HIGH LEVEL SUMMIT FOR DEMOCRACY, DECEMBER 9 &10, 2021
The current US government recently launched it's High Level Summit for Democracy in a kickoff call to representatives of international civil society which took place virtually on Zoom on 15 September 2021, the annual commemoration of the International Day for Democracy. The online meeting began promptly at 2:00pm EST.
KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THE DISCUSSION
"The Summit's Pillars include
1) promote respect for human rights in the USA and elsewhere
2) countering authoritanism and protecting democracy
3) fight against corruption as a core national interest of the USA's (current administration)"
"The Summit organisers (USG) aim for diverse representation and inclusivity representing governments and peoples from across the World ... racial justice and social cohesion must be addressed... the private sector plays a key role which is amplified in regnition of the importance of digital freedom (i.e. the (crosscutting) intersection of democracy and technology)"
"Civil society engagement with government is key"
"... current (US President's) admistration's admiration for work being done representatives of civil society present (shared vision)... (therefore) civil society participation is to be woven into the (Summit's) Agenda ... voice of civil society leaders is critical"
" ... what can every actor do for the Summit and the follow-up in 2022; e.g. help design Summit's priorities... and monitor implementation by participating governments including USG ... the idea is to gather democratic actors to push change forward ... What interesting success stories can we learn from, e.g. in relation to Covid-19 ?"
Attached is the agenda and transcript of the call for your reference.
Interested parties kindly direct your questions/concerns to the Democracy Summit Core Group at democracysummit@state.gov.
See also Human Rights and Responsible Business Conduct (ioe-emp.org)
Roundtable on equality data - 30 September 2021
As announced in the EU Anti-Racism Action Plan, the European Commission organised a virtual Roundtable on Equality Data, on 30 September 2021. The Roundtable focused on examining obstacles to the collection of equality data and on fostering the exchange of best practices, to encourage Member States, in full respect of their national contexts, to move towards the collection of data disaggregated on the basis of all the relevant discrimination grounds. This is in accordance with the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development, notably SDG Target 17.18 advocates fully disaggregated equality data collection for analysis and policy development.
For further information follow this link Equality data collection | European Commission (europa.eu)
#systemicracism #policebrutality #sdg16
Peace, Justice and Good Governance, as asserted by SDG 16, are essential for democracy to fluorish, and inclusive participation of marginalised Afro-descendant communities in multilevel multistakeholder processes of policy development and decisionmaking remains imperative for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Susatinable Development.
The European Network Against Racism (ENAR) launched its report THE SHARP EDGE OF VIOLENCE: Police Brutality and Community Resistance of Racialised Groups, on Human Rights Day 2021. The report shares narratives of structural violence illustrating police brutality in some European countries, and efforts to address this. Notably, the report summarizes examples of police violence and systemic racism in the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
Letter from representatives of international civil society to Incoming Human Rights Council President.
International Holocaust Remembrance Day (unesco.org) 2022 COMMEMORATIONS
To mark the 77th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi German concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, UNESCO will organize a series of events. Due to restrictions put in place because of COVID-19, and to reach global audiences, the majority of events will be held online. Events will include a commemoration ceremony and a panel discussion on the legacy of Jewish artists who died during the Holocaust on 27 January 2022, in addition to an exhibition at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. UNESCO Field Offices and Regional Bureaus will also join the global commemoration of the International Day by organizing local events.
The 2022 commemorations are organized thanks to the generous support of the Permanent Delegation of Germany to UNESCO.
"Whenever this history is questioned, whenever violence is done to the memory of the victims, the rise of anti-Semitism and hate speech is encouraged, an everyday scourge of Jewish communities around the world. More than ever, we must therefore be vigilant. It is our shared responsibility to protect the truth, and to keep alive the memory of all those who suffered under the Nazi regime; to support research and documentation that can confront the fantasies of fanatics with the reality of history; and to study and teach the Holocaust, so that education may prevent anti-Semitism and all forms of racism."
— Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust
The UNESCO flagship publication, Re|Shaping Policies for Creativity – Addressing culture as a global public good, was launched online on 8 February 2022. The report offers new data and policy recommendations to foster creative ecosystems for a sustainable world by 2030 and beyond, and can be downloaded here.
Home | Re|Shaping Policies for Creativity Report (unesco.org)
UNESCO Inclusive Policy Lab brings to the forefront the latest analysis by our experts. Follow these leading thinkers as they debate how to reboot equitably and what are our policy options (from basic income, to universal basic services, to data value and the (re)distribution of such).
POLICY PAPER
Basic income - on data and policy with Amy Castro Baker of UPenn, Sarath Davala of BIEN, Anders Fremstad of CSU, Ian Gough of LSE, Ioana Marinescu of UPenn, Mark Paul of NCF, Monika Queisser-Richaud of OECD, Jordi Sevilla of La Caixa, Guy Standing of SOAS UoL, Stacia West of UTK
PODCASTS
Recalibrate - our policies were too heavy on efficiency, too light on equity with
Doug Elmendorf of Harvard University and Gabriela Ramos of UNESCO
Data value: to share or not to share with Diane Coyle of Cambridge University
Universal Basic Services vs Universal Basic Income with Anna Coote and Maeve Cohen of the Social Guarantee
PACKS
All content on DATA FOR GOOD in one package.
All content on BASIC INCOME AND BASIC SERVICES in one package.
CHANNEL
All podcasts on one – THE POLICY NERD – channel.
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