military budget

Changing narratives about unpaid care work and the economy

The pandemic has shown the critical importance of Care. It also exposed the challenges that women, particularly mothers, face in juggling paid work and unpaid Care responsibilities. At the heart of the problem is our current economic system, which considers unpaid care work – and nature – as endless and free commodities.
The Covid-19 crisis provides a unique opportunity to repurpose our economy, so that it serves the wellbeing of people and our planet. Bringing about such systemic change begins by changing narratives and perspectives on both unpaid care work and the economy.
Programme and list of speakers
Introductions:
  • Anne-Claire de Liedekerke, President, Make Mothers Matter
  • Olivier De Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
Moderator: Susan Himmelweit, Feminist economist, Emeritus professor of economics for the Open University in the UK, member of the UK Women’s Budget Group Commission for a Gender Equal Economy
Presentations:
  • Gary Barker, Founder and CEO, Promundo Global
  • Sonia Malaspina, Human Resources Director, Danone SN Italy
  • Anam Parvez, Research Lead in Evidence and Strategic Learning, Oxfam Great Britain
  • Shahra Razavi, Director, ILO Social Protection Department
Q&A

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the Vienna NGO Committee on the Family, please visit viennafamilycommittee.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Family-NY, please visit ngofamilyny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org.

Virtual launch event for Version 3 of the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines

The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs has the pleasure to invite you to attend the Virtual Launch Event for Version 3 of the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines on Thursday, 8 July from 10 AM – 12 PM (noon) Eastern Daylight Time (NY Time).

Register here!

Background info:

The Virtual Launch will feature presentations by technical and policy experts in the field of ammunition management, providing an overview of the key changes to the IATG and the rationale behind them. Experts will also reflect on the importance of the IATG Version 3 in responding to the increasing risk of explosive events at ammunition sites, resulting in grave humanitarian consequences. Over the past 2 years, the IATG have undergone a comprehensive technical review by the UN SaferGuard Technical Review Board. IATG Version 3 comprises 12 thematic series (or volumes), sub-divided into 41 individual modules. In addition to technical updates to existing modules, Version 3 includes two new modules, namely on organizational capabilities (module 01.35) and on airfields (module 8.20).

The International Ammunition Technical Guidelines First developed in 2011 pursuant to the request contained in General Assembly resolution 63/61, the IATG respond to a growing concern at the international level over explosive events at munition sites and the diversion of ammunition from poorly managed and unsecured stockpiles to the illicit market. The IATG are voluntary, practical and technical guidelines that serve as a foundation and reference framework for national authorities to improve the safety, security and effectiveness of their ammunition management policies and practices.

The UN SaferGuard Programme, managed by the Office for Disarmament affairs, functions as the caretaker of the IATG, allowing for holistic oversight and dissemination of the Guidelines and its supporting toolkit. In doing so, it is supported by a Technical Review Board (TRB) and the Strategic Coordination Group. Over the past two years, the TRB has conducted an extensive review of the IATG, resulting in its endorsement of Version 3 of the Guidelines as current, comprehensive and of the highest standards.

For more information, please contact Ingmar Snabilie at ingmar.snabilie@un.org.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace, and Security, please visit ngocdps.wordpress.com. 

Biden and Economic Imperialism | Biden y el imperialismo económico

Biden has been hailed as an antidote to Trump who will “restore America’s place in the world.” Centuries of US imperialism show he actually represents a continuation of neoliberal exploitation and settler colonialism.

A panel of American and global South activists will analyze Biden’s role in upholding US imperialism beyond the military, focusing on his economic policies–including around trade, investment, finance, climate, and food systems–which underpin US empire in profound ways.

Critically assessing the implications of Biden’s first 100 days, this event will engage participants around what’s at stake for our anti-imperialist activism.

We at Regions Refocus invite you to join us with your questions and thoughts, and we welcome messages at team@regionsrefocus.org.

Register here!

Panel:

US Dollar Hegemony and Special Drawing Rights | Hegemonía del dólar estadounidense y los derechos especiales de giro: Francisco Pérez (Center for Popular Economics, USA)

Biden’s Climate Plan and Green Imperialism | El Plan Climático de Biden y el Imperialismo Verde: Max Ajl (Observatory for Food Sovereignty and the Environment, Tunisia)

Agribusiness and US-India Trade Relations | Agronegocios y Relaciones Comerciales EE.UU.-India: Sagari Ramdas (Food Sovereignty Alliance, India)

Extractivism and the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement | El extractivismo y el Tratado entre México, Estados Unidos y Canadá: Manuel Pérez-Rocha (Institute for Policy Studies/ Mexican Action Network on Free Trade, Mexico)

COVID-19 Vaccine Justice | Justicia de Vacunas COVID-19: Salimah Valiani (Independent Researcher)

Moderator | Moderador: Camden Goetz (Regions Refocus, USA)

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org.  For more information on the Decolonization Alliance, email lbautista@umcjustice.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, please visit facebook.com/NGOCoRIP.

Civilian Safety in Armed Conflict: Community-based protection, early warning, and conflict preparedness

Civilian Safety in Armed Conflict: Community-based protection, early warning, and conflict preparedness

In this webinar, the second of a two-part series exploring existing efforts to improve the safety of civilians during armed conflict, we at PHAP will be discussing “secondary” prevention programs, in particular those focusing on strengthening communities in conflict-affected areas to reduce the risk of harm and mitigate the effects of armed conflict on civilian populations. We will hear from NGOs active in situations of armed conflict around the word about how they approach building capacity for prevention in communities – what the main considerations are and in which situations they are effective. We will also discuss what other organizations can learn from their approach and the implications this has for the humanitarian community as a whole.

Register here!

Background:

In armed conflict, the humanitarian community continues to witness highly disturbing situations where the safety of civilians is ignored or not addressed, or where civilians are purposely targeted by parties to a conflict. While protection services continue to provide much-needed support to vulnerable and marginalized groups and individuals and respond to protection concerns with remedial service provision, limited progress has been made on contributing to civilians’ safety in armed conflict. As Hugo Slim expressed it in the recent Oxford Lecture Series on Protection: “When you look at protection’s track record through wars, protection is at its weakest here, in this challenge in protecting people from physical harm and unlawful devastating attacks on their persons and homes.”

In the last few years, there has been a push by both humanitarian agencies and donors to examine how we can prevent and protect civilians from physical harm during conflict. Key questions remain: what does prevention mean and look like within our protection of civilians programming? Where does civilian safety “fit” within the humanitarian architecture?

There are, however, several existing approaches to mitigate and reduce risk in armed conflict for the civilian population, including how to prevent violence from happening in the first place and how to strengthen civilian self-protection strategies through community-based initiatives. This two-part webinar series aims to provide an overview of the range of strategies currently undertaken by national and international civil society organizations, UN agencies, and donors, providing examples of good practice, and discuss how such efforts can be advanced and systematized in the wider humanitarian community.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace, and Security, please visit ngocdps.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Migration, please visit ngo-migration.org.

Target 2045: A New Rallying Call for Nuclear Weapons Elimination

Target 2045: A new rallying call for nuclear weapons elimination

Co-sponsors: In-Depth News, Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament, UNFOLD ZERO and #wethepeoples2020

A number of calls have been made recently, by non-nuclear governments and civil society organisations, to the nuclear armed and allied countries to commit to achieving the global elimination of nuclear weapons at least by 2045, the 100th anniversary of the United Nations (if not sooner). These include recent statements to the UN High Level Meeting on the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, and global appeals launched by #wethepeoples2020 and World Beyond War.

This target of 2045 appears far into the future for those of us who believe that nuclear disarmament can and should be achieved much earlier. However, setting a goal of 2045 could provide a global rallying call to build a stronger movement, and would avoid being dismissed as unrealistically early by those who rely on nuclear deterrence. (See 2045: A New Rallying Call for Nuclear Abolition, In-Depth News, Oct 22, 2020)

This webinar will explore the political value of setting 2045 as the target date by which the global elimination of nuclear weapons should be achieved, if not before.

Register here!

Speakers:

H.E. Mr Magzhan Ilyassov, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the United Nations

Mr. Saber Chowdhury, MP, Honorary President, Inter-Parliamentary Union, Co-President, Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament

Mr. Ramesh Jaura, Editor-in-Chief & Director-General, IDN-InDepth News, flagship agency of the non-profit International Press Syndicate group

Ms. Vanda Proskova, Vice-Chair, PragueVision Institute for Sustainable Security, Co-chair, Abolition 2000 Youth Network

Chair: Mr. Alyn Ware, Member, World Future Council, Global Coordinator, Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace, and Security, please visit ngocdps.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bknotts@uua.org or bobbinassar@gmail.com. 

#75Words4Disarmament Congratulatory Event

#75Words4Disarmament Congratulatory Event by the #Youth4Disarmament Initiative
On Friday 23 October, watch the event live here: Join the Webex Event

If prompted, enter the following info:
Event number: 173 015 6470
Event password: WDYC2020

Background: In commemoration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations, the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs held the “#75Words4Disarmament Youth Challenge”, which was launched on 12 August, the International Youth Day, and was closed on 26 September, the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.

The “#75Words4Disarmament Youth Challenge” invited young people around the world to express what disarmament means to them and their communities in 75 words. The challenge provided an opportunity to think about disarmament not as an abstract concept, but as a practical means to help prevent armed conflict and promote peace and security.

The challenge was open to young people between the ages of 13 and 29, with three age groups: 13 to 18 years (middle and high school), 19 to 24 years (college and graduate school) and 25 to 29 years (early career professionals). The five winners from each group were selected by the panel of judges and will be announced at the congratulatory event at 9 a.m. (EDT) on Monday, 26 October, marking the Disarmament Week.

At the event, the winners will be announced by the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs and the young people’s concerns and cares for disarmament and ways for further youth engagement will be shared.

Our distinguished speakers:

Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs
H.E. Mr. CHO Hyun, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the UN
Ms. Isa Begemann, UN Youth Champion for Disarmament
First Prize Winners

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Children’s Rights, please email the co-chair at marjones@nyc.rr.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace, and Security, please visit ngocdps.wordpress.com.

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