUNDEPS) y Hernán Charosky (Poder Ciudadano) expusieron sobre diferentes experiencias y estrategias de incidencia de la sociedad civil en políticas públicas.

2010 Annual Report

Fundeps presents the Annual Report of its activities in 2010, making a balance of the main challenges, achievements, activities and lessons learned in its work in 2010.

The spanish version of this article is presented below. You can download a spanish version of the report here. For more information in English contact: Ana Estefanía Carballo at aecarballo@fundeps.org.

Presentamos el informe resumen de las actividades de Fundeps en el 2010, año en el que logramos consolidar muchos proyectos en cada una de nuestras áreas de trabajo.

Área de Gobernanza Democrática

  • Accesibilidad y Transparencia
  • Promoción de los Principios de Acceso en la Ley de Bosques de Córdoba – Iniciativa de Acceso, Coalición Argentina
  • Monitoreo Electoral

Área de Acceso a la Justicia

  • Clínica de Derecho de Interés Público
  • Incidencia por un Código de Faltas que cumpla con las obligaciones de Derechos Humanos y las garantías constitucionales

Área de Fortalecimiento de la Sociedad Civil

  • Fortalecimiento de marco legal para Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil
  • Acompañamiento al proyecto de Oficina de Diálogo con el Parlamento

Cómo comenta César Murúa, Director Ejecutivo de Fundeps, “todo balance es una fotografía del momento. La imagen que este informe proyecta sobre las actividades de Fundeps en el último año puede sintetizarse del siguiente modo: tres resultados de impacto de nuestros proyectos, dos lecciones aprendidas sobre cómo alcanzar objetivos institucionales o comunitarios, algunas satisfacciones a nivel institucional y principalmente un anhelo que impulsa nuestro compromiso para trabajar por una sociedad mejor, más justa, participativa e inclusiva”. En el informe, se analiza con detalle cada uno de estos puntos y se encuentra información respecto a las actividades, logros, equipos de trabajo, socios y redes.

Deseamos aprovechar esta instancia de balance para agradecer la colaboración de voluntarios, el acompañamiento de medios de comunicación, la apertura a la cooperación de otras organizaciones, la confianza de donantes y especialmente el interés de muchas personas en nuestro trabajo.

Documento: Informe de actividades 2010

The regulation of forest law in Cordoba. And now that?

Desde FUNDEPS se hace un balance del proceso de reglamentación de la ley nacional de protección de bosque nativo que diera lugar a una normativa provincial que no respeta los estándares de protección fijados por la propia ley de presupuestos mínimos.

Desde 2009, la Fundación para el Desarrollo de Políticas Sustentables (FUNDEPS) ha estado participando en el proceso de Ordenamiento Territorial de Bosques Nativos de Córdoba en el marco de la Coalición Argentina por el Acceso a la Información (The Access Iniciative), junto a las organizaciones CEDHA (Centro de Derechos Humanos y Ambiente), FOCO (Foro de Participación Ciudadano por la Justicia y los Derechos Humanos) y OAJNU (Organización Argentina de Jóvenes para las Naciones Unidas). Desde la Coalición, FUNDEPS ha buscado promover la participación ciudadana en la legislación sobre bosques nativos, sumándose a la Comisión de Ordenamiento Territorial de Bosques Nativos (COTBN). Con su trabajo buscó incorporar al proyecto de ordenamiento territorial disposiciones respecto al acceso a la información ambiental y a la convocatoria de audiencias públicas. FUNDEPS presenta un documento de trabajo que describe los diferentes pasos desarrollados en el marco de ese proceso de reglamentación de la ley nacional.

A pesar de los esfuerzos de amplios sectores de la sociedad civil, lamentablemente, las presiones, los intereses y el desmonte del gobierno provincial –de la mano del ruralismo- ganaron el proceso de ordenamiento de bosques nativos en Córdoba en 2010 y la regulación violenta derechos constitucionales amparando intereses de unos pocos. La sanción de esa norma motivo numerosas quejas por parte de los movimientos y organizaciones activas durante el el proceso de discusión y llevó, finalmente, a que la Universidad Nacional de Río IV presentara un pedido de declaración de inconstitucionalidad de diversos artículos de la ley.

Este retroceso respecto a la protección de los bosques en Córdoba contrasta, por ejemplo, con la decisión de la Asamblea General de Naciones Unidas de declarar año internacional de los bosques al 2011, como un modo de concientizar sobre la importancia de este recurso natural.

Desde FUNDEPS esperamos que no se sigan desaprovechando las oportunidades para valorar los bosques como recurso estratégico y que se respeten plenamente los derechos de las comunidades vinculados con ellos.

Contacto:
César Murúa / Director Ejecutivo
cmurua@fundeps.org

Documento:
– FUNDEPS – Documento de Trabajo – Balance del proceso de reglamentación de la ley nacional de protección de bosques nativos en la Provincia de Córdoba. ¿Y ahora qué? – Enero de 2011

We work for a more Inclusive Society

In 2010, FUNDEPS is created, a result from the work of young professionals from Córdoba, Argentina.

The Foundation for the Development of Sustainable Policy (FUNDEPS) is a non for profit organisation developed in Argentina with a focus on the development of a just, equitable and inclusive society. We envision the construction of strategies in which every stakeholder of the society will engage in the promotion of sustainable processes of widening of opportunities and the strengthening of democratic institutions that will ensure the full respect of Human Rights, building a sustainable development policy.

To contribute to the development of these strategies, FUNDEPS works for the establishment of improved relations, rules and institutions in the interactions among the government, the citizenry, the private sector as well as other civil society organizations from the local, national and international level.

To achieve these goals, FUNDEPS promotes the empowerment of the different stakeholders in the development process through initiatives of training, lobbying, policy & research, strategic litigation and cooperation.

FUNDEPS joins The Access Initiative Coalition

Fundeps is part of The Argentine Coalition of The Access Initiative (TAI), together with CEDHA, OAJNU and FOCO.

Fundeps joins The Access Initiative Coalition to work in the promotion of Access Principles in the Law for Forestry Protection in Argentina.

The Access Initiative (TAI) is a global network that promotes access to information, participation, and justice in environmental decision-making. TAI is the world’s largest network of civil society organizations working to ensure that people have the right and ability to influence decisions about the natural resources that sustain their communities.

At the moment, the TAI Argentine Coalition is working in the Provincial Congress, advocating for the inclusion of the Access Principles in the Law that is currently being discussed in this field. The project is being developed by the Argentine Coalition of The Access Initiative, formed by FUNDEPS, together with the Argentine Youth Organization for the United Nations (OAJNU), the Citizen Assembly for Justice and Human Rights (FOCO) and the Center for Human Rights and Environment (CEDHA) with the Support from the World Resources Institute.