View previous stories
	2012 Social Forum:- People-centred development & globalization by UN Non-Governmental Liaison Service   Sep 2012   The Social Forum, a subsidiary body of the United Nations Human Rights Council, offers a space for open and interactive dialogue between the representatives of Member States, civil society, and intergovernmental organizations on (inter)national development issues and their impact on the enjoyment of all human rights.   The 2012 Social Forum will take place on 1-3 October 2012 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva and will focus on “People-centred development and globalization.”   Themes include:   (a) People-centred development and global governance in an era of multiple challenges and social transformation;   (b) Promoting measures and actions for participatory development and democratic governance, including through the role of civil society and social movements at the grass-roots, local and national levels;   (c) Enhancing a globally enabling environment for development, including through the international financial system, which should support sustained, inclusive and equitable economic growth, sustainable development and hunger and poverty eradication in developing countries, while allowing for the coherent mobilization of all sources of financing for development.   The Forum will feature a keynote panel on the overall theme of the Forum, a roundtable discussion on “Strengthening the global partnership for development,” as well as eight panel discussions and interactive dialogues on the following issues: Participatory development; Democratic governance; Social movements; Social movements and women’s rights; Coherent mobilization of all sources of financing for development; The international financial system and enhancing a globally enabling environment for development; Promoting sustainable development in an era of globalization; and Innovative approaches to development and globalization.   The Social Forum of the Human Rights Council: A Practical Guide for Civil Society, available in English, French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, and Chinese.   http://www.ohchr.org/EN/issues/poverty/sforum/pages/sforumindex.aspx Visit the related web page
	Russian editor sacked for refusing to cover president Vladimir Putin by RIA Novosti & agencies   Sep 22, 2012   A Russian editor has been sacked for refusing to cover president Vladimir Putin.   The president recently took to the air in an ultralight aircraft, followed by rare Siberian cranes, in an attempt to teach them migration routes.   The Kremlin suggested that one of the country"s biggest magazines, science journal Around the World, cover the exploit.   But editor Masha Gessen, a respected journalist who also authored a Putin biography, turned down the offer.   "I wanted a story on the crane repopulation project without Vladimir Putin as part of the story," she told Correspondent"s Report.   "So that"s what I told first my immediate boss, who called the owner of the magazine.   "The owner of the magazine called me and said, "send somebody". I said no, and I was fired on the spot."   While the decision cost Gessen her job, it also led to a face-to-face meeting with Mr Putin.   "All I did was tweet about it, and I immediately got a flurry of media calls. I told the story," she said.   "One hungover morning, I got a phone call while riding in the back of a cab, from a man who introduced himself as Vladimir Putin.   "And he said that he heard that I"d been fired, that he realised that he"d unwittingly served as the reason for the firing, and that he wanted to discuss this with me."   A week later, Gessen was in the Kremlin with Mr Putin.   "He asked me if I wanted to explain why I decided not to send a reporter, and I said I did want to explain," she said.   "And I said, "Vladimir Vladimirovich, I completely agree with everything you"ve said about the importance of drawing attention to these issues, but when you personally participate in something, it has a way of turning into a travesty."   The Russian president has tranquilised and tagged a tiger and a polar bear. He has driven a Formula One race car and piloted a fire-fighting jet.   He has also miraculously emerged with ancient artefacts at an archaeological site, after only a few minutes diving underwater.   Gessen says he seems oblivious to the growing ridicule the photo-ops inspire.   "I don"t think he"s aware of the reaction they"re getting. I think that he watches his own television," she said.   "That"s the problem with being a dictator is you lose touch with reality, because people will only show you things that you want to see."   Gessen was not out of work for long. She has already been hired to head the Russian service of the US government-funded Radio Liberty.   19/09/2012   Russia Rights Activists decry USAID Closure.(Marc Bennetts, RIA Novosti)   Leading Russian rights activists slammed on Wednesday Moscow’s decision to force a U.S. development aid mission to wind up its operations in the country by the start of next month.   Russia said on Tuesday the U.S. agency for international development (U.S.Aid), which funds pro-democracy and human rights groups that have irked the Kremlin, would have to close its offices by October 1. Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said on Wednesday the U.S. government agency was using its resources to “affect the course” of elections.   “This is a very bad signal,” said Lilia Shibanova, head of the Golos independent election monitoring group, which receives the majority of its funding from U.S.Aid. “They have done a lot for Russian society, for the support of rights organizations, and for the support of independent journalism in Russia.”   Shibanova also said she suspected the move was intended to prevent Golos monitoring the October 14 regional polls, a litmus test for the ability of the protest movement against the twelve-year-rule of President Vladimir Putin to transform the energy of mass street rallies into electoral success.   The move comes shortly after the introduction of a controversial new law forcing NGOs who engage in politics and receive funding from abroad to register as "foreign agents.”   Putin has frequently accused Washington of backing the unprecedented protests against his rule that broke out after the disputed December 2012 parliamentary polls and has also compared organizations such as Golos to “Judas.”   Lev Ponomaryov, head of the “For Human Rights” organization, said the ousting of U.S.Aid could see the “expulsion” of all similar foreign aid organizations from Russia.   He also said the move would mean that “human rights workers will be unable to carry out their obligations to the thousands of people whose rights are being violated.”   U.S.Aid has been operating in Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union and has funded a range of organizations, including medical NGOs fighting HIV/Aids and tuberculosis. But around 60 percent of the aid agency"s $50 million annual budget this year went to rights and democracy groups.   U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said on Tuesday that U.S.Aid had spent “about $2.7 billion overall” on various programs in Russia in the last twenty years.   “This is just part of an obvious general tendency to limit the activities of civil society,” said Svetlana Gannushkina, a former member of the Kremlin’s rights council. “My initial reaction was ‘who’s next?’”   “I never received any money from U.S.Aid, but I often discussed with them what spheres were in need of improvement in Russia. I will lose this contact now,” she added.   Gannushkina also said rights groups were unable to obtain funding from Russian businesses, as they were “afraid” of the possible consequences of involvement with pro-democracy organizations.   * Innokenty Grekov writing for Human Rights First asks if punitive psychiatry is making a comeback in Russia, see link below. See also: http://www.opendemocracy.net/od-russia/pavel-chikov/russian-ngos-funding-realities Visit the related web page
	View more stories