Notes from April 4th Meeting
Notes from the April 4th 2014 Meeting
Attendees
- Lynette Parker, Prison Fellowship International,
- Rosalind Harris, International Social Service,
- Claudine Mukamabano, Kukimdiho Rwanda,
- Janice Joseph, ACJS,
- Helen McDermott , Irish Centre for Human Rights,
- Afaf Majfouz, Women in Memory Forum, [email protected]
- Benjamin Phillips, New York NGO Committee on Drugs,
- Heather Haase, New York NGO Committee on Drugs,
- Lloyd Klein, CUNY
- Sheba M. Shikbahara, JCE,
- Magella Oriental, Rapp Campaign/CCA
- Irene Mellup
- Betsy Walters, International Legal Foundation,
- Nancy Grosselfinger Fla State U Alum, [email protected]
1. Approval of January Minutes
Approved
2. Chair’s report
Afaf Mahfouz – 1st meeting as a chair. Has been exploring opportunities for networking and joining forces especially in preparation for the congress. Explore whether or not we can prepare events in NY city or Washington DC toward the congress.
Need to come up with topics for such events and creative ideas about who to invite. NGO with government and secretariat people.
What do we mean when we speak about crime? Trafficking (international crime), killing, etc. Do war crimes fit in to the Alliance work?
Ros Harris – There is a lot of concern about victims. War crimes will make a difference in terms of victims.
Afaf—Results of being a victim; how people become targets of violence and actors of violence?
Congress
Janice – Set-up a committee to send a list of activities to their board for approval. ACJS is sending 4 members. Transnational crime and Justice as a theme for the congress ancillary session.
Gary has set up a website for proposing ancillary sessions. http://www.un-congress.org/
Afaf – Greetings from Karen. Sent a list of the members of the Alliance. 152 NGOs on the list. Suggested online consultation to engage more members. Way of communicating with each other and reach out to other organisations. Facilitate the channelling of information and communication.
We need to discuss the possibility of paying for the online consultation.
Church centre says that we cannot have internet services here.
Lloyd – Is there public space that we could use that would allow for the use of internet service.
Afaf – Offices in the church centre have internet, but is there someone willing to allow the Alliance to use them.
Perhaps do one event with the CSW or perhaps one of our organisations to promote the Congress. Would the Quakers be willing to do something?
Ros – Would it be good to do a side event during the General meeting.
Heather – the Drugs committee may be open to doing a joint event. Looking to do something around World Drug Day on 26 June, Week after the ECOSOC segment there will be a discussion on drugs or crime.
Afaf – Do we want to focus on women? Women have been singled out as targets of violence.
Ros – Trafficking of persons and drugs; possibly put together a panel on the interrelationship of these aspects.
Afaf – Would be good to start something and continue; GO from the general to meetings in preparation for the Congress.
Lloyd – Receives emails from the Brennan Law Center from NYU. Perhaps that would be another opportunity for developing something.
Afaf – Terrorism and counterterrorism might be another area of work.
Ros – Relationships – read the minutes from the Vienna meeting. Michael Platzer has been pushing the femicide issue. Would be interested in doing something?
Janice – Has been working with Michael to develop a draft resolution. It was accepted last year. Upcoming Commission, Michael might be doing something on women and girls and development?
Heather – report on the Commission on Drugs
Met Michael Platzer. Commission on Drugs meet in March. High level review the week before. Shift of the dialogue towards more language on public health. At the High Level meeting adopted language on how to include harm reduction. Language against the death penalty was dropped.
Commission on Drugs – spent time on passing resolutions: one for 2016; one on treatment as an alternative; one on sports
Language is changing. NGO committee is influencing the language so that its being seen as a public health issue.
Ros – brought up the difficulty of the changing language as there are conventions that criminalise the drug debate. Revising conventions would be very difficult.
Intern from the Rabb Campaign (?) is working on something related to advocating for the release of elderly prisoners.
Presentation on Japan – difficulties after the Fukushima events. Hidden crime especially related to women and young girls is going on. Idea that the Alliance could do something on this.
Film in ECOSOC chamber about stopping gang violence in Central America. Involves the hiphop community, ambassador from El Salvador, and Guatemala. It starts 6:30 tonight. Called BBoy for Life, film about Guatemala.
Treasurer’s Report :
– Close to $1800 in the account.
Information Centre & Website
– Karen will send a report about her vision about what we should do. This will be disseminated among the members.
Melup Report:
- Forthcoming meetings –
Commission to be held 16 to 21 May in Vienna. Later this year.
News from Affiliates:
- AfAf – represents two NGOs – had three panels during CSW. One on women’s voices during Arab Spring, women from Egypt reported on their experiences ; panel on education on gender can be provided by women’s goods, how can they be successful in changing formal education and incorporate gender sensitive issues; third one on whether women can make a difference in promoting peace. Several speakers that shared from different perspective. Ros presented on the history of women’s voices in the UN and peace processes.
- Rapp Campaign – two panels during the last week of march at Columbia University. Panels with people who have elderly relatives in prisons. They discussed the difficulties and issues. Included some released prisoners. “Why not let these elderly prisoners go?” In may they are planning another workshop on the issue which will include video and panel discussion.
- NGO Committee on Drugs – Side event at the UN yesterday “Women, drug policy and incarceration in Latin America” response to rising incarceration rates over the last decade. Chaired by the Uruguayn Missions. Partnership with OAS association for Women, Harm Reduction …., and the Washington Office on Latin America. 70% of women incarcerated in Latin America for drug related to issues. Number of the women are from lower socio economic background. Part of a series of events they are doing in preparing for 2016. Want to get out of the silo of drugs and include development, etc.
- NGO Committee on Narcotics and Substance abuse—revitalising the committee. 2016 event on drugs another meeting on 24 April. All are welcome to attend. Vienna NGO committee on Drugs. Hopefully will work closely.
- Nancy Grosselfinger – League of Women voters of the state of New York Trying to get them to go to Doha.
- ILF – Conference in South Africa June 24-26 with South African Ministry of Justice, web page going up soon. UNDP and others. Inviting about 150 participants. Developing legal aid systems. Trying to create a learning environment. Topics are practical. Funding methods, methods of applying legal aid, reaching marginalised communities, etc. Not sure what the outcome document will be. The ilf.org.
Next meeting 13 June.
Meeting adjourned at 2:39pm.
(Notes with thanks to Lynette Parker)
