Scriptorium

Linked with Paul Beersmans – Belgium, with JAMMU AND KASHMIR: A SMOULDERING CONFLICT … , and with … again Kashmir.

(Added on March 22, 2007: Linked also with ‘ … Conclusions‘, and with ‘ … Meetings‘).

(Added on March 22, 2008: Meanwhile their website has been restructered. Now you go to the Homepage and click for the relevant pages on the link on the left site).

about (homepage and click on about): The « BELGIAN ASSOCIATION FOR SOLIDARITY WITH JAMMU AND KASHMIR » BASJAK is an association of people who are worried about the fate of JAMMU AND KASHMIR and its population and who want to contribute their part, though it be ever so modest, to set a step closer to a solution, to a lasting peace in this part of the world. BASJAK is a totally independent association without any political, religious, ideological and phylosophical link, whatsoever:

Kashmir in a nutshell: English version, Nederlandstalige versie/(Dutch version), and different Reports of study tours (1994 – 2006) *, and Observer Mission Legislative Assembly Elections Jammu and Kashmir State, September-October 2002, an eyewitness report, and differents statements for the Human Rights Commission in Geneva (1995 – 2005) *, and New: Updated Photo Gallery *. Etc. (For full texts, click on the links on the Homepage).
* there are many different links for each of this item.

Contact: Belgian Association for Solidarity with Jammu and Kashmir BASJAK, Office: Middenheide 126, B-9120 BEVEREN, (BELGIUM), Telephone and Fax: 00 32 / (0)3 / 775 26 61, e-mail, , website.

BASJAK is deploying following activities to achieve its above mentioned aims:

Continuer la lecture de « Belgian Association for Solidarity with Jammu and Kashmir BASJAK »

Welcome! Join us during the weeks of March 12-18 and April 23-29 to help launch a global network of people who want to change their communities and the world by connecting people, ideas, and resources in every possible way. We invite you to imagine a better community and a better world, and to see how we can build it together, starting right now. Click on the photos to see what people are saying about this project, and then take a moment to see why this is needed, how it will work, and how you can get involved.

Read about this idea, see how people are responding to it, and sign up for one of 79 start-up meetings in 35 countries.

• 1. What do we mean by a better world?
• 2. The challenge: so many missed connections,
• 3. The opportunity: we have so much in common,
• 4. How? Like stores and libraries,
• 5. Some solutions,
• 6. Getting started,
• 7. What you can do right now.

Imagine;

About us;

Meetings;

Contact.

(Thai Version)

Linked with Abbot-Pra Acharn Phusit (Chan) Khantitharo – Thailand.

Brief history of the temple: In 1985, Pra Achan Phusit (Chan) Khantitharo (presently, he’s the abbot of Wat Pa Luangta Bua Yansampanno Forest Monastery) traveled on foot into the forest in Kanchanaburi. He then practiced Dhamma at the cave (the present location of Wat Pa Tham Phu Toei), around 3 km from Phu Toei village. At that time, there were only 21 households. He started building chamber, pavilion, storage pond, school, and did the teaching. The purpose was to instill Dhamma into the mind of the youths, even living in the remote forest, which would lead to a peaceful society. While he was there, hardly anyone knew that he was a disciple of Venerable Luangta Maha Bua. It was until in 1994 when Luangta Maha Bua ordered him to build Wat Pa Luangta Bua Forest Monastery that he had to leave Wat Pa Tham Phu Toei. He appointed Pra Achan Sunthorn (Uan) Khamphirapanyo as the abbot up to now. However, he took his disciples to present robes to monks at his previous monastery regularly every year. Since this monastery is very far away and the route is still not very convenient. It’s necessary to make the trip in advance to stay overnight and present robes the next morning. We crossed Sri Nakharin Dam by ferry. Upon arrival, the villagers there took us to visit the cave. (full text).

The guest book of the tiger temple.

Continuer la lecture de « The Wat Pa Luangta Bua Yannasampanno Forest Monastery (Tiger Temple) »

Linked with Richard Douthwaite – Ireland, and with Three Key Steps to Sustainability.

Homepage: Feasta aims to identify the characteristics (economic, cultural and environmental) of a truly sustainable society, articulate how the necessary transition can be effected and promote the implementation of the measures required for this purpose. The word feasta (pronounced fasta) is taken from an old Irish poem that laments the decimation of the forests. It means ‘in the future’ and Feasta sees itself as a collective thinking process about that future.

• Contact;
• Newsletter;
• Money related articles;
• Business related Articles;
• Education;
• Democracy;
• Community.

Continuer la lecture de « Foundation for the Economics of Sustainability »

Linked with Josie Tankunani Sirivi – Papua New Guinea.

The group has not an own website, but is named on some of the following sites:

WomenWarPeace.

As Mothers of the Land: The birth of the Bougainville women for peace and freedom: … Bougainville is a matrilineal society, in which women are custodians of the land, but, as the conflict escalated, they became unwilling pawns in the fight to control the country’s destiny. They were forced from their homes and herded into PNG-controlled ‘care centres’ or were forced to live on the run, fleeing to the jungle to escape violence, rape and military rule … . (full text).

Report on Representation for Bougainville women to the Asia Pacific Human Rights Tribunal, December 2001: Often people or countries fight because of greed. The powerful nations want all the good things for themselves, even if it is not theirs. So when the rightful owner defends his rights, this is the time when fights and wars start. (full text).

Continuer la lecture de « The Bougainville Women for Peace and Freedom BWPF »

Linked with Dulcy de Silva – Sri Lanka.

This group has not an own website, but is named on many others. Hereafter some of them:

Cited on WomenWarPeace.org: Mothers and Daughters of Lanka is a coalition of progressive women’s groups: (concerned about human rights and has lobbied around peace issues through demonstrations and petitions). These Women’s organizations are:

Centre For Women’s Research: The Centre has 15 years of research experience on women in Sri Lanka with a view to facilitating the realization of their full potential in achieving equality. It promotes women’s entry into non-traditional occupations including politics.
Address: 225/4 Kirula Road, Colombo-5 Sri Lanka, Tele/Fax : 941-502-828 / 941-502-153, E-mail one, E-mail two.

Hatton Women’s Committee: Works with plantation workers (Tamil women). Among its primary objectives are: to motivate, educate and train plantation women with a view to emancipate them from their current subordinate status and empower them to play a positive and equitable role in society; and to provide for the organization of plantation women in order to enable and develop their confidence, self-esteem and participation in decision-making.
Address: Dunbar Road, Hatton, Sri Lanka;

Continuer la lecture de « Mothers and Daughters of Sri Lanka »

Linked with Angela Gomes – Bangladesh.

I could not find a website of Banchte Shekha, but many texts about this organisation exist in the internet. Hereafter some of them:

Address: Banchte Shekha, Biman Bandar Sarak, Arabpur, Puratan Kashba, Jessore – 7400, Bangladesh – Tel: 0088 0421 73238. (found on basebangladesh.com).

A POWER SOURCE, ANGELA GOMES COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP: Her Banchte Shekha organization offers female-empowerment programs to more than 25,000 women in nearly 430 Bangladeshi villages. (full text).

The following article appeared in Women Transforming Communication, edited by Donna Allen, Ramona R. Rush and Susan J. Kaufman, as well as in Participatory Communication for Social Change, edited by Jan Servaies, Rhomas L. Jacobson and Shirley A. White. Both volumes were published in 1996 by Sage. POWERFUL GRASSROOTS WOMEN COMMUNICATORS: Participatory Video in Bangladesh, By Renuka Bery and Sara Stuart. (full long text).

Continuer la lecture de « Banchte Shekha – Bangladesh »

Lié avec Adoption – la loi doit évoluer.

Un group défendant les Droits de l’Homme. Ci-après quelques liens à l’intérieur de leur website:

Homepage;
Dernière heure;
Textes fondamentaux;
Archives;
S’abonner à la lettre d’information;
Nous écrire.

Missions: (Excerpt:) … La Ligue des droits de l’Homme collabore souvent, tant au niveau national qu’au niveau local, avec toutes ces associations, comme elle collabore, aussi, avec l’ensemble du mouvement syndical, ou, bien qu’elle ne participe pas aux consultations électorales, avec les partis politiques qui partagent certains de ses objectifs. Mais elle se distingue fortement de toutes les autres associations par les particularités suivantes:
Laïque, elle compte des membres de toutes opinions philosophiques et religieuses, mais ne fait référence en tant que telle a aucune religion. Association généraliste, elle entend lutter contre l’ensemble des atteintes aux droits de l’individu, dans tous les domaines de la vie civique, politique et sociale. Pour cela, elle ne se contente pas de dénoncer les injustices : elle veut promouvoir la citoyenneté politique et sociale de tous et garantir l’exercice entier de la démocratie. Elle considère que la défense des libertés politiques et celle des droits économiques et sociaux sont inséparables. Elle fait donc reposer l’engagement pour les droits de l’Homme sur un engagement civique et politique …

Continuer la lecture de « Ligue des droits de l'homme LDH – France »

Received by mail by Human Rights Education Associates HREA.

Strasbourg, 01.03.2007 – Council of Europe Secretary General Terry Davis is in Vienna today to inaugurate the European Union’s Fundamental Rights Agency.

Inauguration: The mandate of the agency, which is clearly limited to the EU’s distinct legal order, respects the preeminent role of the Council of Europe and its European Court of Human Rights in defending human rights in Europe. The regulations of the Agency recognise the work done by the Council of Europe, and there are detailed provisions which are intended to promote synergy and ensure complementarity.

The Council of Europe has been invited to participate in the administration of the new agency. Negotiations on a cooperation agreement between the two organisations have already begun and should be completed before the summer.

Ursula Plassnik, Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of Austria, José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, Hans-Gert Pöttering, President of the European Parliament, and Brigitte Zypries, Federal Minister of Justice of Germany, will be among those taking part in the ceremony at the Palais Niederösterreich. (A Council of Europe Press release).

Continuer la lecture de « Inauguration and opening of EU Fundamental Rights Agency »

Linked with Chhing Lamu Sherpa – Nepal.

Mountain Spirit MS is a non-government and non-profit making organization formed by the youths and development professionals of mountain community in 1996. MS has received wider government recognition through its formal affiliation with the Social Welfare Council in Nepal. (full text).

Reports;
News;
Vision, Mission;
Programm Aereas;
Photo Gallery;
Partner: Deutschland;
Contact. Mountain Spirit, P.O.Box 10185, Katmandu, Nepal, Tel 977-1-4422390.

Mountain Spirit is a non-governmental and non-profit organization legally registered in Nepal in 1996 and affiliated to the Social Welfare Council (SWC) of Nepal . The main objective of Mountain Spirit is to preserve the environment, culture and identity of mountain regions through the participation of local people in needs-based development activities. It aims to help make the mountains a better place to live, work and visit by improving the quality of life and empowering the local people so that they can make their own decisions and determine their own destiny.

Continuer la lecture de « Mountain Spirit MS »

in english, deutsch, español, français, norsk, português.

Linked with Boualaphet Chounthavong – Laos.

Worldwide people working on Community-Based Natural Resource Management Network, CBNRM.Net, as practitioners, managers and researchers, are increasingly requesting better communication capabilities. Such communication and networking capabilities would make it possible for people to exchange experiences, manage relevant knowledge, and support learning across countries, sectors, cultures, and languages, and in this way achieve better results. The global context for these changes includes increased emphasis on culture, local institutions, traditional knowledge, participation and participatory approaches, and NGOs and civil society, within an overall nation-state framework characterized by increasing weight on decentralization, governance and transparency. CBNRM.Net is a response to this call. It provides a powerful set of broad, robust and useful networking tools aimed at linking stakeholders. As a complete, integrated, and adaptable knowledge management tool, CBNRM Net is presented as a service to the global CBNRM.Net community of practice. Explore CBNRM.Net for:

Continuer la lecture de « CBNRM.Net »

Linked with Boualaphet Chounthavong – Laos.

Village Focus International envisions a world in which every community has the capacity, opportunity, and legal right to improve its quality of life. VFI’s mission is to invest in local staff and leaders working to design and implement
projects that create positive change in their own communities by bridging international support to local action. (full text).

Non-profit U.S.-based organization empowering communities and leaders in Laos, Cambodia, and Southern India. Incorporated in 2000 by a group of Lao people and two Americans who have worked together for over ten years. Grassroots model that differs from large development organizations, known to be ineffective and wasteful, by keeping overhead costs low and emphasizing local leadership. (full text).

Homepage;
Child Protection & Empowerment; Village Life & Leadership; Natural Resource Management; Fair Trade; Newsletter;
Contact us.

Cambodia: The Khmer Rouge regime, responsible for the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million people, brought Cambodia’s flourishing society to a halt in 1975. The resulting years of war, isolation, and uncertainty lasted until 1998. (full text). Continuer la lecture de « Village Focus International VFI »

OSI-New York and OSI-Budapest are separate organizations that operate independently, yet cooperate informally with each other. This website, a joint presentation, is intended to promote both organizations’ interests, while maintaining their respective transparency. (Information-Programme).

OSI Offices: OSI is based in New York City and cooperates with the Hungary-based OSI-Budapest. OSI-New York is exempt from United States income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. Together with OSI-Budapest, OSI-New York provides administrative, financial, and technical support to the Soros foundations. OSI-New York operates initiatives, which address specific issues on a regional or network-wide basis internationally, and other independent programs. OSI-New York is also the home of a series of programs that focus principally on the United States. In the United States, OSI has offices in Baltimore, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. In addition to Budapest, other offi ces outside the United States are located in Brussels, London, and Paris.

The Soros Foundations Network;
Grants, Scholarships, Fellowships;
Resource Center;
Initiatives;
Site-map;
Contact us inside of our website.

Continuer la lecture de « The Open Society Institute OSI »

Linked with Manfred Max-Neef – Chile, with The Max-Neef Model of Human-Scale Development, with Statements at the World Future Council.

CEPAUR is largely dedicated to the reorientation of development in terms of stimulating local self-reliance and satisfying fundamental human needs. More generally, it advocates a return to the human scale. CEPAUR acts as a clearing-house for information on the revitalisation and development of small and medium-sized urban and rural communities; it researches new tools, strategies and evalutive techniquest for such development, assists with projects aiming at greater local self-reliance and disseminates the reulsts of its research and experience. In Human Scale Development, published in 1987 in Spanish and later in English, Max-Neef and his colleagues at CEPAUR outline a new development paradigm based on a revaluation of human needs. Needs are described as existential (having, doing, being) and as axiological (values) and the things needed to satisfy them are not necessarily dependent upon, or commensurate with, the kinds or quantities of economic goods available in any given society. The book seeks to counter the logic of economics with the ethics of well-being. (full text on the website of The Right Livelihood Awards).

The Center is described also on the following websites:
Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation;
Foundation for deep ecology;
Peace Proposal.com;
Globalization and Megatechnology.

NCCR Central Asia is part of The National Centre of Competence in Research NCCR North-South (site is hosted at the University of Berne/Switzerland (in german), and their Center for development and environment: (in english). Works together with the Swiss Development Cooperation.

Swiss cooperation in Central Asia started with Kyrgyzstan in 1993 and Uzbekistan in 1994. Tajikistan received humanitarian aid during the civil war (1993-97), which had later been replaced by technical and financial assistance. Through the Swiss Cooperation Offices in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, Switzerland implements projects which aim to achieve a sustainable change in the region. Some of the regional projects include limited activities in Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. Motivation for support: Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan are members of the Swiss-led voting group at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and at the Bretton Woods Institutions (International Monetary Fund, World Bank). Swiss active involvement in the region is supported by the Swiss government’s understanding that global security and prosperity will not be achieved as long as a huge gap separates the developed and the underdeveloped world. (full text).

Continuer la lecture de « North-South research of NCCR in Central Asia »