GLOBAL COOPERATION NEWSLETTER
October 2008
In this edition:
Empowering Civil Society Asia and the Pacific
Latin America
New International Poverty Centre (IPC) Publications
New OECD Publication - Growing Unequal?
Overseas Development Institute (ODI) Highlights: October 2008
Argentina to nationalise pension funds
Civil Society Accountability in Commonwealth Countries
World Social Form 2009
Commission on the Status of Women 2009
Empowering Civil Society Asia and the Pacific

ICSW has conducted its third workshop to empower civil society to better engage withgovernments and regional groupings of governments. The ICSW South East Asia andPacific Regional Training Programme on “Strengthening National Councils” was held in
Kuala Lumpur. Our host was our member council in Malaysia - the National Council ofSocial Welfare and Social Development. The training was made possible through thesponsorship of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) andthe Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland.
Subjects covered included: What is a national council? Why have national councils?
Benefits of collaboration; Ingredients of a successful council; Building membership;
Governance of national councils; Income generation for national councils; Building avalue base and developing policy; Influencing governments to adopt budgets that focus
on social and economic development; In the context of increasing governments
commitment to a social agenda participants discussed at length the subjects of trafficking(slaving) and social protection. ICSW in the ASEAN region has prepared analyses of social
protection and trafficking. The analyses are on the regional website http://www.icsw.org/region/seap.htm
The specific subjects of trafficking and social protection form part of ICSW’s work with
ASEAN. Representatives of ICSW from throughout the region will meet with ASEAN
officials in December in Manila. This has become an annual activity with intensive workon social policies with national governments between meetings.
The final stage of the Kuala Lumpur workshop was the development of individual country
plans based on the training over the three days. The resulting plans developed by theparticipants from each country are circulated to all participants as part of the final report.
In addition to the work undertaken in Kuala Lumpur participants were hosted to a
reception and dinner by the Honourable Dato’ Dr. Ng Yen Yen, Minister of Women, Family
and Community Development Malaysia. The Minister has taken a keen interest in thework of ICSW. She attended our conference in Tours France in mid 2008.
40 participants attended the training. The participants came from each of the ASEAN
countries with the exception of Myanmar (Burma). Pacific country representatives camefrom Papua New Guinea, Fiji and New Zealand. The evaluation forms completed by theparticipants at the end of the workshop were overwhelmingly positive. 97% of theparticipants indicated that their expectations for the workshop were met.
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From the evaluations ICSW concluded that participants wanted follow up work onnational councils – national council governance, national council fundraising and national
council strengthening. Also indicated was the need for more training on policy
development.

Latin America

The Latin American members of ICSW conducted a Brazilian Preparatory Pre-Conference
Meeting before the 33rd Conference of ICSW held in France in July 2008. The report of
the Pre Conference entitled “The Dynamics of Welfare in Globalization: Lessons from thePast, Challenges for Today and Tomorrow” is on the ICSW website in the Latin American
and Caribbean Region. http://www.icsw.org/region/la.htm

New International Poverty Centre (IPC) Publications
Title: What Do We Mean by “Feminization of Poverty”? Authors: Marcelo Medeiros andJoana Costa. Series: One Pager No. 58. Available in English, French, Portuguese andSpanish. The authors define the feminization of poverty as a change in poverty levels
that is biased against women or female-headed households. This definition provides asimple but effective tool for conducting policy analysis.
Click here to download: http://www.undp-povertycentre.org/pub/IPCOnePager58.pdf
Title: Can we Accurately Project MDG Indicators? Author: Rafael Guerreiro
Osorio. Series: One Pager # 68. The author argues that non-linear methods project MDG
indicators more realistically than linear ones
Click here to download: http://www.undp-povertycentre.org/pub/IPCOnePager68.pdf
Title: Conditional Cash Transfers: Why Targeting and Conditionalities Could Fail
Author: Guy Standing Series: One Pager No. 47 Available in English, French, Spanish
and Portuguese
The author argues that targeting and conditionalities for cash transfers are both
unnecessary and counter-productive. Instead, he prefers a universal, non-conditional
income grant. He maintains that cash transfers are preferable to commodity-based
assistance, such as food aid, because poor families have freedom in choosing how tospend the money. But targeting such transfers to poor families is difficult in low-income
countries where household incomes are insecure and fluctuating. Attachingconditionalities to them, such as for health or education, assumes that poor families areeither irrational or uninformed about their vital long-term interests.
Click here to download: http://www.undp-povertycentre.org/pub/IPCOnePager47.pdf

Overseas Development Institute (ODI) Highlights: October 2008

The following are recent ODI activities. If you would like immediate alerts whenever newcontent is added to the ODI website, subscribe to the ODI news feed.
Millions at risk if the Millennium Development Goals are not updated
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) exclude millions of the poorest, mostvulnerable and hardest to reach people on the planet, researchers from ODI and theChronic Poverty Research Centre argued in New York last month. They marked the Call to
Action on the MDGs with a number of new resources and a High Level UN side event
calling for social protection to be included in the goals.
• Visit 'ODI on... The Call to Action on the MDGs' for more >• Download ODI Briefing Paper - 'Achieving the MDGs: The fundamentals' >• Download the Chronic Poverty Report 2008 >
The
MDGs
are
doing
too
littletoaddress
genderinequalities
In ODI Briefing Paper 'Gender and the MDGs: A gender lens is vital for pro-poor results',
Nicola Jones, Rebecca Holmes and Jessica Espey argue that much more attention needs
to be paid to the gender inequalities that pervade all the MDGs to achieve poverty
reduction and development goals.
• Visit 'ODI on... The Call to Action on the MDGs' for more >• Download ODI Briefing Paper - 'Gender and the MDGs' >• Visit 'ODI Themes - Gender' for more on Gender >Global Cooperation Newsletter

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The MDGs are at risk: The EU should give them new momentum
In his latest Blog post, ODI Director Simon Maxwell argues that the MDGs have been aforce for good in the world, but that progress is uneven, too slow and threatened by the
global economic slowdown. The European Union brings particular strengths to the MDG
project.
• Read and comment on Simon's Blog post >• Download ODI Opinion - 'MDGs and the environment' >• Download ODI Opinion - 'Sanitation and the MDGs: Making the politics work' >Soaring prices, rising hunger: What next in the global food crisis?
After falling in real terms for more than 50 years, food prices have soared – condemningan additional 75 million people to hunger and raising the estimated number ofundernourished people worldwide to 923 million in 2007.
• Visit 'ODI Themes - Food' to find out more >New OECD Publication - Growing Unequal?

Income Distribution and Poverty in OECD Countries
This report provides evidence of a fairly generalised increase in income inequality overthe past two decades across OECD countries. But the timing, intensity and causes of theincrease differ from what is typically suggested in the media.
Now available from the Online Bookshop.
http://www.oecdbookshop.org/oecd/display.asp?sf1=identifiers&st1=812008051P1&LAN
G=EN

Argentina to nationalise pension funds

Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez has signed a bill that will nationalise thecountry's 10 private pension funds. The move will put the government in control ofalmost USD30bn of investments and is aimed at protecting them from the global market
turmoil.
Shares slumped amid fears of the move's impact. Critics accused the government oftrying to grab the funds. Ms Fernandez said that Argentina needed to protect those withpensions amid falling stock prices around the world.
As the 10 private pension funds are the country's largest institutional investors, theannouncement also hit the value of the peso and Argentine bonds.
Amado Boudou, head of the National Social Security Administration, which will take overthe funds, said the "failed experiment" of private pensions was finished.
Union leaders have welcomed the nationalisation move. The commissions on thepensions and the lack of a guaranteed minimum pension have made the private system
unpopular with many Argentines. Congress is controlled by Ms Fernandez's Front forVictory political grouping. Story BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr//2/hi/business/7682877.stm

UN General Assembly President sets up task force to review global
financial system

The President of the United Nations General Assembly has established a task force toreview the global financial system, including major bodies such as the World Bank andthe International Monetary Fund (IMF). The President’s move is in response to thecurrent turmoil that is affecting all countries, large and small.
He has appointed economics Nobel Laureate Professor Joseph Stiglitz to Chair the task
force and as the principal advisor to the President for coordination of this process. The
composition and terms of reference of the task force will be announced after theInteractive Panel on the Global Financial Crisis has met at the UN on 30 October 2008.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=28643&Cr=financial%20crisis&Cr1=

Civil Society Accountability in Commonwealth Countries

The One World Trust has been working in collaboration with the CommonwealthFoundation to examine civil society accountability in Commonwealth countries. This
project is being piloted in India, Belize, Uganda and the Pacific region.
The One World Trust's Civil Society Accountability in Commonwealth Countries Projectaddresses civil society accountability across different political, social, and economic
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contexts. The project focuses on several key issues: principles of accountability, cultural
understandings of accountability, highlighting good practice, and common challenges.
The strength of this approach to CSO accountability is sensitivity to cultural
understandings of accountability and a way to foster and identify universal, yet practical,
principles within these cultural contexts.
This pilot project is due to be completed by the end of the year, with the development of
the country-specific toolkits. Further information Deepti Sastry Projects Officer One World
Trust. dsastry@oneworldtrust.org

World Social Form 2009

The World Social Form is to be held from 27th January to 1st February 2009 at Belem,
Brazil. Registration for the World Social Forum 2009 Amazon is open. In this first stage,
only organisations, agencies and groups of civil society organisations can register. The
period of registration for organisations and activities is from 7th October to 7th November
2008. Each organisation may propose up to four self activities. Self-managed activities on
the official programme grid of the WSF 2009 and may be camping, workshops, seminars,
conferences, testimonies, marches, among others, and are forums for exchange,
reflection and preparation of proposals for the construction of another possible world. For
more information, click here. http://www.fsm2009amazonia.org.br/?set_language=en

Commission on the Status of Women 2009

The Fifth-third session of the Commission on the Status of Women will be held 2-13
March 2009, New York, USA. The focus of the session will be on "the equal sharingof responsibilities between women and men, including care-giving in the context of
HIV/AIDS." If your organisation has consultative status with the Economic and Social
Council (ECOSOC), you are invited to participate in this session and to pre-register yourdesignated representatives. For more information, www.un.org/womenwatch/daw
The content of this Global Newsletter may be freely reproduced or cited provided thesource is acknowledged. Views do not necessarily represent policies of ICSW.
Newsletter Editor: Denys Correll – Executive Director.
ICSW C/- MOVISIE Netherlands Centre for Social Development
PO Box 19129
3501 DC Utrecht
Netherlands
Website www.icsw.org Email: icsw@icsw.org

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GLOBAL COOPERATION NEWSLETTER
December 2008
In this edition:
Asia and Social Development
The First Black Sea NGO Forum
Japan - great statement on social development at the UN
International Social Security Review now on line
Asia and Social Development
On the 2nd December the Philippines daily newspaper, the Manila Bulletin,
announced on its front page that the 3rd ASEAN Forum of Government
Organisations and Non-Government Organisations would be meeting in Manila.
The paper said the meeting (was) “attended by top ASEAN officials, including
representatives of the National Council/National NGO Forum from member
countries and the International Council on Social Welfare”. The meeting washosted by the Philippines Department of Social Welfare and Development.
ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, consists of ten countries –Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic,
Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.
This meeting represented in so many ways what ICSW has been attempting toachieve in all regions of the world – a serious dialogue between governments andthe organisations that represent the poorest and most disadvantaged membersof their communities.
Over the few days of meetings the final recommendations were developed by thegovernment officials and the ICSW representatives.
The ASEAN Charter contains a number of purposes and principles that are ofsignificance to the Government – Non-Government Organisations Forum (GONGO Forum). They cover the alleviation of poverty, narrowing the development
gap, strengthening democracy, enhancing good governance, promoting
sustainable development and enhancing the well being and livelihood of thepeoples of ASEAN. http://www.aseansec.org/ASEAN-Charter.pdf
The final recommendations dealt with the machinery to take forward the GONGO collaboration and three policy areas. These were social protection,
trafficking in persons and climate change. To establish a position on social
protection and trafficking ICSW published regional studies on both subjects ayear ago and sought response from ASEAN member states. The position papers
are on the ICSW website
http://www.icsw.org/region/seap.htm
On social protection there were three recommendations. The first was to“continue to review the present social protection systems in relation to theincome security provisions with a view to identifying the policy changes
necessary to implement better, multi-tier social security protection provisions in
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each ASEAN Member State”. The second advocated a coordinated approach
towards developing social protection systems. The third was to increase researchcapability in ASEAN in the area of social security.
Trafficking in persons is of great concern in the region. ICSW’s paper covered allforms of labour exploitation. The recommendations adopted at the ASEAN GONGO meeting included amongst other things, adopting an integrated approach tohuman trafficking; consider adopting a coordinated labour migration system;
concerted action to reduce trafficking in persons, particularly women and girls
who undertake domestic service; developing and implementing stronger victim
support systems; joint programmes between governments and NGOs.
On climate change there was strong debate on the relevance of climate change
to the social agenda. ICSW’s lead representative, (Michael Raper, Regional
President for South East Asia and the Pacific) argued strongly that climatechange will have an adverse affect on socially vulnerable groups. The Forumagreed to put the social impact of climate change on the agenda. More work is tobe done by ICSW and ASEAN to look at the impact of climate change on sociallyvulnerable groups.
Disability was introduced as a new subject on the GO-NGO agenda. ICSW
consultant Dan Stubbs presented a paper “Closing the gap: Making the rights
based approach real for people with disabilities in the ASEAN region”. This paper
is now submitted to the governments for a response that will be on the agenda of
the next GO-NGO Forum in Singapore in 2009. The paper will soon be on the
ICSW website.
ICSW is keen to see the model of a GO-NGO Forum adopted in other regions.
ICSW’s programme of national councils’ training is focussed on increasing theskill level of national councils to engage effectively with governments andregional associations of governments. ICSW congratulates the ASEAN Secretariat,
the government officials and the Philippines Department of Social Welfare andDevelopment for an excellent meeting that will help to reduce poverty and inequality in the South East Asian region.
The First Black Sea NGO Forum“Civil society in the region is relatively new – no older than 20 years and this is
one of the major reasons while NGOs in the region face many similar challenges.
The “(re)birth of civil society” happened in the 1990s. In all of the postcommunist countries it took place as a direct effect of the regime change” These
are the opening words of the report of the Black Sea Forum.
Those who know the region are amazed at how little people outside the region
lack understanding of their problems in these relatively new states.
The report goes on to say: “Civil society in the region faces very similar
challenges:¾ Low citizen participation and involvement with CSOs, in most of the countries
as a consequence of authoritarian regimes which have undermined social
trust and the formation of social capital.
¾ Lack of genuine cooperation of public authorities. In most of the countries of
the region there is a widespread perception of Governments’ partisanship and
exploitation of civil society for merely public image purposes. In some of thecountries there is a noticeable tendency for Governments to create parallel
NGOs (GONGOs), subordinated to their own interests and to feign
consultation with civil society.
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¾ Weakness in financial sustainability and donor dependency (with associatedfeatures such as project hunting behavior and competition for resources
creating rivalry).
¾ The support from the private sector is generally weak and it is limited tocharity.
¾ Due to the lack of constant and predictable resources, the organizational
capacity remains weak.
¾ In many countries of the region the legal environment is not favorable for
CSOs. There are examples of good practices in some of the countries (e.g. theEU new member states) however enforcement problems affect even states
where the legal environment has been visibly improved.
¾ Most actively working NGOs are located in the capital cities and in major
towns, while in large portions of the countries, particularly rural areas andless developed / de-industrialized regions, NGOs are less present.
¾ Generally media make general references to NGOs, with insufficient coverageof their ideas and activities.
The
full
and
interesting
reportisat
http://www.blackseango.org/pagini/report.php
ICSW is pleased to have supported now for about five years the International
Union of Black Sea NGOs. Details of their activities can be found at
http://www.bsngon.com/
Japan - great statement on social development at the UN
Dr. Nobuko Kurosaki Alternate Representative of Japan made a superb statement
on social development on 6th October at the UN. Here are some extracts:"Social development is a relatively new concept, one that arose from the need to
set right the widening social inequity that has accompanied economic
development. Recognizing the importance of social development, in 1995, theUnited Nations held the first World Summit for Social Development in
Copenhagen. At the Summit, States reached the consensus that we must put
people at the centre of development; in other words, that we must place "humansecurity" at the heart of our development efforts. The Copenhagen Summit
allowed a wide and comprehensive discussion of social development issues, withspecial attention to three priority areas: 1) the eradication of poverty; 2) the
support of full and productive employment, and 3) the promotion of social
integration. While the three fields each have distinctive significance and areinterrelated, I will focus my statement on social integration because it is thepriority theme of the Commission for Social Development for 2009 – 2010”.
“ECOSOC (Economic and Social Council) affirms that social integration policies
should seek to reduce inequalities; promote access to basic social services,education for all and health care; and increase the participation and integrationof social groups. Although more than 10 years have passed since the World
Summit, social integration remains a challenge in many societies due to poverty.
Without the support of the global community, it may be difficult for least
developed countries to make advances in social integration. Japan has taken
various actions domestically and internationally to enhance social integration.
To promote "society for all," in which all individuals and groups are able tocontribute to society, we must consider the two points: 1) the inter-dependenceof all members of society and 2) the life-long learning approach.
Japan has provided its Official Development Assistance keeping in mind social
development issues, such as income disparity, sexual discrimination, humanrights, democratization, and environmental considerations in each recipient
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country. The basic policy of Japan's ODA emphasizes human security of eachindividual. Japan, therefore, contributes aid both bilaterally and also through the
UN Human Security Fund in order to help protect the livelihood and dignity of
individuals.
For example, the UN Human Security Fund has supported a project entitled,"Protection and Empowerment of Victims of Human Trafficking and Domestic
Violence in Moldova" that will be implemented by UNDP, UNFPA and IOM in
cooperation with OSCE. This project focuses on individuals as the core ofdevelopment, as it addresses full participation in society, enhancing social
protection and reducing vulnerability. Each of these issues was specified in theReport of the 36th Social Development Committee as necessary for thepromotion of social integration.
From the 1995 World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen to the 24th
Special Session to 2008 and beyond, Japan will continue to strive to meet thegoals of the UN Millennium Declaration and the commitments of the World
Summit.
Dr. Kurosaki’s full statement can be found on the Japanese Ministry of Foreign
RelatedAffairs’ website http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/social/index.html
Information (Social Development) or that of the Permanent Mission
Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations Official Web Site
ICSW’s statement on social integration can be found in Top News on the ICSW
website www.icsw.org
International Social Security Review now on line
The International Social Security Association has put its journal on line. This is a
resource for people interested in social security and social protection.
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/118538866/home

The content of this Global Newsletter may be freely reproduced or cited provided thesource is acknowledged. Views do not necessarily represent policies of ICSW.
Newsletter Editor: Denys Correll – Executive Director.
ICSW C/- MOVISIE Netherlands Centre for Social Development
PO Box 19129
3501 DC Utrecht
Netherlands
Website www.icsw.org Email: icsw@icsw.org

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