Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies

Dear HumanDHS network friends

Please find below information on the Harvard Global Dignity Project.

Kind regards
Brian Ward

Conflict, Dignity, and You

An Information Session on the Global Dignity Project with

Suzan El Rayess
Women and Public Policy Program
Harvard Kennedy School

and
Daniel Shapiro
Harvard International Negotiation Initiative

Monday, October 20th, 2008
Pound 512
Harvard Law School
12:30PM

Conflict, Dignity, and You

In a day and time where there is so much conflict in the world, there is a need for broad agreement on something that unifies us all, something that encourages and even fosters a sense of community. Learn about a unique movement, The Global Dignity Project, working to promote dignity as that unifying factor. This project has inspired thousands of youth from around the world.

Global Dignity Day 2008 is scheduled for Monday, October 20th, to be conducted worldwide and on every continent.

Come to this information session to:

Explore ideas about dignity and conflict
Learn about the Global Dignity Project
Get involved with a local “Dignity Day” in the Cambridge area

Where & When
Pound Hall 512
Harvard Law School
Monday, October 20, 2008
12:30PM

Program on Negotiation

The Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School (PON) is an interdisciplinary center on negotiation and conflict resolution. Drawing from numerous fields of study, including law, business, government, psychology, economics, anthropology, and education, PON works to connect rigorous research and scholarship with a deep understanding of practice. PON presents lectures, discussions, classes, and conferences in addition to producing publications and teaching materials. Founded and based at Harvard Law School, PON is a consortium of faculty, students, and staff at Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Tufts University , and other Boston-area schools.

Daniel L. Shapiro, Ph.D.
Director, Harvard International Negotiation Initiative
Faculty, Harvard Law School and Harvard Medical School (psychiatry)
Harvard Negotiation Project
1563 Mass. Ave
Cambridge , MA 02138
617-495-9694

Dear HumanDHS network friends

Please find a link here to the Hartford College and a presentation on The Practice of Reconciliation Leadership.

Kind regards
Brian Ward

The Practice of Reconciliation Leadership

The best of our humanity is needed now from people from all faith traditions to address the leadership crises in community, institutional, national and global arenas. This presentation highlights and appropriates participants’ unique gifts and special calling to be Reconciliation Leaders for the United Nations General Assembly 2009 International Year of Reconciliation. Reconciliation Leadership is a distinct vocation, requiring reflection time first for new knowledge of one’s own values, gifts and talents. It arises from one’s integrity, special calling and skillbuilding in learned behaviors, a philosophy of life to be at peace in oneself and in service to our planet – acting locally or globally. You will be introduced to the personal, interpersonal, group, systemic and global competencies of Reconciliation Leadership as well as its historic, visionary and pragmatic approaches for community institutional and global challenges. A case study of Reconciliation Leadership at work in the Philippine Peace Process and with American Muslims post 9/11 will be presented. Reconciliation Leadership is a trademarked service of the Center for Global Community and World Law and has been taught at the United Nations under the sponsorship of the Under-Secretary-General for the Least Developed Countries.

http://www.hartsem.edu/events/Reconciliation_Leadership.html

Virginia Swain, Co-Founder and Executive Director
Center for Global Community and World Law

210 Park Avenue, #299
Worcester, MA 01609
508-753-4172 ext 3. (office) 508-245-6843 (cell)

www.centerglobalcommunitylaw.org

Dear HumanDHS network friends

It’s over two and a half years since the appointment of Michelle Bachelet as Chile’s head of state – how has her presidency impacted women’s rights and gender equality? Please find here an article on this.

Kind regards
Brian Ward

Dear HumanDHS network friends

Please find below an invitation from Dr.Chandra B. Sharma to write for the 2009 issue of Staff and Educational Development International (SEDI).

Kind regards

Brian Ward

Dear Colleague,

It has been decided to devote the first issue of 2009 of the Staff and Educational Development International (SEDI) to ‘ICT in Regional Educational Collaboration and Development’.

The issue intends to examine how information and communication technologies (ICT) have been used for cross border education, in other words case studies and success stories are welcome. It will also be of interest to examine how ICTs can be used for cross border education between two countries or a group of countries. Across border ICT supported education may be of special use to learners who do not have access or access to quality education. However cost may be an issue.

ICT supported across border education may also be of great help to learners where travelling across border may not be easy and also not affordable for all. However, large number of people may like to receive education in a language which is not a medium of education of that nation but of the neighbouring national e.g. Hindi speakers in Nepal. There may be many similar issues for ICT supported across border education which we would like to highlight through this issue of SEDI. Various technologies and media can be examined.

I invite you to contribute to this issue of the journal. Also, please forward this mail to those who you think are woking in this area.

I will look forward to hearing from you at the earliest so that I can let you know the format details.
CB Sharma

Dr.Chandra B. Sharma Ph.D. (UK)
Professor of Education
School of Education, IGNOU
New Delhi - 110068. India
Cell 9810512605

Dear HumanDHS network friends

Please find below information on the Global Media Journal.

Kind regards
Brian Ward

Global Media Journal

www.globalmediajournal.com

Global Media Journal publishes works that assess existing media structures and practices, such as global media concentration, globalization of media, global consumer culture, the role of media in democratic governance and global justice, propaganda, media reception and representation, commercialization, new media technologies, media regulations, regional media, alternative media, and other timely issues.

Global Media Journal is a rapidly expanding, open-access, and scholarly publication with:

Established and independent African, American, Arabic, Australian, Canadian, Chinese, Indian, Mediterranean, Pakistani, Persian, Polish, Spanish, and Turkish Editions.
Refereed papers, invited papers, book reviews, and contributions by graduate students.

Global Media Journal, an official publication of the Global Communication Association and Global Fusion Consortium, is sponsored by the Department of Communication and Creative Arts, Purdue University Calumet, Hammond, Indiana, USA, and its editions are sponsored by major universities throughout the world.

Yahya R. Kamalipour
Founder and Managing Editor
Email: kamaliyr[@]calumet.purdue.edu

Dear HumanDHS network friends

Please find below a link to Jack Bender’s website and his new book: Disregarded: Transforming the School and Workplace through Deep Respect and Courage.

Amazon Link here

Kind regards
Brian Ward

http://www.Inner-Work.com

Jack H. Bender
InnerWork Publications
9182 Bluff Lake Street
Zeeland, MI 49464 USA

616-748-9677 Home, Office
616-298-0134 Mobile
Jack[@]Inner-Work.com
http://www.Inner-Work.com

Read “Disregarded: Transforming the School and Workplace through Deep
Respect and Courage.” Research and resources embedded in a compelling story.

Dear HumanDHS network friends

Please find below information on a position open at the Carter Center, Sudan.

Kind regards
Brian Ward

Program Director, The Carter Center, Sudan

October 30, 2008
The Carter Center
Democracy Program
Consultant – Program Director
Sudan

The Carter Center is guided by a fundamental commitment to human
rights and the alleviation of human suffering; it seeks to prevent and
resolve conflicts, enhance freedom and democracy, and improve health.

The Center is seeking highly-qualified candidates to serve as Program
Director in Khartoum and Juba, Sudan. The successful candidate will
design and manage a project to support and train domestic election
observers in Sudan. This independent contract position is contingent
on availability of funds, initially assigned for 3 months, with
possible extension to one year. Applicants should have 5-7 years of
experience in democracy and governance. Experience in training
domestic observers, building civil society networks, or implementing
comparable civic outreach programs, ideally in countries transitioning
from war to sustainable peace, is required. The position requir es
relocation to Sudan by November 2008, and will involve internal travel
within Sudan. Salary is commensurate with experience.

Arabic language capacity is highly preferred, as is prior work
experience in Sudan. Leadership skills, cross-cultural understanding,
and a background working in sensitive political situations are
strongly encouraged. Candidates should be detail oriented, well
organized, and able to work under pressure and tight deadlines when
necessary. Strong writing and communication skills and competence
with computer applications required. A high level of personal energy,
positive attitude and the ability to work effectively in a team
setting are essential.

Primary responsibilities will include:

– Represent The Carter Center in Sudan.

– Design and manage the Center’s training and support program to
domestic election observers. In partnership with the Center’s
international observation team, maintain ongoing liaison with key
actors including government officials, the election commission,
political party representatives, NGO and civil society leaders, and
other groups critical to building non-partisan networks of observers.
Recruit and manage other consultants and staff, as needed.

– Provide analysis and advice to the Center regarding the political
dynamics of training and supporting domestic groups in a complex
socio-political and security environment.

– Support the creation and capacity building of civil society
networks and coalitions to mo nitor the comprehensive electoral process
in Sudan.

– Implement technical assistance programming to build local
organizational capacity in domestic observation, management,
logistics, financial administration, and report writing, enabling
groups to conduct training sessions and organize election observation
activities effectively.

– Create and/or oversee the production of Carter Center training
materials. Draft reports and other written materials as necessary in
consultation with field, consultants and Atlanta staff.

– Oversee logistics for training, considering the approximate target
audience, travel distances, relative country-wide representation,
communication strategies and other administrative and programmatic issues.

– Direct and supervise expatriate and local field staff and in
conjunction with program leadership, allocate field office project
funds in accordance with budget limitations and donor contract
regulations. Supervise field office financial reporting to ensure
appropriate management and monitoring of field office operational funds.

Please send cover letter, CV, contract requirements, and list of
references.

Please send your CV to: omcdoug[@]learnlink.emory.edu

Dear HumanDHS network friends

Please find below an introduction and link to an article on a new initiative in Ecuador.

Kind regards
Brian Ward

The Guardian: Ecuador’s New Law of Nature

A new law of nature
Ecuador next week votes on giving legal rights to rivers, forests and air.
Is this the end of damaging development? The world is watching

Clare Kendall
The Guardian <http://www.guardian
.co.uk/theguardian>, Wednesday September 24 2008

The South American republic of Ecuador will next week consider what many
countries in the world would say is unthinkable. People will be asked to
vote on Sunday on a new constitution that would give Ecuador’s tropical
forests, islands, rivers and air similar legal rights to those normally
granted to humans. If they vote yes - and polls show that 56% are for and
only 23% are against - then an already approved bill of rights for nature
will be introduced, and new laws will change the legal status of nature from
being simply property to being a right-bearing entity.

The proposed bill states: “Natural communities and ecosystems possess the
unalienable right to exist, flourish and evolve within Ecuador. Those rights
shall be self-executing, and it shall be the duty and right of all
Ecuadorian governments, communities, and individuals to enforce those
rights.”

Thomas Linzey, a US lawyer who has helped to develop the new legal framework
for nature, says: “The dominant form of environmental protection in
industrialised countries is based on the regulatory system. Governments
permit and legalise the discharge of certain amounts of toxics into the
environment. As a form of environmental protection, it’s not working.

“In the same way, compensation is measured in terms of that injury to a
person or people. Under the new system, it will be measured according to
damage to the ecosystem. The new system is, in essence, an attempt to codify
sustainable development. The new laws would grant people the right to sue on
behalf of an ecosystem, even if not actually injured themselves.”

Environmental campaigner Zoe Tryon, of the Pachamama Alliance, which has
worked closely with Ecuador’s assembly, claims that the proposed new laws
will make Ecuador’s constitution “the most progressive in the world”, and
argues that such laws will prevent this situation from arising again. “It’s
too late for the Chevron case, but it will be an effective deterrent for
similar operations,” she says.

The laws would have particular relevance in the Yasuni national park, one of
the world’s most biodiverse areas and home to at least two “uncontacted”
Amazonian tribes. It is also “home” to a possible 1.2bn barrels of untapped
crude oil, which companies want to extract.

“The hope is that the new laws will give us unprecedented legal muscle to
protect areas like this where there are competing interests,” says Linda
Siegele, a lawyer for the UK-based Foundation for International
Environmental Law and Development.

Linzey admits that Ecuador may be taking a step into the legal unknown. “No
one knows what will happen [if the referendum goes in favour of new rights
for nature] because there are no examples of how this works in the real
world,” he says. “A lot of people will be watching what happens.”

To read the full story click on http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/sep/24/equador.conservation/

Dear HumanDHS network friends

Please find below information about health and human rights from ISHHR

Kind regards
Brian Ward

Health and Human Rights Info

http://www.hhri.org/

Health and Human Rights Info makes practical information and material on mental health and human rights more available. Our aim is to give you access to organisations, publications, guidelines and manuals regarding the effects of human rights violations on mental health in the contexts of violence, conflict and disaster on individual as well as community level. This website contains a database with links to selected materials, divided into three categories and thematic pages. Health and Human Rights Info is a project initiated by the International Society for Health and Human Rights (ISHHR) . and funded by the Norwegian NGO Mental Health Project.

News letter No. 2.2008 October 10th 2008
Dear friends and colleagues

We welcome you to our new and improved website. Today we commemorate the World day of mental health, together with 100 other countries around the world. It is getting more significant, as the world is shrinking, to make mental health a global issue. Every fourth person will experience some kind of mental illness through his or her lifespan; more than 450 million people are suffering from mental illness. All the time violations of human rights in conflict areas are increasing Health and Human Rights Info finds it crucial to share information about how this will influence mental health in the context of violence, conflict and disaster. We hope that our improved site will make it even easier for you to find the information that you need efficiently.

In addition to the new look, we have also added a new search field called “Phrase in description” which allows you to search in free text in the description of our link. Our hope is that this will simplify your search.

For your convenience we have added thematic pages. On these pages we have gathered selective information essential to the different topics.
The topics have been chosen on the basis of their actuality, relevance and importance.

Torture thematic pages

Torture in any form and for any reason has been banned by international law, but it is still practiced on a million people each year around the world. Survivors of torture are found everywhere. Victims of torture and their families need rehabilitation to make it possible for them to re-establish control over their lives. This is well known, but still there is not enough help for those who need it. This page contains comprehensive material with definitions, conventions, about absolute prohibition, monitoring, organizations, treatment and repatriation and more.

Post-conflict communities and transitional justice thematic pages

There has been a greater focus on the importance of transitional justice for communities that are in a post-conflict state. Publications and articles on this important subject are many, but the links between why it is important for the individual as a part of a community to come to peace with the violation that has occurred are fewer. HHRI have tried to gather information that combines transitional justice with mental health. If you know of articles or other types of information that will complete our thematic page on transitional justice, please do not hesitate to send us an e-mail and let us know.

Asylum-seekers in Europe thematic pages

Asylum seekers are vulnerable people. Displaced from their homes, in flight from persecution, often subject to mental and physical violence, they seek sanctuary in other countries that are free of war, violence and armed conflict. Yet on arrival in Europe their health often deteriorates. Asylum-seekers have a higher risk of getting mental illness due to the fact that they often have been exposed to extreme conditions, forced migration and large personal loss and other Human Rights violations. People that need asylum are often met with stricter enforcement of who to grant asylum in order to try to restrict the flow of asylum- seekers. The process of screening asylum-seekers to decide who is eligible or not for asylum will often worsen their mental health situation. We hope that this page can give information both to health personnel and to asylum seekers about the mental health situation of
asylum- seekers in Europe.

This newsletter is the free of charge. Health and Human Rights Info makes and distributes this newsletter, currently reaching more than 2.500 subscribers. If you receive this newsletter for the first time, it is either because someone that already is subscribing has recommended that we add your e-mail address to the list of subscribers, or because we have other reasons to believe that you might be interested in some or all of its content. Consider it an offer. If you want to continue to receive this newsletter, you don’t need to do anything. If you do not wish to receive this newsletter, please send us an email and we will delete you from our mailing list.

If you know anyone who would benefit from receiving this e-newsletter, please forward it, and encourage them to sign up by sending us an e-mail postmaster[@]hhri.org.

Sincerely yours

Health and Human Rights Info
Elisabeth Ng Langdal
Project coordinator
postmaster[@]hhri.org
www.hhri.org

Dear HumanDHS network friends

Please find below information on a Position open in International Human Rights

Kind regards
Brian Ward

Tenure track position in Human Rights

Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences (IAS) at the University of
Washington Tacoma (UWT) invites applications for a position in
International Human Rights at the Assistant Professor level. IAS
expects to offer a new undergraduate interdisciplinary major in human
rights starting in January of 2009. The successful candidate will
show excellent potential as both a teacher and a researcher. The
position begins September 16, 2009, and requires a Ph.D. in a
relevant discipline (e.g., anthropology, sociology, political
science, history) or an interdisciplinary Ph.D. ( e.g., area studies,
genocide studies, human rights). The successful candidate will have
a record which demonstrates the centrality of the study of human
rights to his/her scholarly focus. We would also like to consider
candidates who have some combination of the following
research/teaching interests: cultural diversity and human rights,
ethnography and human rights, international law, humanitarian law,
and either Latin American or African studies.

One of three campuses of the University of Washington, UWT is a
metropolitan university that primarily offers majors to students of a
wide variety of ages and backgrounds in the South Puget Sound region.
The campus is located in both new and historic facilities in downtown
Tacoma. For information about UWT, see our website at

http://www.tacoma.washington.edu

To apply, submit electronically to iasearch[@]u.washington.edu a letter
delineating your interests and qualifications, a separate description
of research interests and teaching philosophy, a curriculum vitae,
and three letters of reference. We will begin reviewing applications
on December 1, 2008. For further information on the position, email
Rachel May at rmay[@]u.washington.edu.

The University of Washington is an affirmative action, equal
opportunity employer, and IAS has a strong commitment to diversity.
The University is building a culturally diverse faculty and staff and
strongly encourages applications from women, minorities, individuals
with disabilities and covered veterans. University of Washington
Tacoma faculty engage in teaching, research and service in an
interdisciplinary context and are expected to participate in the core
curriculum. This position is contingent upon funding.