The General Assembly will hold a High-Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development during its sixty-eighth session from 3-4 October 2013.

The Special Rapporteur welcomes the High Level Dialogue as an important opportunity for the widest range of actors, including States, intergovernmental organisations and civil society organisations, to come together to discuss migration in a multilateral setting.

Seven years after the first High Level Dialogue on Migration and Development, it will be a unique opportunity to take stock of the progress accomplished in the global discussions about migration policies worldwide, and to outline issues that still need academic research, policy developments at national, regional and global level. It is an important moment to reflect on the mainstreaming of human rights into all aspects of the migration debate, and the Special Rapporteur welcome the fact that the General Assembly has clearly recognised, in both its resolutions in the 2nd and 3rd committees, the importance of human rights as a cross cutting issue for the High Level Dialogue. Importantly, the HLD will have a roundtable specifically dedicated to measures to ensure respect for and protection of the human rights of all migrants.

AYP Symposium

AYP Symposium: Africa on The Move

The African Young Professional Network (AYP) is a platform for young professionals of African descent living in the Netherlands. The members are connected to the African continent either by heritage or appreciation of the African culture and ways of life.

Last year, we started with the first “Africa on The Move” symposium with more than 120 people in attendance. Based on the success of the previous and the positive feedback from participants, AYP will be organizing the second edition of the symposium “Africa on The Move”. This years edition is dedicated to throwing more light on contemporary Africa – and the opportunities that exist therein on Saturday 22 June.

The symposium will give participants the opportunity to share visions, success stories, idea’s and solutions for a continent that we all cherish. Seven African countries are among the 10 fastest growing economies in the world, yet, a strong indication that economic boom is coming to Africa. A new dawn, a new movement and awakening has hit the African continent. The continent is on the rise, a rise from the past of political, social and economic uncertainty to a continent where there is opportunity maximisation. While there are still challenges of poverty expressed in local terms, the opportunities for transformations are significant!

This symposium, therefore, aims to emphasis the tremendous economic and political paradigm sweeping across the continent. Yes! Africa is “On The Move”!

This years themes are:

· Business Opportunities

· Arts & Lifestyle

· Human Capital

· Migration

· Talent development

Are you interested in exchanging ideas with others on these subjects? Please accept our invitation for the AYP Symposium “Africa on the Move”.

Diaspora for Business and Development Conference

Over the last decade the nexus of business, migration and development has gained more and more importance. Migrants not only contribute to the private sector development in their countries of origin by sending remittances, but also by direct investments and knowledge transfer – at the same time, a strong and growing private sector creates jobs, generates income, and hence contributes to poverty alleviation.

Many migrants are active practitioners and experts in the field of development cooperation and in the business sectors of their countries of origin and of destination. Their intercultural competences, specific knowledge about business customs, markets and products in their country of origin as well as in the country of destination, and their distinctive know-how in development project management make them valuable resource persons for both development cooperation and the business sector.

RAISING AWARENESS, ENSURING RIGHTS, PROMOTING OPPORTUNITIES

The Silken Berlaymont Hotel, Brussels
Wednesday 29th May 2013

KEY SPEAKERS:
Chiara Adamo
Head of Unit - Union Citizenship and Free Movement
DG Justice, European Commission

Johan Ten Geuzendam
Head of Unit - Rights of Persons with Disabilities
DG Justice, European Commission

http://events.publicpolicyexchange.co.uk/DE29-PPE2

The 2010 EU Citizenship Report concluded that EU citizens are not
benefiting fully from their rights because they are not aware of them,
with only 32% claiming to be well-informed about their rights.

With 2013 being the European Year of Citizens, a focus is being placed
on providing opportunities to inform citizens about their EU rights and
engage in dialogue about citizenship in the hope of building a vision of
how the EU should be in 2020.

This timely international symposium provides an invaluable opportunity
to explore, not only the political rights citizens are entitled to, but
also, the social rights such as access to cross-border healthcare,
social security schemes and education.

For further details, please refer to the enclosed event abstract and
programme. Do feel free to circulate this information to relevant
colleagues within your organisation.

In the meantime, to ensure your organisation is represented, please book
online or complete and return the registration form at your earliest
convenience in order to secure your delegate place(s).

Deadline 15th May 2013

We are pleased to inform you that the United Nations has opened a one-step
registration for both the High-level Dialogue on Migration and Development
(3-4 October 2013) and the Informal Interactive Hearings with NGOs, Civil
Society and the Private Sector (15 July 2013). Both events will take place
at the UN General Assembly in New York.

Subject to possible limitations of space and in the case of organizations
with no ECOSOC status (see below) participation by civil society
organizations is expected to be open to all who are interested and able to
attend. For more information about the registration procedure, please
click below.

READ MORE >>>

PLACE: UN General Assembly in New York

more information

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Since 2011 HIRDA foundation (Himilo Relief and Development Association) has
worked on a research on the involvement of second generation Somali Diaspora youth in the development of Somalia. The three main questions were: Do Somali Diaspora youth maintain contact with people in Somalia? Do they send money to Somalia (financial remittances)? Do they participate in any activities aimed at the development of Somalia (social remittances)? This research was part of the Thematic Learning Programme of PSO on Remittances, Migration & Development.
Saturday December 8th HIRDA will organize the end event of this research. We hereby would like to invite you to join us this day to learn and debate about second generation participation in development.

In the morning from 9.00 until 13.00, HIRDA will present its findings and recommendations to a broad audience to provide a new and refreshing view on the potential of second generation migrant youth in the Diaspora. We hope that you will participate in our discussion about how “we” as NGOs, migrant organizations, Diaspora networks etc., can actively use the knowledge and time of these often highly educated and motivated Diaspora youth in the development of their country of origin.
One very important question is how we can connect to these youth. We would like all NGOs working with Diaspora, migrant youth, migration & development to join our morning programme.

In the afternoon, from 13.00 until 17.30, we will organize four workshops aimed at Diaspora youth, to provide them with concrete tools and knowledge on international development and social entrepreneurship. With these workshops we want to provide the youth with the information they are looking for in their desire to make a contribution to the country they have often never been before but still have strong
connections with.

To register for the morning or afternoon programme please send an
e-mail to benthe@hirda.org stating your name and in what part of this
day you want to participate.

We have the pleasure to inform you about the Convergences Forum, the 100% online and bilingual recruitment fair for Africa. It is aim at mobilizing Africa’s Diaspora competencies and facilitate circulation of African employment information and talents inside the continent. It will be held from the 19th to the 23rd November 2012. This is a People Development initiative.Please check www.peopledev.net

The forum will be held on a 3D technical and dynamic platform, which
has been developed by one of Europe ’s leaders in organising online events.
It will allow African employers and candidates looking for employment opportunities in the continent to build a direct relationship. The video and written chat functions, allowing employers and candidates to exchange, and the user-friendly registration process are all assets popularising generally not easy to access - information on employment and career opportunities in the continent.

You will find all the latest news on the forum and on the forum’s
bilingual blog http://blog.convergences-lesalon.com where Candidates and visitors have already started registering and upload their CV to participate to the forum from the 19th to the 23rd November 2012 www.convergences-lesalon.com

We have organized a Video-CV for Africa optional contest before the
forum. It gives young professionals the chance to enhance their professional
profiles and experiences in an innovative way. Winner prizes include
plane tickets to various African destinations, funded by the forum’s
sponsoring airlines companies (AIR FRANCE/KLM, SENEGAL AIRLINES), in order to
explore employment opportunities throughout the continent. You can check
information and rules on this contest at http://blog.convergences-lesalon.com/en/cv-video-contest/

Dear GFMD Focal Point,

Acting as the Civil Society Coordinating Office of the Global Forum on
Migration and Development (GFMD), we are pleased to inform you that the
application process for participation by civil society representatives
in the Civil Society Days of this year's GFMD is now open. The deadline
for application is 30 June.

As part of our efforts to involve all sectors of civil society from
around the world, we would like to invite you to share this invitation
with your civil society partners and other relevant networks.

Please click here to access the invitation.

Furthermore, together with our partners and funders, we are trying to
secure funds to support the participation of civil society delegates to
attend the event in Mauritius. Unfortunately, as yet only limited
funding is available to support civil society participation. In this
regard, we would be grateful if your government would consider
supporting civil society delegates from your country. If that might be
possible, we would welcome your telephone call or email to Mr. John K.
Bingham, tel + 41 22 919 1025 or bingham@icmc.net [5].

Respectfully yours,

The GFMD Civil Society Coordinating Office

Why invest in Africa? Young African Entrepreneurs are becoming more and more interested in investing in Africa. There are entrepreneurs working in fashion, music but also in the agricultural sector. Young entrepreneurs are attracted by sustainable development and the upcoming market spaces. They often do not only have the know-how and innovative ideas but also have the right mindset that is needed to invest in Africa, which makes them key actors between African and European development cooperation relations. This workshop will address why investing in Africa is interesting for young entrepreneurs. At the same time it will address some of the current trends within the field of co-development. In the second part of the workshop we will have a live stream conversation with a young diaspora entrepreneur who will tell us about his experiences. Are you interested in finding out more about investing in Africa and entrepreneurship Come to our workshop!

We hope to see you at the Africaday 2012!

Please note that you will have to register to attend this workshop on www.afrikadag.nl/english/tickets.

This workshop is organised by ADPC, Project Nana & NABC.

Read here an Interview with Simbarashe Mabasha, an Entrepreneur in Africa

Afrikadag 2012 will take place on 17 November 2012 in Paradiso, de Balie and the Barlaeus Gymnasium in Amsterdam. Check the website and facebook for the programme.

The Growing SMEs is an international conference exploring the latest trends in developing, growing and financing Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in emerging markets. It aims at bringing together entrepreneurs and experts from emerging markets and the Netherlands in the topics of developing, growing and financing SMEs. Its aim is to facilitate knowledge exchange, networking and learning, hence further paving the way for SME development, which, in turn, leads to sustainable economic growth.

The 8th edition of the international conference Growing SMEs will take place on November 15th in The Hague, the Netherlands. 400+ participants will join to CONNECT with local and international networks of entrepreneurs, investors and business leaders, EXCHANGE expertise, best practices and lessons learned, and accelerate INVESTment in high-growth SMEs.

We are happy to announce the 2nd Expert Meeting of the AEP, taking place 6-8 November 2012 at the Forest Hill Hotel, Paris-La Villette 28, Ter av Corentin Cariou 75019, in Paris, France.
The aim of this meeting is to highlight and exchange good practices among African diaspora organisations from 27 EU MS plus Norway and Switzerland. Co-development projects, the building of national platforms and other important thematic activities of the African diaspora in Co-development will be presented.
At the same time governmental institutions and civil society organisations from the 5 pilot countries (Angola, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Morocco, Senegal) will be invited to establish and foster strategic alliances with the respective diaspora organisations from Europe.
This meeting is a follow-up of the 1st Expert Meeting, held 5-7 March 2012 in Frankfurt, with the objective to set up a coordination and communication structure of the AEP. It was an intensive, constructive and successful start-up event of the AEP, where the linking between the Experts from 29 European countries and the representatives from the 5 pilot countries started.
The AEP Expert Meetings are part of the EADPD (European wide African Diaspora Platform for Development) project agenda, which is establishing the Africa Europe Platform and which is implemented by 5 organisations (ADPC from the Netherlands, AFFORD from U.K., CGMD and ICMPD from Belgium, and FORIM from France).
The 9-10 of November 2012 the 2nd Expert Meeting opens out into the AEP Expert workshops which aims to raise awareness of current tools and funding support schemes for initiatives by non-state actors at the EU level and in EU member countries. In addition a discussion on how programs should be optimized for a better use of diaspora actors will be held.
For further information and your participation please contact:
• Yéra DEMBELE, ydembele@forim.net, Tél: +336 75037462 ou
• Monique VAN LANCKER, mvanlancker@cefir.fr, Tél: +33 6 77 09 00 91
• Abdou Rahime Diallo, rahime.diallo@diaspora-centre.org, Tel : +31 70 753 77 33

We hope we could attract your attention and we are looking forward to meet you in that 5 days meeting and welcome your contribution to the development of Africa.

Africa in the Picture (AITP) is an annual film festival in Amsterdam showcasing a unique selection of films from the African continent and its Diaspora. African filmmakers from all over the world are welcome to submit their work for the 15th Edition of the festival which will take place from 19 till 28 October 2012.

On Tuesday the 25th of September 2012, SID opens the new 2012-2013 Lecture Series 'More than 50 years of ODA' with a panel discussion with J. Brian Atwood (OECD/DAC), Nanno Kleiterp (FMO) and Thierry Sanders (BiD Network Foundation). Since its adoption in 1969, ODA has been used as the accepted framework for monitoring/implementing the flow of development finance to the developing world. Given the current global
economic climate, should ODA still be considered the viable way forward in terms of future economic/financial policy towards the developing world? What are the alternative frameworks that challenge the existing organizational structure?

This panel discussion takes place in The Atrium at the VU University in
Amsterdam at 17:00

Seminar 16-23 September 2012 | CEULAJ, Mollina at the 13th University on Youth and Development, Spain

African Diaspora Youth leaders will work on the theme of inclusion and youth cooperation, in order to empower young African migrants and young people with African background to better represent their interests in our societies.

The seminar “Building from Within” will be held at the 13th University on Youth and Development, the most pertinent framework for ADYNE and also for the University which this year will be focused on Youth Rights.

The seminar will be a residential programme of 6 days, held in CEULAJ – Euro Latin American Youth Centre in Mollina - Spain , from the 16th (arrival day) to the 23th September (departure day).
The pedagogical team of the course will be composed of experienced trainers and facilitators in Euro-African cooperation and will include trainers of the African Diaspora living in Europe.

During the seminar participants will acquire knowledge and tools to strengthen the role they play with regards to youth cooperation at European level and also regarding the Africa-Europe youth cooperation framework, attaining skills to develop the capacity of their organisations to act as civil society in these processes. Participants will exchange experiences and strategies to empower youth community of Africans living in Europe and to implement local actions that can achieve greater and better recognised representation on local, national and international level.
Participants will compare their approaches to youth work and youth participation, engaging in the implementation and evaluation of the programme with the team of facilitators.

The seminar will also be an important tool to renew, enlarge and consolidate the network of youth leaders from the African Diaspora Youth Network in Europe – ADYNE.

The course will gather close to 20 youth leaders from the African Diaspora active in youth organisations or leading African Diaspora youth groups and movements and representatives from National Youth Councils and other relevant networks and platforms.

UBUNTU!

The first Uganda UK Convention in 2011 was universally praised as a huge success and played a massive part in helping Ugandans from all across the world to unite. From music and fashion to economics and business investment every aspect of Uganda was represented whether by delegates from the homeland or those who are part of the Ugandan Diaspora.

The power of the Diaspora to effect huge economic and social change in Uganda is immense and by bringing people together through events such as this there is real potential to effect significant change to communities. Uganda is full of natural resources and home to a vast amount of talented entrepreneurs making it the perfect place to invest. Despite the global economic downturn Uganda achieved 7% growth in the economy in 2008, proving that now is the ideal time to invest in the country and to start building successful enterprises in addition to improving the Social environment of the communities. Visiting the Uganda UK Conference in 2012 will enable investors big and small to discover a fantastic opportunity to create sustainable economic and social development in the country.

There will be a large number of exhibitors offering information and services across a variety of different sectors. If you are looking to invest in a business opportunity you will be able to chat with experts in all relevant fields and receive valuable advice on the Governments initiatives to attract more business into the country. There will be practical advice on investing in Real Estate and Agriculture, the two fastest growing sectors in Uganda today. There will also be advice on other industries throughout the country allowing investors to make the most of the enormous potential Uganda has to offer.

There will also be plenty of advice available for those who wish to move back home. Information on job opportunities as well as the practicalities of how to go about relocating will be available from a number of stands so you can get all your questions answered by people who are really in the know.

Scheduled for the 15th of September, the event will build on last year’s success and bring an even broader selection of opportunities for you.

Eight African Migrant Entrepreneurs will compete On 25 August for the
European - African Entrepreneurship award. This award is issued by Oxfam
Novib in cooperation with International Network of Alternative Financial
Institutions - INAFI International - in the frame of the project "Harnessing the potentials of migration for development by linking Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) and immigrant associations". More information about the project can be found on www.remittances.inafi.org

Migrant organisations in 10 European countries i.e. Belgium, France,
Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, the United
Kingdom and Switzerland have invited entrepreneurs to send in their
business plans, out of which one winner per country was selected during
a national award event. The eight winning business plans will be
presented for the European - African Entrepreneurship Award. This event
is co-organized by Black Dutch, Diaspora Forum for Development and BiD
Network Foundation.

The event will use webcasting to reach a wide audience, both in the EU
and Sub-Saharan African countries. Up to date information on the event,
the program and the webcasting can be found on
www.EuropeanAfricanEntrepreneurshipAward.eu

If you would like to attend, please register on this site. A flyer
with information on the event is attached.
The award event will start at 19.30 hr
Location: Theater de Regentes, Weimarstraat 63, The Hague

Migrant Organisations in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Sweden, Italy, Spain, France, Switserland and Luxemburg have invited their members to dream about a business plan they could implement in their countries of origin. Over 80 African migrants have responded to this call and competed in front of a jury at national level. The winners will now defend their dream at the European African Entrepreneurship Award event.

The public event will take place on the 25th of August at 7.30 pm at the Theater De Regentes, Weimarstraat 63 in The Hague. The evening will be full of African flavours and music.

After preparation workshops and a closed jury session in the afternoon, the entrepreneurs will present their business ideas to the public to obtain the audience votes. At the end of the evening an award ceremony will take place. Migrant organisations and African public will follow the event through webcasting.

The Secretary of State's Global Partnership Initiative (GPI) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) are pleased to announce that they will host the
2012 Global Diaspora Forum: "Moving Forward by Giving Back" under the auspices
of the International diaspora Engagement Alliance (IdEA) and in partnership with the Migration Policy Institute (MPI).

The Global Diaspora Forum is an annual celebration of America’s diaspora communities. The gathering challenges diaspora communities to forge partnerships
with the private sector, civil society, and public institutions in order to make their engagements with their countries of origin or ancestry effective, scalable, and sustainable.

The Global Diaspora Forum brings together a diverse range of stakeholders, all passionate about promoting diaspora engagement, including:

o Leaders of diaspora communities
o U.S. government officials
o Private sector stakeholders
o Representatives of international institutions
o Foundations executives
o Academic experts
o Members of nonprofit organizations

The theme for the 2012 Global Diaspora Forum, to be held in Washington, DC on July 25-26 is “Moving Forward by Giving Back.” The Forum will focus on how new technology can empower and increase diaspora philanthropy, social entrepreneurship, volunteerism, and social innovation.

In preparation for the second Global Diaspora Forum, we hope to gauge the interest of potential participants to craft this year’s Forum to the current issues and interests of diaspora communities.

The Summer School on Black Europe is an intensive two week course offered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The 5th annual Summer School on Black Europe will take place from June 25th to July 6th, 2012 in Amsterdam (The Netherlands) in collaboration with The Center of Study and Investigation for Global Dialogues (Barcelona, Spain).*

The Summer School on Black Europe will be held at:
International Institute for Research and Education (IIRE)
Lombokstraat 40, 1094 AL Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Second Round Application

The overall goal of this course is to examine the contemporary circumstances of the African Diaspora in Europe. We will focus on the historical and colonial legacies of European countries to discuss the origins of Black Europe and investigate the impact of these legacies on policies and legislation today. This course will begin with a historical overview of the African Diaspora in Europe that traces the involvement of European nations in the colonization of the Americas. We will address the migration and settlement of Blacks in Europe, and examine immigration and citizenship laws that regulated their settlement. We will also look at anti-discrimination laws as they have arisen in various European countries. We compare the history of regulation and management of race and ethnic relations and the discourse surrounding the concept of Blackness and self-identification. Historically, social forces within Europe have given rise to policies to combat racism. We will trace the chain of events following social and civil conflicts that prompted these policies and analyze the legislative and intellectual discourse produced in the aftermath. In addition, we will explore the notions of Blackness as an official categorization; as a social construction employed by the dominant groups to indicate (non) belonging; as a Diaspora living within Europe; and as a contestation of the dominant (White) paradigm. In this way, we examine the social mobilization of Blacks to resist domination.

The above issues will be considered in light of the immediacy of contemporary global and European forces, including competing issues and discourses on Islamophobia, increased non-Black migration into and across Europe, and the debt crisis in the European Union.

This course will also seek to address the dimensions of race and ethnic relations that are unique to Europe; examining the ways in which conceptions of the "other" are institutionalized and reproduced; the rise of xenophobia in various EU countries; issues such as global racisms, everyday racism and epistemic racism; the legal definitions and discourse surrounding the conceptualized "other"; and examining the ways in which each country has dealt with issues of race and national identity. To this effect guest speakers for the 2012 program will be drawn from Germany, Italy and Portugal for case studies in those countries.

BOZAR presents, in collaboration with Tour & Taxis, the 9th edition of the Bamako Encounters, with the entire panafrican selection of 281 photographs and 10 videos. On the theme For a sustainable world, this exhibit presents landscapes of the environmental situation on the African continent, with the artists’ poetic gaze revealing a re-enchantment of the world that is necessary for all of us to seek again. A fitting counterpart to BOZAR’s European photography exhibit Sense of Place, the Rencontres highlight the interconnectedness of landscapes in our global world. With an equally diverse regional view of landscapes, this exhibit provocatively reveals some ‘negatives’ of European landscapes, and environmental phenomena of magnitudes uncommon in Europe. Two significant monographic series of the Bamako Encounters are presented at the Royal Museum for Central Africa. BOZAR is proud to support an African initiative that has come to play a major role in the cultural life of Mali and Africa in the last 17 years, contributing towards the establishment of an international image of African photography, and the development of an art market in Africa. Thursday 14.06 > Sunday 26.08.2012

Curators: Laura Sérani and Michket Krifa

Op deze gezamenlijk tentoonstelling van de Stichting Den Haag Sculptuur en het Museum Beelden aan Zee is de ontwikkeling te zien van de Zuid-Afrikaanse beeldhouwkunst in de afgelopen zestig jaar. Van de dagen van de Apartheid via de bereikte vrijheid in 1994 - de eerste verkiezingen voor alle rassen - tot de huidige periode van transformatie. De beelden reflecteren die politieke en maatschappelijke omwenteling.Van 2 juni t/m 22 juli.

Africa Utopia, 3 July 2012 - 28 July 2012, explores where the continent can lead the world, including the role of music and theatre, sustainable technologies and the spirit of innovation and hope of the continent’s young people.

Senegalese singer and human rights champion Baaba Maal leads a council of elders of international musicians, artists, writers and activists in a three-week cultural summit, to show what Africa has to offer the world.

Taking the imagery of a traditional African village as a forum, 30 young people will be invited to discuss some of the world's pressing problems, using examples of groundbreaking projects in Africa to suggest solutions. The Royal Festival Hall will be at the heart of the village with a wide range of music, theatre, dance, talks and debates.

Baaba Maal is a Senegalese singer and guitarist born in Podor, on the Senegal River. In addition to acoustic guitar, he also plays percussion. He has released several albums, both for independent and major labels. In July 2003, he was made a UNDP Youth Emissary.

Africa Utopia is produced with support from Arts Council England. Part of the Southbank Centre’s Festival of the World

We are glad to inform you that the International Training Centre of the ILO (ITC-ILO) in close collaboration with the International Migration Programme of the ILO (ILO MIGRANT) and in partnership with the Global Migration Group (GMG), the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies (RSCAS) and the International and European Forum on Migration Research (FIERI) will hold its second Labour Migration Academy.

For the first time the course will be delivered in French and English.


THE LABOUR MIGRATION ACADEMY:
Facilitating Good Governance, Enhancing Protection and Promoting Development
2-13 July 2012 – Turin (Italy)


Highlights of this learning Academy:

· A highly interactive and international course design for all key actors
· An unique place for sharing truly international experiences and good practices;
· Parallel courses on, governance, protection and development;
· A rich and flexible learning environment with some of the best international experts on migration;
· A blended training course with 2 on-line phases and residential phase
· A modular approach for individual learning needs


The Academy will be structured around daily plenary forum and 3 elective
courses for which participants will register in advance:

Course 1: Good governance of labour migration

Course 2: Protection and promotion of the rights of migrant workers and
their families

Course 3: Migration and development


Please consult the flyer and apply online at

http://intranetp.itcilo.org/STF/A905016/en

or write to socpro@itcilo.org


Kindly note that only a limited number of partial fellowships is
available!

!!!IMPORTANT!!!

Application deadline is 31 May 2012
(For visa purpose)


Best regards,
The LMA team

The Hague African Festival gaat door en verhuist dit jaar vanuit het Zuiderpark naar de Spuiplein in het hartje van Den Haag. Africa in the City! Doorgaan van het evenement was geruime tijd een vraagteken, maar mede dankzij de steun van Gemeente Den Haag , Fonds 1818, en Culturalis vindt de vierde editie op zondag 1 juli plaats. Ook dit jaar zijn onze partners The Hague Festivals, Resto van Harte en ABN-AMRO Foundation. Naast de concerten in de Philipszaal en op het Spuiplein is in de Kloosterkerk te Den Haag een programma met Afrikaanse gospelkoren. De Zimbabwaanse formatie Mokoomba is de headliner van het festival.

Mokoomba brengt "a roller coaster ride of raw Afrofusion energy", waarin stijlen als soukous, reggae en latin voor een explosief muzikaal brouwsel zorgen. De zeskoppige formatie presenteert op The Hague African Festival het nu al veelgeprezen nieuwe album Rising Tide. Het festival beoogt een meer 'urban' karakter op te bouwen. Meer namen worden bekendgemaakt.

Als eerbetoon aan het African festival in Delft, 'het moederfestival' van alle Afrikaanse festivals in Nederland, staat Omar Ka op het programma. Deze Senegalees brengt Sahara blues met de ritmische hartslag van Dakar en vet aangezette mbalax grooves, aldus het Britse Roots magazine. Ka deelt het podium met de Gambiaanse griot en percussionist Ebou Gaye (o.a. Ifang Bondi).

Het festival valt samen met het Surinaamse feest Keti Koti waarbij de afschaffing van de slavernij wordt gevierd. Ter ere van deze gebeurtenis staat de Surinaamse formatie Wi Na Wang ("Wij Zijn Eén") met hun aanstekelijke en feestelijke kawina op het festival.

Naast de concerten, waarbij diverse amateurgroepen zich in samenwerking met Culturalis op een buitenpodium op het Spuiplein presenteren, is er een Afrikaanse modeshow en vinden er diverse workshops en presentaties plaats. Traditiegetrouw is er een speciaal voor de jonge bezoekers ingerichte African Village waar allerlei workshops kunnen worden gevolgd. Daarnaast is er ook weer een kleurrijke African Market.

Voor het eerst vindt het evenement op twee locaties plaats. In de Kloosterkerk vinden vanaf 14:00 uur gratis toegankelijke gospelconcerten plaats door diverse Afrikaanse gospelkoren.

The Hague African Festival, 1 juli 2012, aanvang 13:00 uur. Gratis entree.

The African Diaspora International Film Festival (ADIFF) presents an eclectic mix of urban, classic, independent and foreign films that depict the richness and diversity of the life experience of people of African descent and Indigenous people all over the world.

ADIFF CHICAGO will take place from June 14 -June 21 2012.

Building on the momentum of the New York Forum, launched in June 2010 by former Davos-producer and Clinton Global Initiative and Nobel Laureates Conference co-founder Richard Attias, the first "New York Forum AFRICA " will take place in Libreville, the capital of Gabon, from June 8-10, 2012.

This Forum aims to become the largest conference for economic leaders, young entrepreneurs, sovereign and investment funds, political and media leaders, experts and economists who share an interest for Africa, a continent whose progress is undeniable.

In line with its origins and DNA, the New York Forum AFRICA aspires to provide a basis for the development of substantial solutions and propositions in order to propel Africa up to the ranks of the fastest-developing emerging nations.

Taskforces will be created, with an eye towards the establishment of clear development road maps, on a wide array of topics including job creation, education, natural resources, energy, health care, women empowerment, entrepreneurship, promotion of African youth and brains, co-operation with Asia, the US, Europe, the Gulf region, Latin America, sports and the like.

Gabon was retained as the host of the NYF AFRICA in light of its geographic situation at the heart of the continent, its sturdy political stability, and the quality of its infrastructures, as the country will soon be hosting one of the world's most important sport events: the African Cup of Nations (ACN).

"Gabon is honored to host this prestigious international gathering of financial and economic decision-makers," said Ali Bongo Ondimba, President of Gabon, "Africa has demonstrated steady growth in the past several years and will be the source of much future global prosperity, so it is important that international business leaders begin to pay close attention to it."

The NYF AFRICA will partner with the NYF Institute and the Omar Bongo Foundation, whose mission echoes the continent's determination to spur wide ranging initiatives favoring a modem Africa, and a serene, fulfilled and hopeful African youth.

NYF founder Richard Attias has commented: "In 2012, at a moment when multiple nations, such as the US and European countries are trying to re-ignite their economies, prior to multiple presidential elections, and at the dawn of an Arab Spring that radically transformed the northern part of the African continent, revealing the disarray of millions of young Africans, it appeared to us that is was essential to shed as much light as possible on Africa." Attias added, "Africa is a continent comprised of over a billion individuals, and which through a renewed vitality and an expected growth of about 5% which attracts the focus of an increasing number of investors, has the potential to become the solution to the world's economic woes, from being a mere additional problem."

The NYF Africa will intertwine the IT innovations and interactive potential that have rendered the now widely-known NYF so unique to its participants.

The findings of the NYF Africa will be presented to the G20 in Los Cabos, Mexico on June 20, 2012.

Austrian-born photographer Mario Marino spent a couple of months there to work on what he calls ‘photographic psychograms’ of its inhabitants. Every portrayed person represents a different micro-culture of the region. A region that’s under threat of losing it’s unique cultural diversity because of tourism, social globalisation etc.

The prints are for sale, and the works are exhibited in Berlin right now.

1 June - 25 August
Tue-Fri 10-18, Sat 10-14

Book launch and talk by Kwame Glevey, Director of the Kemet Project.

Kwame's last book, “On Being African”, considers some of the challenging issues facing Africans and the opportunities currently on offer.

This events is chaired by Dr Chege Githiora, SOAS

The conference will be organised around six sessions.The ultimate aim is to enhance international understanding of the role of diasporas in development, identify best practices for policy engagement of diasporas, and facilitate Canadian diaspora engagement in development. Following the conference there will be a one-day workshop to discuss the possibility of a new research and policy network focused on diaspora engagement in Canada. For the conference there will be an edited collection based on the papers delivered.

The Continent’s largest gathering of high-level policy makers, decision makers and practitioners from education, business and government, eLearning Africa is taking place from 23rd to 25th May in Cotonou, Benin. This year’s programme will feature 12 pre-conference workshops, up to 60 sessions and over 300 speakers from Africa and beyond. Register today to ensure you don’t miss out on this key event for developing eLearning capacities in Africa.

The Global Africa Diaspora Summit will be held from the 23th of May until the 25th of May in South Africa.

The overall objective of the Summit is to discuss how best to
harness skills and energies within the continent and abroad for the
socio-economic development of Africa and boost synergies as well
as facilitate innovation and entrepreneurship through sustainable
partnerships with the African Diaspora.

The Summit aims to popularise the Africa Diaspora Summit within
the following spheres and sectors: Government; Academia; think-tanks; Business; Diplomatic Corps; Development Agencies; and the general public

To mobilize African Citizens within the continent and in the
Diaspora around the outcomes of the Summit to support the
acceleration of the agenda of integration and development on
the continent.

The Summit will bring together leaders from over 60 countries, AU
Member States, AU organs, various organizations working for the
Diaspora, and other relevant guests.

The 2012 New York African Film Festival, April 5th - 28th May, presented under the banner 21st Century: The Homecoming is a two-month multi-venue event in New York City exploring notions of home and homeland through films and their protagonists. A select group of features, shorts and documentaries, as well as experimental films and archival footage, will be presented alongside supplementary programs aimed at a broader exploration of the festival’s themes, including panel discussions, visual and performing art exhibitions, professional development workshops for artists, and in-school presentations for K-12 and university students.

As has been our tradition since the founding of the NYAFF, we continue to present the best in contemporary and classic African cinema, with the goal of challenging the audience’s preconceptions, erasing the limits between popular and high art, and placing genres such as melodrama, comedy and documentary at the center of the continent’s vibrant cinematographic production. This is a truly populist cinema; one that belies the stereotype that African film is made only for export or festival audiences. We feature works by artists who make use of film and video to raise public awareness of a variety of important issues. NYAFF will have a sampling of some of the most popular dramas, documentaries and experimental works unfolding on screens across the continent.

As a tribute to their growing presence in the medium, women filmmakers will have pride of place. Mariette Monpierre mixes melodrama and memoir in the Guadeloupean film Elza, while Rumbi Katedza tells a universal story of women’s struggles in Zimbabwe in the hilarious and touching Playing Warriors. In the attempt to come to grips with contemporary realities, documentary has become a favored format, and it makes up a great proportion of this year’s offerings: in The Creators, Laura Gamse analyzes the role of artists in contemporary South Africa; postcolonial and feminist strife in Kenya are at the center of Branwen Okpako’s work The Education of Auma Obama, complemented by Jane Munene’s portrait of that countries brave matriarch Monica Wangu Wamwere: Unbroken Spirit. Cameroonian Osvalde Lewat pushes the limits of the documentary genre in her most recent experimental work in Gaza Sderot, Last Exit.

As the festival coincides with the celebration in South Africa of the 100th anniversary of the African National Congress, we will pay homage to this landmark event through performances of the country’s music and dance as well as film. Its notable cinematic production will be on display in the form of documentaries such as The Creators and Stocktown X: South Africa, which show South Africa’s artistic vitality, and in feature films like Man on Ground by Akin Omotoso and How to Steal 2 Million by Charlie Vundla, which adapt the techniques of the thriller and film noir in their examination of the country’s subculture. Africa’s other cinematic powerhouse, Nollywood, will be represented by award-winning director Tunde Kelani’s Maami, a sweeping chronicle of witchcraft, melodrama, and love.

We will be gifted moreover with the presence of many of the filmmakers, who will attend the screenings and Q&A events afterward, contributing their unique perspectives and deepening our understanding of the films and the debates surrounding them.

Alliance Building and Knowledge Management

The European-wide African Diaspora Expert Meeting is open to all diaspora organisations active in development cooperation in the EU member states and Switzerland and is fundamental to the formation and framing of the Africa-Europe Platform (Plateforme Afrique-Europe). The purpose of the meeting is to mobilise active diaspora organisations throughout Europe, to agree on a set of principles for the functioning of the Africa-Europe Platform, and to facilitate concrete cooperation, coordination and information exchanges between the stakeholders.

In addition to leaders of European diaspora organisations, African partner organisations and government officials involved in migration and development, European government officials and representatives from development agencies are invited.

The Africa-Europe Platform (Plateforme Afrique-Europe) is an output of the European-wide African Diaspora Platform for Development -project (EADPD). The EADPD was initiated to foster the creation of a solid and viable network that will significantly increase the contribution of the diaspora to the overall development of Africa in a sustainable and a systematic manner. The project is funded by the European Commission under the Thematic Programme of Cooperation with Third Countries in the areas of Migration and Asylum. The work of the project is implemented by five consortium partners, namely, the African Diaspora Policy Centre (ADPC) in the Netherlands; African Foundation for Development (AFFORD) in the UK; Forum des Organisations de Solidarité internationale issues des Migrations (FORIM) in France; Coordination Générale des Migrants pour le Développement (CGMD) and International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) in Belgium. The duration of the project is from 2011 to 2013.

The 1st Expert Meeting will be held in Brussels in March 2012.

The Africa World Documentary Film Festival (AWDFF), February 5th to November 30th, is sponsored by the E. Desmond Lee Professorship in African/African American Studies, Center for International Studies, University of Missouri-St. Louis.

The AWDFF has as its objective the promotion of knowledge and culture of the people of Africa, in a Pan-African context.

In promotion of the Pan African context, public viewings of submission accepted by AWDFF shall also occur in Africa, Europe and the Caribbean.

Though the AWDFF is non-competitive, prizes of $1,000 and $500 shall be awarded to two documentaries judged by the AWDFF committee as furthering understanding and contributing significantly to knowledge of the African World.

The Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) is a state-led, voluntary process dedicated to informal, non-binding and outcomes-oriented dialogue. Emerging as an outcome of the UN General Assembly’s High Level Dialogue on Migration and Development in 2006, policymakers from many countries all over the world participate in various GFMD meetings, in particular a large annual GFMD convening, to discuss the relation between migration and development, share experiences and forge practical cooperation.

Each year the GFMD is organized by a different host government. Now in its fifth year, the Chair-in-Office for 2011 is Switzerland. Indeed, although state-led, the GFMD directly engages civil society partners, including human rights, development, labour, diaspora and migrant organizations, academia and business. Civil society partners are invited to provide input and make recommendations and concrete proposals.

The proposed overarching theme for GFMD Civil Society Days (CSD) is: Taking Action on Labour Migration, Development and the Protection of Migrant Workers and their Families. This theme recognizes that movement for work—whether by choice or necessity—is at the heart of most international migration today.

This year the CSD will take place on 29 and 30 November, prior to two days of states meetings on 1 and 2 December, all in Geneva. A statement of results and recommendations from the CSD will be presented to the states during their opening session on 1 December. Following the opening session there will be a “common space” for deliberation including representatives of civil society and international organizations together with government participants.

Upon the formal invitation of the Swiss Chair, the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) acts as the Civil Society Coordinating Office for the 2011 GFMD.

What practices, what opportunities and challenges?

In collaboration with Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) in Paris, the EC-UN Joint Migration and Development Initiative (JMDI) is pleased to present this e-discussion “Migrant workers and Recruitment Processes: What practices, what opportunities and challenges?” This discussion will be formally launched on 10 October and will conclude on 6 November 2011.

A leader in corporate responsibility since 1992, BSR works with its global network of more than 250 member companies to develop sustainable business strategies and solutions through consulting, research, and cross-sector collaboration. Through Migration Linkages, a BSR led multi-year initiative, BSR seeks to better understand the recruitment process—from village level to factory floor—in order to identify and mitigate risks to migrating workers and to spotlight opportunities for business to protect basic rights. As a part of this initiative, BSR has recently conducted research and published its findings on the variability in the recruitment system in Indonesia and the resulting human rights risks to Indonesian migrant workers in Step Up: Improving Recruitment of Migrant Workers in Indonesia.

While many countries have robust migrant worker recruitment systems in theory, in practice, the recruitment process is often characterized by a lack of transparency and abuse at the earliest stages of recruitment. Such abuse often stems from non-standardized fees charged to migrants, the use of illegal or unofficial agents, variability of contracts and labor protection, and under-developed grievance processes. While the amelioration of such abuses is dependent upon a number of factors, including government and business action, increasing the level of awareness and information available to migrant workers is a key component.

This e-discussion involves an exploration of two topics:

1. The methods used by migrant workers to gain information about recruitment agencies, recruitment processes, and the job situations for which they are applying;

2. As workers are migrating in increasingly ‘wired’ environments with internet penetration and mobile technology enhancing access to information, the e-discussion aims to understand whether IT is helping migrants to gain access to reliable information throughout the recruitment process.


Please participate by emailing m4d@groups.dev-nets.org or by posting your comments online in the Migration4Development forum.

"You Make Development Work"

Met bijna zestig debatten, workshops en lezingen, een uitgebreid cultuur programma en heel veel politiek is de Afrikadag dé dag voor iedereen in Nederland die een passie heeft voor Afrika en internationale samenwerking. Een dag om te laten zien dat politieke veranderingen in Nederland en Europa noodzakelijk zijn om de situatie in ontwikkelingslanden te veranderen. Een dag om mee te discussiëren en je stem te laten horen.

De Evert Vermeer Stichting (EVS) laat de stem van mensen in ontwikkelingslanden doorklinken in de Nederlandse en Europese politiek. Dat is hard nodig, want de belangen van ontwikkelingslanden worden nog te vaak genegeerd, waardoor ontwikkeling wordt belemmerd. Daarom is de EVS híer actief om de situatie van de mensen daar te verbeteren.

Africa in the Picture is een filmfestival dat zich richt op het werk van filmmakers uit Afrika en de Afrikaanse diaspora. Ieder jaar worden er op het festival ruim 50 recente films, documentaires en shorts vertoond, vaak in aanwezigheid van de filmmaker.

5-9 Oktober 2011

A forum for bridging research, policy and practice on migration and diversity.

The International Metropolis Project is an international network engaged with better identifying, understanding, and adapting to the changes accompanying migration and diversity. Through their efforts, they encourage the production and effective communication of policy-relevant knowledge amongst key decision-makers, thought leaders, and practitioners. Since its inception, the network has grown to include partners from across North America and Europe as well as a growing presence in Africa, Latin America and much of the Asia-Pacific region.

The 16th International Metropolis Conference will see Metropolis continue to expand its interests and its geographical reach. At this first meeting in an island society, the Azores, we will be able to learn firsthand about migration from the point of view of a sending country. During our previous 15 conferences, we have concentrated on the management of migration and population diversity from the perspective primarily of the societies of destination. As guests of the Azores, we have a wonderful opportunity to learn how countries of origin conceive of the emigration of their people and the practical and often remarkable steps they take to maintain a unity of their people and their cultures across vast distances. More Azoreans live outside the Azores than on the islands, and yet there remain exceptionally strong bonds amongst the émigrés and between the émigrés and their homeland.

How this is fostered and managed for Azoreans will serve as a starting point for the conference to look closely at how societies of origin more generally think about their expatriate populations, retain their interest in and allegiances to their homeland, and the growing rates of return migration to those homelands that are experiencing rapid economic and social development. We will also continue our examination of the impacts of migration and diversity on societies of destination by looking at demographic objectives behind migration policies and at managing high levels of diversity within our cities.

Vrijdag 26 augustus
- AFRICA IN THE PICTURE IN DE TOLHUISTUIN -
Deze zomer duikt AITP Open Air op in Amsterdam-Noord, tijdens het Made in Africa Weekend in de Tolhuistuin. Met een film en een randprogramma laten we een nieuw beeld, een echt beeld, van Afrika en de Diaspora zien is.

19:00-23:00uur
€ 6,00

Zaterdag 27 augustus
- GHANA TODAY -
De Tolhuistuin transformeert voor één dag in een ware ‘Ghanatown’. Een stad met real-live Anansi verhalen, geurige drankjes en hapjes, levendige muziek, Ghanese kappers en mode. Amsterdam heeft op Londen na de grootste Europees-Ghanese community. Ghana Today is een multidisciplinair programma met muziek, mode, verhalen, eten en drinken, markt en activiteiten voor kinderen. Door de hele tuin staan marktkramen van Ghanese ondernemers en op de Noordkop, vanuit Lokatie 488, ‘KAPSALON’ met Ghanese kappers ‘The Hairdoctors’ uit Oost.

i.s.m Bravo Entertainment

14:00-23:00uur
€ 10,00

Zondag 28 augustus
Na twee succesvolle edities van de blockjam Doin’ it in the park, staat de derde editie in het teken van futuristische sounds uit alle windhoeken van Afrika, de Afrikaanse identiteit in Nederland en Europa. Doin’ it in the park is een openlucht hip hop blockjam African style in een nieuw oldschool jasje met de Afrikaanse diaspora als voedingsbodem voor nieuwe talenten, verhalen en muziek. Verwacht verrassende gasten, energieke optredens, shops en een originele Zuid-Afrikaanse braai.

i.s.m africanhiphop.com

14:00-23:00uur
€ 10,00

Enhancing Protection, Promoting Development and Facilitating Governance

The International Training Centre of the ILO (ITC-ILO) will hold its first Labour Migration Academy from 4 until 15 July 2011.
The Academy will be structured around daily plenary forums and 3 elective courses: Good governance of labour migration, Protection of migrant workers and Migration and development.
The application deadline is May 14, 2011!

by Stichting Sankofa

The Hague African Festival biedt een veelkleurig en uitnodigend venster op het Afrika van vandaag, met als focus de rijkdom van het Afrikaanse culturele erfgoed en de hedendaagse ontwikkelingen binnen de Afrikaanse culturen. Er wordt sterk ingezet op een representatieve programmering van Afrikaanse muziek, met oog voor traditie en vernieuwing. In de festivalopzet is er voor gekozen om de bezoeker ‘the African way of life’ te doen ondergaan.

The Hague African Festival is een vanzelfsprekende en gastvrije ontmoetingsplek voor alle bewoners van Den Haag: een internationaal topevenement voor een internationale stad, waarmee deze stad zich nog nadrukkelijker op de culturele wereldkaart plaatst.

Bruce Cerew is een voormalig oorlogskind uit de oorlog in Liberia en Sierra Leone

Bruce Cerew is een voormalig oorlogskind uit de oorlog in Liberia en Sierra Leone die in 2000 als asielzoeker naar Nederland is gekomen. Hij heeft zijn persoonlijke verhaal in zijn boeken “Warchild” en “De Lange Weg” weergegeven.

Het zijn niet alleen zijn boeken die een hoopgevende boodschap uitdragen maar ook de stichting die Bruce Cerew opgericht heeft. The Ray of Light Foundation heeft als doel duurzame landbouwprojecten en vakopleidingen op te zetten in zijn geboorteland Nigeria.

Sinds januari 2011 geeft Cerew workshops op middelbare scholen overal in Nederland.

Op zondag 10 april 2011 (08:00-09:00 of van 9:00-10:00) wordt op RTL 5 een interview met schrijver Bruce Cerew uitgezonden.

De debatavond vindt plaats in Den Haag.

Op vrijdag 10 juni vindt de jaarlijkse Seva lezing plaats in De Boskant in Den Haag. Sandew Hira verzorgt dit jaar de lezing die zal gaan over ontwikkelingshulp vanuit drie perspectieven. Titel van de lezing is: ‘Drie verhalen, één realiteit. Ontwikkelingshulp vanuit een gekleurd perspectief’. De discussie over ontwikkelingshulp gaat volgens econoom en historicus Sandew Hira in essentie over de vraag: wat is de verhouding tussen het westen en de zogenaamde Derde Wereld en hoe zou deze verhouding er in de 21ste eeuw uit moeten zien.

Aanmelden of meer informatie?
Als u de lezing wilt bijwonen, kunt u een e-mailen sturen naar a.delsman@sevanetwork.net. Aanmelden kan tot 1 juni 2011. U kunt meerdere introducés meenemen. Vergeet bij uw aanmelding niet om naam, telefoonnummer en e-mailadres van uzelf én uw introducé(s) aan ons door te geven. Wilt u meer informatie? Neem dan contact op met Annet Delsman op 070 33 00 777.

Religion: a threat for women’s rights or a driving force for social change and women’s peace activism? “

The day will consist of a plenary debate, workshops, networking opportunities and screening of the documentary “Acting on Faith”

Workshops:
- Peacebuilding: Religion and Spirituality as a Source of Inspiration (by VDV. Language: Dutch)
- Interfaith Peacebuilding, Women and 1325 (by MWPN)

Languages: English and Dutch
Please note: only limited places available and registration via email is required

WPP Information Officer

International Fellowship of Reconciliation
Women Peacemakers Program
Spoorstraat 38
1815 BK Alkmaar
The Netherlands / Pays-Bas
tel +31 (0)72 512 3014 / fax +31 (0)72 515 1102
j.devries@ifor.org

The President of the General Assembly will host a one-day Informal Thematic Debate on International Migration and Development at United Nations Headquarters in New York on 19 May 2011, pursuant to A/RES/63/225. The debate is intended to build on the on-going international dialogue on international migration and development, and to contribute to the process leading to the second High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development in 2013.

Representatives from civil society organizations, including those organizations not accredited with the UN, who wish to attend the Informal Thematic Debate on International Migration and Development on 19 May 2011 in New York, are invited to pre-register.

First-time users of this registration system will need to create a new profile by clicking here. Approval of this profile can take up to 48 hours.

Please note that for planning purposes, pre-registration to this event is required. However, pre-registration does not guarantee entry into the meeting - seating will be on a first come first serve basis.

Please also be advised that the United Nations will not be in a position to fund travel expenses or accommodation to the debate.

Participants are responsible for visa and other necessary arrangements required for the entry in the country where the meeting takes place.

Participants are responsible for their own travel and accommodation arrangements.

Pre-registration must be received no later than 15 April 2011.

Diaspora, Diplomacy and Development

On May 17-19, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the Department of State’s Global Partnerships Initiative, with the collaboration of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Migration Policy Institute (MPI), will host a three-day conference in Washington, DC to highlight the roles that diaspora populations in the United States play in international development and in expanding the global reach of the United States.

The objective of the conference is to:

- Recognize and celebrate the contribution of diaspora communities to America’s relationship with their countries of origin or ancestry;
- Foster diaspora-centered public-private partnership models; and,
- Encourage inter-diaspora collaboration and learning.
Because the number of delegates to the conference is limited to 200, an application procedure will be necessary. The selection process will be conducted by MPI according to criteria established by the Global Partnerships Initiative.

If you would like to receive further information about the conference, please contact Deena Shakir at diaspora@state.gov.

MPI will conduct a conference call for interested parties on March XX to provide further information about the application procedure and the selection criteria.

For more information, click here.

by Hein de Haas (Oxford University, UK)

On Monday May 16, 2011 Hein de Haas, Senior Research Fellow at the International Migration Institute of the University of Oxford, will deliver the eighth lecture in the Series ‘Global Values in a Changing World’. He argues that recent views, celebrating migration as self-help development ‘‘from below’’, are driven by neoliberal ideologies and shift the attention away from the vital role of states in shaping favourable conditions for positive development impacts of migration to occur.

The Netherlands-Ghana Business Fair is a two-day collaborative event organized by African Social Development Aid (ASDA), AfroEuro Foundation and African Diaspora Fund for Development (ADFD) in with the support the Embassy of the Republic of Ghana in The Netherlands, Ghana Investment Promotion Council (GIPC) and Association of Ghana Industries (AGI). The event is organized under the theme “Development through Business Engagements”.

The objective of the business fair is to contribute to the socio-economic through the promotion of business opportunities.

It recognises key opportunities and challenges available for business enterprises and promotes business partnership between Ghana and Netherlands businesses. For this reason the business fair aims to stimulate the entrepreneurial spirit between Dutch and Ghanaian companies. The event also creates an opportunity for business from the two countries to exhibit their business products and to share their experience through speed dating.

The fair again aims to enhance the possibilities for business partnerships, promoting social capital or funding opportunities, broadening operational marketability, advancement of technology and job creation.

Who can attend?

Businesses that operate in the area of Energy, Manufacturing, Agro Processing, Information Technology, Communication, Financial Institutions and Services, Culture Diversity, Tourism and Property Management are all invited.

The International Migration Institute invites scholars to a one-day workshop to start new conversations about social theory and migration studies. This workshop aims to provide a platform for dialogue on how to theoretically and methodologically apply a critical realism perspective in empirical studies of migration processes. The sessions will explore the foundations of critical realism; reflect on how it can be applied to migration research; and ask what is distinctive about critical realist approaches to migration research compared to the much more common positivist and relativist studies that dominate the field.

Registration:
The places for this workshop are limited. If you would like to join us for this event, please reserve a place by contacting: agnieszka.kubal@qeh.ox.ac.uk & maria.villares@qeh.ox.ac.uk. Lunch and tea/coffee will be provided. Unfortunately we cannot offer any support for travel or accommodation for this workshop. We are grateful to the Oxford Martin School for contributing funds to make this event possible.

The African Diaspora Policy Centre is organising the second training workshop for African policymakers serving at the Newly-formed Diaspora-oriented Ministries in Africa. The training workshop will be held at Alisa Hotel in Accra from 25 to 29 April 2011.

ADPC has set up the training workshop in order to respond to capacity deficits affecting the performance of the emerging Diaspora ministries and other institutions tasked with overseeing diaspora and development related matters in many countries in Africa. The main purpose of the training workshop is to contribute to strengthening the policy making capacity of the diaspora-oriented policymakers by providing them with the essential knowledge, skills and tools to develop feasible policies aimed at maximising the contribution of the diaspora to the development of their respective home countries.

For the first round of the training workshop, we have selected 12 participants representing six countries, namely, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria and Rwanda. For the second round of the training workshop we have selected government participants from Benin, Burundi, Mali, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

Symposium about migrant rights

Chair: Elspeth Guild, University of Nijmegen and Associate Fellow, CEPS

Speakers:

* Sergio Carrera, Senior Fellow and Head of the JHA Unit, CEPS

* Representative of the European Commission

* Representative of the Council of the EU

Towards a migrant-centred approach

The European Commission will by the end of 2011 present proposals on how to enhance the external dimension of the EU's migration policy ('The EU Global Approach to Migration'), to better meet the policy objectives and interests of the EU, its partners countries and all migrants concerned. This package of proposals will include a specific focus on the 'Migration and Development' dimension of the EU migration policy.

The European Commission will therefore organise a consultation on 11 April. The Consultation is open to all EU member states and institutions, as well as other stakeholders in the area of migraiton and development, such as representatives of partner countries, international organisations, civil society organisations, academics and researchers.

The objective of the meeting is to review what has been done so far to enhance synergies between migration and development, and what further steps are needed to strengthen our approach in this area.

Naast een culturele belevenis met entertainment en locale lekkernijen wordt dit prachtige Afrikaanse land tijdens dit evenement nader onder de aandacht gebracht met interessante lezingen over actuele onderwerpen als gezondheid, onderwijs en duurzaamheid. Krijgen we een ander Oeganda na de recente verkiezingen? Hoe staat het met de positie van homoseksuelen? Is duurzaam toerisme mogelijk in het land? Hoe verhoudt het Oegandese onderwijs zich tot dat van ons? Deze en nog veel meer interessante onderwerpen komen aan bod.

De Oegandadag opent haar deuren om 10:30 uur. Mirjam Blaak, gevolmachtigd minister van Oeganda voor de Benelux en de EU, zal de dag openen. In een aantal parallelsessies zullen vele (ervarings)deskundigen en andere inspirerende Oegandalief-hebbers een voordracht houden. Ook zullen er in de Cinema Oegandainteressante documentaires vertoond worden. Daarnaast zullen diverse organisaties die actief zijn in Oeganda zich presenteren. En wat dacht je van een Meet&Greet met een vrijwilliger die je alles kan vertellen over de mogelijkheden dit land te bezoeken en aldaar een actieve bijdrage te leveren?

Het programma bestaat uit verschillende lezingen en workshops door experts op dat gebied in Oeganda. Thema’s en onderwerpen die aan bod komen zijn onderwijs, gezondheidszorg (dilemma’s, HIV/AIDS, stigma’s), duurzaamheid (microfinanciering, investeren in Oeganda) en de actualiteit (mensenrechten en de politieke situatie na de verkiezingen). Daarnaast zal er een filmzaal zijn (Cinema Oeganda) waar interessante documentaires over Oeganda getoond zullen worden. Ook een publiek interview met Warner ten Kate staat op het programma: over onderhandelen met Joseph Kony en zijn ontmoetingen met de rebellenleider.

The Interactive Map on Migration (i-Map) project is implemented in the framework of the Dialogue on Mediterranean Transit Migration (MTM).

The 5th MTM i-Map Expert Meeting, focusing on Migration and Development is hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands and will take place in The Hague on 28-29 March 2011.

Dans ce cadre, NOUAS organise un séminaire de réflexion en corrélation avec le contexte actuel, sur le rôle opérationnel de la diaspora dans le développement de leur pays d’origine. L’objectif de ce séminaire est de mener des réflexions et d’échanger sur les pratiques afin de pouvoir extraire des préconisations.

J!GG will run a series of workshops for women from diverse Diaspora community-based organisations form the Horn of Africa on:


* 18 March 2011, 5-8pm
* 1st April 2011, 5.30-8.30pm
* 16 April 2011, 5-8pm

We have 20 places on this innovative and timely short course. The aim of the project is for HA women to get involved in contributing towards promoting good community governance in their local communitites and respective homelands.

For further information and course leaflet contact us at info@jethroinstitute.org.uk

Heeft u ook altijd willen ondernemen in uw land van herkomst?...
Zit u vol ideeën, maar weet u niet hoe u deze concreet kunt maken?...
Seva leert u hoe u uw ideeën kunt omzetten tot een businessplan!
Speciaal voor mensen zoals u organiseert Seva een trainingsprogramma in maart 2011.
Het trainingsprogramma is gericht op migranten(organisaties) die geen of weinig ervaring hebben in het opzetten van een (sociale) onderneming in hun landen van herkomst. Tijdens de trainingen krijgen de deelnemers inzicht in het opstellen van een businessplan (zowel inhoudelijk als financieel). Na het volgen van alle trainingen krijgt de deelnemer een deelnamecertificaat. Tevens bestaat de mogelijkheid om na afloop van het trainingsprogramma een subsidieaanvraag bij Seva in te dienen.

Het Seva Trainingsprogramma 2011 bestaat uit:
• Inleiding in de Ontwikkelingssamenwerking en Training Businessplan (inhoudelijk): 19 maart van 9:30-17:00 uur
• Training Businessplan (financieel): 26 maart van 9:30-18:30 uur
• Businessgame en samenvatting Businessplan: 27 maart van 9:00-13:00 uur
• Excursie: datum wordt nader bepaald
• Verdiepingsbijeenkomst + uitreiking certificaat: datum wordt nader bepaald

Kosten: €100 per persoon (inclusief: overnachting, ontbijt, lunch (2x), diner en trainingsmateriaal, exclusief: excursie)
U wordt verzocht het bedrag te storten op rekening van Seva: giro 336.
Na betaling ontvangt u van Seva een ontvangstbevestiging (Let op: deelname kan alleen bij voorafgaande betaling!)

U kunt zich tot uiterlijk 7 maart 2011 aanmelden door uw contactgegevens (naam, adres, telefoonnummer, email adres) te mailen naar: info@sevanetwork.net of te bellen naar: 070 33 00 777.

Are you from an African country? Or do you know people who are coming from that continent? Then this message is meant for you!

Are you from an African country? Or do you know people who are coming from that continent? Then this message is meant for you!
We are looking for people who (if requested nameless) want to explain how they got the papers so that they were able to enter any European country and how they manage to find a job here. We are making the documentary serie Surprising Europe which will be broadcasted by Al Jazeera in Africa. In this documentary we want to show a realistic image of Europe for African migrants. Examples around the paper issue are: did you have to deal with a visa dealer? Did you take over the identity of someone else? What are (other) tips and trics? And what are the disadvantages and the dangers? Because we realise how delicate these issues are, we promises to be very careful with all of your information! Please send a mail to: research4surprisingeurope@gmail.com and share your experiences.

Surprising Europe
Êtes-vous d'un pays Africain? Ou savez vous les gens viennent ici? Ensuite, cet appel a été adressé à vous! Nous recherchons des personnes qui (même de façon anonyme) de dire comment ils sont arrivés sur le papier dans un pays Européen et être autorisés à travailler ici. Ils sont entrés dans la mer avec un tel distributeur de visa? Ils ont pris l'identité de quelqu'un d'autre? Quels sont les trucs et astuces? Et quels sont les inconvénients et les dangers? Il est le documentaire surprenant série Europe, où nous essayons d'esquisser une image réaliste de l'Europe. La série est diffusée par la langue anglaise d'Al Jazeera en Afrique. Parce que nous savons comment ces questions sont sensibles, nous allons être extrêmement prudent avec vos informations et la manipulation des données. Mail à: research4surprisingeurope@gmail.com et partager vos expériences.


Karin Wesselink
● freelance journalist ● cultureel antropoloog ●

DR Congo is het land met de grootste armoede ter wereld. Stichting Talentueux, KAST is actief bezig om migranten hun landgenoten in DR Congo te ondersteunen. Onder andere met het plaatsen en onderhouden van waterputten, goed landbouwbeleid en een coöperatieve vereniging.
De stichting wil de problematiek onder de aandacht brengen met een benefietavond met Congolese en Nederlandse muziek. Escape heeft de accommodatie aangeboden. De artiesten werken belangeloos mee. Optredens zijn er van Nathalie Makoma (finaliste Idols 2008), Patience Mvanga, Solid Green en Solo Ndinga.
De burgers in DR Congo hebben onze hulp hard nodig. Stichting Talentueux, KAST heeft alles voorbereid en verwacht een ongeëvenaarde benefietavond met ontspanning, muziek en Congolese hapjes.
We rekenen op een gezellige avond met als einddoel een mooie opbrengst, welke wordt ingezet voor nieuwe waterputten.

Are you young, etnhusiastic and entrepreneurial? Would you like to contribute to the development of Morocco, Ghana, Turkey, Ethiopia and Suriname?

Live Music + Free Food Court + Debate + Charity

17.00 - 17.30 Welcome
17.30 - 17.45 Short introduction
17.45 - 18.15 Debate: come and talk with us! Topic: how to stimulate young people to contribute to their land of origin?

18.15 - 18.30 Summary of the debate and opening Free Food Court: taste the food from Morocco, Ghana, Turkey, Ethiopia and Suriname

18.30 - 19.00 Pitch your project: Why support the projects? 1minute pitches from 10 projects. You decide which of the projects earns the most support! Buy stocks of the project with money donated from sponsors. Want to do more? You can also donate your own money, knowledge and time.

19.00 - 21.00 Live Music
21.00 - 21.30 Announcement winners. Donate the most and win!
21.30 - 22.00 Live Music

Register?
Entrance is free. Sent an e-mail to weshare@intent.eu to apply.

Tell your friends!

On February 21-22, 2011, the South Africa government in cooperation with the African Union Commission has hosted a Technical Committee of Experts Meeting in Pretoria. The technical experts were tasked to come up with concrete policy proposals for bankable projects within the ambit of political, economic and social areas of cooperation. The director of the African Diaspora Policy Centre (ADPC), Awil Mohamoud, participated in the meeting. The event brought together experts from the continent and its Diaspora and marked the commencement of the implementation of the first key element of the AU/South Africa African Diaspora roadmap. The other two key elements, as presented by South Africa and endorsed by the AU, are the Ministerial meeting planned to take place in September 2011 followed by an African Diaspora Summit that will be held in 2012.

Submission of Abstracts - The Role, Expectations and Responsibilities in Building Pan-Africanism in the 21st Century

Since 2002, the AU and other parties have organised various events including regional conferences and developed structures and institutions to aid the interactions and work of Africa and its Diaspora. This was supposed to culminate in a Diaspora Summit in 2008 in South Africa which was postponed. The event will now be held in 2012. As part of this process the Africa Institute of South Africa has developed this Diaspora project which will include a call for papers covering various themes including those identified for discussion during the 2012 summit. Once the draft papers have been prepared they will be the foundation for an international conference after which they will be re-worked for publishing as a book. This document will hopefully be ready before the 2012 Diaspora Summit where it will serve as a working document.

The focus of the proposed conference is to explore the role of Diasporan Africans as the Sixth Region of the AU in the last 7 years (i.e. since the AU declared the Diaspora a Sixth Region). The other five regions comprising the African Union (AU) are:

•West Africa
•East Africa
•Central Africa
•Southern Africa
•North Africa

The proposed conference is meant for participants from all over the world and would take place in Tshwane/Pretoria, South Africa. The conference would be held in September 15-17, 2011.

For more information, contact Dr Ama Biney at the following address: Ama Biney [ama.biney@yahoo.co.uk]

This conference is organised by the International Migration Institute and the Refugee Studies Centre as part of the Oxford Leverhulme Diasporas Programme. It is free to attend and coffee, tea and a light lunch will be provided.

Registration

If you would like to attend the conference please email ann.cowie@anthro.ox.ac.uk by 17 January 2011. Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis. (NB: Registration is compulsory and places are limited.)

Background

While there has been extensive research on democratic transition and post-conflict reconstruction in Southern and Eastern Europe, little is known about the roles played by diasporas in general and by refugees’ diasporic memories in particular. However, many states in Africa, Latin America and even Europe are engaged in attempts to reassess their recent histories in order to elaborate new nation-building narratives. In this context, refugee diasporas have often retained a memory of conflicts which has sometimes been erased (or voluntarily forgotten) in the country of origin.
The conference will address the input of refugee organisations and individuals into political processes in their countries of origin. The one-day event will, in particular, explore:

1. The role of refugee organisations in re-processing individual memories into an alternative narrative of national history.
2. The stance of states of origin – whether they are willing or unwilling to re-incorporate this expatriate memory in the context of democratic transition.
Memorial transfers can take many forms, from public testimonies and reconciliation committees organised by states of origin, to clandestine encounters between activists and expatriates.

Three questions will serve as a common thread for the different interventions:
1. How are individual memories processed in an exilic context to produce a collective diasporic memory?
2. How are diasporic memories transferred to the origin country (or, conversely, how do states endeavour to prevent re-importation of these memories)?
3. How does this process impact on public opinion, civil society and democratisation in both the country of origin and the hosting country?

World Charter of Migrants /World Assembly of Migrants

The World Social Forum (WSF) is back in Africa in 2011, more precisely in Senegal from 6 to 11 February 2011.

12 themes were selected, including an axis of movement of persons:

"Axis 4: For freedom of movement and settlement of all and everyone, especially migrants and asylum-seekers, victims of human trafficking, refugees, Indigenous Peoples, originating, indigenous, traditional and native , Minorities, for the respect of their civil, political, economic, social, cultural and environmental."

Find all the information on the website of the WSF 2011.

Preparatory work will take place on Gorée Island (Sénégal). From 2 to 4 February 2011, will be held a World Migration meeting to amend and adopt the World Charter of Migrants. Around one hundred migrants will participate.

Eind februari zal bij de VN in New York de Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) voor de 55e keer samenkomen. Ter voorbereiding van dit evenement, wil ik graag als junior vertegenwoordiger geïnteresseerden uitnodigen om op 2 februari een consultatiesessie bij de wonen op het Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken. Tijdens deze consultatie zullen regeringsvertegenwoordigers, de VN vrouwenvertegenwoordiger en maatschappelijke organisaties samenkomen om het Nederlandse standpunt uit te werken. De input van jongeren, migranten, studenten en gewoon geïnteresseerden wordt zeer gewaardeerd!

Meer informatie over de Commission on the Status of Women kunt u hier vinden.

Kijk hier voor de uitnodiging

UITNODIGING

My Roots, My Inspiration is een inspirerende avond voor jongeren met roots in Marokko, Ghana, Turkije, Ethiopië en Suriname, die een bijdrage (willen) leveren aan een duurzame toekomst in deze landen. Bijvoorbeeld door projecten te ondersteunen, een bedrijf te starten in het land of door mensen in Nederland bij het land te betrekken.

Iemand die zich betrokken voelt bij meerdere landen heeft een unieke positie: met jouw kennis van taal, cultuur en mensen kun je een brug slaan tussen twee culturen. En daarom bij uitstek in staat om een bijdrage te leveren aan duurzame ontwikkeling.

Actrice/presentatrice Georgina Kwakye, zelf van Ghanese afkomst en oprichtster van stichting Ghanasi, presenteert de avond. Ze stelt diverse personen aan je voor die vertellen wat ze doen en wat hun drijfveren zijn. Daarna volgt een debat en wordt de avond afgesloten met een hapje en een drankje.

Programma
19.00 – 19.30 Ontvangst met koffie/thee
19:30 – 19:40 Welkomstwoord door Georgina Kwakye
19:40 – 20:30 Presentaties van o.a. Peggy Bouva (Community & Knowledge) en Dina El Filali (stichting Kantara)
20:30 – 20:40 Intermezzo
20:40 – 21:30 Debat
21:30 – 22:30 Afsluiting

Debat
Voel jij je betrokken bij je land van herkomst? Ook al ben je er niet geboren of zelfs nooit geweest? Deze en andere stellingen worden aan het panel en het publiek voorgelegd.

Informatie
Woensdag 26 januari 2011
19:00 – 22:00 uur
Amsterdam
Vrij entree

Gelieve je vooraf aan te melden via info@cosnoordholland.nl.

Klik hier voor de uitnodiging

Jong OS invites you to: “A Call 2 Action”; a year of action to implement innovative ideas for development cooperation.

A lot of discussion has been going on how the effectiveness of development cooperation should be improved. Now it is time for ACTION! A Call to Action will facilitate your innovative plan on what development cooperation should look like and reverts it into action through the course of a year. The most effective and innovative action will receive the JongOS Innovation Award at the end of 2011!

Join our year of action starting with a kick-off conference on January the 22nd at the Dialogues House in Amsterdam. Before the action plans are presented in the open space session, you will be inspired by a dialogue between mede-oprichter van Oxfam Novib Simon Jelsma, Marieke de Lange, Ben White and Hans Eenhoorn. Radio DJ and TV presenter Andrew Makkinga will chair the day. For more information about the programme and the people that are involved visit our website at www.acall2action.nl.

You can participate by:
• Presenting your innovative idea on what development cooperation should look like: At the conference participants will be able to sign up on your idea and help you implement it through the course of the year.
• Joining one of the action plans presented at the conference: Each action plan needs enthusiastic team members to help implement them.

"Creëren van randvoorwaarden voor duurzaamheid: koppelen van ontwikkelingsinitiatieven aan duurzame vrijwillige terugkeer"

In de afgelopen jaren hebben diverse partijen zowel op nationaal als mondiaal niveau getracht om migratie te koppelen aan ontwikkeling en andersom. Zonder meer omdat zowel migratie als ontwikkeling processen zijn die in onze mondiale samenleving steeds meer aan elkaar gerelateerd zijn.

De migratie van mensen neemt met de dag toe en de oorzaken daarvoor zijn verschillend. Voorbeelden hiervan zijn politieke conflicten en oorlogen, natuur en milieurampen, maar ook de wens en het streven van mensen om de eigen sociaaleconomische situatie te verbeteren; of simpelweg voor het genot van natuur en leefomgeving migreren naar een ander land of werelddeel. Ongeacht wat de oorzaken van deze migratie zijn, hebben wij steeds meer burgers die actief zijn op mondiaal niveau; er is sprake van mondiaal burgerschap. Het resultaat hiervan zijn talloze initiatieven van de diaspora alsook maatschappelijke middenveld breed die
ieder op hun eigen manier een bijdrage proberen te leveren aan duurzame sociaaleconomische ontwikkeling van onze mondiale samenleving. Het is dan ook een uitdaging voor ons allen om deze kennis en ervaring bij elkaar te brengen zodat de ondernomen ontwikkelingsinitiatieven en de te gebruiken middelen ingezet kunnen worden in het creëren van een omgeving waarbinnen ook duurzame vrijwillige terugkeer gerealiseerd kan worden!


Tijdens deze werkconferentie zullen diverse beleidsmakers en deskundigen vanuit hun maatschappelijke en beroepspositie inleidingen verzorgen over "creëren van randvoorwaarden voor duurzaamheid: koppelen van ontwikkelingeninitiatieven aan duurzame vrijwillige terugkeer". In het tweede deel van de conferentie zullen de vernieuwende methodieken en strategieën uit ontwikkelingssector en het bedrijfsleven dienen als leidraad in de thematische workshops. Aan het eind van de workshop worden er concrete aanbevelingen en initiatieven voor diverse belanghebbenden geformuleerd.

Deze werkconferentie wordt afgesloten met een Nieuwjaarsborrel van SMS!

Vrijdag 21 januari 2011
10.00 - 16.30 Werkconferentie
16:30 - 18.00 Borrel
Locatie: Hogeschool Domstad, Koningsbergerstraat 9, 3531 AJ Utrecht

Gaarne voor 14 januari 2011 aanmelden via d.amekran@sms-vluchtelingen.nl of via het inschrijfformulier op de website www.teruggaan.info.

Slotconferentie Migratie en Ontwikkeling & Prijsuitreiking van de Ideeënwedstrijd 2010

Op 18 december vindt in Utrecht de Slotconferentie Migratie en Ontwikkeling & Prijsuitreiking van de Ideeënwedstrijd 2010 plaats. De conferentie “Strategieën in het huidige politieke en maatschappelijke klimaat” is de afsluitingsactiviteit van het project Migratie en Ontwikkeling 2010. Kathleen Ferrier (CDA) zal in een lezing ingaan op de samenhang tussen migratie en ontwikkeling. Ferrier zal als juryvoorzitter ook de prijzen uitreiken in het kader van de Ideeënwedstrijd Migranten & Ontwikkeling.

Migranten dragen in Nederland door middel van een groeiend aantal initiatieven bij aan ontwikkeling van hun herkomstlanden. Voorbeelden hiervan zijn ontwikkelingsprojecten en het opzetten van eigen ondernemingen. Ondanks deze positieve bijdragen zijn migrantenorganisaties hard getroffen door de beleidsveranderingen die in 2010 zijn doorgevoerd. Deze harde besluiten lijken te passen in dit politiek en maatschappelijk zeer bewogen jaar.

Voorafgaand aan de conferentie kunnen bezoekers op het Kennisplaza door middel van een speeddate concrete adviesvragen stellen aan ondermeer Cordaid, NCO, Impulsis en de Wilde Ganzen. Ook presenteren de ambassadeurs van de Ideeënwedstrijd hun succesvolle projecten. Dit is een unieke kans om direct advies te krijgen over uw project! Na de opening door Oikos-directeur Ineke Bakker, zal Tweede Kamerlid Kathleen Ferrier, één van de sleutelfiguren van het afgelopen jaar, een lezing houden over migratie en ontwikkeling onder het huidige politieke gesternte.

Tijdens de paneldiscussie zullen partijen uit het veld hun visie geven op de huidige ontwikkelingen. Hierbij is er voldoende ruimte voor het publiek zich in dit gesprek te mengen. Na de pauze wordt een beeld geschetst van de maatschappelijke context van de Ideeënwedstrijd. We bekijken hoe de maatschappelijke context is veranderd sinds de start in
2003. Ook bekijken we de rol van migranten(organisaties) bij politieke veranderingen en internationale samenwerking.

Aansluitend op de conferentie vindt de Prijsuitreiking plaats van de Ideeënwedstrijd 2010. Dit jaar dienden een recordaantal migranten(organisaties) een projectvoorstel in. Juryvoorzitter Kathleen Ferrier zal de winnaars bekend maken.

On 4 December 2000, the General Assembly, taking into account the large and increasing number of migrants in the world, proclaimed 18 December International Migrants Day (resolution 55/93). On that day, in 1990, the Assembly adopted the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.

The INFOCON and DIASPEACE research projects - funded under the 7th Framework Research Programme - address the role of diasporas in conflict resolution and peace building: Kurdish,Turkish, Kosovar, Serbian and Rwandese diasporas in INFOCON; diasporas from Horn of Africa in DIASPEACE. The two projects will host a joint final conference in Brussels on 16-18 December 2010 at the Foundation Universitaire, Brussels.

Participants will include researchers, civil society organisations (INFOCON is funded with the specific instrument of research in support of civil society organisations, and civil society organisations are also involved in DIASPEACE) and policy makers.

The conference is on invitation only due to space limitations.

For more information about the conference, click here.

by the High Commission for Immigration and Intercultural Dialogue

The High Commission for Immigration and Intercultural Dialogue (ACIDI IP) has the pleasure to invite you to the International Forum on “Immigrants Integration”, organized within the celebrations of International Migrants Day, on 16th and 17th December 2010.
The Forum aims to promote the debate and the reflexion around the integration of immigrants, involving dialogue between researchers, policymakers, representatives of civil society organizations, among other stakeholders, as well as international experts in this area.

It Includes four plenary sessions – the international monitoring on immigrant integration policies, how to promote the intercultural dialogue, the challenges of immigrants integration for the local authorities and the issue of reciprocity on immigrants political participation – with the presence of national and international experts as the Coordinator of IMISCOE Research Network and senior representatives of the UN, OECD, IOM International, Migration Policy Group among other reference
institutions in this area.
Within the Forum, there will also be launched five new publications of the Immigration Observatory on the following thematic: elderly immigrants, immigrants and workplace accidents, immigration and health, immigration and gender and immigration and criminal justice.

The Forum will end with the Immigration Platform Awards Delivery.

For more information:
International Forum.pdf

Gender Perceptions & Physical exercise

HIRDA is organizing a workshop on 11th December 2010 titled "Development of women through Sports" under the theme " Gender Perceptions & Physical exercise".

This workshop forms part of the activities during the 12th Annual African Conference organized by UNOY.

Encouraging women to participate in sport can lead to thoughtful and profound social change.
Sports can be an effective tool for achieving the millennium development goals (MDGs). It can instance be used to educate and deliver health information to young mothers, resulting in healthier children. Sport can furthermore serve as an opportunity to improve female physical and mental health and offers opportunities for social interac­tion and friendship. It can also be a way to motivate children to enrol and attend school, thereby helping improve their academic achievements. Sport also offers girls and women greater access to reproductive health information and services.

The benefits associated with sport participation are unending and have the potential to alter the way that women are perceived by the world and their role in society.
In spite of all these benefits however, the participation of women and girls in sports in developing countries is nothing to write home about as compared to their counterparts in the developed countries. The question that one pauses to ask is what are the factors that prevent women in developing countries and to some extent migrant women in western countries to participate in sports? What can be done in order to motivate them to participate in sports and physical education activities?

With the help of experts and representatives of migrant organization, this workshop will explore the significance of sports for the empowerment of women, securing their independence and improving their image and identity.

For more information on the conference please visit the UNOY website or Workshops during African Conference

Building Peace in Africa.

The African Conference (AC) is an annual one-day conference held in The Hague. It has been organised for the past twelve years by the United Network of Young (UNOY) Peacebuilders. The theme of this year’s conference is: 'Building Peace in Africa: Health through a gener lens in a human rights and socio-economic perspective'.

This years’ topic is “Building Peace in Africa: Health through a gender lens in a human right and socio-economical perspective”. We are envisioning an inspiring event which creates awareness about the importance of gender perceptions and relations when looking at health in a holistic manner can be the start of an empowerment process of women and men. When both sexes work together this has great potential to result in an improvement of the health status of vulnerable groups and less strive and violence over all kinds of resources.The African Conference 2010 will feature inspiring speakers, workshops and an information market

It is a leading event for awareness raising and promotion of interdisciplinary and inter-cultural dialogue, research and action and stresses the role of youth and civil society in peacebuilding efforts. In addition, the conference offers a forum for African students, African Diaspora youth and Dutch students to meet, discuss, and exchange inspiring ideas.
For more information and registration please visit the conference website

International Symposium, 09th-11th December 2010, Berlin

The year 2010 serves as a milestone in African history, presenting an excellent opportunity to take a look back at the continent's achievements, and consider the next steps for addressing its remaining challenges, along with those emerging on the horizon.

Over the past five decades, significant effort has been put into Africa's development on multiple fronts, ranging from economic growth to social and political stabilization. However, with the rapid economic and political trend towards a global society, and the arrival of new global challenges, such as climate change, the water scarcity, and the growing gap between rich and poor, there is now more than ever a dire need for innovative new strategies to ensure an equitable and sustainable future for the African continent.

"The Rise of Africa" will explore the range of new ideas and initiatives being implemented in support of Africa's development, and assess the challenges and opportunities that will present themselves to the African continent in the near future.

One of the panel discussions will be 'The Power of the African Diaspora: "Uniting and Mobilizing the African Diaspora"

The ICD is proud to present "The Rise of Africa" under the patronage of Sir James Mancham, KBE, Former President of the Republic of the Seychelles.

Harnessing the Potentials of Migration and Development

The Diaspora Forum for Development (DFD) in cooperation with Oxfam Novib (ON) will conduct an information session on a migration and development project which aims at facilitating financial access for the families of migrants as well as reduce costs of remittances.

The project, Harnessing the Potentials of Migration and Development: Linking Microfinance Institutions and Immigrant Associations is coordinated in partnership with the International Network of Alternative Financial Institutions (INAFI)
and funded by the European Union. As part of the preparatory phase in each target country, information and consultation meetings are scheduled with migrant organisations, MTOs, MFIs, and other actors enabling remittance transfer.

The world is yours

During the Crash Course Congo, the past, present and future of Congo are discussed. Art and culture are central themes, followed by politics. On 26 November, the current appearances of neo-colonialism are discussed according to three themes:

First, a panel discussion is held, lead by the Congolese professor Andre Yoka, about to what matter the West decides what is Congolese art, what is the legacy of documentary makers who wanted to tell the ‘true’ story of Congo. Second, a course investing in Congo is given by experts, analysts and entrepreneurs. Third, there is a final debate about democracy in Congo.

This is followed by a fundraising dinner and party.

BBVA Bancomer Foundation will hold the 4th edition of the Civil Society Days (CSD) in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on November 8th and 9th 2010 within the framework of the Global Forum on Migration and Development 2010 (GFMD). These two events will take place successively: the first one with representatives of the Civil Society and the second one with representatives of the State Members of the United Nations. The GFMD 2010 will be organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Migration Institute of Mexico on November 10th and 11th, 2010.

Comparing Data and Practical Application

The seminar will examine conceptual, definitional and analytical issues, including the uses and purposes of statistical data and the evolving EU framework on data collection. It will also provide data needs from a comparative approach, available international and European statistical data sources, as well as practical training in relation to using such tools. Different case studies on data collection for regular and irregular migration and human rights will be discussed.
The seminar will be based on a mixture of presentations, case studies and practice sessions. It will stimulate active participation and the sharing of experiences on data needs and application of databases.

ADPC is organizing a preparatory meeting in Addis Ababa for African policy
makers responsible for migrant/diaspora engagement, prior to the Global
Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD), to be held in Puerto Vallarta,
Mexico, from 8-11 November 2010.
The objective of the preparatory meeting is to provide a platform for 15
diaspora-oriented African government officials to deliberate on issues of
common interest in the field of migration and development in the context of
Africa. The government participants in the meeting will formulate an action
plan that they will present at the forthcoming GFMD in Mexico. This project
is sponsored by the MacArthur Foundation, and supported by the Global Forum
on Migration and Development (GFMD) Taskforce.

15th International Metropolis Conference

The ADPC, in cooperation with Cordaid, is organizing the workshop (Building development partnerships between diaspora and sub-national development actors) during the 15th International Metropolis Conference in The Hague. The aim of the workshop is to foster the building of viable development partnerships between diaspora organizations and sub-national development institutions both in the host and home countries.

The International Metropolis Project (www.metropolis.net) is a forum for bridging research, policy and practice on migration and diversity. The Project aims to enhance academic research capacity, encourage policy-relevant research on migration and diversity issues, and facilitate the use of that research by governments and non-governmental organizations.

In the decade since its inception, the project has grown to include researchers, policy-makers, international organizations and non-governmental organizations from across North America and Europe as well as a growing presence in Africa, Latin America and much of the Asia-Pacific region.

The project is perhaps best known for its international conferences, which are the largest annual gatherings of experts in the fields of migration and diversity. Each conference attracts between 800 and 1000 delegates for high-level plenary sessions, a comprehensive study tour program and more than 60 concurrent workshops. The conferences are an opportunity for delegates - both expert and novice – to discuss critical issues, identify research and policy gaps, compare international experiences and build the Metropolis network.

The 15th International Metropolis Conference 2010 is organized by the Municipality of The Hague, The Netherlands.

“Inclusion has to come from inside – Building”

We have realized that African youth Diaspora living in Europe has an amazing potential that has not been recognized and used both by European and Africa society and it’s institutions. After having a first moment to analyze and reflect on the reality of the Africa youth Diaspora in Europe in the 1º Training Course for African Diaspora youth leaders living in Europe that took place from the 6th to the 12th of December 2009 in Lisbon – Portugal, we decided to take the step forward and create a space dedicated to the development of an official network that will enable us to represent the interest of African Diaspora youth living in Europe and at the same time to find ways and strategies to contribute to the development of Europe and Africa society.

Therefore we decided to develop a seminar dedicated to the themes of inclusion and participation we where we expect to bring youth leaders, youth workers and other main actors working with and for African youth in Europe to discuss the role of an African Diaspora youth network in Europe and to address the present and future challenges that this network will face.

The African diaspora Policy Centre will launch its latest policy-oriented publication "Building Institutional Cooperation between the Diaspora and Homeland Governments in Africa: The Cases of Ghana, Nigeria, Germany, US and the UK"

information meeting for Somali Professionals

QUESTS-MIDA is a joint initiative between IOM and UNDP Somalia that supports the development of institutions of government by facilitating the transfer of skills, knowledge and experience from qualified Somali expatriates in the diaspora through short-term, capacity-building assignments in key public institutions in Somalia.
The meeting will serve to provide in-depth information about QUESTS-MIDA, as well as to discuss questions and receive feedback from participants.

Promoting Trade and Investment - Mobilising Diaspora Capacities and Resources.

The aim of the conference is to increase trade and investment flows into Africa and to encourage a transcontinental exchange of knowledge and expertise.The conference will have as a specific objective, fostering business to business linkages, and in particular encouraging technology transfer, joint ventures, manufacturing contracts, franchising, sub-contracts, financial investments, equipment provision and inter-regional trade.

It will seek to leverage the capacities and resources of the African Diaspora based in Europe, and those that have returned to their countries of origin in the recent past. Many within the Africa Diaspora are already engaged in business and can play an important role in brokering partnerships on both the European and African sidesA central plank of the of the conference will be to create an environment that facilitates memorandums of understanding (MoUs) and Joint ventures (JVs) between the selected African and European companies

Dovelyn Agunias, the Policy Analyst at Migration Policy Institute (MPI) talks about "The Future of Diaspora Policy: Building Government Capacity for Diaspora Engagement". Venue: IOM Headquarters in Geneva
Time: 4:00 pm

“Waar staan we? Waar gaan we naartoe?”

'On 30 June 2010 the Democratic Republic of Congo will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of Congo's independence. Congo Nederland Netwerk, an umbrella organisation of Congolese development organisations, is organizing different activities to celebrate this historical moment.
Some of the activities that are going to take place are:
Debates about the Millennium development goals in DR Congo
presentations about the history of Congo,
showcasing of best practices in Congo,
Congolese music
Photo exposition in the Embassy
Workshops
For more information:

The Hague African Festival is organised by Sankofa Foundation (an African Diaspora Organisation). The festival offers a colourful and inviting window on the Africa of today, with a focus on the richness of the African cultural heritage and contemporary developments within African cultures. Particular energy has been devoted to putting together a representative programme of African music that reflects both tradition and contemporary dance music.

Destruction in the Niger Delta

Refused for being too political at other major international film festivals, this will be one of the most explosive European premieres we have to offer.
Sweet Crude tells the story of Nigeria’s Niger Delta. A region that generates billions of dollars in crude oil but where the residents pay a high price...
Environmental damage and abject poverty in the area are widespread. The issues are complex, the answers elusive. But right now, there’s an opportunity to find solutions. What if the world paid attention before it was too late?
A moving portrayal of the people most badly affected by oil exploration in the region.

Building Institutional Cooperation between the Diaspora and Homeland Governments in Africa

The African Diaspora Policy Centre (ADPC) and the Mac Arthur Foundation in Nigeria are jointly organising a policy seminar on how to foster the development of effective, formal and sustainable institutional cooperation between diaspora and homeland governments. The purpose of the meeting is to launch the latest publication by ADPC entitled: ‘Building Institutional Cooperation between the Diaspora and Homeland Governments in Africa – The Cases of Ghana, Nigeria, Germany, USA and the UK’. The publication presents key drivers that can help to advance institutional cooperation between African diaspora and their homeland governments. The seminar provides new insights into effective policies and best practices geared towards the establishment of formal linkages with African diasporas overseas for the development of their homeland countries across the continent. The policy seminar will be held in Abuja (Nigeria) on 26 and 27 May 2010.

Slums: Poverty and Opportunity

The I4D network (Innovation for Development) stimulates reflection and practical cooperation on the role of technology and innovation in the global South. It tries to establish regular contact between the technological innovation community (universities, business) and the development community (NGOs, ministries).

Development in the Global South is impossible without modern technology. Healthy drinking water, good sanitary facilities, access to clean forms of energy, communication etc. depend on the use of technology. Through the introduction of modern technology, living conditions can improve, capacities can rise and productivity can grow.

The I4D symposium offers students, academics, consultants, NGO representatives and policy-makers an arena to share knowledge and discuss innovations and technologies that can improve the quality of life in slums.

Afrika Dag 2010

This workshop will help articulate the diaspora perspective on three key points of the report’s policy recommendations. It will discuss the policy instruments needed to tap more into the considerable development potential of diaspora communities for the development of their countries of origin. It will also address the methods by which the business community in general and diaspora entrepreneurs in particular can be mobilized to play an active role in the development field. Finally, the workshop will deliberate the merits of the report’s proposal that future aid should go beyond poverty reduction and be oriented towards economic growth, wealth creation and self-sufficiency.
Tickets & info: www.afrikadag.nl