Initiative pour un autre monde (IPAM) – Paris, France
IPAM is in support of, and is currently promoting, the Fifth European Meeting of Analysis of Political Societies in Paris on February 2 and 3 in Paris. This meeting is titled “Arab Spring: myth and fiction” and will analyze the wave of protests that swept Arab countries from a comparative historical and political sociological perspective. IPAM also supports Study Day as part of “The war in Algeria, images and representation.” The day is intended to address tools and methods employed by the media during the war in Algeria. It aims to result in analytic findings complement existing military histories, politics and economic knowledge of the conflict.
Alternatives Montreal — Montreal, Canada
Alternatives is in support of the Voices-Voix coalition. Voices-Voix is a non-partisan coalition of Canadians and Canadian organizations committed to defending the people’s collective and individual rights to dissent, advocacy and democratic space. It believes that both citizens and governments have positive roles to play in supporting civil society, and in encouraging respect for democratic rights and values, including free speech, transparency and equality. Voices-Voix documents attacks against organizations, individuals and institutions that have raised their voices, to show the pattern of government silencing of free speech, and offer solidarity to those who have been targeted. The organization promotes debate amongst its members and allies about how to defend the space for democratic dissent and advocacy in Canada, through its forum and events. It also encourages Canadians to raise their voices so that governments meet their core responsibilities to respect the equality, transparency and diversity of voices that make a democracy thrive.
Forum des Alternatives Maroc (FMAS) – Rabat, Morocco
The Forum des Alternatives Maroc held its 5th meeting on “Community Media for Citizen Information” that took place September 24-25. This meeting, organized by the civil society portal Maghreb-Machrek E-JOUSSOUR of the FMAS, hosted a series of debates around the promotion and development of community media in Morocco. As a six-part series of conferences, the discussions focused on the reform of the communications sector to guarantee freedom of expression and to put into place a legislative framework to guarantee the existence of community media. Participants also discussed challenges and hopes around information and communication as it relates to civil society.
Teacher Creativity Center - Ramallah, Palestine
The Teacher Creativity Center has launched its 3-year operational plan. The centre provides a space to increase and improve children’s access to quality education which integrates human rights-focused and civic education. This plan seeks activate participation of parents and local educational councils to provide a safe educational environment. The Teacher Creativity Center focuses on providing a safe, democratic, and stimulating environment, where human rights and democracy values can be effectively taught. The center will work on accomplishing its objectives for the next three years via activating four principle projects: the civic education program, the human rights and gender program, the social responsibility program, and the educational monitor program. The center seeks, in the next three years, to intensively work in 120 social locations.