Hollie McNish, a published UK poet and artist, made this spoken word called “Mathematics” to criticise one extended cliché in her country: that inmigrants are stealing jobs to british people. A creative way to support a world with more Shared Societies. Remember this lyrics!
Cos sometimes one that comes makes two
And sometimes one can add three more
And sometimes two times two is much much more
Than four
And most times immigrants bring more
Than minuses
When the Arab Spring emerged in 2011, Yemen was not one of the candidates tipped to end a revolutionary process successfully. It is a poor country with several problems on resources, highly dependent on oil and water-starved: 45% of its population has unimproved access to drinking water sources. Besides, Yemen is also facing difficult long term social challenges: high unemployment, and a high population growth rate.
Nor does the country present the best scenario for an integrated political change. It is a fractured state, with a strong tribal structure, that until 1990 was divided between North and South. Furthermore, Yemen has the world’s second highest rate of guns per capita: 61 per 100 residents (data is not available with some countries). So, the first effect of the uprisings against Ali Abdullah Saleh in 2011 was a situation bordering on a violent civil war.
But this time, gloomy perspectives can be proved wrong. As Thomas L. Friedman writes in The New York Times, Yemen is the best example among the “Arab Spring” countries of how to make a post-revolutionary political process, due to its National Dialogue initiative. Following elections in February 2012, new President Abd Rabbuh Mansur al-Hadi had a formal transfer of powers before Saleh announced his resignation. And, following an initiative of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Yemen launched a National Dialogue to discuss key constitutional, political, and social issues.
There are two main concepts in this idea. First, it is being done before writing the new Constitution and holding presidential elections. Yemen has six months to decide about its future. And second, this dialogue is making serious efforts to be called “National”. People of Yemen are being encouraged to know each other’s views and ideas: different political factions, new parties, young people, women, Islamists, tribes, northerners and southerners… as Friedman lists in his article. The Shared Societies Project specially celebrates this last idea.
The National Dialogue started past March 18, with 565 delegates tasked with developing recommendations to use in the new Constitution, that will be written by February 2014. These recommendations will address topics such as rights and freedoms, the role of the Army, women’s rights, or the relations between North and South. Also, the Yemenis have extended the debate to social networks. They are discovering politics and they are trying to be part of it.
“In the beginning, it was very tough”, said to the NY Times Yhia Al-Shaibi, former education minister. “But, after a while, things started getting calm, people were sitting together and eating together and we see our different views. Now we can hear what each other says. We are starting to listen to each other and try to come to consensus”.
The National Dialogue can be a powerful tool to make Yemen a Shared Society. The challenge looks difficult, but the first positive results are making it look a bit less difficult. The problems mentioned above (proliferation of guns, scarce water resources and unemployment) are still there, but a shared Constitution, a Constitution for all Yemenis, born from this Dialogue, can be a great step.
Photo: AFP
It is important that we remember that disadvantaged people do not only exist in marginalized ethnic groups but also can be from the same ethnic background as the most influential sections of society and this can create special problems. We can see this in South Africa which shows as many examples, angles and shared societies challenges as you can imagine. It is a nation of diversity with nearly 52 million people and a wide variety of cultures, languages and religious believes. The Apartheid regime took care of the white minority and oppressed the rest. And even today the whites (just around nine per cent of the population according to the 2011 census) run the economy and have a disproportionate amount of influence in politics and media plus the best houses and the best jobs.
According to the South African Institute of Race Relations the average annual income of black people in 2011 was 2.300 dollars; mixed raced (coloured), $4.300; asians, $7.700 (this is the racial group that has seen a higher growth in their income since the early nineties) and whites $17.500. But, beyond the statistics and under the surface, there is another kind of discrimination but also violence and anger: the one that a part of the working-class white people is suffering. According to the political activist Mandla Nyaqela, this is the after effect of the huge degree of selfishness and brutality that was shown towards the black population under apartheid, the past injustices suffered collectively by black people under the hands of white dominance, from colonialism through to apartheid.
Living close to that reality, the most vulnerable segments of the white minority is having a really hard time. According to a BBC video, 200.000 whites live in squatter camps with no water, no electricity and no social security for them. Unemployment is also becoming an issue as semi-skilled white people have little chance of getting a job when so many black South Africans are unemployed.
In this context, the economic rationale and Commitment X of the Shared Societies project “Take steps to reduce tensions and hostility between communities and ensure members of all communities are protected from abuse, intimidation and violence” take a bigger importance, but not only that one. All of the ten Shared Societies Project commitments have a powerful meaning in South Africa and should be implemented, taking the needed holistic approach. Even more in a situation where cases of murders and rapes among white farmers are continuously reported. In South Africa you are twice as likely to be murdered if you are a white farmer than if you are a police officer. The countryside is becoming a dangerous place to live for whites. There used to be 60.000 white farmers in South Africa. In 20 years that number has halved.
So the full picture shows a complex reality even for the powerful white minority. And also a challenging situation where the capacity of building a real shared society will be the key to provide opportunities to all its members regardless of their origins.
Photo: AFP
More information:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22554709
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19402353
The Shared Societies principles can be applied in multiple scenarios. This time, even at 7,470 meters of altitude. Near the submit of Mount Everest. The beginning of our reflection is an alleged fight between two famous European climbers, Ueli Steck and Simone Moro, and their Nepalese mountain guides, Sherpas, on the Everest.
Switzerland’s Steck and Italy’s Moro allegedly ignored orders to hold their climb and triggered an icefall which hit the Sherpas laying fixed ropes. The climbers deny this. They claim that they had been keeping a respectful distance so as not to disturb the work of the Sherpas laying ropes. The pair continued climbing, but later descended to Camp Two to “finish the discussion” and were met by more than 100 angry Sherpas, who began to beat them and throw rocks, Mr Steck said. He said they threatened to kill the climbers if they did not leave the camp. They escaped with no serious injuries.
A declaration of Mr Steck saying that the conflict was the symptom of a long-term problem of “cultures” brings the story closer to our Shared Societies view. As The Guardian indicates, the real story is how Sherpas are taking control, not only in the rockface but in society. A new generation that is now more confident and outspoken.
Now the word ‘sherpa’ can be used to any mountain guide. But its original meaning comes from the Nepalese ethnic minority, also called Sherpas, that lives on the Himalayas, the most mountainous region of Nepal. According to the 2001 Nepal census, there are 154,622 Sherpas living in the country. Almost 25,000 of them live on the areas near the Everest. They have been always used as guides due to their knownledge of the local terrain and their ability to cope with altitude makes them elite mountaineers. And for them, the work with the europeans that want to explore their hills is a much better way to make money than herding yaks or carrying loads for traders.
In 1953, the Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, the first man to climb Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary, was even in those days agitating for better working conditions for Sherpas. They did not want to be treated as servants who could be dismissed. The Everest pioneers presented them as a proud, resourceful people and with a high sense of honour.
Now, the modern Sherpas have reached good levels of development thanks to the tourism industry. Many of them have their business in Kathmandu, they live there and they send their children to the best private schools in the region. They are also spreading their investments. As The Guardian says, for instance, one of Nepal’s big two domestic airlines is owned by a Sherpa -a relevant statistic if we take into consideration that Sherpas represent only 0,5% of the whole Nepalese population.
And the Sherpas of the 21st Century want for themselves the progress and the control of how their mountains are managed. About the progress issue, Tashi Sherpa claims in The Guardian article: “Do you still want Sherpas to be the same, uneducated, simple folk? No. We want our children to be educated to go out into the world (…). How can you deny Sherpas electricity? Or access to computers and the internet? We need these things to face the pressures of the modern world. Does it change Sherpa culture? Of course. But there are ways for us to assimilate the best that the west offers and mix it with our own unique heritage.”
Young Sherpas are developing in Nepalese society and politics. They are taking part on the janajatti movement, an alliance of indigenous ethnic groups that want to increase their political participation against the monarchy’s yoke. As Tashi Sherpa says: “There are going to be some serious changes in the next election and hopefully it will be for the better. We want change, we’re the marginalised ones and we want social inclusion. These are noble sentiments.”
We also hope that they achieve greater social inclusion and that Nepal achieves a Shared Society.
Photo: The Planet D
Today, 21st of May, is the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, following the Universal Declaration of Cultural Diversity that UNESCO adopted in 2001. This year, they have launched a campaign called “Do one thing for diversity and inclusion”. Their idea is that, if everyone does One Thing, we will create a more peaceful planet.
Do you fancy participating? If you don’t know what to do, here are ten simple ideas that the campaign’s Facebook page proposes:
Also, you can follow this list of recommendations that the campaign launched in 2012. Happy Day!
Political and ethnic violence and war have been tremendous issues in Central America for decades. The conflicts have forced hundreds of thousands to flee their countries. According to the United Nations Agency for Refugees (UNHCR), as of January 2012, more than 2,300 of these refugees and asylum seekers were residing in Mexico.
For many, adjusting to their new life is far from easy. In an article from the Global Press Institute, Ana Lucas Álvarez described the difficulty of readjusting in a new place and a new culture. “It is very difficult,” she said “You leave your place of origin. You leave your family. You left many things.”
This difficulty is greatly increased when a society is exclusive. Many refugees are subjected to stereotyping and are faced with discrimination because their language, religion, mannerisms, culture are different. They may have trouble finding work and often receive little to no support or encouragement.
In Mexico City, Casa Refugiados is working to fill this gap in the support system and to create and foster a Shared Society. The organization was started in 2002 by José Luis Loera with the sponsorship of Amnesty International and UNHCR.
“We appeal to humanity,” education coordinator Daniel Otero said in the article. “Here, all people are welcome regardless of their migratory status.”
Casa Refugiados, lovingly referred to as “Casita“, extends this welcome by providing resources and programs. Their Facebook page lists upcoming events such as English classes and a children’s book club. These activities help the transition into a new society by providing social interaction and teaching skills. This is of great importance, as refugees and immigrants are often put at an extreme disadvantage by not being given the opportunity to learn new skills or improve acquired ones.
While there are many projects around the world helping refugees and displaced persons to settle and feel at home in their new surroundings, a less common feature of Casa Refugiados is that it also reaches out into the community to promote intercultural understanding. They host events where members of the host community can meet refugees and learn about their cultures and circumstances.
For example, Casa Refugiados makes regular events as workshops in contact with the refugees, theatrical plays, intercultural festivals, literary contests… in the last World Refugee Day, they organized an artistic and gastronomical exhibition to share the cultures of the refugee, which also explained to the community their situation and how did they arrived to Mexico looking for shelter.
And they have recently launched the “Abre la puerta” (Open the Door) project, a supportive network that involves organisations, companies, institutions and individuals to generate positive conditions of inclusion for Displaced Persons. Their work seems to have some response: in 2011, Mexico launched its first Refugees Law.
Casa Refugiados hopes that these dialogues help to break down stigmas and stereotypes by removing the “otherness” of individuals. In the article, Otero claims: “The only thing that makes it so there is no chemistry between Mexicans and people of a different origin are prejudices, the lack of getting to know others.”
The Supreme Court of India has taken an important step for the protection and inclusion of Indigenous peoples by ruling in solidarity with the Dongria Kondh community. The decision, which is being called a “landmark ruling,” was made earlier this month against the appeal of the multi-billion dollar, UK-based metals and mining company Vedanta Resources.
The company began encroaching on the traditional sacred lands of the Dongria Kondh, the Nigrayami Hills, in 2003. They constructed a bauxite refinery at the base of the hills, garnering protest and outrage from the 8,000 person community. However, the conflict only recently gained attention from others as Vedanta made plans to construct a 670 hectare mine in the hills themselves. In 2010, India’s Ministry of Environment and Forests rejected this plan.
It was the appeal to this rejection that was once again denied by the Indian Supreme Court. Although the verdict does not explicitly rule out the mine, it grants the decision-making power to the Dongria Kondh and the Majhi Kondh Indigenous community. A judicial officer will be assigned to ensure that this decision is made independently and that it is respected. According to Survival International, the decision came based upon the belief that “that those most affected by the proposed mine should have a decisive say in whether it goes ahead.”
In a continuation of principles related to the Shared Societies Project, the Court elaborated that the Dongria Kondh’s right to worship in the mountains must be “protected and preserved” and that cultural and religious rights must be respected. This is an encouraging adherence to Principle II of SSP, which states the importance of “[creating] opportunities for minorities and marginalized groups and communities to be consulted about their needs.” This is not exclusively a government duty. The conclusion demonstrates the need for the corporate sector to recognize its responsibility to engage with and respect the beliefs and opinions of minority groups.
“This decision will go a long way to empowering Indigenous communities facing similar threats to their way of life from mine plans in other parts of eastern and central India,” said G. Ananthapadmanabhan, Chief Executive of Amnesty International India. Indeed, this ruling will hopefully set an important precedent not only for the protection of the rights of indigenous peoples throughout India, but throughout other parts of the world.
Photo: Survival International
Uganda has launched a pilot mobile courts program in an effort to widen the scope of justice to those who are often overlooked: refugees. This initiative, between the Ugandan government and the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), aims to improve access to the judiciary for its refugee population, which numbers more than 234,000.
The pilot began on April 15 at the Nakivale Settlement in southwest Uganda. This is one of the largest and oldest refugee settlements on the continent. It is home to approximately 68,000 refugees and 35,000 Ugandan nationals. The nearest court is 50 km away. This distance raises logistical problems for reporting and prosecuting crimes, as defendants and plaintiffs from the settlement usually lack adequate transportation. The mobile court will remove that boundary by bringing the court to the settlement.
Under the intended plan, the court will convene for three sessions annually. Each session will last 15-30 days and will hear up to 30 cases. These cases could involve crimes ranging from petty theft to murder. The state and UN hope that this program will help reduce impunity and encourage victims to seek justice. It is an important step in the inclusion of refugees, whose needs are often scorned or ignored by their new society.
For more information on this story, visit:
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97903/Uganda-pilots-mobile-courts-for-refugees
http://www.unhcr.org/516d29359.html
Photo: UN News Centre
There are over 370 million indigenous peoples living in 90 countries across the globe. Protecting and advancing their rights have been at the heart of Tonya Gonnella Frichner’s mission since 1987, when she started, serving as an attorney and former member of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. In UN DESA News, she shares past gains and hopes for the future:
Ms. Gonnella Frichner is the President and Founder of the American Indian Law Alliance and is a citizen of the Onondaga Nation, Snipe Clan. The city of Syracuse sits on their traditional territory, about 250 miles North-West of New York City. She has sought to make the voices of indigenous peoples heard at some of the major UN Conferences. She also paved the way for the establishment of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in 2000 and the adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 2007. From 2008 until 2010, Ms. Gonnella Frichner served as a member of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous issues and she was its North-American Regional Representative.
Photo: Indian Country – Today Media Network
“Let there be justice for all. Let there be work, bread, water, and salt for all. Let each know that for each body, the mind and the soul have been freed to fulfill themselves.” –Nelson Mandela
It is with this sentiment that South African Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan concluded his comments in a recent discussion of “Inequality and Inclusive Growth in Africa” at the Brookings Institute in the United States.
Gordhan’s comments were largely based upon his experiences in apartheid and post-apartheid South Africa. Under apartheid, the country perpetuated massive inequalities, wherein the black majority was given virtually no economic or political autonomy or opportunity. Although apartheid is no longer a legal institution and political democracy has been achieved, South Africa also has to meet other challenges to achieving a shared society including, economic transformation and spatial integration, Gordhan acknowledge that this wide inequality continues to exist not only in South Africa but throughout the world.
“We are living in a period characterized by growing inequalities, growth models which marginalize the majority in many, many countries,” Gordhan said, adding, “There is a great sense that we are moving towards greater economic injustice rather than greater economic justice.”
In response to this idea, Gordhan analyzed the progress in South Africa, which has arisen as a result of the development of democratic institutions dedicated to equal opportunity. These institutions have in turn shaped economic policy and preference. He detailed specific practices that foster inclusiveness.
“Creating the right micro-foundations for economic growth is also an important challenge,” he said. “So, ensuring that we have the right education policies, industrial and trade policies, labor market policies and practice are going to be a crucial part in ensuring that we create the right structural environment for job creation and inclusivity.”
Gordhan then went into greater examination of various economic factors and factions, both private and governmental, which are essential to inclusive growth. For example, he argued that it is important that the “private sector consciously contributes to more inclusive societies and distribution of benefits than they currently are doing.”
Gordhan ultimately deemed it the role of a great deal of diverse institutions—political, academic, and financial—to create an inclusive economy and “take us to a better path than the one that we are traversing today.”
To watch Gordhan’s entire discussion, click here.
Photo: Business Day
