What's Being Done On . . . Effective Networking?

Main List of Network Profiles Survey Results Sample Survey Women's Learning Partnership for Rights, Development, and Peace, Interview with Mahnaz Afkhami, President and CEO. African Democracy Forum, Interview with Hannah Forster, Chair. Graðansko Organizovanje Za Demokratiju (GROZD)/Citizens' Organization for Democracy, Interview with Milan Mrdja, Program Manager. CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, Interview with staff. Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption, Interview with John Williams, Founder and Current Chair.

PROFILES OF NETWORKS WORLDWIDE

Global

CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation
CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, based in Johannesburg, South Africa, is an international alliance of about 1,000 members in approximately 100 countries. It has worked for over a decade to strengthen citizen action and civil society throughout the world, particularly in areas where participatory democracy and citizens' freedom of association are threatened. CIVICUS believes that a society's' well-being exists in direct proportion to the degree of balance between the state, the private sector, and civil society. It acts as an advocate for citizen participation as an essential component of governance and democracy around the world. CIVICUS' principal objectives are to promote the rights of citizens to organize and act collectively towards defined goals for the public good, to increase the effectiveness and improve the governance of civil society organizations, and to foster interaction between civil society groups and other institutions to increase the voice of citizens in public life.

Go to: www.civicus.org

See interview in this installment/

CIVITAS International
CIVITAS International is a nongovernmental organization (NGO) for civic education that aims to promote and strengthen education for informed and responsible citizenship in new and established democracies. Headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, CIVITAS International is a worldwide network, composed of individuals, NGOs, governmental institutions, and international organizations, that engages diverse resources and methods, such as computer networking, international exchanges, and various other means to promote effective civic education. It believes that civic education plays a central role in the cultivation of democratic culture and civil society strengthening. The CIVITAS declaration, adopted at the Prague Conference at its founding in 1995, emphasizes the centrality of knowledge, skills, and democratic values in building and sustaining democratic societies that are respectful of human rights and cultural diversity.

Go to: www.civnet.org

The Global Ecovillage Network (GEN)
The Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) is a confederation of people and communities that meet and share ideas, exchange technologies, develop cultural and educational exchanges, directories and newsletters, and are dedicated to restoring the land by putting more back into the environment than they take out. Network members include large networks like Sarvodaya (11,000 sustainable villages in Sri Lanka); EcoYoff and Colufifa (350 villages in Senegal); the Ladakh project on the Tibetan plateau; eco-towns like Auroville in South India, the Federation of Damanhur in Italy, and Nimbin in Australia; small rural ecovillages like Gaia Asociación in Argentina and Huehuecoyotl, Mexico; urban rejuvenation projects like Los Angeles EcoVillage and Christiania in Copenhagen; permaculture design sites such as Crystal Waters, Australia, Cochabamba, Bolivia, and Barus, Brazil; and educational centers such as Findhorn in Scotland, the Centre for Alternative Technology in Wales, Earthlands in Massachusetts, and many more. GEN's objective is to support and encourage the evolution of environmentally sustainable settlements around the world through internal and external communications services, by facilitating the flow and exchange of information about ecovillages and demonstration sites, project coordination in fields related to sustainable settlements, and by fostering global cooperation/partnerships (such as United Nations Best Practices, European Union Phare, and European Youth for Action). GEN operates mainly through the offices and volunteers of its three regions: Americas, Oceania, and Europe and Africa.

Go to: http://gen.ecovillage.org

Global Majority
Global Majority is an incorporated non-profit organization based in Monterey, California, that promotes non-violent conflict resolution education, negotiation, mediation, and advocacy. They believe that while conflict is ever-present as a result of economic, political, social, and cultural difference and disparity, it can be managed through structured negotiation and mediation. According to Global Majority, from domestic legal systems to international commercial and political forums, the use of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) has been successfully employed to avert or end violence and other destructive forms of conflict. The challenge is to redirect the resort to violence to new forums of negotiation and principled conflict management. Global Majority started a Campaign for Non-Violent Conflict Resolution to develop a global network of trained negotiators and mediators who can work with governments, businesses, and NGOs to promote training and the use of ADR mechanisms.

Go to: www.globalmajority.com

Global Organization of Parliamentarians against Corruption (GOPAC)
Founded in 2002, the Global Organization of Parliamentarians against Corruption (GOPAC) is an international network of parliamentarians dedicated to good governance and combating corruption throughout the world. It consists of 13 regional and national chapters, and has over 400 members, who represent over 70 countries around the world. GOPAC is currently the only international NGO with the singular focus on combating corruption, and its main objective is to improve parliaments as institutions of oversight. All of GOPAC's national and regional chapters are self-directed and funded, and the regional chapters select the members of the GOPAC Board of Directors who, in turn, set the policy of the organization.

Go to: www.gopacnetwork.org

See interview in this installment.

Network of Democracy Research Institutes
The Network of Democracy Research Institutes (NDRI) is an association of organizations that conduct research on democracy, democratization, and related topics in comparative government and international affairs. The NDRI includes independent institutions, university-based study centers, and research programs affiliated with political parties, labor unions, democracy and human rights movements, and other organizations around the world. It was established to facilitate communication among democracy scholars and activists, as well as to promote a greater awareness of the diversity and vitality of democracy studies today. Through its Web site, a newsletter, and other means, it provides information about the work of its member institutes, including their research, conferences, publications, and other activities. It is affiliated with the World Movement for Democracy.

Go to: www.wmd.org/ndri/ndri.html

Win with Women Global Initiative
As a part of the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs' (NDI) work on women's issues, the Win with Women Global Initiative aims at the meaningful inclusion of women as integral to vibrant democratic development and strong political parties. Launched in 2003, this initiative promotes strategies for increasing women's political leadership worldwide, and is anchored by the Global Action Plan, which outlines practical recommendations for political parties to broaden their appeal by addressing women's roles as voters, candidates, party activists, and elected officials. Over the past three years, women activists have been using the Global Action Plan to achieve their goals, and the Plan has been translated into over a dozen languages. Nearly 1,000 activists and dozens of political parties, civic organizations, and intergovernmental institutions have affirmed their commitment to increasing women's political leadership by signing on to the Win with Women Global Action Plan.

Go to: http://winwithwomen.ndi.org

Women for Women's Human Rights - News Ways (WWHR)
Women for Women's Human rights - New Ways (WWHR) is a women's and human rights NGO that was established in Turkey in 1993. Its mission is to promote women's rights and to support the active and broad participation of women as free individuals and equal citizens in the establishment and maintenance of a democratic and peaceful order at the national, regional, and international levels. WWHR combines activities of action-research, training, and outreach at the grassroots and community levels, while also keeping a strong commitment to advocacy and lobbying at the decision- and policy-making level. It puts equal emphasis on its work at the national and the international levels, and acts as a facilitator of solidarity and support networking among civil society groups in Turkey and abroad. WWHR focuses on exploring the obstacles to securing women's rights and ways to overcome them, advocacy and lobbying at the national and international levels to achieve legal and policy changes to advance women's rights, developing national and international training programs on women's rights, providing women's groups with publications and other outreach material to facilitate grassroots opposition to gender discrimination, and forming networks among NGOs working for democracy and women's rights in Turkey and abroad.

Go to: www.wwhr.org

The Women's Learning Partnership for Rights, Development, and Peace (WLP)
Founded in the aftermath of the 1995 Beijing Fourth World Conference for Women, the Women's Learning Partnership for Rights, Development, and Peace (WLP) is dedicated to promoting women's leadership and empowerment around the world. At its essence, the WLP is a network that consists of 18 autonomous and independent partner organizations in the Global South, particularly in Muslim-majority societies, with the aim of empowering women and assisting them in improving the conditions of their families, communities, and societies. WLP thus facilitates communication and cooperation among and between women around the world to protect human rights, encourage sustainable development, and promote peace. WLP's primary objectives are to increase the number of women in leadership and decision-making roles at the family, community, and national levels, and to improve the effectiveness of women's movements globally, and in Muslim-majority societies particularly, by strengthening the capacity of their partner organizations. WLP has a special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC).

www.learningpartnership.org

See interview in this installment.

Regional

Africa:

African Democracy Forum (ADF)
The ADF, launched in Abuja, Nigeria, in 2000, is an African regional network of democracy, human rights and governance organizations. It seeks to consolidate democracy in Africa by providing opportunities for democrats to openly express their views and acting as a platform for mutual support and the sharing of resources. The nongovernmental Kenyan Human Rights Commission serves as the ADF's Secretariat. The ADF is affiliated with the World Movement for Democracy. The objectives of the ADF are to monitor democracy and protect democrats in Africa, provide support for the development of information technology in Africa, share advocacy skills, train members, establish and maintain dialogue with state leaders, empower individuals at the grassroots level, and encourage civil society in countries of conflict to use the ADF for support, particularly in repressive regimes.

Go to: www.africandemocracyforum.org

See interview in this installment.

L'Union Interafricaine des Droits de l'Homme (UIDH)/Inter-African Human Rights Union
UIDH (the Inter-African Human Rights Union) is a pan-African NGO that was founded in Burkina Faso in 1992. Its broad aims are to defend, promote and protect human rights, and it has 32 member organizations. UIDH has several fundamental objectives, such as encouraging and teaching human rights promotion, cooperating with institutions that promote human rights, and encouraging research on human rights. Furthermore, UIDH fights against corruption and publishes an annual report on the status of human rights in Africa.

Go to: http://membres.lycos.fr/uidh

Central Asia

The Foundation for Tolerance International (FTI)
The Foundation for Tolerance International (FTI) works in conflict prevention and resolution primarily at the cross-border communities of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan in the Ferghana valley. It is a local Kyrgyz, not-for-profit, non-partisan NGO that has performed its mission since 1998, which includes preventing and resolving conflicts in the region in a peaceful manner, promoting a culture of non-violence and tolerance, and strengthening and expanding the capacities and presence of the organization through active leadership in regional and global networks. FTI currently develops and implements projects in partnership with organizations in Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. It envisions Central Asia as a region of peace, cooperation, and development that reaps the benefits of a multicultural democratic society, with just laws and an active civil society. To reach this goal the FTI uses advocacy, research, local projects, public awareness, and education.

Go to: www.fti.org.kg/eng/welcome.php

Eastern Europe

Stability Pact Gender Task Force
The Stability Pact Gender Task Force is based on the Stability Pact for Southeastern Europe, which is an attempt by the international community to replace the previous, reactive crisis intervention policy in Southeastern Europe with a comprehensive, long-term conflict prevention strategy. The main objective of the Task Force is the promotion of women's political participation. Women's capacity building, increasing women's chances to stand for election, and strengthening national gender mechanisms for the promotion of equality are its priorities. This involves increasing public awareness of women's political participation in elections and political processes in general, reforming existing electoral systems and legislation where needed to promote women's political participation, and establishing governmental institutions that support and promote women's political participation.

Go to: www.stabilitypact.org/gender/

Latin America

Avina
Avina was founded in 1994 to bolster the global leadership of its Latin American partners by facilitating new possibilities for cross-sector alliances and association with leaders and organizations from other continents and regions. Its aim is to undertake creative and innovative initiatives that benefit sustainable development in Latin America. It focuses on four major areas: sustainable economic development, equity, natural resource management and development, and democratic governance and rule of law. Its principal values are the full realization of the human being in a context of individual, social, and environmental harmony as the fundamental center of sustainable development, and human dignity as expressed in the exercise of democracy, equality of opportunity, honesty, and solidarity. Its vision is one of a prosperous, integrated, compassionate, and democratic Latin America, and to achieve this goal Avina facilitates links among individuals committed to sustainable development by promoting the creation of increasingly constructive and inclusive communities. It identifies opportunities, builds social transformation agendas, and seeks to exercise responsible citizenship and enhance social capital in order to contribute to the construction of more sustainable societies.

Go to: www.avina.net

Middle East

Arab Program for Human Rights Activists (APHRA)
The Arab Program for Human Rights Activists (APHRA), registered in Cairo, was founded in 1997 to protect and promote the concepts of human rights and democratic values. It is an NGO that publicly analyzes, and acts as a forum for discussion on, the obstacles, needs, and aspirations of activists working in the field of human rights in the Arab world. The program essentially aims to maintain mutual solidarity and communication between human rights activists, and to establish effective mechanisms for the protection of activists. It also seeks to build an extensive database relating to human rights activists and organizations, as well as to promote the abilities and qualifications of those activists. Furthermore, the program seeks to ensure effective coordination among human rights activists on both domestic regional and international levels through documentation and information handling, conferences, seminars, discussion circles, training, education, solidarity campaigns, events, and effective communication.

Go to: www.aphra.org

South Asia

Asean Interparliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC)
The ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC) was established in November 2004 following a meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia hosted by the Pro-Democracy Myanmar Caucus of the Malaysian Parliament. The AIPMC consists of legislators from Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines and Cambodia and conducts a multi-faceted campaign to encourage ASEAN and ASEAN member countries to adopt Burma policies that are conducive to the restoration of democracy in Burma. As an ASEAN grouping of elected members of parliament, the AIPMC is well-positioned to communicate and network with politicians from throughout the region to build a sustained campaign for human rights and political reform in Burma.

Go to: www.aseanmp.org

One World South Asia
Founded in 1999 in India as a liaison office of OneWorld International Foundation (OWIF) to further OWIF's mission in South Asia, OneWorld South Asia (OWSA) shifted to an independent office in 2000. The network expanded to include many more partners from different states, such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Maldives. OWSA is a part of the OneWorld Network, an international non-profit network that aims to use ICT tools – ranging from the Internet to mobile telephones to community radio – for poverty alleviation and sustainable development promotion. OWSA spells out its mission as "Voicing the Voiceless," and its new operational strategy is to use ICTs to advocate for inclusive policies, enhance partners' capacity to communicate and advocate for affirmative policy change and public action, encourage grassroots communication, and use communication as a tool for development. With a network of more than 300 NGOs, OWSA works symbiotically to achieve its goals.

Go to: http://southasia.oneworld.net

National

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Graðansko Organizovanje Za Demokratiju (GROZD)/Citizens' Organization for Democracy
GROZD (Citizens' Organization for Democracy) is a network of NGOs dedicated to civil society strengthening that grew out of an initiative of the Civil Society Promotion Center. The idea to form GROZD arose in early 2005 as an answer to how civil society organizations could be more involved in the 2006 BiH election process. It is consequently a relatively new coalition of approximately 60 NGOs from Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Its purpose is essentially to facilitate cooperation between both foreign and domestic government leaders and NGOs. Thus far, its major achievement is the "Civil Platform for 2006 Elections," a petition created by GROZD that highlighted 12 expectations of the public, related to economic, social, and political issues for political parties to meet by 2010.

Go to: www.grozd.ba

See interview in this installment.

China

Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CRD)
Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CRD) is a network of Chinese human rights activists and groups that is open to international supporters by invitation. Its objective is to build the capacity of those defending human rights in China, to monitor the Chinese government's adherence to its international and constitutional obligations, and to aid victims of human rights abuses and assist them in seeking redress. CRD encourages efforts to achieve these objectives through democratization and rule of law reform. CRD activities include consultation, dissemination of information, facilitating international exchange, supporting a program of small grants for human rights work in China, research, and other services.

Go to: http://crd-net.org/

Morocco

Espace Associatif Maroc/Associated Space Morocco
Espace Associatif Maroc (Associated Space Morocco) was founded at the end of 1996 to reinforce and promote the associative movements of democratic development in a participative, mobilizing and efficient way. The mission is centered on five main goals: democratic development, citizenship, human rights promotion, professionalism, and influence. The general objectives are the institutional reinforcement of the associations and the improvement of their leadership capacities. It fulfills these goals by linking local groups together and providing them with information, training on technical skills, and technical assistance. Espace Associatif Maroc has more than 200 members, including NGOs and individuals.

Go to: http://je.free.ma

North Korea

Citizens' Alliance for Human Rights in North Korea (NKHR)
Citizens' Alliance for North Korean Human Rights (NKHR) is a nongovernmental, non-profit, and non-partisan organization that works to improve the human rights situation of the people in North Korea, as well as North Koreans who have fled their country for various reasons. It was founded by human rights activists, intellectuals, and North Korean defectors in May 1996. NKHR is dedicated to improving the human rights situation and helping North Korean refugees by organizing an international campaign in coalition with individual human rights advocates and NGOs worldwide. NKHR also assists North Korean defectors in South Korea with their resettlement into a new society. By seeking to secure the human rights of North Koreans, NKHR hopes to uphold the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and to contribute to the peaceful reunification and integration of North and South Korea.

Go to: www.nkhumanrights.or.kr

Pakistan

SPO- Strengthening Participatory Organization Pakistan
Founded in 1994 out of the Pak-Canada Small Projects Office (SPO), this non governmental and non-profit company pursues the vision of a democratic, socially just, and tolerant society that is guided by participatory principles and realizes the full potential of its people and their aspirations for sustainable and self-reliant development. Its mission is to assist disadvantaged sections of communities in Pakistan to achieve their goal of sustainable development by promoting a participatory approach to development, and strengthening rural and urban community-based organizations (CBOs). The main office is situated in Islamabad, with smaller offices located across the country. SPO has worked holistically with more than 1,100 CBOs across 54 districts of rural and urban Pakistan, and has provided short-term training support to more than 400 CBOs and newly established local body institutions across the country. SPO has trained organizations from almost every district in Pakistan.

Go to: www.spopk.org

Russia

Committee against Torture
The Committee against Torture is a Russian NGO located in Nizhniy Novgorod. It researches the problems associated with the use of torture, investigates complaints about the application of torture, and renders legal and medical assistance to victims of torture. In four years of work, the Committee against Torture has received 306 complaints about cruel treatments. The Committee provides representation for victims of cruel treatment in court and in other government bodies, and when necessary, medical, psychological, and psychiatric help. The Committee also actively promotes public discussions about the problems associated with the use of torture, and thereby supports and encourages the populations' heightened interest in human rights issues.

Go to: www.pytkam.net/web (only in Russian)

Turkey

Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TÜSİAD)
The Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TÜSİAD) is committed to the universal principles of democracy and human rights together with the freedoms of enterprise, belief and opinion. It strives to fortify the concept of a democratic civil society and a secular state of law in Turkey. It simultaneously aims to establish the legal and institutional framework of a market economy and ensure the application of internationally accepted business ethics in Turkey. TÜSİAD also works towards integration within the international economic system by increasing the competitiveness of the Turkish industrial and service sectors, thereby assuring a more visible and permanent place for Turkey within the international economic arena. TÜSİAD initiates public debate by communicating its policy positions, which are supported by professional research, directly to the Parliament, the government, the media, international organizations, and other states. TÜSİAD has offices in Istanbul and in Brussels.

Go to: www.tusiad.org