We are pleased to introduce our 2015 Annual Report, a brief summary of our activities and achievements of the past year.
During 2015, FUNDEPS has grown both internally and externally. Our volunteers have been doubled and our activities have been diversified. We hopefully expect this year, in order to keep growing up and developing politic incidence.
To access to the Report click here: informe2015.fundeps.org, or you can find it on our website in the “About Fundeps” Section.
The “Declaration by Academia within the framework of Cartagena +30” was presented this past Friday, October 31st, at one of Brazil’s universities, Universidad Católica de Santos. The document puts forward the position of Latin American academics with regards to shelter, forced migration and the region’s migration, in general. FUNDEPS actively participated in drafting the document, aside from producing the Spanish translation.
Thirty years ago, the 1984 Cartagena Declaration on Refugees was drafted (see: Fundeps takes part Cartagena +30). The Declaration by Academia was created within the framework of the Cartagena Declaration’s 30th anniversary, and will conclude at a Ministerial Meeting in Brasilia, on December 2nd. Cartagena +30 is a process of review and reflection on the refugee policies and 3rd and documents of Latin America and the Caribbean.
It is inspired by the 1984 Declaration, which set out to adapt the current, international legislation of the time, to the needs of the regional context.The Declaration by Academia was created following the initiative led by Liliana Jubilut, Chair at UNISANTOS, together with the contribution of 40 institutions from different countries as well as 119 professors and researchers.
The purpose of this declaration is to put forth the academia’s position regarding the issues faced by forced migrants and refugees in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as their recommendations on how to improve on such issues. The document also focuses on prioritizing human rights over security plans of States, while creating a humanitarian space in the region.At the 30th anniversary meeting for the Cartagena Declaration on Refugees and Forced Migrants, the declaration was read and was subsequently presented to Andrés Ramirez, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) representative in Brazil, and to Virginius José Lianza da França, the general coordinator of Brazil’s National Committee for Refugees (CONARE).
We at FUNDEPS have contributed ideas such as gender mainstreaming to the declaration, so that the diversity of those who seek shelter and are forced to migrate is taken into account. Moreover, suggestions were made to include environmental issues when granting shelter, in order to incorporate natural disasters and the consequences of human activity. Other points established include non-refoulement to be understood as jus cogens, and the creation of joint workplaces between the Academia and civil society, with regards to these matters.
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Translated by: Josie Cuntrera
At FUNDEPS we are reaffirming our commitment to working for the human rights of women, by supporting “A year of fighting against media violence towards women and gender discrimination within audio-visual media”, the Ombudsman’s proposal for action, which promotes the construction of civic capacity over communication with a gender perspective in audio-visual medias.
At FUNDEPS we are reaffirming our commitment to working for the human rights of women, by supporting “A year of fighting against media violence towards women and gender discrimination within audio-visual media”, the Ombudsman’s proposal for action, which promotes the construction of civic capacity over communication with a gender perspective in audio-visual medias.
Within the framework of this commitment undertaken, on the 26th of August we participated in a board meeting with the Centre Region’s Working Group, a conference in which the civil society organizations succeeded in drafting proposals for the development of good practices within audio-visual content and products, from a gender perspective and with regard for the diverse LGBTI community. During the course of the event two round tables of discussion developed, the first related to the need to implement practices which take into account the problem of violence and discrimination towards women, focusing particularly on the inspection of content, from news stories which report on cases of male violence against women, to the transmission of propaganda which emphasizes patriarchal stereotypes. The second point of discussion focused on the need to analyse all coverage relating to sexual diversity and gender identity, generating recommendations for its treatment to be handled respectfully and stressing as essential visibility, the elimination of stigmatization and the respect for self-determination as a human right.
Our proposals consisted of, as a guiding principal, the need to improve the effectiveness of sanctioning processes set out within law 26.522 of the Audio-visual Communication Services Law, for all media which broadcasts content that provokes or incites discriminatory treatment based on race, colour, gender, sexual orientation, language, religion, political opinions or of any other nature, social or national origin, economic position, birth, physical appearance, presence of disabilities or which diminishes human dignity or induces behaviour that is harmful to the environment or to the health of individuals and the integrity of children or adolescents, as is established in articles 70 and 71 of the stated law. Additionally, we believe that education, sensitization and training for content providers are essential as part of the fundamental budget for the construction of this new approach to audio-visual products in our country.
Translated by: Hannah Asquith