CSB.net Newsletter (III)

Publication date: Thursday 13 October 2005

This quarterly newsletter is sent out to all members of Civilsocietybuilding.net. If you wish to receive these updates in future, please join the network as a new member.

 -- Contents:

1. Invitation: Alan Fowler, public lecture & presentation of new paper
2. Outcomes seminar 2005: Confronting the State, Engaging the State
3. Publication highlights

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1. Invitation
ALAN FOWLER, PUBLIC LECTURE & PRESENTATION OF NEW PAPER

On October 24 ISS and Hivos will host a public lecture in which Prof Dr Alan Fowler of University of Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa will present his new paper 'Development for security: a critical review of counter-terrorism measures, international aid and non-governmental development organisations'.

Participants will be the first to access the pre-publication draft of this new paper. The lecture, chaired by Dr Kees Biekart of the ISS, will take place on Monday, October 24 2005, at the ISS (Aula) in The Hague and start at 4 PM.

Fowler will address three questions:
1. Is interational aid being progressively located within a peace and
security agenda?
2. If so, where does civil society fit in and why?
3. And, from within civil society, what are potential implications of 'development for security' for non-governmental organisations that are involved  with the aid system?

Following the lecture will be an opportunity for questions and discussion.

Please see www.civilsocietybuilding.net/fowler

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2. OUTCOMES SEMINAR 2005
CONFRONTING THE STATE, ENGAGING THE STATE

A few months ago many of you attended the seminar hosted by ISS and Hivos. The seminar, entitled 'Confronting the State, Engaging the State', addressed the topic of civil society building strategies in adverse political conditions.

The seminar drew a diverse crowd of over 150 development research and practitioners, students and other professionals involved with the topic of civil society building. The outcomes of the seminar have been summarised in a short report.

Please see www.civilsocietybuilding.net/seminar2005

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3. PUBLICATION HIGHLIGHTS
NEW CASES, RESOURCES & ARTICLES

Over the past period, new resources have been submitted to the articles and publications sections - some of which are unique publications on this site. To highlight a few:

* New case studies & Hivos partner perpectives
Cases and perspectives on civil society building under adverse political conditions. From Kenya, Uganda, Iran, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Nepal.

* Information Pack on Civil Society Building & Empowerment
Hivos India has compiled an information pack containing over 10,000 pages of material on aid and development debates. The CD comprises a wealth of information, and is divided into three sections which makes it easy to navigate: CSB, Development & Democracy; Donor Policy Documents; and Theories and Ideologies of Development. (Hivos India/Akhila
Seetharam, 2005)

* Power, Rights, and Poverty: Concepts and Connections
Issues of empowerment, power, and rights are not simple ones to grasp, and must be addressed with care and thoughtfulness. We must begin by understanding what these concepts mean on the ground, and how our existing activities and tools can support their development. (Alsop, 2005)

* Archives on Corporate Social Responsibility: Global Compact and its
Discontents
Eva Charkiewicz provides a historical overview of global corporate behaviour and interventions by governments and civil society organisations. Through the article, Charkiewicz aims to raise awareness on the issue, encouraging counter action with regard to corporate socially irresponsible behaviour. (Charkiewicz, 2005)

* NGDOs - Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
An older publication, this three-page handout is still very relevant and has not appeared on the Internet previously. It depicts possible trajectories for private aid agencies, especially those involved in "civil society building", as they pursue first principles, identities, strategies, operations, and advocacy. (Sogge, 2000; also available in Spanish)

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FEEDBACK?
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look forward to hearing from you.

Please visit www.civilsocietybuilding.net/knowledge

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CONTRIBUTE
Don't hesitate to drop us a line if you have comments, questions, or interesting material you would like to share with the network. You can of course also add your own contributions: login on the home page and go to My Page / Contribute.

We look forward to hearing from you and seeing you on October 24th - or in the virtual network.

Best regards, on behalf of the Civil Society Building Knowledge Network, ISS & Hivos
csb@hivos.nl