Tag Archive for: Citizen Participation

MAR 8: FUNDEPS accompanies the International Women’s Strike

The International Women’s Strike (PIM) is a grassroots movement formed and organized by women from 35 countries in response to the social, legal, political, moral, media and verbal violence experienced daily by women throughout the world.

“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”

 

On October 3, 2016 -following the example of the Icelanders, the first women who called for a national strike in 1975– the Polish women called a strike in what was known as “Black Monday”.

In our country, on October 19, 2016, in response to a week in which 7 femicides happened and after a weekend in which the women were repressed in the march of the National Meeting of Women; A call was launched on social networks to join a one-hour strike and mass mobilizations. Thus, in a self-contradictory way, women’s and feminist organizations, including the Ni Una Menos group, joined the measure that was replicated in most countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.

In Poland, on 24 October, the second “Polish strike” against State violence on women’s issues occurred. Polish women established contact with other women in South Korea, Russia, Ireland, Israel, Italy and Argentina. At the end of October 2016, this group – already under the name of the International Women’s Stop – decided the slogan “Solidarity is our weapon” and a call for unemployment translated into several languages. It was decided that on November 25 of this year, International Day against Gender Violence, will be the first global solidarity action and was elected on March 8 for the International Women’s Strike.

In this way, they proposed to approach a new global activism and to interpret the facts of violence from a common conjuncture. They formed a union to fight against the institutionalized oppression that the patriarchal system supposes and that suffer the men, the women and the society in general, from the State, the Justice and the means of communication.

In Argentina, the strike was promoted from the Ni Una Menos Collective and the main workers’ union centrals (CGT, CTA de los Trabajadores and CTA Autónoma) reached a political agreement of unity in articulation with groups, organizations and activists autoconvocadas. The measure of force seeks to denounce the historical inequality of women in society and its multiple consequences: from sexist violence – and its most extreme expression, femicides – to the feminization of poverty, economic violence, domestic work and care Wage gap in relation to male salaries, labor precarization, universal vacancies in maternity gardens, maternity and paternity leave extensions, salaries for victims of gender violence, equal pay for equal work, reopening of the moratorium for women Of home, among other claims. Each union is defining its type of membership: from cessation of activities from noon to assemblies at workplaces.

From FUNDEPS we extend our concern to all the forms of violence that women suffer every day around the world whose maximum exponent is the femicides. We accompany the fight, invite and join the International Women’s Stop on March 8, 2017.

More information

History of PIM (03/10/2016)

How the International Women’s Strike arose (La Tinta, 03/10/2016)

The United Nations CEDAW Committee listened to civil society organizations (FUNDES, 21/12/2016)

Appeal to the International Women’s Strike – March 8, 2017 (23/01/2017)

The gender claim achieved unity (Página 12, 17/02/2017)

Contact

Emiilia Pioletti – emiliapioletti@fundeps.org

The Nation questions the updating of the forest regulations

In the context of the discussion on how to update the provincial legal framework to protect the native forests of Cordoba, the National Forest Direction states that more information is needed, including a map and technical reports. At the same time, the National Direction affirms that the provincial process must assure mechanisms for substantive participation.

“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 Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of the Nation, through the Directorate of Forests, made known its considerations in relation to the process of updating the territorial order of native forests that faces the province of Cordoba, in response to a request made Córdoba Environmental Forum, by means of note dated 01/27/2017.

– Expressed its concern about the failure of the province of Cordoba to comply with the deadlines set for the update. In this regard, he recalled that he had already requested the delivery of progress regarding the upgrade process. In the communications with the provincial government, he communicated the guidelines and the vision to take into account the adjustment procedures and the accreditation of the updating of the OTBN (according to notes sent on 2/23/16 and 4/6/2016).

– Reported that in August 2016, the local enforcement authority shared informally a first update project. The National Directorate detected significant changes to the first provincial OTBN plan, and highlighted two points: “an increase in the area of ​​declared forest and an important passage from native forests from Category I (red) to Category II (yellow)”.

– Checked the exchange of progress on the updating and existence of opposing positions of various actors, according to their participation in the meetings of the inter-institutional table of dialogue convened by the General Secretariat of the Gov. From Cordoba, the Sec. Of Environment and the Sec. Of Agriculture. In this instance does not refer to any process to try to approach antagonistic positions.

– Observed, among others, that the OTBN bill does not allow to know the areas of native forests by conservation category, which is essential for its accreditation.

In summary, he stressed that for the purpose of carrying out the analysis for the accreditation of OTBN of the province of Cordoba, it is necessary:

1. Have the complete bill (it does not contain the map with the location of the forests and their conservation categories of the OTBN update)

2. To have the technical document with the methodology used for the evaluation of the criteria of environmental sustainability and the resulting surface.

3. Know the participatory process that would accompany this proposal.

So far, the discussion on updating the framework for protection of native forests in Córdoba has not complied with national regulations, has not allowed open participation, has hidden information and shared it with only a few specific sectors.

From FUNDEPS, we demand that the process be transparent, participatory, comply with the requirements demanded from the Nation and be respectful of minimum environmental budgets, in order to avoid the repetition of conflictive situations in relation to the territorial order of native forests of Cordova.

More information

Contact

Male Martínez – Environmental Equity Coordinator

malemartinez@fundeps.org

We reject pressures on artists and demand open and technical discussion about our forests

In recent weeks there have been repeated pressures to advance against the few remaining native forests in the province of Cordoba. We defend freedom of political and artistic expression and we demand a participatory and technical discussion that assures an adequate protection of our forests.

“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”

By the end of 2016, and thanks to the mobilization of communities and civil society organizations, it was possible to extend the treatment of a forest law project that was intended to be approved without adequate discussion. That project would have meant a clear weakening of the protection to native forests in our province.

From FUNDEPS, we developed a document with numerous legal and environmental critiques of the bill. The criticisms marked the clear weakening of the environmental protection of the forests as well as the existence of a process non-transparent and non-participatory. Both points violate the National Law of Minimum Budgets for the Protection of Native Forests

Some of these criticisms had already been raised in a joint document between the Environmental Forum, FUNDEPS and other institutions that rose to the government in response to the position of CARTEZ entitled “Producing conserving and conserving produce”. Neither CARTEZ nor legislators who presented the project responded to the technical questions that were posed to that position.

Instead of taking advantage of the extension of the discussion period to generate a participatory space or to respond to the legal and technical questions that were made to the project, from the agricultural sector is pressed to get a rapid approval of the bill. It is accused of setting positions without scientific basis when from that sector could never answer the questions that were sent. Likewise, artists such as José Luis Serrano and Raly Barrionuevo are especially under pressure to mobilize against the few remaining native forests in our province. In a statement, CARTEZ strongly criticized Doña Jovita and Raly Barrionuevo for accusing them of “generating confusion” and defending “extreme ideologies”. As a reply, José Luis Serrano challenged the ruralist entity to answer with “scientific arguments” the doubts raised by the Environmental Forum.

In that line and in a surprising twist, journalist Andrés Carpio de Cadena 3 intimately informs José Luis Serrano for his comments regarding the journalist’s description of the March 28 march. The journalist made a strongly negative description of the march describing it in a number much lower than the estimates of the organizers. He also suggested that those who marched did not know well why they did so to the extent that there was already a decision to postpone the treatment of the bill. It seems that in the journalist’s position, the defense of native forests and the visibility of a popular demand are not enough reasons to publicly manifest in a peaceful way.

In that context, the artist José Luis Serrano personifying his character “Doña Jovita” marks his surprise for the inaccurate description of the demonstration against the forest law project. It does so through his character, in an artistic expression and criticism of an inadequate description of a popular mobilization.

We defend the right to free expression and artistic expression with connections to rights and social demands. We are opposed to pressures against public demonstrations. We also strongly reject the use of legal mechanisms to limit the critical positions of public figures.

Contact

Juan Carballo, Director Ejecutivo

juanmcarballo@fundeps.org

The United Nations CEDAW Committee listened to civil society organizations

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) is a body of independent United Nations experts that oversees the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

“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.”

All States parties are required to submit periodic reports to the Committee to account for compliance with international obligations undertaken with the signature of CEDAW. According to their experience and work, the organizations in each country can present a “shadow report” to give an account of the reality of women in the State, so that the Committee has the necessary tools for the elaboration of the Recommendations you have to make.

Following the completion of Argentina’s review process, the CEDAW Committee, at its 65th meeting, issued its “Concluding Observations“, reflecting the work of civil society organizations expressed through the shadow reports presented to the Committee . FUNDEPS participated in three reports, whose contributions were considered in order to achieve progress in the effective guarantee for the exercise of the human rights of Argentine women.

Media and symbolic violence

In conjunction with the Civil Association Communicating Equality, we developed a special document for the Committee based on our report “Gender Violence and Public Communication Policies“. In consideration of our observations, the CEDAW Committee recommended to our country, in paragraphs 18 and 19, “Stereotypes and harmful practices”:

“(A) Intensify its efforts to dispel the sexist attitudes and stereotypes of the state public authorities in the three branches of government;

B) Adopt a comprehensive strategy aimed at women, men and girls to overcome the culture of machismo and discriminatory stereotypes about the roles and responsibilities of women and men in the family and in society. Ensure that this strategy also addresses intersectoral forms of discrimination against women as defined in the Committee’s General Recommendation No. 28 (2010) on “Fundamental obligations of States Parties under article 2 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women” Forms of discrimination against women “, paragraph 18;

C) Strengthen cooperation with civil society organizations in the fight against discriminatory stereotypes through awareness campaigns such as the “#Ni Una Menos” campaign; Y

D) To amend Act No. 26.522 (2009) on audiovisual media services, in order to provide the Public Defender with the power to sanction violations of provisions to regulate gender stereotypes and sexism in the media”

Women’s Health: Tobacco Use

Our work teams also participated in and supported the elaboration of the report presented by the Inter-American Heart Foundation, FEIM and other organizations, on public policies on tobacco control that currently allow the development of industry strategies aimed especially at women. With regard to what was requested in the “shadow report”, the Committee expressed concern about “high tobacco consumption among girls compared to children”. As a result, he recommended to Argentina in paragraph 35:

“(G) Ratify the Framework Convention of the World Health Organization for Tobacco Control, reduce high tobacco use among adolescents, particularly girls, and address the health consequences.”

Rural and indigenous women

In connection with the report by the Plural Foundation, in a coalition with Fundapaz, Redes Chaco and others, on the access to natural resources by rural women and peasants in the Gran Chaco Americano, which was endorsed by FUNDEPS, the Committee took several points And made several recommendations to Argentina in its sections 38 to 41 on rural and indigenous women, of which we can highlight:

“(A) Design specific programs aimed at ensuring sustainable development and combating the poverty situations faced by rural women, through the allocation of specific resources, employment opportunities, social protection measures and specific programs for women’s education Rural (…)

C) Adopt policies to prevent forced eviction and prevent violence, stigmatization and attacks against rural women in the context of large-scale economic development projects; Y

(D) Ensure that rural women are represented in decision-making processes at all levels of the agricultural sector, including those on disaster risk reduction, post-disaster management and climate change ( …)

A) Take measures to formally recognize land tenure and ownership of indigenous women and promote dialogue at the community level to eliminate discriminatory norms and customs that limit indigenous women’s property rights over land;

C) Ensure that indigenous women have adequate access to safe and affordable water for personal and domestic uses, as well as for irrigation;

D) To examine the current negligent handling of complaints about harmful pesticides, fertilizers and the use of agrochemicals submitted by indigenous women to the Ministry of Health, and to ensure that such cases are resolved in a timely and appropriate manner in accordance with the general recommendations Of the Committee. Recommendation No. 34 (2015) on the rights of rural women; y

E) Establish a mandatory and effective mechanism for consultation and benefit-sharing to obtain the free, prior and informed consent of indigenous women in relation to the use of their natural resources and land. ” From the recommendations made by the Committee, it is only to be expected that the Argentine State will take the necessary measures to guarantee the human rights of women and their effective fulfillment, something in which we will be working together with other organizations of civil society.”

Clarification: The translation of the fragments of the “Final Observations” is of own authorship.

More information

Contact

Virginia Pedraza, vir.pedraza@fundeps.org