The Law and Violence Seminar: Perspective on Gender and Legal Practice was carried out with great summons. This event, organized by FUNDEPS in collaboration with the University Siglo 21, indicated a space for discussion on this issue and for highlighting the need to address it from a human rights’ perspective.
From the practice of the law, it is essential to think and rethink our practices, attempting to achieve a critical position in order to construct and, on the other hand, deconstruct from a human rights’ perspective. The issue of gender violence is one of the most serious violations of human rights of our time, and our legal practitioners receive very little formation and training in relation with this. The panorama is obscured even further if we talk about sensitivity from a gender perspective and the reality of women and of lesbian, gay, trans-, bi- and intersexual communities (LGTBI).
For this reason, FUNDEPS, along with the Business University Siglo 21, have organized the “Law and Violence: Perspective on Gender and Legal Practice” Training and Sensitivity Seminar, aimed at future and young legal practitioners, not only within the legal profession, but also attempting to contemplate a necessary interdisciplinary nature, which the issue requires. The event formed part of the agreement between our organization and the UN Secretary’s UNiTE campaign, which promotes the fight against violence towards women, joining forces with the Area of University Social Responsibility and the Career in Law at the Business University Siglo 21.
Action for Women, Member of the Latin American Committee for the Defense of Women’s Rights, amongst other achievements in her career in feminist activism. She gave a run through of the main concepts of gender perspective, emphasizing the importance of the application of human rights treaties, particularly those which specifically relate to women’s rights, and directing specific remarks, such as the need to incorporate gender perspective in the education and formation of professionals and members of the Judiciary, the indispensable application of norms from this perspective, and the treatment and discussion of normative figures, which protect major rights.
Next, a presentation was given by Dr Natalia Milisenda, Doctorate in Law and Social Sciences, who forms part of the NUC’s Sexual and Reproductive Rights Program and the NUC’s Ethics and Political Philosophy Program, Investigator at the NUC’s Center for Legal and Social Research, lawyer for the Catholics for a Free Choice organization, and member of the Argentine Alliance of Lawyers for Human Rights of Women. Her presentation invited us to reflect on the concepts of heteronormativity and its direct relation to gender perspective. From her legal experience in the case of the murder of Natalia “Pepa” Gaitán, she was able to show us how violence towards women and LGTBI people is related to the complex socio-cultural constructions, which generate relations of hierarchical power, establishing a norm of behavior, allowing exclusion and subjugation, thus legitimizing the practice of violence.
Lastly, Dr Gabriel Alejandro Martín, Secretary of National Office for Children, Youth and Family, of the Ministry of Social Development of the Government of the Province of Cordoba, Ex-Manager of the Verification Unit of the Office of Family Violence, and Ex-Manager of Free Legal Aid (Office of the Directorate of Judicial Policy and the Reform, from the Department of Justice of the Province of Cordoba), also enriched us with his daily experience in the legal practice in relation with this issue. Speaking on a personal basis, Dr Martín emphasized the urgency of the treatment of domestic violence, particularly gender violence, and the need to use all the tools for recognizing and accessing the rights, which all legal practitioners have within reach. He put us in direct contact with the practice and invited us to follow with a constant formation, emphasizing the need for interdisciplinary work, for sensitivity and commitment.
The experience of the debate and remarks made between the public and the experts was extremely rewarding, and demonstrated the commitment and interest on behalf of the audience. The panel of speakers and the debate was moderated by Gabriela Socias, Certified Master in Gender, Society and Public Politics from the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences, Co-founder of the Remanyao Civil Association, Member of the National Network on Youth and Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health, Member of the Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Youth Sailing to Cairo +20, and Member of Youth Voice.org.
We express our gratitude for the presence of those who supported and accompanied the realization process of this event, in particular the Provincial Council of Women, and for the partner organizations Right Between the Lines and Global Shapers Hub Cordoba. It is important to also thank the friends of the White Ribbon Campaign Argentina-Uruguay, who have accompanied FUNDEPS from the beginning with the building of our agenda on gender and women’s rights. Finally, the Conference was made special thanks to the audience of more than 250 people, who attended, interested themselves, asked questions and generated a debate environment, essential in order to continue building our rights as a society.
Contact:
info@fundeps.org
Translated by: Alexandra Botti
FUNDEPS participates of HackatONG organized by the National University of Córdoba
During Cordoba’s TIC(Communication and Information Technology) Week and the Second Regional Forum for Program.AR, FUNDEPS proposed that programmers work on an application for reporting non-compliance with Tobacco Control laws in order to encourage better protection of the right to good health.
Last Saturday, September 6th, the executive director of FUNDEPS, Juan Martín Carballo, and Juan Miguel Litvachkes, a member of the human rights area of FUNDEPS, attended the Hackathon organized during TIC Week and the 2nd Regional Forum for Program.AR.
The objective of the Hackathon was to bring together programmers and computer science students with NGOs to develop smartphone apps or websites to help solve a problem suggested by the participating organizations. In that context, the FUNDEPS Human Rights Team presented the project “Health Without Smoke”, an app that will help facilitate the reporting of violations of laws regarding smoke free areas.
FUNDEPS would especially like to thank the programming and computer science students who took part in the project and worked long hours very seriously and responsibly. They are: Giuliana Vierzaga, Emmanuel Santos, Juan Lorenzati, José Romami, Nicolás Angüino, Martín Reyes, Francisco Carranza y Lucía Pappaterra. For more information follow project updates on our twitter feed.
More information:
Website Semana Tic
Website Progam.ar
Facebook Semana Tic
Contacts:
Juan Martín Carballo
juanmcarballo@fundeps.org
Juan Miguel Litvachkes
juanlitvachkes@fundeps.org
Translated by: James Cochran
Evaluation of the Law and Violence Seminar
The Law and Violence Seminar: Perspective on Gender and Legal Practice was carried out with great summons. This event, organized by FUNDEPS in collaboration with the University Siglo 21, indicated a space for discussion on this issue and for highlighting the need to address it from a human rights’ perspective.
From the practice of the law, it is essential to think and rethink our practices, attempting to achieve a critical position in order to construct and, on the other hand, deconstruct from a human rights’ perspective. The issue of gender violence is one of the most serious violations of human rights of our time, and our legal practitioners receive very little formation and training in relation with this. The panorama is obscured even further if we talk about sensitivity from a gender perspective and the reality of women and of lesbian, gay, trans-, bi- and intersexual communities (LGTBI).
For this reason, FUNDEPS, along with the Business University Siglo 21, have organized the “Law and Violence: Perspective on Gender and Legal Practice” Training and Sensitivity Seminar, aimed at future and young legal practitioners, not only within the legal profession, but also attempting to contemplate a necessary interdisciplinary nature, which the issue requires. The event formed part of the agreement between our organization and the UN Secretary’s UNiTE campaign, which promotes the fight against violence towards women, joining forces with the Area of University Social Responsibility and the Career in Law at the Business University Siglo 21.
Action for Women, Member of the Latin American Committee for the Defense of Women’s Rights, amongst other achievements in her career in feminist activism. She gave a run through of the main concepts of gender perspective, emphasizing the importance of the application of human rights treaties, particularly those which specifically relate to women’s rights, and directing specific remarks, such as the need to incorporate gender perspective in the education and formation of professionals and members of the Judiciary, the indispensable application of norms from this perspective, and the treatment and discussion of normative figures, which protect major rights.
Next, a presentation was given by Dr Natalia Milisenda, Doctorate in Law and Social Sciences, who forms part of the NUC’s Sexual and Reproductive Rights Program and the NUC’s Ethics and Political Philosophy Program, Investigator at the NUC’s Center for Legal and Social Research, lawyer for the Catholics for a Free Choice organization, and member of the Argentine Alliance of Lawyers for Human Rights of Women. Her presentation invited us to reflect on the concepts of heteronormativity and its direct relation to gender perspective. From her legal experience in the case of the murder of Natalia “Pepa” Gaitán, she was able to show us how violence towards women and LGTBI people is related to the complex socio-cultural constructions, which generate relations of hierarchical power, establishing a norm of behavior, allowing exclusion and subjugation, thus legitimizing the practice of violence.
Lastly, Dr Gabriel Alejandro Martín, Secretary of National Office for Children, Youth and Family, of the Ministry of Social Development of the Government of the Province of Cordoba, Ex-Manager of the Verification Unit of the Office of Family Violence, and Ex-Manager of Free Legal Aid (Office of the Directorate of Judicial Policy and the Reform, from the Department of Justice of the Province of Cordoba), also enriched us with his daily experience in the legal practice in relation with this issue. Speaking on a personal basis, Dr Martín emphasized the urgency of the treatment of domestic violence, particularly gender violence, and the need to use all the tools for recognizing and accessing the rights, which all legal practitioners have within reach. He put us in direct contact with the practice and invited us to follow with a constant formation, emphasizing the need for interdisciplinary work, for sensitivity and commitment.
The experience of the debate and remarks made between the public and the experts was extremely rewarding, and demonstrated the commitment and interest on behalf of the audience. The panel of speakers and the debate was moderated by Gabriela Socias, Certified Master in Gender, Society and Public Politics from the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences, Co-founder of the Remanyao Civil Association, Member of the National Network on Youth and Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health, Member of the Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Youth Sailing to Cairo +20, and Member of Youth Voice.org.
We express our gratitude for the presence of those who supported and accompanied the realization process of this event, in particular the Provincial Council of Women, and for the partner organizations Right Between the Lines and Global Shapers Hub Cordoba. It is important to also thank the friends of the White Ribbon Campaign Argentina-Uruguay, who have accompanied FUNDEPS from the beginning with the building of our agenda on gender and women’s rights. Finally, the Conference was made special thanks to the audience of more than 250 people, who attended, interested themselves, asked questions and generated a debate environment, essential in order to continue building our rights as a society.
Contact:
info@fundeps.org
Translated by: Alexandra Botti
Wednesday, September 3rd: Law and Violence: Gender Perspective and Legal Practice
The Day of Awareness and Training will take place in the auditorium of the central headquarters of the University Siglo 21, in Ituzaingó 484. Our aim is to contribute to the development of theoretical and practical perspective on the serious problem of domestic violence and family for future lawyers.
From FUNDEPS, along with the University Siglo 21 and as part of the Unite Campaign from the United Nations Secretariat, we have organized a Day of Awareness and Training called “Law and Violence: Gender Perspective and Legal Practice”, for future and young legal practitioners. Our aim is to contribute to the development of theoretical and practical perspective on the serious issue of domestic violence and family perspective, promoting dialogue and critical overview of the rules and processes governing the matter.
Internship for UNC Law Students at George Town University’s O’Neill Institute
FUNDEPS, in collaboration with the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University and the Faculty of Law at the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, presents this internship program.
Institutions Involved:
– O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University Law Center
– Faculty of Law and Social Sciences at the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba
– FUNDEPS – Fundación para el Desarrollo de Políticas Sustentables – Foundation for the Development of Sustainable Policies
Application Requirements:
– To be enrolled as a full-time law student in the Faculty of Law and Social Sciences at Universidad Nacional de Córdoba.
– To have passed constitutional law and to have either passed or be studying public international law.
– To have an overall average grade of 7 or more, including failed subjects.
– To have an excellent level of both written and spoken English.
Selection Process:
– Applicants must submit their application by the 10th September 2014.
– The UNC Selection Committee will choose a list of between 5 and 7 shortlisted people. They will be invited to an interview in English on the 15th September 2014 at the UNC’s Faculty of Law (exact location to determined).
– On the 19th September, the UNC Selection Committee will send a list of between 3 and 5 people to the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, where its team will decide which applicant will be chosen for the internship.
– During October, November and December, the selected applicant must take part in the training programs relating to the human right to health, in the field of FUNDEPS Human Rights.
Application Documents:
– A cover letter in English, justifying the application for the O’Neill Institute internship
– A detailed CV in English, no longer than 3 pages
– A scanned copy of high school transcripts (no electronic versions)
These materials must be sent digitally in one single PDF file (Acrobat Reader) to info@fundeps.org, with the subject heading “Convocatoria O’Neill – [Name of Candidate]”.
Inquiries:
Please contact Juan Carballo at juanmcarballo@fundeps.org
Informative Talk:
Monday 1st September 2014 at 6pm in Room 3 at the UNC’s Faculty of Law.
For more information about the O’Neill Institute, please visit http://www.law.georgetown.edu/oneillinstitute
Translated by: Clare Sharman
Augustine Filippi On the Environment Act
The project lacks operational standards, everything is subject to rulemaking and the enforcement authority. The objectives are perceived to achieve a good living, not as a consequence of it.
Spatial planning; not only regulate human activities with the environment but with other and human activities that have an impact on settlements or communities. Citizen participation; is not only the condition of being citizens that allows us to participate but our human condition, everyone has the right to be consulted (different to the right to speak).
Link: http://www.ivoox.com/ley-ambiente-agustin-filippi-fundeps-audios-mp3_rf_3034751_…
Argentinian governor against Embalse Nuclear Power Station
The Córdoba governor said the plant “was an error” and questioned the National Government as to why the province was not consulted about the extension of it’s operating life.
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – The governor of the province of Córdoba, José Manuel de la Sota, said during a radio interview with LT8 from Rosario on the 19th July that the Embalse Nuclear Power Plant “was an error”. This has produced much optimism among the general population and environmentalist organisations who demand the nuclear disarmament of the province and that the plant is taken out of operation.
“Nobody wants to have a nuclear power plant opposite their house, even if they tell us it is safe, that it’s fantastic,” the governor said.
The Embalse Nuclear Power Plant is situated on the southern coast of the Río Tercero reservoir in the province of Córdoba, approximately 100 kilometres from the province’s capital.
It began operation in 1984, and reached the end of it’s operating life in March 2012. However, it has not been dismantled and the National Government intends to extend it’s working life by another 25 years. De la Sota questioned why the government didn’t consult the province. “It is my understanding that the corresponding company that depends on the government would have decided to extend the plant’s lifespan, alleging that it would cost the same to close it as to keep it in operation… This topic, alongside others, will have to be discussed, but I don’t think a decision will be reached before the provincial elections next year,” he continued.
In the same way, the governor also talked about safety issues, claiming that everything to do with nuclear energy is subject to questioning after Chernobyl and Fukushima.
Concerning questions of safety, the Minister of Planning and Public Investment Julio de Vido said last year during a press conference that the accident in the Japanese plant caused by a tsunami had unique characteristics related to the country’s seismology.
“It was an accident that cannot be compared and has no possibility of being repeated in Córdoba,” the minister said.
Resistance
A coalition of local and national organisations formed ‘Córdoba no nuclear’ and presented a bill to the provincial government for the “obsolete and dangerous” Embalse power plant to close permanently.
The campaign organised by the coalition gathered 30,000 signatures from people in Córdoba who support their cause and the draft law is waiting to be dealt with by the province’s lawmakers.
The Córdoba No Nuclear coalition is made up of CEDHA, Eco-Sitio, FUNDEPS, Greenpeace, Fundación Hölderlin, Los Verdes and Tierra Vida.
“Now there are more than 30,000 of us demanding the permanent closure of the Embalse power plant and we urge the governor De La Sota to support our cause in the government so this may happen,” the environmentalist Luis Tuninetti from Eco-Sitio said.
Translated by: Rachel Neal
FUNDEPS takes part in global Young Human Rights Advocates meeting in Columbia
The Second Global Action-Research Workshop for Young Human Rights Advocates, which is taking place in Colombia, has been coordinated by the organization Dejusticia and includes amongst its participants FUNDEPS staff member Yamile Najle.
The Second Global Action-Research Workshop for Young Human Rights Advocates, organized by Dejusticia, is a meeting which brings together fifteen young professionals from the Global South, drawn from research, activism and the legal profession. Yamile E. Najle, Human Rights Coordinator at FUNDEPS, has been chosen to participate in the workshop, which is taking place this week in Colombia.
Dejusticia’s Second Global Action-Research Workshop will focus on the problems currently faced by Environmental Justice and the challenges that this presents for human rights advocates. It aims to train these professionals to design, implement and present action-oriented research, and to communicate their results in an effective manner.
The Workshop will be structured around academic presentations, group discussions and reflective learning, including visits to local places where work is being done to defend environmental justice and human rights. It will cover research methods as well as communicating and writing up action-research in this field. The international experts attending include Boaventura de Sousa Santos and Caesar Rodriguez Garavito, amongst others. Participants represent organizations including Argentina’s Center for Legal and Social Studies (CELS), the Indian Centre for Social Justice, Brazil’s YOU CONNECT and the Kenya Human Rights Commission.
FUNDEPS believe that active participation in this meeting will be an enriching experience which will strengthen our capacity to research and take action on our goal to promote the respectful and sustainable development of human rights.
More information:
– Presentation on the 2nd Global Workshop on the Dejusticia website
– Video about the first Global Action-Research Workshop for Young Human Rights Advocates
– Second Global Action-Research Workshop for Young Human Rights Advocates: programme and attendees
Contact:
Yamile Najle
yamilenajle@fundeps.org
Translated by: Hayley Wood
Comments on the Draft of the Revised Policy of the Independent Consultation and Investigation Mechanism (ICIM) – September 2014
This document was prepared by FUNDEPS, along ith a wide range of civil society organizations, and seeks to provide the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) and the ICIM some comments, suggestions and concerns about the current review process of the Mechanism that is being carried out by the Institution (currently in its second phase of public consultations).
Overview of Infrastructure Financing in Latin America. What Kind of Regional Context is the New BRICS Bank Entering? – September 2014
This publication was drafted by the Regional Group on Financing and Infrastructure (GREFI), formed by Asociación Ambiente y Sociedad (AAS) from Colombia, Derecho, Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (DAR) from Peru, Fundar, Centro de Análisis e Investigación from Mexico, and the Fundación para el Desarrollo de Políticas Sustentables (FUNDEPS) from Argentina. The paper describes the current infrastructure financing landscape in Latin America and the Caribbean, introducing the diverse actors present in this context, as well as the current trends towards weakening normative frameworks for national, regional and multilateral banks and the national frameworks of the countries that benefit from such loans and financing.
World Bank seeks to weaken socio-environmental standards for its projects. Responses from organizations in civil society
Latin American civil society must act urgently faced with the risk of the weakening of environmental and social safeguards by the World Bank. Greater clarifications regarding the weakening of these standards and the responses from organizations in civil society.
A leaked draft of the new framework of policy safeguards for the World Bank makes evident what civil society has feared since the start of this revision process in the year 2012: a clear risk of the weakening of the environmental and social standards meant to protect people and the environment from negative impacts caused by projects financed by the World Bank.
Although the draft presents some secondary advances, it is clear that the new regime of proposed institutional safeguards represents a step backwards regarding socio-environmental standards. It will practically destroy a whole generation of achievements and advances for civil society and the communities affected by these advances. At the same time it represents a dangerous precedent for other Financial Institutions acting in the region, such as the IDB(Inter-American Development Bank) and the ADC(Andean Development Corporation/Latin American Development Bank), which often see the World Bank as a “role model”.
Nonetheless, it is not too late to act, since the Executive Directors of the Bank will meet next July 30th to decide if the framework advances to the next phase (second round of review) or should be returned to the Bank Management for modifications. Therefore it is of incredible urgency that Latin-American civil society contact the regional Executive Directors who will be meeting next July 30th to express their worries related to the framework of new safeguards and to demand that it be sent back to the Management for revisions.
Following are the contact details for the Executive Directors representing countries in the region:
Some organizations from civil society have already communicated with the Executive Directors and functionaries of the World Bank to express their concern about these possible changes. In a comunication sent last July 24th, such opposition to the framework was expressed. For example, they made points about “the flexibility of basic requirements for the World Bank regarding management and evaluation of environmental risks and impacts prior to project approval. The new proposal puts off the evaluation of risks and impacts until implementation unless it is a condition of project approval”.
FUNDEPS has been tracking the revision process for the Bank’s safeguards, and has held a series of meetings on the issue in recent months (see here). Despite having unsuccessfully tried to contact Executive Director César Guido Forcieri (Argentine) on numerous occasions, we will try again to contact him to express our concern over the new safeguard policies and the need to revise them.
More information:
– Letter from OSC to the Executive Director and World Bank functionaries- 24/07/2014
– Statement from Bank Information Center (BIC) – “El Paquetazo: The World bank threatens to weaken its safeguards and create an opening for greater flexibility of worldwide social and environmental standards.”
– Statement from Bank Information Center (BIC) – “The World Bank Moves to Weaken its Protection for the Poor”
Contact:
Gonzalo Roza-Global Governability Program Coordinator
gon.roza@fundeps.org
Translated by James Cochran
FUNDEPS takes part in Cartagena + 30
Thirty years after the original Cartagena Declaration on Refugees, the “Cartagena +30”consultation is taking place across Latin America. FUNDEPS is contributing to the writing of the Cartagena +30 Academic Declaration, which will outline the position of the academic sector with regard to the situation of refugees in the region.
The commemorative process aims to strengthen the legal framework of protection for refugees at an international level. Amongst the additions proposed by the FUNDEPS Human Rights team are the need to consider emerging reasons for people to seeking refuge, such as environmental issues; the inclusion of gender perspective in regional documents; and the importance of creating links between the academic sector and civil society, in order to put knowledge to practical use.
The concept of “refugee” came into use after World War II, with a view to granting international protection for people who, fearing persecution on the grounds of race, religion, nationality, adherence to a social group or political opinions, have to leave their own country or who cannot take refuge in their country’s protection. The 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees and subsequent 1967 protocol, adopted by the United Nations, legislates refugee status at an international level.
The Cartagena Declaration was signed by a group of Latin American countries in 1984, following a series of Central American conflicts which had created large numbers of forced migrants. This declaration was not only important in Latin America, but also marked a change at international level in extending the critera by which a person could be considered a refugee, including internal conflicts, foreign intervention, violence, major human rights violations and other circumstances which severely disrupt civil society. These were added to the reasons for which a person can receive international protection and humanitarian aid.
30 years after this landmark declaration, the goal of the Cartagena + 30 process is to draft discussion documents outlining the region’s progress, challenges and opportunities; to facilitate discussions at a subregional, governmental, civil society and academic level; to establish the political support of Latin American governments and to identify possible partners from regional institutions and from civil society. It also aims to establish a committee of experts who will act as consultants for the commemorative process and to secure support from donors and other sources of revenue. All this will culminate in a comprehensive report which will be presented to ministers at a commemorative event. This event will conclude with the adoption of a new declaration and a plan of action.
The forerunners of Cartagena +30 are two documents, one adopted in 1994 and the other in 2004: the San José Declaration on Refugees and Displaced Persons and the Mexico Declaration and Plan of Action to Strengthen the International Protection of Refugees in Latin America.
FUNDEPS is actively contributing to the Cartagena +30 Academic Declaration, together with local universities, professors and academics. This declaration will be presented at the end of October at the Universidad Católica de Santos in Brazil. The Academic Declaration is one of the documents bringing together information and outlining regional challenges and opportunities, which will be presented at the ministerial summit.
Further information:
– ACNUR Cartagena+30
Contact:
-Carolina Tamagnini
carotamagnini@fundeps.org
Translated by Hayley Wood
Civil society organisations demand an effective and participatory public consultation process from the IDB for the second phase of the ICIM review
More than 20 organisations from countries all over the world demand that the second phase of the ICIM review allows a sufficient amount of time (no less than 60 days) to submit comments and suggestions to the preliminary version of the revised policy, as well as face-to-face meetings and/or videoconferences in the region that ensure an informed public participation, and a widespread and decentralised announcement that ensures effective involvement of all communities and individuals with an interest in the mechanism.
Last Monday, 7th June 2014, an assortment of more than 20 organisations from all over the world, including FUNDEPS, sent a letter to the President of the IDB, Luis Alberto Moreno, and the executive directors of the institution. The aim was to express the worry felt by civil society about the future of the complaints mechanism of the bank, known as the ICIM (Independent Consultation and Investigation Mechanism), which is currently being reviewed.
The ICIM, which replaced the failed and inefficient Independent Investigation Mechanism (IIM) in 2010, is the mechanism of evaluation for the financial operations of the IDB. Therefore, it intends to respond to the concerns of individuals or communities affected by projects financed by the bank. This shows the importance of this mechanism inside the institutional framework of the IDB.
While the creation of the ICIM was well received by civil society and showed a clear step forward vis-à-vis the transparency and accountability of the bank, there still exist real challenges to overcome before it can be considered a truly effective resource working for the affected communities. With that in mind, the review process of the ICIM that the bank decided to carry out in mid-2013 will, after a number of delays, start its second phase of public consultations in the next few weeks. This will be an ideal opportunity to strengthen the mechanism and deliver a much more effective system.
However, it has been reported that the bank is considering a consultation period of only 30 days for this second phase. Thereby limiting the reception of comments to online-only and without considering the arrangements of face-to-face meetings or videoconferences. Worryingly, this approach will discourage any informed and effective public participation. This prospect is even more worrying when one considers how important participation is for the recipients of this very mechanism: those affected or potentially affected by the bank’s projects, many of whom lack access to the internet or electronic media.
Consequently, the organisations signing the letter highlight the necessity of the administration and the Executive Director of the bank to promote an effective and participatory public consultation process for the second phase of review that allows:
· An adequate amount of time, no less than 60 days, to provide comments and suggestions to the preliminary version of the revised policy.
· Face-to-face meetings and/or videoconferences in the region to ensure an informed participation.
· A widespread and decentralised announcement that ensures a large turnout of all the communities and individuals that have a stake in the working of the mechanism, including those that have used the system in the past.
FUNDEPS will participate in this second phase of the consultation, with the aim to strengthen the ICIM and bring about a positive change in its operation.
More information:
– Letter from CSOs – Considerations about the second phase of the ICIM review. Official website of the IDB’s ongoing ICIM review process
Contact:
Gonzalo Roza – Coordinator of the Global Governance Programme
gon.roza@fundeps.org