Updated News about
1) ICMICA Africa launches new website
2) Human Rights Internship Program in Geneva
3) World Summit on Sustainable Development
4) World Social Forum III
5) Vatican Council II+40
ICMICA Africa in the cyber space
ICMICA Africa Secretariat recently established in Harare, Zimbabwe opened its own website at http://www.icmicafrica.levillage.org It is bilingual and provides basic information about ICMICA Africa – its basic policy documents, statements and activities. Congratulations !!!
Human Rights Internship Program in Geneva ended on Aug. 18 with the adoption of the resolution by the interns themselves which contains their evaluation of the Sub-Commission on Human Rights and the Internship program. Several interventions were made during the Sub-Commission on various topics such as human rights in Sudan, caste discrimination and criminal justice in India, military tribunal in D.R. Congo, death penalty in relation to national sovereignty and cultural relativism, right to drinking water, corporate accountability of transnational corporations (TNCs), rights of non-citizens, WCAR 2001 and affirmative action, and right to self-determination and democracy.
The full text of the interventions will be available at our website soon. Interns from different countries such as South Africa, Sudan, Kenya, D.R. Congo, India, USA and Roda Ventura Group in Catalonia were collaborating in the preparation of the interventions.
Prior to the Sub-CHR, the 1st Social Forum took place for two days and it specifically addressed the poverty reduction and right to food in the context of globalisation and its impact on full enjoyment of all rights. The theme for the next Forum 2003 will be on rural poverty. The Forum facilitates the participation of grassroots group within the UN system.
More detailed info on Social Forum,
CONGO Website http://www.congo.org/newsletter-vol2-n1.pdf
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu2/2/sfmain.htm
As usual, all Pax Romana delegates including all the interns were invited by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, Holy See Representative at the UN in Geneva to his residence for reception. See a group photo below. The Working Group on Human Rights is now undergoing its own evaluation of the Internship for the last three years in order to develop more innovative program for the coming years. The next Internship program will take place in Geneva in March and April 2002. Application form is available upon request and at our website soon.
Pax Romana ICMICA Delegation at WSSD
( http://www.johannesburgsummit.org)
ICMICA delegation will attend both the Global Forum (Aug. 19 to Sept. 4) and World Summit on Sustainable Development (Aug. 26 to Sept. 4) in Johannesburg, South Africa. The documentary outcome of our regional preparatory meetings such as Nairobi, Bali and Lima workshops will be presented at various occasions, and ICMICA delegation is planning to organize a special Sunday Mass on September 1, 2002 for the WSSD. They will also participate in various meetings as co-sponsors and speakers such as the Earth Charter, Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) http://www.undp.org/mdg/ by the Conference of NGOs in consultative relationship with the UN (CONGO) www.congo.org, the Right to Self-determination, etc. The focus of our monitoring and lobby at WSSD will be the interconnectedness between human rights, environment and sustainable development
Many members of ICMICA national federations will be at WSSD as a part of the national NGO delegation. ICMICA will be represented by seven members who are from ICMICA Federations in Africa and the International Team.; they are Patricio Rode, Anselmo Lee, Antoine Sondag, Joseph Rajkumar, Felix Chanda, Samuel Mukundi and Egide Rwamatwara.
ICMICA delegation will stay in Pretoria and its address is
Capuchin Community (Rietvlei), P O Box11939, Erasmuskloof 0048, South Africa.
Tel: (012) 345 5290 / Fax: (012) 345 55111
e-mail: vittorioboria@yahoo.com
World Social Forum (WSF) in Asia
Jerald Joseph, jerald.joseph@lycos.com ICMICA Asian Coordinator and Anselmo Lee, leesh@paxromana.int.ch Secretary General attended the Meeting of Asia-Pacific Social Movements held in Bangkok, Thailand from August 10 to 12, 2002. It was in accordance with the decision of the Lima Council in July this year which resolved to participate more actively in the World Social Forum (WSF) www.worldsocialforum.org process. ICMICA Asia is planning to organize workshops on topics related to inter-religious dialogue and globalisation at the Asian Social Forum (ASF) www.wsfindia.org which will take place in Hydrabad, India from January 2 to 7, 2003.
The WSF III will be again in Porto Alegre, Brazil from January 23 to 28, 2003. European Social Forum www.fse-esf.org will take place in Florence, Italy from November 7 to 11, 2002.
Vatican Council II+40
October 11, 2002 is the 40th anniversary of the opening of the Vatican Council (VC) II. Several Catholic lay organizations including ICMICA Asia and concerned individuals will gather in Bangkok from October 8 to 11, 2002 to reflect on the implementation of the VC II in Asia for the last 40 years and look for new ways of being witnesses to the spirit of VC II in the new Millennium. www.vatican2plus40.infoThis project has been initiated by Cardijn Liaison Committee (CLC) www.cardijn.info in Asia. For ICMICA, this will be a continuation of its commitment to the Synod for Asia in 1998. ICMICA also contributed to the special cover story of National Catholic Report (NCR) in USA – Blueprint for Vatican III (May 3, 2002) which is a result of survey on the future of universal Church.
For direct access, http://www.natcath.com/NCR_Online/archives/050302/050302a.htm
Sad News
Fr Henri Bussery s.j. passed away on Aug. 7, 2002 due to cancer. He has been working as chaplain of SIIAEC and for Young Professionals in MCC, ICMICA Federation in France. For the last year, he had worked as representative of Pax Romana at Council of Europe while working at the Catholic Office for information and initiative in Europe (OCIPE) in Strasbourg. He also attended the 28th Plenary Assembly held in Paris in September 2000. We are so sad but we thank God for what he has done for the Movement, and pray that he may rest in eternal peace.