Call for Applicants: Ewha Global Empowerment Program 2012 Summer

Sunday, March 25, 2012


CALL FOR APPLICANTS

 
 
Ewha Global Empowerment Program (2012 summer)
"Asian Feminisms and Transnational Activism"
July 5 - 18, 2012
Asian Center for Women's Studies, Ewha Womans University
Seoul, South Korea
The Asian Center for Women's Studies at Ewha Womans University is calling for applicants for the Ewha Global Empowerment Program (EGEP) 2012 summer. EGEP is a two-week program that will take place twice a year (January and July). It aims to empower women working in non-governmental public sectors and to nourish the next generation of women leaders in Asia and Africa. EGEP 2012 summer (July 5-18, 2012) is designed for women activists in non-governmental public sectors in Asia, with the theme of "Asian Feminisms and Transnational Activism."

Program Goals
On completing this program, participants of this program will have:
           - improved their theoretical knowledge and practical capacities from a gender perspective;
           - broadened their understanding of women's lives, women's issues, and women's rights in              
             Asian context; and
           -strengthened their leadership capacities to build women's solidarity and cooperation in local,
             national, and transnational contexts.
              
Eligibility
With minimum three years of experience, women activists working in international and national non-governmental public sectors in Asia, such as NGOs, NPOs, civil society organizations, including individuals working independently are encouraged to apply for this program.

Number of Participants: 20~25

Programs
While a more specific EGEP curriculum will be provided separately, the following is the major activity that participants may expect from the program:
            -EGEP open forum
            -EGEP workshop
            -Lectures
            -Action plans
            -Study tours to Korean NGOs
            -Cultural and social events

Language
English is the official language of the EGEP.

Application Requirements
            -Application Form
            -Statement of Purpose
            -Letter of Recommendation
            -Curriculum Vitae
            -Essay
            -A Scanned Copy of Passport
※Application requirements should submitted via online ( http://acws.ewha.ac.kr ).
※Submission Date: April 2 ~ 15, 2012 (Korean local time). Late applications will not be considered.
※All forms are downloadable at the Asian Center for Women's Studies ( http://acws.ewha.ac.kr ).
 
Selection Criteria
The selection committee will evaluate the applicants based on the following criteria:
 field experience                                                                         25%
 expertise in women's issues                                                       25%
 potential as next generation of women leaders                            25%
 contribution to the community                                                    25%
※Successful candidates will be informed individually via e-mail on May 14, 2012.
 
Funding
Ewha Womans University provides the funding to cover fees for the tuition, dormitory including a two-week allowance for all the participants. Funds for airfare will be awarded only to the participants from Korean ODA beneficiary countries.
 
Contact
For more information, please visit our website at http://acws.ewha.ac.kr
or contact us via email at egep@ewha.ac.kr
 


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Watercourses Convention Global Symposium ­ Call for papers extension to 29th February 2012

Thursday, February 9, 2012




Global Symposium

The 1997 UN Watercourses Convention – What Relevance in the 21st Century?

 



5th – 8th June 2012, University of Dundee, Scotland, UK

 

Call for papers

 

The IHP-HELP Centre for Water Law, Policy & Science (under the auspices of UNESCO) and WWF will co-organise a symposium on the 1997 UN Watercourses Convention.  The aim of the symposium is to gather together a wide and diverse range of viewpoints from academia, government, international organisations, and civil society,  to debate the existing and potential relevance of this global framework instrument. 

Towards this endeavour the convenors of the symposium are inviting papers on a range of topics related to the UNWC. The organisors would be particularly keen to receive abstracts that explore,

·      the value of a global framework/ regime for the governance of international watercourses,

·          the lessons that could be learnt from the experiences of entry into force and implementation of other global or regional treaty regimes (e.g. Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Wetlands), and

·      the mechanisms that should be in place to ensure that watercourse conventions are implemented and complied with at the national level.

Paper abstracts of no more than 500 words should be sent to Dr Alistair Rieu-Clarke (a.rieuclarke@dundee.ac.uk) or Ms Flavia Loures (Flavia.Loures@WWFUS.ORG) by 29th February 2012. Abstracts will then be reviewed by a scientific steering committee, and participants will be notified no later than Friday 30th March 2012.

For more information: http://www.dundee.ac.uk/water/unwc/.

The UNWC Global Initiative Symposium will precede the Annual International Law and Transboundary Freshwaters Workshop, which will run from 11th – 14th June 2012 – see http://www.dundee.ac.uk/water/workshop/.  


The University of Dundee is a registered Scottish Charity, No: SC015096

 

UN Watercourses Convention Symposium - Call for Papers

Friday, December 23, 2011

UNWC Global Initiative Symposium

Co-organised by IHP-HELP Centre for Water Law, Policy & Science (under
the auspices of UNESCO), University of Dundee and WWF

The 1997 UN Watercourses Convention – What Relevance in the 21st
Century?

5th-8th June 2012, University of Dundee, Scotland, UK

Call for Papers

In 1994 the UN General Assembly made the decision to elaborate a global
framework instrument on the law of the non-navigational uses of
international watercourses (UN General Assembly Resolution 49/52).  The
resultant Convention was adopted in 1997 by more than 100 nations. Since
the Convention's adoption over 14 years ago, there has been a
heightened recognition of the numerous challenges humanity faces in
securing water for all, and a widespread acceptance that governance
plays a key role.  However, the legal architecture for international
watercourses remains fragmented, and the UNWC has not yet entered into
force.

In recent years, a coalition of institutions under the general rubric
of the UNWC Global Initiative has come together to examine the
underlying reasons why the UNWC has not yet entered into force.
Additionally, the UNWC Global Initiative has sought to further knowledge
and understanding of the relevance of the UNWC in addressing the
contemporary pressures on the world's freshwater resources. As part of
the activities of the UNWC Global Initiative, the IHP-HELP Centre for
Water Law, Policy & Science in collaboration with WWF will be organising
a global symposium on the UNWC between 5th and 8th of June 2011.   The
aim of the symposium is to gather together a wide and diverse range of
experts from academia, government, international organisations, civil
society, etc, to debate the existing and potential relevance of this
global framework instrument.

Towards this endeavour the convenors of the symposium are inviting
experts to submit papers on a range of topics related to the UNWC.

Further details are available at
http://www.dundee.ac.uk/media/dundeewebsite/water/documents/2012_Dundee_Watercourses_Convention-Call_for_Papers.pdf


 

International Water Law Scholarship Programme

Monday, November 28, 2011

The Global Water Partnership together with IHP-HELP Centre for Water Law, Policy and Science, under the auspices of UNESCO, at the University of Dundee, is looking to build on their successful 2011 International Water Law Programme (www.dundee.ac.uk/water/workshop), and offer scholarships for 30 participants to undertake a module in International Water Law, in Dundee 11-29 June 2012.

Scholarship recipients are responsible for all travel (to/from Dundee) and subsistence (food/accommodation) costs. GWP is aiming at providing funding for travel and subsistence for a limited number of successful Scholarship applicants. Even though final funding is pending, GWP and the University of Dundee now invite applications from suitable candidates.

Applications will be accepted from 24 November 2011 to 3 February 2012. Successful candidates will be notified at the beginning of March 2012 to allow as much time as possible to obtain visas, additional funding, etc.

The module is aimed at persons working in water resources who wish to acquire specialist knowledge of international water law, especially as it relates to transboundary water challenges in the GWP regions.

Applicants to the joint GWP-University of Dundee IWL Programme should be from GWP Partner organisations and are required to be proficient in English, either as native speakers, or to a standard of an IELTS score of 6.5. A university degree is required in Hydrology, Environmental Science, Law, Agriculture, or related field.

Read more and apply here: www.gwp.org/GWP-Dundee-2012


 

Anti Privatization Debate, Opaque Rules and Neglected ‘Privatised’ Water Services Provision: Some Lessons from Indonesia

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Below is my background paper for a conference held at IDS, Sussex University, a few months ago. It is being submitted for a publication, so I may need to withdraw this draft once the paper is accepted. Comments welcome!

Access here: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1885726

 Anti Privatization Debate, Opaque Rules and Neglected 'Privatised' Water Services Provision: Some Lessons from Indonesia


Mohamad Mova Al 'Afghani 


University of Dundee - Centre for Water Law, Policy and Science


July 14, 2011


Abstract:      
Out of 100 Articles in the Water Law, only one is dedicated to specifically regulate the drinking water and sanitation sector. Even this one article regulates Private Sector Participation (PSP) very vaguely. The Water Law neither provides clarity on the form of ownership nor the desired regulatory model. The implementing regulation of the Water Law implies that contracts between the government and the private sector will be the desired model, but left no clarity as to how the contract should be regulated.

As a result, there is a major lack of regulation in the water services sector. The idea to retain the ownership of assets while allowing PSP through contracts appears to be a modus-vivendi generated by the privatization debate. However, the contracts are not complemented by higher regulation to safeguard consumer's interest. In many regions, service levels and consumers rights are thus subjected to contractual negotiations to be agreed bilaterally between the authorities and the private sector while citizens are considered only as an auxiliary to the whole process.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 11

Keywords: water, law, privatisation, indonesia, infrastructure, utilities

Working Paper Series

Suggested Citation

Al 'Afghani, Mohamad Mova, Anti Privatization Debate, Opaque Rules and Neglected 'Privatised' Water Services Provision: Some Lessons from Indonesia (July 14, 2011). Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1885726

 

Information materials on the human right to water and sanitation

Forwarded Message from IISD Listserve

Information materials on the human right to water and sanitation

 

On the occasion of activities jointly organized by the UN-Water Decade Programme on Advocacy and Communication (UNW-DPAC), UN-Habitat, the UN-Water Decade Programme on Capacity Development (UNW-DPC) and the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) at Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum (20-22 June 2011), different information materials on the human right to water and sanitation have been produced. These include:

 

·         A Short Glossary on the human right to water and sanitation which defines frequently used terms http://bit.ly/kimZ4D

 

·         A Media Brief presenting the current situation and some examples illustrating how the human right to water and sanitation is being implemented in practice http://bit.ly/mCz9g8

 

·         A Reader, which provides basic references for easy reading and some of the latest and most relevant United Nations publications on this issue http://bit.ly/iAvqri

 

·         Eight Short Facts on the human right to water and sanitation http://bit.ly/k45MFs

 

·         A UN Milestones document presenting the UN historical background and evolution of recognition of the human right to water and sanitation http://bit.ly/jEnOiq

 

Also, a new thematic section on the human right to water and sanitation is now accessible from the Water Decade website: http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/human_right_to_water.html

 

Further information on activities organized at the Forum can be found at: http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/media.html

 

, ,

Spicing up the Court with some Planck/Maxwell wave-particle duality

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

In Ofcom v Information Commissioner, the Information Tribunal held that radio frequency waves from a BTS antenna qualifies as emission under EIR, which as a consequence, does not qualify for protection from disclosure, even if the information is deemed confidential. The discussion below is hilarious:

 

Mr Facenna, Counsel for T-Mobile, accepted that radio frequency waves may correctly be characterised as both "energy" and "radiation". He also accepted that it was a correct use of the English language to say that they were “emitted” from a base station. However, he argued that they nevertheless did not constitute "emissions" for the purposes of the EIR because the circumstances in which the EIR came into existence require the word to be given a particularly narrow meaning. Those circumstances were that EIR implemented the Directive which included, in its fifth recital, a statement that it was itself intended to be consistent with the 1998 United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters ("the Aarhus Convention ").

Mr Facenna accepted that, even if we accepted that base station radiation should not be treated as "emissions", he was still faced with the presence of the words "energy" and "radiation" in subparagraph (b) of the definition. However, he argued that these two "factors" do not affect, and are not likely to affect, any of the elements of the environment referred to in subparagraph (a). At one stage this proposition seemed to be leading Mr Facenna and Mr Choudhury, Counsel for the Information Commissioner, into a debate on the scientific properties of radio waves. It was agreed that they are capable of having an effect on solid matter they come into contact with (for example, the agitation of the molecules of a piece of meat by microwaves for the purpose of cooking). However, it was debated whether or not they have any effect on the air through which they pass en route to such matter. We do not feel qualified to express any view on whether the less dense molecular structure of air results in all radio wave frequencies passing through it with no effect at all on individual molecules. We do not believe that it is necessary for us to do so. The definition is not intended to set out a scientific test and its words should be given their plain and natural meaning. On that basis we believe that radio wave emissions that pass through the atmosphere from a base station to any solid component of the natural world are likely to affect one or more of the elements listed in subparagraph (a) or the…

For all of these reasons we conclude that "emissions" in both subparagraph (b) of the definition of environmental information and regulation 12(9) should be given its plain and natural meaning and not the artificially narrow one set out in the IPPC Directive. As we have indicated it is accepted, on that basis, that radio wave radiation emanating from a base station is an emission.

 

It’s really nice to spice up the court with some Planck/Maxwell wave/particle duality Smile