Sri Lanka

Doctrine of Discovery: Dismantling the Church’s Authorization of Supremacy

In 1452, Pope Nicholas V issued Dum Diversas, a Papal Bull (reaffirmed by subsequent popes) which came to be known as the Doctrine of Discovery. This gave church authorization to the global movement of European conquest and colonization, which decimated the Native populations in the Americas. While many countries in Africa and Asia saw significant suffering, Sri Lanka’s colonial exploitation lasted 453 years, one of the longest in history.

European colonialism may have formally ended, but its supremacist mindset has captured us. How shall we dismantle it?

In our final October session, Thursdays with OMNIA will explore this critical question for our time. Please plan to join our global Zoom conversation next Thursday, October  29th at 2:00 p.m. GMT  (7:00 a.m. in California, 9:00 a.m. in Chicago, 3:00 p.m. in Nigeria, 7:30 p.m. in Sri Lanka, 8:00 p.m. in Bangladesh.) Please double check your time zone.

We invite your participation and engagement. The conversation will be initiated by two experts on the subject, who are grounded in contextual realities:

  • Dr. George “Tink” Tinkeris the Emeritus Professor of American Indian Cultures and Religious Traditions at Iliff School of Theology, Denver, Colorado. He is a member of the wazhazhe, Osage Nation. Dr. Tinker is a renowned expert on Native American history, culture and spirituality. He is the author of many books including, American Indian Liberation: A Theology of Sovereignty. (2008)
  • Dr. Darshi Thoradeniya is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of History, at the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. She received her Ph.D. in history at the University of Warwick in the UK specializing in the History of Medicine and gender issues. She has published many articles particularly in the area of reproductive rights. The winner of many awards and grants, her research and teaching includes colonialism.

Register here!

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

[Virtual Panel Discussion} Skills for a Resilient Youth in the Era of COVID-19 & Beyond

World Youth Skills Day 2020 [virtual panel discussion]

Owing to the COVID-19 situation, the celebrations of the World Youth Skills Day 2020 will have a virtual format. A panel discussion will bring together multiple stakeholders in skills development including young people, member States, TVET institutions, the private sector, 4 workers’ organizations, policy makers and development partners. An online discussion with the audience will follow.

RSVP: cutt.ly/WYSD2020

The World Youth Skills Days is co-organized by the Permanent Missions of Portugal and Sri Lanka to the United Nations, together with UNESCO, ILO and the Office of the Secretary General’s Envoy on Youth.

The objectives of the World Youth Skills Day 2020 are to:

● Assess the situation of young people regarding skills required for work during and after the health and socio-economic crises brought by the COVID-19 pandemic;

● Learn how young people have been living through the crisis and mobilized; and highlight success stories of youth innovation and resilience;

● Share lessons learnt by TVET institutions and firms since the beginning of the crisis; this will include best practices in protecting apprentices, trainees and trainers and ensuring the continuity of training, and preparedness for further outbreaks of COVID-19 or other new diseases;

● Share experience in distance training, including no-tech, low-tech and high-tech solutions (use of mobile phone, TV, radio, offline and online devices, disruptive technologies such as using artificial intelligence, block chain technologies, big data analytics, drones, 3D printing, fab labs, smart agriculture, smart manufacturing, fintech, internet, etc.), and reflect on the use of distance training after the pandemic is over;

● Review prospects for skills development including apprenticeships as the economic crisis unfolds, and on the effectiveness of national recovery plans and support from development partners;

● Reflect on how skills development can help reconcile the short-term need for economic recovery with the urgent need for accelerating the transition to sustainable development;

● Launch the ILO Toolkit for Quality Apprenticeships Volume II for practitioners to improve the design and implementation of apprenticeship programmes; and

● Announce the winner of the ILO Innovation Skills Challenge Innovation Call, a global competition to identify innovative approaches to address skills mismatch.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing – Geneva, visit ageingcommitteegeneva.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing – NY, visit ngocoa-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing – Vienna, visit ngoageingvie.org. For information on the NGO Committee on Intergenerational Solidarity, email the Chair, Rosa Perla Resnick at  rositaresnick@yahoo.com or the Vice Chair, Susanne Seperson at susanneseperson@gmail.com.

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