transparency

Intimidation and reprisals for cooperation with the UN: global trends and good practices

Side event on Intimidation and reprisals for cooperation with the UN: global trends and good practices

In September, the Secretary General released the 2022 report on intimidation and reprisals for cooperation with the UN. Join us for a discussion on main findings, and to explore good practices to prevent and address intimidation and reprisals, both online and offline.

*UN Headquarters meeting room for onsite participation TBC – registrants will be notified.

Please RSVP here (bit.ly/3DDqFwM) by Thursday 3 November 2022.

Program

Moderator:

  • Madeleine Sinclair, ISHR

Welcome remarks:

  • H.E. Mrs. Zsuzsanna Horváth, Permanent Representative of Hungary to the UN

Speakers:

  • Ms. Ilze Brands Kehris, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights
  • Ms. Rebecca Vernon, legal advisor at the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law
  • Ms. Esther Omam Njomo, Executive Director of Reach out Cameroon
  • Mr. Ahmed Adam Abdulla, Vice President of the Human Rights Commission of Maldives

Interventions/comments from the floor (30 min)

Concluding remarks:

  • H.E. Mr. Donal Kenneally, Deputy Permanent Representative of Ireland to the UN

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bobbinassar@yahoo.com or bknotts@uua.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. 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 Migration, please visit ngo-migration.org.

Human Rights in the Digital Age: Ensuring Access and Equality While Addressing Risks and Threats

This is an open invitation to a high-level virtual side event “Human Rights in the Digital Age: Ensuring Access and Equality While Addressing Risks and Threats” hosted by The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology, which will take place on 27 September 2022 at 10:00-11:30 AM.

The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. António Guterres, the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology and the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, among other dignitaries, experts, and civil society representatives, will deliver remarks

To register for the event, please RSVP to OHCHR (Ann Syauta, syauta@un.org) by 26 September.

Interpretation available in English, French, and Spanish.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Education, Learning, and Literacy, please visit facebook.com/NGOCELLatUN. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Family/NY, please visit ngofamilyny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bobbinassar@yahoo.com or bknotts@uua.org. 

Civil Society Prep Meeting for the 9th Conference of the States Parties to the UNCAC (COSP9)

Dear Civil Society Representatives, 

Since you have been invited to participate as an observer in the ninth session of the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (COSP9 UNCAC), which will be held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, from 13 to 17 December 2021, we would like to inform you that on 12 December 2021, UNODC and the UNCAC Coalition will carry out a CSO Preparatory session and we would like to invite you to participate.

Civil Society Preparatory Meeting 9th Conference of the States Parties to the UNCAC (COSP 9)

Opening:

  • Mathias Huter, Managing Director, UNCAC Coalition
  • Member of the Bureau (TBC)
  • John Brandolino, Director, Division for Treaty Affairs, UNODC (TBC)

UNODC Session: Briefing on COSP & Explaining the role of CSOs at the Conference

Moderator: Mirella Dummar Frahi, Chief, Civil Society Unit, UNODC

Speakers:

  • Brigitte Strobel-Shaw, Chief, Corruption and Economic Crime Branch (CEB), UNODC
  • Livia Krings, Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer, CEB, UNODC

UNCAC Coalition Session: Coordinating civil society advocacy and messaging at the Conference

Moderator: UNCAC Coalition representative

  • Overview of on-site CSO activitiesLightning talks on priority topics: Preventive measures
  • Beneficial ownership transparency
  • Asset recovery
  • Civic space & improved UNCAC review mechanism
  • Follow-up to the UN General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on corruption
  • Other issues (identified by participants, dependent on proposed resolutions

Register here: indico.un.org/event/1000235

*An official letter indicating the names of the persons constituting your organization’s delegation, including individual email addresses, must be uploaded to the INDICO system, together with the mandatory details for each participant (name, title, individual email address, photo, in-person or online participation and copy of passport). Registration requests will be approved by the secretariat only after being cross-checked against the official letter of the organisation, uploaded to INDICO. In line with requirements by the Host Country, participants are requested to complete the registration process as early as possible before the Conference and not later than 12 November 2021.

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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 NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-Vienna, please visit congocsd.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, please visit facebook.com/NGOCoRIP. 

International Day for Universal Access to Information

On 17 November 2015, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared 28 September as International Day for Universal Access to Information. Considering that several civil society organizations and government bodies in the world have adopted and currently celebrate this observance, the UN General Assembly also adopted 28 September 2019 as the International Day for Universal Access to Information.

UNESCO and its intergovernmental programs – the International Programme for Development of Communication and the Information for All Programme – provide a platform and frame for all the stakeholders to participate in international discussions on policy and guidelines in the area of access to information. Both programs also enable positive environment for ATI to flourish through the development of projects aimed to strengthen open science, multilingualism, ICTs for disabled and marginalized, and media and information literacy.

Access to information

Informed citizens can make informed decisions, for instance, when going to the polls. Only when citizens know how they are governed, can they hold their governments accountable for their decisions and actions. Information is power. Therefore, universal access to information is a cornerstone of healthy and inclusive knowledge societies.

Universal access to information means that everyone has the right to seek, receive and impart information. This right is an integral part of the right to freedom of expression. The media plays a crucial role in informing the public about issues of interest, but it relies on the ability to seek and receive information, too. Hence, the right to universal access to information is also bound up with the right to freedom of the press.

To learn more about why and how the UN commemorates this day, please visit un.org/en/observances/information-access-day.

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

Combating Corruption: The Relevance & Capacities of Faith-Based Organizations

Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly Against Corruption (UNGASS)

Side meeting: “Combating Corruption: The Relevance and Capacities of Faith-Based Organizations”

Representatives from diverse faith traditions, along with UN officials with direct experience in combating and proposing solutions to corruption—trafficking, public corruption, organized crime—will discuss the role of FBOs in corruption prevention and intervention efforts to improve ethics, justice, rule of law, good governance, and sustainable development.

Moderator: Dr. Thomas G. Walsh, Chairman, Universal Peace Federation; Co-Chair, Coalition of Faith-Based Organizations, USA

Panelists:

  • Amb. Thomas Stelzer, Dean, International Anti-Corruption Center, Vienna
  • Mrs. Livia Krings, Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer in the Corruption and Economic Crime Branch of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Austria
  • Dr. Liberato “Levi” Bautista, President of The Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations (CoNGO) in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations and Main Representative to the UN for the United Methodist Church-General Board of Church and Society
  • Imam Sheikh Mohammad Ismail, The Muslim Chaplain, The University of Sheffield, The Octagon Centre, Sheffield, UK
  • Bishop Munib Younan, Former President, Lutheran World Federation; Honorary President, Religions for Peace, State of Palestine

Question and Answer:

For Q&A, please email questions to coalitionfbo@gmail.com Thank you!

This webinar is sponsored by:

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the Committee of Religious NGOs at the United Nations, please visit rngos.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Drugs & Crime-NY, please visit nyngoc.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Freedom of Religion or Belief, please visit unforb.org.

“Corruption Inside-out – Fraud, bribery, and misuse of EU funds: A call for transparency, accountability, proper scrutiny and sanctions”

I am pleased to invite you to attend the CEIPA video conference – “Corruption Inside-out – Fraud, bribery, and misuse of EU funds: a call for transparency, accountability, proper scrutiny and sanctions”

The event will take place via Zoom.
18th June 2021
from 2pm to 4pm CET

Register here to participate and engage in a lively debate with policymakers, researchers, NGO’s and journalists about current anti-fraud schemes and the call for transparency, accountability, proper scrutiny and sanctions.

Topics for discussion include:

  • Are corruption, fraud and misuse of European subsidies hampering economic growth and diminishing citizens’ trust in the European project?
  •  Are political leaders and decision-makers determined to prevent further corruption, fraud, and the misuse of European funds?
  •  What are the incentives provided by the European Union to prevent the misuse of EU funds on the national level?
  • Are the European Institutions well equipped to combat corruption and fraud through effective and long-lasting sanctions?
  • Can future reforms of major EU instruments such as the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) prevent further fraud and corruption?
  • How can the new CAP improve transparency and EU oversight?
  • What are the policies and practices of the European Institutions and Agencies such as the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, OLAF, EUROPOL, EUROJUST, and national authorities entrusted with fighting corruption in curtailing the misuse of EU funds?
  • What are the steps the national governments have to undertake in order to make the new initiative of the European Commission protecting whistle-blowers and journalists reporting on corruption and misuse of EU funds effective and deliver the expected results?
  • What new safeguards and legislative frameworks does Europe urgently need in order to protect investigative journalists in Europe from intimidation, harassment, blackmail and physical harm?
  • Is the sanctioning of fraudulent public institutions, national governments, and oligarchs by the European Commission and EU bodies such as the European Public Prosecutors Office feasible?
  • In what way is the EU whistle-blower protection directive helping to keep safe investigative journalists and whistle-blowers who are in countries where they may be exposed to severe sanctions or life-threatening circumstances?
More information on the topics for discussion can be found here.

We look forward to your participation at this next event,

Peter Josef von Bethlenfalvy
Executive Director

World Press Freedom Global Conference

This year’s World Press Freedom Day theme “Information as a Public Good” serves as a call to affirm the importance of cherishing information as a public good, and exploring what can be done in the production, distribution and reception of content to strengthen journalism, and to advance transparency and empowerment while leaving no one behind. The theme is of urgent relevance to all countries across the world. It recognizes the changing communications system that is impacting on our health, our human rights, democracies and sustainable development.

To underline the importance of information within our online media environment, World Press Freedom Day 2021 will highlight three key topics:

  • Steps to ensure the economic viability of news media;
  • Mechanisms for ensuring transparency of Internet companies;
  • Enhanced Media and Information Literacy (MIL) capacities that enable people to recognize and value, as well as defend and demand, journalism as a vital part of information as a public good.

The 2021 Global Conference is hosted by UNESCO and the Government of Namibia. It will take place on 29 April – 3 May in Windhoek. The event will be a physical and digital experience combining virtual and in-presence participation. Register now to be part of the regional forums, side events, keynotes, artistic showcases, films screenings and more! Join media leaders, activists, policymakers, media and legal experts, artists and researchers from all over the world.

The Conference will call for urgent attention to the threat of extinction faced by local news media around the world, a crisis worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. It will put forward ideas to tackle the challenges of our online media environment, push for more transparency of internet companies, strengthen safety of journalists, and improve their working conditions. The Conference will also call to support independent media and empower citizens to face these challenges. The Conference is hosted by UNESCO and the Government of Namibia and will be a digital experience combining virtual and in-presence participation. Selected sessions will take place physically in Windhoek, respecting physical distancing and other precautions recommended by the health authorities.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on facebook.com/NGOCELLatUN. For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bknotts@uua.org or bobbinassar@gmail.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit  ngosocdev.org.

Virtual Briefing for UN Permanent Representatives on the FACTI Panel’s Work

The FACTI Panel will hold a virtual briefing to update the Permanent Representatives of Member States on the Panel’s progress on Friday, 11 December 2020, from 9:00 AM-11:00 AM (EST), 14:00-16:00 (UTC).The meeting will also provide an opportunity for an interactive discussion on the Panel’s work. Please find the time in your local zone here. Kindly find attached the Concept Note with the Agenda.

Join on your computer or mobile app: Click here to join the meeting

Join with a video conferencing device: unitevc@m.webex.com

Video Conference ID: 128 520 745 0

Alternate VTC dialing instructions

Learn More | Meeting options

High Level Panel on International Financial Accountability, Transparency & Integrity for Achieving the 2030 Agenda
info@factipanel.org | @FACTIPanel | http://www.factipanel.org

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org.

[Cyber Conference] There’s Still Hope and Here’s Why

On Nov. 5, join PEAC Institute and the United Methodist Church-General Board of Church and Society for a cyber conference designed to foster post-election reflections, healing, and mobilization.

Register here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_OArdeLrcSaO4A4JHpXdDQA

Background: From Tulsa to Hiroshima, from Auschwitz to the Trail of Tears, the scenes of death and destruction are the same. The root causes of these atrocities are the same too: cultures of violence fueling systems of oppression.

What can the people do to reclaim their rightful democratic power when corrupt governments fail to honor the contracts that ensure we live in a civil society with a sustainable future?

This action-driven conversation, co-sponsored by PEAC Institute and the General Board of Church and Society, will explore the challenge of dismantling cultures of violence. Through both historical and contemporary lenses, we will highlight some of the terrifying consequences we’re facing due to not fixing our culture of violence while also offering examples of nature-based solutions that people are successfully executing today. Speakers from multiple continents will include foreign policy experts, peace activists, and volunteer humanitarians reporting from the field.

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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 Disarmament, Peace, and Security, please visit ngocdps.wordpress.com.

Launch of FACTI Panel Interim Report

Launch of the Interim Report of the High-Level Panel on International Financial Accountability, Transparency and Integrity for Achieving the 2030 Agenda

High-Level Launch Event and Panel Discussion
24 September 2020, 12.00 – 14.30 (UTC) / 8.00 – 10.30 (EDT)

The event is being convened to present the interim report of the FACTI Panel, which identifies the major gaps in implementation and the systemic shortcomings of the existing international frameworks for tax cooperation, anti-corruption, anti-money laundering. It will provide a high-level forum for discussing the priority actions for addressing the identified challenges, particularly in light of the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on progress toward the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The event will bring the FACTI Panel chairs together with high-level representatives from Member States. It will also foster a discussion amongst civil society, international institutions, academia and the business sector to explore the issues highlighted in the FACTI Panel’s interim report.

The event will consist of two parts: a high-level segment and a moderated panel discussion among invited speakers with a brief interactive dialogue.

*Registration is required. Please register here to receive the connections details.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. 

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