Faculties taken, others closed, others suspending their activities, mass marches, assemblies and students organizing. What is happening in the National Universities? What happens at the National University of Córdoba?
“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”.
Since 2016, the teaching conflict continues to escalate. At that time the budget and salaries did not go hand in hand with inflation and the entire academic community rose up against this situation. Also students, being affected by these measures, joined the fight and took the Argentine Pavilion through a decision that was debated and with the approval of the majority of the Interfaculty Assembly. He was denied admission to the Rector Hugo Juri, who sits down to debate the budget of public education at the negotiating table, and many times his political decisions have repercussions throughout the UNC.
Today the situation is much more critical. They are taken: the Faculty of Psychology, the Faculty of Philosophy and Humanities (Casa Verde), the Fac. Of Arts (CePIA Pavilion), the Faculty of Communication, the Faculty of Social Sciences and a few days ago the decision was taken. Faculty of Architecture, Urbanism and Design after an Assembly attended by more than 1500 students (results: for raising the vote 905 votes, for keeping the vote 849 votes).
In all faculties, assemblies are being held in which not only a strategy is sought in conjunction with the teaching struggle, but also to claim the positioning of the student body, demanding the guarantee of their rights such as effective compliance with the systems of scholarships, payment for ad honorem posts (assistantships and paid assignments), among others. The common denominator of the claims: the right to Public Education.
Why this conflict
What is happening: the generalized economic crisis is reflected in education policies, and it feels even stronger in Public Universities. It is that, “in short, today we are more in front of a delay in the fulfillment of the budget than in the face of a genuine cut. But the magnitude of this delay is such that Universities are forced to function with about half of their resources, in a particularly difficult year due to the devaluation and the substantial increase in rates. ”
According to data from CONADU (National Federation of University Teachers), at the end of the first semester of 2018, only 25% of the annual budget had been executed. In an inflationary context and with a strong growth in the costs of services, this delay has a direct impact on the sustainability of university activities.
Why is education a right that must be fulfilled?
Education is a human right recognized by the international human rights law, particularly and expressly by the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, approved by our country by law No. 23,313.
This is of vital importance since it is an essential precondition for the exercise of the other human rights. It is a right of a “transversal” nature in relation to other human rights and its dissatisfaction puts at stake the ability to complain about the latter. Its content has been greatly expanded, since it is the budget for the full exercise of individual liberties, the strengthening and development of the human person and the dissemination, respect, and enjoyment of human rights. It is a fundamental tool given that it enables progress to the detriment of economic inequality and collaborates in the processes of emancipation and struggle of those disadvantaged and oppressed sectors.
The Argentine Constitution, since the reform of 1994, has strengthened the protection of the right to education.
The art. 75, inc. 19 orders Congress “to provide research and scientific and technological development, its dissemination and use.” In addition, the article imposes the sanction of laws that “consolidate the national unity respecting the provincial particularities; to ensure the non-delegable responsibility of the state, the participation of the family and society, the promotion of democratic values, equality of opportunities and possibilities without any discrimination; and that guarantee the principles of free and fair public state education; and the autonomy and autarky of national universities. ” Likewise, it must dictate laws that “protect the identity and cultural plurality, the free creation and circulation of the author’s works; the artistic heritage and the cultural and audiovisual spaces “.
It should again be stressed that the educational issue is a non-delegable responsibility of the State, understood in its entirety, that is to say that it covers not only the enactment of laws by the legislative branch in order to guarantee the right to education, but also the implementation of measures taken by the administration (read executive power) to that end, including those measures or positive actions aimed at achieving real equality of opportunities in access.
Now, with regard to public education, this right has as its guidelines gratuity and equity, tending to reinforce equality in a material sense of those marginal, disadvantaged and vulnerable sectors, through contributions, scholarships, subsidies and material aid of the most varied nature. The State is obliged to guarantee and not prevent every person from being educated; to facilitate and promote free access and equal opportunities and possibilities for all to receive and impart education, without any discrimination; to create their official educational establishments, guaranteeing the principles of equality, equity and gratuity; and to encourage and respect pluralistic teaching.
Intimately linked to the right to education, is the right to culture. This right implies an expansive area in which literacy is not enough either through secondary or higher levels. Thus, for the purposes of access to the benefits of culture and participation in cultural life, the State must give impetus to scientific, technological, artistic, literary, etc. progress; of research in all fields, the dissemination of its results and the use of its progress. The State can not exercise regressive policies and retreat as regards its obligation to promote cultural development.
Our Constitution establishes the incorporation of international human rights treaties to our legal system, granting them constitutional hierarchy. The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which contains the rights to education and culture, is one of them, so it must be applied with the same force as the constitution itself.
Regarding this treaty, it is important to highlight some observations of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) as its official interpreter. These citations highlight the key importance of the right to education, the State’s obligation to provide funds to guarantee it and ensure its availability and accessibility. Likewise, they highlight the obligation to progressively progress towards greater effectiveness of this right and the impossibility of taking retrogressive measures regarding the level of protection of this right.
The mobilization to demand rights
Thousands of students, teachers, scientific graduates and non-teaching workers were present at a massive mobilization in Plaza de Mayo that was echoed throughout the country last Thursday. In Córdoba, the day included a sit-down, a march and a festival for the UNC. “The university is in danger. Defend the salary and the budget” were the slogans taken to the streets to demand that no further progress be made against higher education. This week it was decided to continue with work stoppage until Friday, September 7.
From FUNDEPS, we accompany the claim for measures that guarantee the effective use of economic, social and cultural rights such as the right to education.
Contact
Juan Carballo – juanmcarballo@fundeps.org
Discussion on “Transparency and Accountability”
“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”
Admission is free and with limited requirements, to attend you must complete the form by clicking here
The conversation has two panels in which there are several topics, among them:
The people who will speak will be:
We will wait for you!
We urge the accession of Argentina to the Escazú Agreement
“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”
The Escazú Agreement is the “Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean,” adopted in Escazú, Costa Rica, on March 4, 2018 , by 24 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, including Argentina. After a negotiation process that formally began in 2012 at the Rio +20 Conference with the Declaration on the Application of Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean, it was adopted an agreement that seeks to guarantee the effective implementation of access rights: access to information, public participation and access to justice in environmental matters. It will be open for signature by the 33 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean at the United Nations headquarters in New York, from September 27, 2018 to September 26, 2020, and will be subject to subsequent ratification, acceptance or approval of the States that have signed it. At least 11 countries must sign and ratify it so that it can enter into force. In order to achieve the entry into force of the Escazú Agreement, we presented a letter addressed to the former Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Rabbi Sergio Bergman, and another letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship, Jorge Marcelo Faurie, requesting the signature and adhesion of the Argentine government to the regional agreement. At the same time, we urge you to support the efforts of the governments and civil society organizations of Latin America and the Caribbean to invite the other governments of the region to sign this important treaty. In the letter addressed to the national authorities we highlighted the importance of the regional agreement since it is the first treaty on environmental issues in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as the first in the world to guarantee the protection and safety of people, groups and organizations defending human rights in environmental matters. We hope that Argentina, as well as the other countries of the region, will sign and ratify the regional agreement on Principle 10. In this way we will have an international instrument to reaffirm the right of all people to a healthy environment and sustainable development, the fight against inequality and discrimination, as well as ensuring the participation of citizens in decisions that affect their lives and environment.
More Information:
Writer: Ananda Lavayen
Coctact:
María Pérez Alsina: mariaperezalsina@fundeps.org
Comments of GREFI – Access Policy Review of BID Invest
Comments sent by the organizations that make up GREFI to the IDB Invest in the framework of the revision of its Policy on Access to Public Information.
IDB Invest Policy Analysis IAP FUNDEPS and partners
Reporting to the DESC Committee
“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”
Argentina has ratified the International Covenant on Economic and Cultural Rights (PIDESC), committing itself to comply with the obligations derived from this pact. The ICESCR, like other human rights treaties, establishes a set for monitoring its level of compliance: the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR). In this sense, the Supreme Court has recognized this committee as an “authorized interpreter” of the Covenant, which sometimes has a constitutional hierarchy.
The monitoring mechanism established in the same includes, in turn, the possibility of participating in civil society in different stages, through the presentation of reports: the Committee receives reports from the State as well as from civil society and evaluates them, for Then issue your Final observations. The importance of these observations is that they are used as tools to demand compliance with human rights standards in the matter of ESCR.
In this context, we have presented several reports that warn about the situations of rights being affected in different areas.
Health:
We recommend urging the State to adopt some measures to reduce the consumption of tobacco products and unhealthy foods.
Among them, the limitation of advertising aimed at children, the adoption of a more simple and understandable nutrition labeling, the raising of taxes, the ratification by the Argentine State of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and the adoption of measures that protect especially vulnerable groups.
In this regard, we recommend urge the Argentine government to regulate and restrict the marketing strategies of formulas of breast milk, to continue to promote breastfeeding beyond awareness campaigns, to prevent interference from industry processes related to the field of public health and to promote transparency in the sponsorship of academic events and research.
We recommend the enactment of a national law that establishes minimum budgets to be guaranteed in all nursing homes in the country, in accordance with the rights and paradigm established in the Inter-American Convention for the Protection of Older Persons, as well as local laws that accept this paradigm. Likewise, it is recommended to urge the Argentine State to publicize the data related to the authorizations and controls of said residences.
The situation of low access to contraceptives and abortion practices is worrisome in cases allowed by law. We recommend then to urge the State to provide the necessary supplies to comply with sexual and reproductive rights, as well as to ensure that conscientious objection does not impede access to them. Finally, we recommend urging the State to train health professionals, in accordance with the international standards set by WHO for access to safe abortion, and the promotion of legislative discussion for the legalization of abortion.
Democracy
This institution continues to abide by it for 11 years, which is configured as a weakening of the DESC protection system. In this regard, we have recommended, among other things, to designate as soon as possible a person in charge of the Office of the Ombudsman of the Nation and to reformulate the procedures for selecting it.
We recommend that the Committee urge the State to guarantee access to public information on environmental matters in view of the progress of major infrastructure projects, extractive industries and Chinese investments; promoting the creation of instances and / or mechanisms of citizen participation. In addition to promoting the protection of those who defend their rights and oppose the advancement of large infrastructure projects.
We recommend that the State abstain from promoting the Draft Bill of collective actions before the National Congress and promote a regulation that conforms to current international and constitutional standards in terms of access to justice and effective judicial protection of groups in vulnerable situations.
Ambient
We warn about the effects on the right to health derived from the use of agrochemicals; recommending the adoption of a national regulation that regulates the use and application of agrochemicals and requesting the revision and adaptation of national and provincial regulations to the new categories established by the WHO regarding the classification of phytosanitary products. In addition, the adoption of measures to minimize the impact of the use of agrochemicals and periodic epidemiological evaluations is recommended.
More Information
Contacts
Agustina Mozzoni: agustinamozzoni@fundeps.org
Carolina Tamagnini: carotamagnini@fundeps.org
In the interior of Córdoba there is also talk of communication
“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”.
The 20th REDCOM Congress is a space built to integrate the Latin American perspective into academic, social and political debates on communication, promote the dialogue of the different spaces in the construction of the human right to communication, and deepen each dimension thematic through the diversification of means for their expression, among others.
In this framework, we present the results obtained in the research carried out together with the Civil Association Communication for Equality, “Media and gender organizations: Equality of opportunities for women and LGTTBIQ + people in companies, unions and universities.” The main objective of this report was to investigate access to equal opportunities for women and the LGTTBIQ + community in the work environments of the media.
Inequalities in access to employment opportunities, from a gender perspective, have multiple causes, and require the implementation of social, cultural and political change mechanisms for their real prevention and eradication.
But in certain areas, inequality also has other consequences, such as in the field of communication. If we understand the media as opinion and socio-cultural values educators, the lack or little representation of the various groups of our society, also leads to such unequal representation is reflected in the media content, reproducing the same values that give place to discrimination.
In this sense, in order to achieve a real and democratic representation of the voices of the whole society in the media (recognizing them as agents of opinion) it is necessary to begin to combat inequalities in access to job opportunities and professional development of all people, with a focus on women, the LGBTTIQ + community, and on historically violated groups. We celebrate the space granted by UNVM and REDCOM, to the academic community and to civil society organizations, to discuss and make visible the needs of building communication in our country from an inclusive perspective, gender and human rights.-
Contact
Virginia Pedraza
vir.pedraza@fundeps.org
Health and law: internship at the O’Neill Institute of Georgetown University
Internship rented in the months of January, February and March 2018 at the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University in Washington DC.
Calling institutions:
– O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University Law Center
– Facultad de Derecho y Ciencias Sociales de la Universidad Nacional de Córdoba
– FUNDEPS – Fundación para el Desarrollo de Políticas Sustentables
Requirements for the presentation:
– Be enrolled as a regular student of the career of Advocacy in the Faculty of Law and Social Sciences of the National University of Córdoba.
– Have passed or are pursuing International Public Law.
– Have a general average, with postponements, of 7 or more points.
– Have an excellent command of the written and oral English language.
Selection mechanism:
– Deadline for submission of applications: September 26, 2018.
– A Selection Committee of the UNC will choose a list of between five and seven pre-selected people, who will be called to an interview to be developed in English on September 28, 2018, instead of confirming.
– On October 1, 2018, the UNC Selection Committee will send a list of three to five people to the O’Neill Institute for National, whose team will decide the person selected for the internship.
– The selected person must participate, during the months of October, November and December, in activities related to the human right to health, in the FUNDEPS team.
Documentation to present:
– Letter of motivation in English justifying the application to the internship program of the O’Neill Institute
– Curriculum vitae detailed in English, in no more than 3 pages
– Scanned copy of the analytical certificate (not electronic version)
* The materials must be sent in digital format in a single file in Acrobat Reader format (.pdf) to the address: info@fundeps.org, indicating in the subject: Call O’Neill – “Name of the candidate”.
Selection criteria:
– Average.
– Interest in the area of right to health or human rights.
– Academic research experience.
– Work experience in civil society organizations.
– English level.
Financing:
– The compensation granted by the O’Neill Institute during the months of the rented internship (January, February and March) allows to cover accommodation and living expenses during those months as well as the tickets from Cordoba to Washington, DC.
– FUNDEPS offers a credit of honor for those who need support to face the anticipated cost of the air ticket payment, in conditions to be determined.
Queries:
info@fundeps.org
More information:
Instituto O´Neill: http://www.law.georgetown.edu/oneillinstitute
We participate in the Public Consultation on the review of the Access to Information Policy of the IDB Invest in Buenos Aires
“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”.
In May of this year, IDB Invest, the private investment arm of the IDB Group, opened an instance of public consultation to evaluate the draft document of what will be its new Access to Information Policy. In this framework, the institution decided to hold some face-to-face meetings to receive comments and to hear the opinion of civil society organizations.
On August 10, BID Invest called a face-to-face consultation in Argentina, in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires; and FUNDEPS participated. The day lasted a couple of hours and the central axes of discussion rested on: the information to be published before the approval of a project, the information to be published during the execution of a project and the list of exceptions to the policy. From the institution, the comments made were received and it was made explicit that after the consultation process was finished, a new document would be created taking into account both the virtual consultation and the face-to-face instance. Likewise, it was pointed out that if any of the comments are not incorporated, the reason for said decision will be justified.
Regarding the call to this meeting, there are some doubts about the selection process of the organizations that were invited. 12 organizations participated and FUNDEPS was the only one from the interior of the country. In this line, the low call makes us think that the information was not circulated with the necessary precedence and it was not foreseen that several organizations and communities could not attend being that they are very far from Buenos Aires.
From FUNDEPS we recognize in a positive way the implementation of face-to-face instances for the consultation. This allows us to clarify doubts and comments about the draft in real time, while at the same time it allowed us to know the intention of the institution when it comes to re-thinking its policy. In this regard, BID Invest explained that considering the relevance of the private investment portfolio of the IDB Group, it was necessary to modernize the Access to Information policy.
In general terms the draft in question has advanced positively on the previous policy. It has improved in key instances but there are still elements to polish. Special emphasis was placed on them by civil society and comments are expected to be incorporated. In addition to the suggestions and comments we made in the framework of the face-to-face consultation, from FUNDEPS, and together with other organizations in the country and the region, we will be sending a document with written comments to contribute to the process of reviewing the Policy.
More information:
Actual Política de Disponibilidad de Información (vigente desde el 2005)
Contact:
Gonzalo Roza – gon.roza@fundeps.org
Agustina Palencia – agustinapalencia@fundeps.org
The right to Public Education in the crosshairs
“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”.
Since 2016, the teaching conflict continues to escalate. At that time the budget and salaries did not go hand in hand with inflation and the entire academic community rose up against this situation. Also students, being affected by these measures, joined the fight and took the Argentine Pavilion through a decision that was debated and with the approval of the majority of the Interfaculty Assembly. He was denied admission to the Rector Hugo Juri, who sits down to debate the budget of public education at the negotiating table, and many times his political decisions have repercussions throughout the UNC.
Today the situation is much more critical. They are taken: the Faculty of Psychology, the Faculty of Philosophy and Humanities (Casa Verde), the Fac. Of Arts (CePIA Pavilion), the Faculty of Communication, the Faculty of Social Sciences and a few days ago the decision was taken. Faculty of Architecture, Urbanism and Design after an Assembly attended by more than 1500 students (results: for raising the vote 905 votes, for keeping the vote 849 votes).
In all faculties, assemblies are being held in which not only a strategy is sought in conjunction with the teaching struggle, but also to claim the positioning of the student body, demanding the guarantee of their rights such as effective compliance with the systems of scholarships, payment for ad honorem posts (assistantships and paid assignments), among others. The common denominator of the claims: the right to Public Education.
Why this conflict
What is happening: the generalized economic crisis is reflected in education policies, and it feels even stronger in Public Universities. It is that, “in short, today we are more in front of a delay in the fulfillment of the budget than in the face of a genuine cut. But the magnitude of this delay is such that Universities are forced to function with about half of their resources, in a particularly difficult year due to the devaluation and the substantial increase in rates. ”
According to data from CONADU (National Federation of University Teachers), at the end of the first semester of 2018, only 25% of the annual budget had been executed. In an inflationary context and with a strong growth in the costs of services, this delay has a direct impact on the sustainability of university activities.
Why is education a right that must be fulfilled?
Education is a human right recognized by the international human rights law, particularly and expressly by the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, approved by our country by law No. 23,313.
This is of vital importance since it is an essential precondition for the exercise of the other human rights. It is a right of a “transversal” nature in relation to other human rights and its dissatisfaction puts at stake the ability to complain about the latter. Its content has been greatly expanded, since it is the budget for the full exercise of individual liberties, the strengthening and development of the human person and the dissemination, respect, and enjoyment of human rights. It is a fundamental tool given that it enables progress to the detriment of economic inequality and collaborates in the processes of emancipation and struggle of those disadvantaged and oppressed sectors.
The Argentine Constitution, since the reform of 1994, has strengthened the protection of the right to education.
The art. 75, inc. 19 orders Congress “to provide research and scientific and technological development, its dissemination and use.” In addition, the article imposes the sanction of laws that “consolidate the national unity respecting the provincial particularities; to ensure the non-delegable responsibility of the state, the participation of the family and society, the promotion of democratic values, equality of opportunities and possibilities without any discrimination; and that guarantee the principles of free and fair public state education; and the autonomy and autarky of national universities. ” Likewise, it must dictate laws that “protect the identity and cultural plurality, the free creation and circulation of the author’s works; the artistic heritage and the cultural and audiovisual spaces “.
It should again be stressed that the educational issue is a non-delegable responsibility of the State, understood in its entirety, that is to say that it covers not only the enactment of laws by the legislative branch in order to guarantee the right to education, but also the implementation of measures taken by the administration (read executive power) to that end, including those measures or positive actions aimed at achieving real equality of opportunities in access.
Now, with regard to public education, this right has as its guidelines gratuity and equity, tending to reinforce equality in a material sense of those marginal, disadvantaged and vulnerable sectors, through contributions, scholarships, subsidies and material aid of the most varied nature. The State is obliged to guarantee and not prevent every person from being educated; to facilitate and promote free access and equal opportunities and possibilities for all to receive and impart education, without any discrimination; to create their official educational establishments, guaranteeing the principles of equality, equity and gratuity; and to encourage and respect pluralistic teaching.
Intimately linked to the right to education, is the right to culture. This right implies an expansive area in which literacy is not enough either through secondary or higher levels. Thus, for the purposes of access to the benefits of culture and participation in cultural life, the State must give impetus to scientific, technological, artistic, literary, etc. progress; of research in all fields, the dissemination of its results and the use of its progress. The State can not exercise regressive policies and retreat as regards its obligation to promote cultural development.
Our Constitution establishes the incorporation of international human rights treaties to our legal system, granting them constitutional hierarchy. The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which contains the rights to education and culture, is one of them, so it must be applied with the same force as the constitution itself.
Regarding this treaty, it is important to highlight some observations of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) as its official interpreter. These citations highlight the key importance of the right to education, the State’s obligation to provide funds to guarantee it and ensure its availability and accessibility. Likewise, they highlight the obligation to progressively progress towards greater effectiveness of this right and the impossibility of taking retrogressive measures regarding the level of protection of this right.
The mobilization to demand rights
Thousands of students, teachers, scientific graduates and non-teaching workers were present at a massive mobilization in Plaza de Mayo that was echoed throughout the country last Thursday. In Córdoba, the day included a sit-down, a march and a festival for the UNC. “The university is in danger. Defend the salary and the budget” were the slogans taken to the streets to demand that no further progress be made against higher education. This week it was decided to continue with work stoppage until Friday, September 7.
From FUNDEPS, we accompany the claim for measures that guarantee the effective use of economic, social and cultural rights such as the right to education.
Contact
Juan Carballo – juanmcarballo@fundeps.org
We present observations to the “good practices” of agrochemical application
“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”.
Through Joint Resolution No. 1/2018, the Ministries of Agribusiness and Environment and Sustainable Development of the Nation created an Interministerial Working Group on Good Practices in the Field of Phytosanitary Applications.
The objectives of the working group were:
• Elaborate the principles for ordering national public policies on phytosanitary applications, especially in buffer zones, and
• Make recommendations regarding how to improve the adoption, control and monitoring of good practices in the application of phytosanitary products.
The Working Group is made up of representatives of both ministries, the National Service of Agrifood Health and Quality (SENASA) and the National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA), who had two representatives each. In addition, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Productive Innovation, the Federal Council of the Environment (COFEMA) and the Federal Agricultural Council (CFA), who participated with only one representative, formed a part. He met six times between April 5 and July 5, 2018.
The final result was a document that proposes 12 principles and 23 recommendations, which was open to public consultation for a month through a web platform with consultative status. The participation of the society was very low, only 180 people left settled their contributions, which accounts for the little publicity that was given to the report and the public consultation carried out by both ministries.
From FUNDEPS we make some considerations and objections to the document, including:
– The Interministerial Working Group is composed mostly of representatives of agriculture;
– Absence of participation in the work process of qualified technical professionals, universities, NGOs and civil society in general.
– The need for a law as a public health issue is not analyzed;
– It is not taken into account that sprays can not be controlled. No matter how much “good agricultural practices” are adopted and climatic conditions are taken into account, the chemical products that are used have persistence in the environment and are mobilized through water and air even after the application is made;
– There is no clarity regarding the technical criteria that would be used to delimit the “buffer zones”, nor how they would be respected;
– The carrying out of epidemiological surveys from the Ministry of Health is not effectively ensured in order to know the situation of the populations near cultivation areas;
– It does not consider the principles of the General Environmental Law No. 25,675 that governs any national environmental policy, in particular the principles of prevention and precaution;
– It does not contemplate an inescindible sanctioning regime to the control and monitoring of “good agricultural practices”, among others.
One of the proposals presented in the report is to promote a national law on the application of phytosanitary products, complementary to the regulation on product registration and the law on empty pesticide containers. From FUNDEPS we support the enactment of a national law of minimum budgets referred to the application of agrochemicals guided by the precautionary principle and to establish a reference framework that protects the fundamental rights to the environment, health and quality of life of people .
More information:
Observaciones al informe sobre buenas prácticas en aplicaciones de Fitosanitarios
Grupo_Interministerial_Fitosanitarios
Authors:
Lourdes Aparicio, Juan Bautista López y María Pérez Alsina
Contact:
María Pérez Alsina – mariaperezalsina@fundeps.org
New analysis on regulations in development institutions present in Latin America
“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”.
The Regional Group on Financing and Infrastructure (GREFI), made up of FUNDEPS, DAR, Ambiente y Sociedad and Fundar, recently published its latest research paper on the regulations of international financial institutions (IFIs): Comparative Analysis of IFIs regulations Present in Latin America This is a comparative analysis that takes as an object of study the operational policies of different institutions: the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the World Bank (WB), the Inter-American Investment Corporation (IIC), the Corporation Financiera Internacional (CFI), the Development Bank of Brazil (BNDES), the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF), the Development Bank of China (BDC) and the Chinese Bank of Exports and Imports (ExIm Bank). The essential objective was to be able to achieve a comparison between those traditional institutions, new development institutions and Chinese institutions. The anchoring of this study is given by the number of new actors that today are part of the financial and investment scenario in Latin America.
The analysis was carried out on four axes: access to information, citizen participation, indigenous peoples and social and environmental safeguards. The indicators for these categories were obtained from the best international practices in each of these subjects (the OAS model law on access to information, ILO Convention 169, among others). Each category was divided into different elements that received a score. The product of this work is presented in a statistical way, expressing at what level (percentage) the policies of the institutions achieve the highest standards.
The main results obtained in the study report that two banks categorized as traditional IBRD-BM (86%) and CFI (64%), in addition to an emerging CAF bank (62%), obtain the highest ratings. Among institutions rated less than 50% are two traditional IDB banks (45%) and CII (26%), one emerging bank BNDES (17%) and two Chinese banks BEIC (8%) and BDC (0%). An interesting finding is that only in the categories of traditional banking and emerging banking institutions with relatively high rating are observed. In contrast, Chinese banks stand out with the lowest evaluations according to the proportion of estimated adequacy. This is partly explained by the BDC bank, which does not obtain a qualification in any thematic axis, since, due to lack of access to its regulations, these are not known. (See the specific chapter on CDB).
More information:
Full publication Comparative analysis of the regulations of IFIs present in Latin America
Contact:
Agustina Palencia: agustinapalencia@fundeps.org
Civil society presents recommendations to the G20 at the Civil-20 Summit
El Civil 20 (C20) es uno de los siete Engagement Groups o Grupos de Afinidad del Grupo de los 20 (G20) y constituye un ámbito en el que la sociedad civil de distintas partes del mundo puede contribuir a las discusiones y debates que se dan en el marco del G20, buscando incidir en las decisiones adoptadas por dicho foro. En los últimos años, el C20 adoptó como modalidad de trabajo la división en diferentes grupos de trabajo específicos, desde los cuales se abordan distintas temáticas en profundidad y se elaboran documentos de alto nivel que luego son presentados ante el G20. El resultado final de todo el trabajo del C20 se refleja en un comunicado final, el cuál es entregado al G20, cuya Cumbre de Líderes tendrá lugar el 30 de noviembre y 1 de diciembre en Buenos Aires.
Fundeps es co-coordinador del Grupo de Trabajo sobre Inversión e Infraestructura del C20, por lo que hemos participado activamente en la coordinación de las discusiones y debates del grupo, tanto a nivel virtual como presencial; y en la elaboración del policy paper del grupo, que se incorporó al documento de recomendaciones final del C20. A su vez, el 6 y 7 de Agosto pasados participamos de la Cumbre del C20 en la ciudad de Buenos Aires, donde se presentó el documento con recomendaciones de políticas de los grupos de trabajo, el cuál fue además entregado al Presidente Mauricio Macri durante su participación en la apertura del evento.
The document summarizes the recommendations for the leaders of the G20 countries of each of the 8 C20 Working Groups: 1) Anticorruption 2) Architecture of the International Financial System 3) Education, Employment and Inclusion 4) Environment, Climate and Energy 5 ) Gender 6) Investment and Infrastructure 7) Local2Global 8) Global Health.
In the case of the working group that we coordinate (Investment and Infrastructure), the Policy Paper includes the main points and recommendations of the two thematic sub-groups in which the work was divided: Infrastructure Financing and Responsible Business Conduct. In particular, it proposes a series of 12 recommendations, among which are:
After two days of debates and exhibitions by representatives of the C20 and other affinity groups, the C20 Summit closed echoing the commitment of President Mauricio Macri himself, who said that the Argentine presidency of the C20 would put people at the center of your policies. However, as expressed in the final communiqué of the C20, “speeches are not enough, genuine commitment is required through action”.
The Summit of G-20 leaders will take place at the end of November in Buenos Aires and until then, it will be the responsibility of the civil society organizations that participated in this process to bring these recommendations and claims not only to the rest of the civil society interested; but also to the affected communities and to the governmental representatives and political leaders not only of the countries that make up the G20, but of the whole world. In that sense, during the next four months we will continue coordinating the Investment and Infrastructure group, seeking to bring the recommendations reflected in the group’s policy paper to as many actors as possible.
More information:
Policy Pack: Recomendaciones del C20 al G20 de 2018
Documento del sub-grupo sobre Financiamiento de Infraestructura
Documento del sub-grupo sobre Conducta Empresarial Responsable
Página oficial del G-20
Página Oficial del C20
El C20 entregó sus recomendaciones a Mauricio Macri – G20 – 06/10/2018
La sociedad civil se reunió en el C20 – FUNDEPS – 17/04/2018
Contact:
Gonzalo Roza / Coordinador del Área de Gobernabilidad Global
gon.roza@fundeps.org