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What's Being Done On . . . Using Advocacy to Achieve Democratic Reform?
This section includes groups that train advocates for democratic reform in their respective countries. Such training educates citizens, including those in government, on how to advocate for a particular cause. Center for Study of Democracy - Bulgaria Contact: www.csd.bg The Center for Study of Democracy (CSD) is an interdisciplinary public policy institute dedicated to upholding the values of democracy and market economy in Bulgaria by encouraging changes in policy and a strong civil society. CSD advocates for good governance through legislative, executive, judicial, and constitutional reform through the use of local public mediators in Bulgaria. CSD conducts a training seminar on "Human Rights Promotion and Protection through the Local Ombudsman Institution" that targets public mediators, local authorities, and local NGOs. Institute for Solidarity in Asia - Philippines Contact: adminstrator@icdcenter.org The Institute for Solidarity in Asia (ISA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving governance and responsible citizenship in the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, South Korea, and other Asian countries. Currently, ISA is working with the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) to set up a nationwide advocacy network to improve public governance and increase community participation in development. In collaboration with regional affiliates at universities, local chambers of commerce, and businesses and community organizations across the Philippines, ISA is hosting seminars and training workshops to highlight advocacy as a useful tool in reforming local and regional governance practices and corporate citizenship. Jerusalem Center for Women - Israel/Palestine www.j-c-w.org The Jerusalem Center for Women (JCW) works to advance Palestinian women's rights and the status and involvement of women within Palestinian society. JCW is also committed to the protection of human rights and the realization of a Middle East peace. The JCW provides ten-month trainings for 100 Palestinian women in Jerusalem on advocacy, human rights, and democracy to prepare themselves for a more active role - politically, culturally and socially - within Palestinian society. National Democratic Institute for International Affairs - Tajikistan www.ndi.org/worldwide/eurasia/eurasia.asp NDI recently opened a satellite office in Tajikistan to conduct democracy assistance programs focused on preparing the country's democratic institutions for the February 2005 parliamentary elections. NDI is training political parties and civic groups and encouraging balanced programming on topics related to democracy on independent media outlets. Along with the short-term goal of the 2005 parliamentary elections, the Tajikistan office is also working to strengthen the capacity of nongovernmental organizations to conduct advocacy and monitoring campaigns. Yaroslavl Center for Social Partnership - Russia Contact: www.csp.yaroslavl.ru/index.php/274/ The Yaroslavl Center for Social Partnership trains NGO leaders to advocate for a more transparent and responsive regional government. Through public legal clinics, the Center trains residents to raise problems or questions with their local representatives. The Center's staff travels throughout Yaroslavl to pressure legislators to open public reception offices, or improve existing ones, to provide constituents with a means of contacting their representatives. The Center is also looking for new methods for the citizens of Yaroslavl to gain access to their representative's voting record. Youngstars Foundation- Nigeria Contact: www.youngstars.interconnection.org/index.html The Youngstars Foundation is a nonprofit advocacy organization committed to educating Nigerian youth on democratic values and institutions. The Foundation brings together both Muslims and Christians in northern Nigeria to promote constructive youth political participation. The Foundation is organizing internships for nine young northern Nigerians in state and federal government offices, such as the National Assembly of Nigeria in Abuja, to generate interest in democratic reform. The Foundation is also hosting three Democracy Town Hall Meetings for 150 northern Nigerian youth to be trained on how to promote freedom of expression and how to communicate effectively for advocacy in a democratic environment. The Foundation is currently publishing a report on government administration in a Youth Handbook on Democracy and Free Expression to be distributed to participants in Town Hall Meetings and to relevant youth organizations and activists. Women's Learning Partnership for Rights, Development, and Peace - USA www.learningpartnership.org/ Women's Learning Partnership for Rights, Development, and Peace (WLP) works to empower women activists and organizations by enhancing their leadership skills, training them in the use of different technologies, and engaging them in the production and exchange of information. One of WLP's training tools includes a video "Developing Effective Advocacy Campaigns," which profiles activists from the Women's Learning Partnership's partner organizations in Malaysia, Morocco, Palestine, and Jordan who share their experiences with implementing advocacy strategies and campaigns for women's rights. Zainah Anwar describes the campaign to develop and implement a Domestic Violence Act in Malaysia; Amina Lemrini of Morocco talks about the ongoing campaign to amend legislation to protect women from sexual harassment in the workplace; Suheir Azzouni describes Palestinian women's efforts to reverse regulations requiring them to obtain permission from male guardians before applying for a passport; and Asma Khader talks about the campaign to eliminate honor crimes in Jordan. The video is accompanied by a training manual and learning guide, and is part of the multimedia package, "Leading to Choices: A multimedia Curriculum for Leadership Learning. " The package provides interactive, scenario-based curricula for developing advocacy, communications, facilitation, and leadership skills for women's human rights and democracy activists and educators. More information on the advocacy and other tools is available at www.store.yahoo.com/learningpartnership/leadtochoicm.html. About "What's Being Done On . . . " For three months at a time, we highlight the activities of various organizations in different global regions, and links to important resources, that are focused on a particular theme or area of democracy work. Each new theme is announced via DemocracyNews, and the information from the previous installment is placed in the archives below. We hope to receive and post information about the work you or others may be doing that is focused on these issues. Send information via e-mail to the or by fax to (202) 378-9889. |
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