GLOBAL COOPERATION NEWSLETTER
January 2008
In this edition:
Kenya
ASEAN GO-NGO Forum puts key issues on the agenda
Social Protection
OECD DAC Peer Review of Finland
New From UNRISD – Gender and Peace and Gender and Migration
New UN NGO Websites
2008 ICSW 33rd Global Conference on Social Welfare
KenyaThis edition of Global Cooperation leads with the situation in Kenya. We have read and seen
pictures of the terrible situation there. It reminds us that democracy is a fragile instrumentthat can be so easily subverted by corruption and megalomania. ICSW has been advocating
to Northern donors that they should support our efforts to strengthen and consolidate thevoice of civil society. It is distressing to see in Africa a civil society that was so much a partof the moves to independence now persecuted by the very regimes they helped to put inpower. Donors continue to pour vast amounts of aid into the Global South. But scantresources are given to help the national voices of civil society to be a dynamic part ofdemocracy. In the words of Thandika Mkandawire, Director of the UN Research Institute forSocial Development the major obstacle to mobilising “democratic institutions for poverty
alleviation are the organisational weaknesses of the poor themselves”.
Jackton Adera of the Kenya National Association of Social Workers has written to us since
the crisis in Kenya began. Here are some extracts from his emails:
Greetings and best wishes to you and all at ICSW. I am Sorry for the delay in responding - I
was struggling to reach some displaced persons in Nakuru town which is about 100 km fromNairobi.
The situation was bad the first few days after the announcement of the presidential results
which were immediately disputed by some party supporters. The reaction took us all by
surprise. This being a political problem, our leaders are now talking and we trust they willagree and find a political solution. As you may have noticed from the various leaders coming
to Kenya, this is not only a national concern but is a regional as well as a global concern.
Our immediate concern as Social Workers is to concentrate on the healing and reconciliation
process among the victims of the violence and to restore faith and trust among the various
communities, Humanitarian aid is needed especially for those rescued in the various camps.
The Red Cross, Government Departments, NGO's, Churches and well wishers are making
this possible for the moment. However the demand is high and every possible assistance iswelcome.
It may take time but I believe this is the way forward if we are to guarantee a better futurefor generations to come. As for those displaced, they need our immediate response towards
their social problems which are mainly psychological, material, moral and even financial.
Global Cooperation Newsletter

Page 1

Meanwhile, I have no objection if you include my details in the January Newsletter. This is
welcome since there could be those who may wish to assist the social workers to enable us
to
reach
many
parts
of
the
country
to
offer
our
healing
services.
I append below our Bank details: - Kenya National Association of Social Workers, Accountnumber 01501 906 03856, Equity Bank Limited, Mama Ngina Street Branch, Nairobi.
Be blessed.
JacktonAlso from Kenya is a very short extract of Shailja Patel’s open letter to Samuel Kivuitu chairof the Electoral Commission of Kenya.
Mr. Kivuitu,
We've never met. It's unlikely we ever will. But, like every other Kenyan, I will remember
you for the rest of my life. The nausea I feel at the mention of your name may recede. The
bitterness and grief will not.
You had a mandate, Mr. Kivuitu to deliver a free, fair and transparent election to the peopleof Kenya. You and your commission had 5 years to prepare. You had a tremendous pool ofresources, skills, technical support, to draw on, including the experience and advice of yourpeers in the field - leaders and experts in governance, human rights, electoral process andconstitutional law. You had the trust of 37 million Kenyans.
On December 27th, a record 65% of registered Kenyan voters rose as early as 4am tovote, stood in lines for up to 10 hours, in the sun, without food, drink or toilet facilities. As
the results came in, we cheered when minister after powerful minister lost theirparliamentary seats.
You betrayed us. Perhaps we'll never know when, or why, you made that decision.
I wish you'd thought of our people, when you made the choice to betray them. I wish you'ddrawn on their courage, their integrity, their clarity, when your own failed you. I wish you'd
had the imagination to enter into the lives, the dreams, of 37 million Kenyans.
But, as you've probably guessed by now, Mr. Kivuitu, this isn't really a letter to you at all.
This is an attempt to put words to what cannot be expressed in words. To mourn what is too
immense to mourn. A clumsy groping for something beyond the word 'heartbreak'. A futile
attempt to communicate what can only be lived, moment by moment. This is a howl ofanguish and rage. This is a love letter to a nation.
ASEAN GO-NGO Forum puts key issues on the agenda
The second ASEAN GO-NGO Forum held in Ha Noi in December 2007 has put humantrafficking, social protection and people with disabilities firmly on the agenda of both nationalNGOs and key ASEAN governments for the next 12 months.
The GO-NGO Forum examined two major consultation papers commissioned by ICSW for theForum entitled:• “Trafficking and related labour exploitation in the ASEAN region”; and• “Social Protection in ASEAN: issues and challenges for ASEAN and its member countries”.
In addition, the meeting heard reports, particularly from a number of Vietnamese NGOs
working in the field of People with Disabilities (PWD) on the key national and regional
challenges for policy development and implementation to provide better services andopportunities, within a rights based framework, for PWD.
Unanimous recommendations
The GO-NGO Forum endorsed the value of continuing the Forum on an annual basis. It also
recognised the need to undertake a lot of national level government-NGO dialogue on thethree major issues identified in the lead up to next year’s Forum in Manila. The unanimously
endorsed recommendations committed each ICSW National Council member and therelevant Social Welfare and Development Department in each ASEAN country to meet atleast twice over the next eight months to prepare for the adoption of recommendations at
the next Forum. Each of the consultation papers contains a chapter or section on thesituation in each ASEAN country with a series of both national level and ASEAN regional levelrecommends to be considered. These chapters and recommendations are to be discussed
Page 2Global Cooperation Newsletterand checked at the national level for modification before, and consideration at, the 2008
Manila GO-NGO Forum.
Minister welcomes NGOs and there work
In welcoming delegates to Vietnam and the Forum, Minister Dam Huu Dac acknowledged theimportance of the GO-NGO partnership in economic and social policy:“Non-governmental organisations play an important role in developing and implementingsocial security and development programmes of a country, especially the ASEAN member
countries. Without the assistance from non-governmental organisations in terms of bothtechnical issues and resource mobilisation in several policies and social development
programmes, many countries will meet with difficulties in providing social services forvulnerable groups.”
In the context of Vietnam, where there is still not a clear appreciation of the independence of,or understanding of the role of, NGOs these were particularly welcome comments.
ASEAN engagement with NGOs not robust – but progress
ICSW President for South East Asia and Pacific, Michael Raper noted that the GO-NGO Forumis a very important development. Over its 40 year history, ASEAN engagement with NGOs
had not been regarded by civil society organisations as having been robust or free-flowing or
structured on the basis of mutual respect. The GO-NGO Forum made a commitment toregular structured dialogue on human trafficking, people with disabilities and social
protection over the next 12 months. More detail on the GO-NGO Forum can be found on the
ICSW website at http://www.icsw.org/region/seap.htm
Social Protection
The introduction of minimum universal social security coverage is an urgent priority, butmust be combined with the further development of existing social security schemes, theSecretary General of the International Social Security Association (ISSA), Mr. Hans-Horst
Konkolewsky, told a meeting of Latin American social protection experts.
“The introduction of a basic package of universal social security benefits must complement
existing social security programmes,” Mr. Konkolewsky stated.
“In countries with a long tradition of social security, for example in Latin America, any newreforms should be integrated with existing provisions as well as address the need for auniversal minimum level of benefits,” he further emphasized.
Mr. Konkolewsky referred to recent ISSA studies that confirm the trend towards more
integrated social security systems in Latin America and other regions. These reforms
reinforce coverage by combining contributory and non-contributory pension schemes,
strengthening preventive health care and promoting work insertion alongside compensation.
Recognizing that Latin America has a century of social security experience, ISSA Secretary
General welcomed a return to social security's “fundamental values” in several countries.
“We are convinced that the ideological shift in the Latin American region currently underway
reinforces the concept of social security in all its dimensions,” Mr. Konkolewsky stated.
ISSA is working with its member organizations in the region to establish an Observatory tomonitor social security reforms and their impact, as part of new efforts to promoteknowledge transfer and the sharing of good practices among social security institutions.
Read more on ISSA at www.issa.int
OECD
DAC Peer Review of Finland
The Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the OECD has released its review of
Finland’s development aid. The DAC found Finland to be a committed development cooperation actor that works within the EU and with other like-minded groups. The committee
appreciated that the new development policy (2007) maintains the over-arching goal ofpoverty reduction and commitment to the MDGs, while also prioritising sustainable economic,
socialandecologicaldevelopment.
Announcement
http://www.oecd.org/document/10/0,3343,en_2649_33721_39760586_1_1_1_1,00.html

Global Cooperation Newsletter

Page 3

Development Aid at a Glance Makes Foreign Aid Information Easier to Understandand Includes StatLinks to Key Data: Book on Online Bookshop
Policy Coherence for Development 2007: Migration and Developing Countries: Book
on Online Bookshop
DAC News, November 2007 issue features articles on aid effectiveness, aid for trade, civilsociety organisations, and the role agriculture plays in poverty reduction: Newsletter
Health Care is Improving in OECD Countries but Better Management of Chronic
Diseases is Necessary -only half of diabetics get needed eye screening according to Healthat a Glance 2007: Press Release | Book Announcement
New From UNRISD
Gendered Peace: Women's Struggles for Post-War Justice and Reconciliation
This volume, edited by Donna Pankhurst, contributes to the growing literature on women,
conflict and peacebuilding by focusing on the moments after a peace accord, or some otherofficial ending for a conflict, often denoted as "post-conflict" or "post-war".
http://www.unrisd.org/80256B3C005BF3C2/setLanguageCookie?OpenAgent&langcode=en&u
rl=/80256B3C005BCCF9/search/B3DB4EA5C021BFC4C12573AD004E7B66?OpenDocument
New Perspectives on Gender and Migration: Livelihood, Rights and Entitlements
This book, edited by Nicola Piper, discusses theoretical and empirical developments ininternational migration from a gender perspective. Its main objective is to analyse thediversification and stratification of gendered migratory streams with regard to skill level,labour market integration, and legal status.
http://www.unrisd.org/80256B3C005BF3C2/setLanguageCookie?OpenAgent&langcode=en&u
rl=/80256B3C005BCCF9/search/8F874541B75E2B08C12573AD004B1675?OpenDocument
New UN NGO Websites
The NGO Section of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) has launched its
new web site, focusing on information required by the NGOs with consultative status.
Through the web site, NGOs can also access UN-NGO-IRENE, an informal regional network
established to coordinate collaboration between the UN and NGOs.
http://www.un.org/esa/coordination/ngo/
AMR
Innovation
Fair:
UN-NGO-IRENE:
http://www.unpan.org/NGO.asp
http://www.amrif2008.blogspot.com/
2008 ICSW 33rd Global Conference on Social Welfare
Date: 30th June to 4th July 2008
Venue: Tours, France
Contact Information: http://www.icsw2008.org/ and comite.service.francais@wanadoo.fr
This will be the 80th Anniversary of ICSW. The theme of the conference is Social Work, Social
Protection and Social Development: Where have we been? Where are we going?
The content of this Global Newsletter may be freely reproduced or cited provided
the source is acknowledged. The views expressed in this publication are notnecessarily the policy of ICSW.
Newsletter Editor: Denys Correll – Executive Director
ICSW C/- MOVISIE Netherlands Centre for Social Development
PO Box 19129
3501 DC Utrecht
Netherlands
Email: icsw@icsw.org
Tel: +31 30 789 2226

Global Cooperation Newsletter

Page 4

GLOBAL COOPERATION NEWSLETTER
February 2008
In this edition:

UN meets on Full Employment and Decent WorkNew from the UNDP International Poverty Centre
New from the UN Research Institute for Social Development
New from Center for Global Development
Second Announcement ICSW Global Conference 2008
UN meets on Full Employment and Decent Work
This issue of Global Cooperation highlights the 2008 meeting of the UN Commission
for Social Development that worked on the theme of Full Employment and Decent
Work. ICSW presented a statement to the Commission. It can be found atwww.un.org/esa/socdev/csd/csocd2008/Statements/ngos.htm (4th paragraph).
In the introductory session Sha Zukang, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic
and Social Affairs, said that close examination of the employment situation indeveloped and developing countries revealed “worrisome trends”, especially that,
despite robust rates of economic growth, macroeconomic and social policies were
failing to generate enough decent jobs. From 1996 to 2006, global gross domestic
product (GDP) had grown by 3.8 per cent per year, but, during the same decade,the unemployment rate had remained unchanged at around 6 per cent.
ICSW was unhappy that many countries have failed to provide full employment anddecent work. However, ICSW was pleased to hear UN officials reflect the same
concerns. Mr Sha said “There is greater economic insecurity for most workers”. He
stressed that unemployment rates were still high in many developing countries, andthat underemployment persisted worldwide as formal economies continued to shift
into informal ones. Further, in an ever more globalised world, low-skilled, poorly
educated workers were being especially hit by those trends. Social exclusion ofcertain groups subjected them to the “real-life consequences” of higher
unemployment rates exacerbated by chronic underemployment. These groups
included youth, women, older people, people with disabilities, indigenous people andmigrants.
Carlos Tomada the Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Protection in
Argentina gave an outstanding keynote address. He urged “States to ensure that
globalisation was underpinned by a “social project”: the establishment of a “societyof work”, or market economy that fostered the creation of companies that promotedsocial responsibility. The society of work was fundamental to democratising the
global economy. He supported a “controlled liberalization” of trade, and urged
achieving a balance among the State, the market and society.
Global Cooperation Newsletter

Page 5

Argentina believes that policies should be implemented by all “social partners” andshould be targeted to stimulate economic growth and job creation. He said that apolitical decision had been taken to forge and reconstruct social harmony with,rather than against, the workers, taking into account differences in opinion between
workers and employers. The Government had worked hard to build trust between
those two sides and that trust had helped the country “get back on its feet”. In
supporting the Minister a representative of the union movement of Argentina said
that during the 1990s Argentina had been considered a model neoliberal economy.
But the resultant round of deregulation had plunged the economy into chaos. Unions,the business community and government had turned to social dialogue to findsolutions to the crisis. The representative of the business sector said thatcooperation between labour, civil society and the private sector was helping to close
the skills gap and was helping in the fight against poverty.
The NGO Committee on Social Development was very active before and during themeeting of the Commission and the Chair of the Committee Joan Burke presented
the views of civil society that were prepared at a civil society forum held theprevious day. The concluding comments of the Civil Society Declaration said “Welook forward to a strong resolution as an outcome of this session – a resolution
which will engage the General Assembly or a strengthened Economic and Social
Council with a clear well-defined mechanism for follow-up and accountability…Wewant to see Employment and Decent Work for All at the heart of the UN agenda as
it is essential underpinning to the eradication of poverty. This will offer to all peopleof the world community a Decent Life and opportunity to develop their potential as
contributing members of society”.
ICSW Executive Director Denys Correll spoke at the civil society forum held the day
before the Commission meeting. His speech (www.icsw.org/doc/CSF Making
Copenhagen Work DC 5Feb08.doc) addressed the theme of the civil society forum –Making Copenhagen Work. He asked, “Why talk of reclaiming Copenhagen” The firstcommitment of the Copenhagen Declaration puts social development clearly in thecontext of multiple influencing environments. 117 national leaders committed theircountries to “creating an economic, political, social, cultural and legal environmentthat will enable people to achieve social development”. An increasing number of key
thinkers and institutions are seeking to present an alternative to the neoliberal
thinking that has dominated development for the last decades.
Rolph van der Hoeven Director, Policy Coherence Group, International Labour
Organisation spoke at the civil society forum about policy coherence. Mr van der
Hoeven noted that in the 1990s most income flows to the developing world were
through the World Bank (WB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). There has
been a marked change in this century with a number of countries rejecting moneyfrom the WB and the IMF. These countries do not want the conditionalities imposedby the lenders. While there is acknowledgment of the imperative for decent work,
bilateral trade negotiations between rich and poor countries have not been sensitive
to decent work. Here there is a need for more policy coherence.
This year’s civil society forum had a higher involvement of trade union
representatives. Rudi Dick of the Congress of South African Trade Unions spoke of“precarious employment” which captured the sequelae of neoliberal policies
including negative employment practices such as the casualisation of the workforce.
The International Trade Union Confederation drew “attention to the serious lack ofGlobal Cooperation Newsletter

Page 6

policy coherence between the international economic, financial and trading systems
and the social institutions promoting decent work objectives”.
Returning to the Commission meeting, Johan Schölvinck, Director of the Division forSocial Policy and Development in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs,
introduced the Secretary-General’s report (E/CN.5/2008/4) which addressed a
policy framework for achieving full employment and decent work by examining:
macroeconomic policies; enterprise and rural development, education, training andskills; social protection; and regulatory policies.
There were many speeches by representatives of UN member governments.
Representatives of the NGO Committee monitored the government statements. It
was apparent that little, if any, attention was given to the “decent work” part of thetheme. Little reference was made to the exploitation, including trafficking, of womenand children. This was a serious omission. The ICSW submissions in 2007 and 2008
were very clear that the exploitation of women and children in particular is
unacceptable and every government has a responsibility to tackle this serious
problem.
The African Union’s statement contained some good material. “In most Africancountries social development does not include the majority of the population,
especially the marginalised and vulnerable group”. The African Union is developing a
Social Policy Framework for Africa. It will be presented to the First Conference on
Social Development to be held in May 2008. In preparation for the May Conference
the AU Commission is conducting a study on Social Protection.
As usual at Commission meetings there was a plethora of side events that were held
during breaks in the Commission meeting. One side event focussed on the conceptof a “Global Social Floor” consisting of a basic set of social security benefits for all
citizens. The speakers argued that a social floor is a powerful tool to reduce poverty.
While the benefits provided are modest, a basic social security scheme can reducepoverty by 35 to 50 per cent. A basic package consisting of non-contributory old age
and disability pensions plus child benefits is estimated to cost from 2 to 5 percent of
GDP as an average. Speakers argued that a social floor was affordable and essential
even to the poorest countries in Africa. It is a myth that a country must reach acertain level of development before it can establish a social floor. The example ofEurope was given where the social floor, now taken for granted, was establishedwhen many of the countries were poor.
The Commission’s resolution on Full Employment and Decent Work had not been
finalised at the time of writing of this edition of Global Cooperation. Details will be
provided in the March issue. ICSW continues to push for the reclaiming of the
Copenhagen commitments. This is also clearly the agenda for the Commission forSocial Development. For the last two years the Commission has been reviewing Full
Employment and Decent Work. Full employment was one of the three interrelated
pillars of Copenhagen. The others were eradication of poverty and social integration.
The Commission has adopted social integration as its theme for 2009 and 2010 and
it is possible that poverty eradication will be the theme for 2011 and 2012.
New from the UNDP International Poverty Centre
Is Financial Liberalization a Flop? An Africa Assessment - One Pager # 48
<http://www.undp-povertycentre.org/pub/IPCOnePager48.pdf>
Global Cooperation Newsletter

Page 7

Is All Socioeconomic Inequality among Racial Groups in Brazil Caused by Racial
Discrimination? - Working Paper # 43
<http://www.undp-povertycentre.org/pub/IPCWorkingPaper43.pdf>
New from the UN Research Institute for Social Development
Commercialization and Globalization of Health Care: Lessons from UNRISD Research
Using market mechanisms in the provision of health services and seeing health careas a private good are approaches that have featured prominently in health sector
reforms across the world. The United Nations Research Institute for Social
Development (UNRISD) research on global and local experiences of health care
commercialization challenges this framework. It calls for reclaiming public policies
that promote the purposes that health systems are set up to serve: population
health and the provision of care for all according to need.
http://www.unrisd.org/80256B3C005BF3C2/setLanguageCookie?OpenAgent&langco
de=en&url=/80256B3C005BCCF9/search/7C04740AD2852A4AC12573E6002E24DC?
OpenDocument
New from Center for Global Development
Overhaul U.S. Foreign Assistance
http://www.join.cgdev.org/site/R?i=mHFLeGZmtzKJbzL5j_BBNA..
http://www.join.cgdev.org/site/R?i=VCdMr24JthPMKbOVTuizYQ..
Henrietta Fore, the recently appointed Director of U.S. Foreign
Assistance, has announced ambitious plans to modernize U.S. foreign aid, rebuild
the capacity of USAID (of which she is also the chief administrator), streamline
budget and planning processes, increase aid levels, and restore U.S. intellectual
leadership on foreign assistance. CGD senior policy analyst Sheila Herrling identifies
the take-away messages and gives the new plan two thumbs up as a first step inthe right direction.
Second Announcement 2008 ICSW 33rd Global Conference on Social
Welfare.
The second announcement for the Conference to be held in Tours France is
now available and registration is now open at http://www.icsw2008.org/
Date: 30th June to 4th July 2008
Venue: Tours, France
Contact Information: globalconference@cnas-icsw.org
This will be the 80th Anniversary of ICSW. The theme of the conference is Social
Work, Social Protection and Social Development: Where have we been? Where are
we going?
The content of this Global Newsletter may be freely reproduced or cited provided
the source is acknowledged. The views expressed in this publication are notnecessarily the policy of ICSW.
Newsletter Editor: Denys Correll – Executive Director
ICSW C/- MOVISIE Netherlands Centre for Social Development
PO Box 19129
3501 DC Utrecht
Netherlands
Email: icsw@icsw.org
Tel: +31 30 789 2226

Global Cooperation Newsletter

Page 8