Fighting against racial discrimination contributes to achieving the SDGs

Contributed by Marina Raoilimanantsoa

The DPI-NGO briefing that took place on the 3^rd of December 2015 was held to mark the 50^th anniversary of the International Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) and to launch the International Decade for People of African Descent.

 

The panel included NGO workers and academics all from minority groups; however, as part of the audience, I felt like the panelists failed to bring the topic to life. That was a pity because the theme is so important and sadly as relevant as it was 50 years ago.

Another striking aspect of the briefing for me was that I got the sense that the discussions, unintentionally I’m sure, sort of framed the issue of racism and racial discrimination as the problem of certain groups while in reality, every individual, every group should be concerned with it, and should be called upon if we really want to put an end to it.

Social groups that are traditionally considered as the “oppressors” were underrepresented in the panel and the larger discussion. Perhaps it’s because there is some uneasiness and discomfort for members of the so-called “dominant” or majority groups to openly discuss issues pertaining to racism.

But in my humble opinion, discussions on the way out of racism should be inclusive of those that are oppressed by systemic racism and those that benefit from it. In the same way, as pointed out by Stephanie Franklin, one of the panelists, instruments such as the ICERD are ironically not accessible to the peoples that need it the most because due to their underprivileged status, they usually happen to have less resources, less education to know the existence of such a convention and what it means for them.

I felt like on the whole, the irony about the fight against racial discrimination is that generally, it is only a concern for those who are directly affected by it, it is a problem of people of color. It’s in the nature of the problem itself that it only affects certain groups, but a paradigm shift has to happen in conceiving the issue as our problem as members of humanity and no longer their problem. Systemic racism is at the root of inequalities in so many dimensions of this world, the achievement of the global goals is tied up to addressing systemic racism. So yes, it is a universal problem in the way that it should concern all of us, and everywhere.

Thus, just as we all were enthusiastic in pledging to achieve the new SDGs a couple of months ago, we should be as committed in addressing perhaps one of the core factors that put in place and maintained global and local inequalities throughout the world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The responsibility to provide a voice to victims of human trafficking through Awareness raising, Advocacy, and Action

Contributed by Marina Raoilimanantsoa

The DPI-NGO briefing on November 19, 2015 was on the theme of human trafficking through the lens of civil society. The discussion was meant to be a call for AWARENESS, ADVOCACY, and ACTION.

I have to admit that prior to that session, I myself was not fully aware of what the phrase “human trafficking” encompasses. So at a personal level, the discussions were very informative for me, I became better aware, among other things, of the different forms human trafficking takes, its dimensions, and its interlinkages with other issues such as drug trafficking or terrorism.

The reason it was so enlightening is also that the briefing was, in my opinion, one of the best I have attended yet as part of my experience as a Youth Rep. This is because the panelist were all brilliant speakers, and they came from different working backgrounds: Ashley Marinaccio, Tim Ballard, and Taina Bien-Aimé work in the NGO/Civil Society Organization (CSO) world; Malea Otranto and Simone Monasebian were the voices from two of UN agencies fighting against human trafficking, namely the UNICEF and the UNODC; and last but not least, Ian Urbina, represented the media as an investigative reporter of the New York Times.

The variety of the backgrounds and the specializations of the presenters showed in a way the range of channels through which awareness, advocacy, and action concerning human trafficking can be promoted. For instance, Girl Be Heard uses art, specifically theatre, to empower young women, which in itself fulfills the three missions of raising awareness, advocating, and taking action. On the other hand, the work of journalists like Urbina brings perhaps unsuspected forms of human trafficking to the attention of the larger public, and as we know the press has the power to mobilize forces, directly or indirectly.

However, members of the attendance raised two particular questions that I also think are quite important in the fight against human trafficking:

• The first concerns the role of the demand. It seems like not enough is being done in addressing the demand for the selling and buying of humans.
• The second is on the follow-up of victims. Victims of human trafficking are left with considerable traumas that require medical and psychological care, which is apparently lacking presently.

 

There are obviously significant remaining challenges in the fight against human trafficking. Especially, when it comes to the demand side, large international corporations and governments are involved. As for the follow-up of victims, it seems to me that the countries where the issue is the most serious (low-income, developing countries) are actually the ones that do not have the means to offer sufficient and adequate medical and mental health services.

As such, human trafficking is a complex phenomenon that has its roots in so many other different forms of criminal activities that I find it quite daunting to think of where to start to fight it. But CSOs and NGOs have a crucial role to play in it as Simone Monasebian pointed out, victims do not usually want to work with the UN or government officials, but they trust CSOs. Thus, it is our responsibility to tackle this issue. Our work does not need to be explicitly on combating some form of human trafficking to fight human trafficking. Education, legislation, media, arts, or business can all be used in ways that help prevent the commodification of human beings.

 

About a citizen of worlds

Contributed by Marina Raoilimanantsoa

“As only a freshman in high school, making a speech in front of 1000+ students, most of whom I did not know, was daunting, to say the least. I had never spoken in front of a crowd larger than my classroom. Speaking in front of that large of a crowd on a topic I found myself passionate about was empowering – there was a sense of exhilaration I got after making the speech – one that I had never quite felt before. It was energizing to be able to speak as though I were in a candid conversation with this huge group of adolescents. Speaking in front of such a large audience taught me the value of my voice and the importance of sharing my ideas. Moreover, I was particularly inspired by the feedback I received after – from those I did and did not know and their reactions to the words I had crafted and vocalized.

In my nomadic life, the possibility of engaging in an interesting conversation with someone new or someone I used to know has been a connector of sorts – it’s made the places I’ve lived in and traveled to constructs of the people I have encountered. As a result, while I will always subconsciously strive to be on the move, I will always remain anchored (in a sense) to the individuals I have met, meet, and will meet along the way.” – Sharmishta (Mishti) Sivaramakrishnan

I met Mishti at the DPI-NGO briefing for the 70^th anniversary of the UN where she was invited as a youth representative to be on the panel; much more than the content of what she said, which was both insightful and inspiring, it was her presence and her ease to attract the audience’s attention that were particularly striking to me.

Since the beginning of my experience as a Youth Representative at the UN, I’ve been looking for ways to meet other young people involved with the organization, learn about their stories and share them. I want to tap into that wealth of diversity, I’m curious to know how all these different young people came to be where they are now, and where they would like to go. And Mishti arose my curiosity so it didn’t take me long to know that I’d like to know and write about her story.

A couple of days after the briefing, the two of us “met” over Skype and I asked her the usual questions anyone would ask someone they just met. The first thing that I noticed was how articulate and confident she was, to the point that it was intimidating sometimes. So I was surprised when she told me that she used to be very introvert when she was younger. But I guessed that’s one of the different ways her experience transformed her, which she confirmed. And what an experience!

Because of her parents’ work, Mishti has lived in the United Kingdom, UAE, India, Oman, Singapore, and Thailand growing up. When I think about how my own current experience studying abroad reshaped my perceptions, I can only imagine how an upbringing like her’s in such diverse settings would mold an individual.

But perhaps I caught a glimpse of it from my brief encounter with Sharmishta. She talked about her sense of urgency for doing things on an expansive scale; then, she told me about her visit to Cambodia, her work with the organization she represents (Caring for Cambodia) since she was in High School, and it was palpable that it was an issue close to her heart. She also likes to underscore that her approach to development is “for humans and by humans” and that it is about “real life change for real people”. So, thinking of her visions and the words she chose to express them, it became obvious to me that she does not see borders, she does not see nationalities, she just sees people, she sees human beings like herself irrespective of which parts of the world they inhabit. For me, that is the essence of empathy. 

I’m part of those who believe that there would be much less inequality in the world if more people acted out of empathy, and not merely charity. So I’m glad to know that youth like Mishti are working in international development, it gives me hope that maybe things might be different someday. Stories like Mishti’s remind us what mobility can mean and can bring both to an individual and to the world. We always hear that traveling is the best education, and as an educator and development worker, it makes me wonder how shall we make international mobility a possibility for all young people throughout the world so that we have more Mishtis coming from marginalized parts of the globe?

Sharmishta Sivaramakrishnan (sharmishta_s@gwmail.gwu.edu) is currently studying at the George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs. She will be graduating in December 2015 with a dual Bachelor of Arts degree in International Affairs and Economics and a minor in Sustainability. She is interested in working in global governance and would like to focus on private-sector-led sustainable development, innovation, and work to improve regions like South East Asia. 

Conference Town Hall – October, 29 2015

Contributed by Marina Raoilimanantsoa

About the conference:

• The overall theme of the 66th conference in South Korea is education — Education as a theme is not meant to mean formal education only, but all forms of education as means to share knowledge, and foster global citizenship education to create individuals who care about environment and human rights.
• It is the first conference to happen in Asia, which represents a chance to reach out to Asian NGOs.
• The conference will feature exhibits and workshops through which NGOs will share about their works.

Logistics and preparation:

• Short time to prepare, much less than before
• Deadline to send nominations of Committee Chair for the meeting preparation is this Saturday, October 31st — nominations to be sent to Samantha Lu
• Fundraising issues. The department is struggling in raising money; a proposal to organize a concert was mentioned.

Other comments:

• DPI/NGO members brought up the critical need for the conference to have tangible outcomes. They raised questions about other ways to produce an outcome other than written words (outcome document), and a proposal was to come up with action points in addition to the outcome document, i.e. a sort of to-do-list for all NGOs/CSOs.

• The main other concern of participants was related to how to measure the success of the conference. A proposal was to collect feedback from participants at the conclusion of the conference.

UN at 70 – Dream on! And trust more

Contributed by Marina Raoilimanantsoa

Thursday October 22 2015 was not a usual Thursday DPI-NGO briefing…because there were balloons! And also because the United Nations turned 70 on the 24^th of October 2015. For the occasion, the briefing was held under the theme “The UN at 70: Working together to make a difference”. Panelists included representatives of “senior” NGOs, whose activities predate the creation of the UN, and youth representatives. It was like bringing the past and the future together at the same table, so unsurprisingly the discussions were captivating.

NAFSA Reps and their UN blue balloons

At the beginning of the meeting, we were granted the honor to have H.E. Mogens Lykketoff, President of the 70^th Session of the UN General Assembly give the opening remarks. He invited the audience to use the celebration to reflect on the road so far, and challenged us to ask ourselves what else, what more can be done or done differently in order to render the civil society-UN partnership more effective.

I think by the end of the session, I had a beginning of an answer to his question from what I would learn from the panelists.

Robert Libin (Lions Club International), Suraj Bhatia (Rotary International), and Rosalee Keech (League of Women Voters) provided more testimonies on the power of strong NGOs/CSOs. I think I never actually realized how far back the history of civil societies’ actions can be traced, and especially, I was unaware of the extent of the influence of organizations like the ones represented there had in advocating for the creation of some UN agencies like UNESCO, in inspiring the agenda of the UN, and in initiating the formation of the UN itself! These collectives of individuals, united under a shared cause simply envisioned better ways to improve the conditions of humanity, and believed in their causes enough to influence not only their communities but all nations worldwide because as Mr. Ben Malor, one of the session moderator, reminded us, “dreams brought the UN into being” and it’s true.

And I think it’s so important to remember that especially now, in times when the UN is still struggling with old and new internal and external challenges. According to global affair analysts, internally the organization is still lacking financing; and the veto system is usually abused by countries to serve their individual interests, as exemplified by Russia’s action relating to the Syrian conflict. And externally, the UN currently has to deal with new forms of threats, which are different from those provided in the Chart (i.e. conflict between states) such as the Islamic State. So, in the face of all these, and also thinking of the instances in the past 70 years when the UN failed its mission (the Rwandan genocide, abuses by UN troops, etc.), it might be easy to fall into cynicism. But nothing is more uplifting and inspiring than hearing young people like Viktoriia Brezheniuk, Mohammad Bakhrieba, or Sharmishta Sivaramakrishnan talk about their work to make our world a better place.

And yes, that would still sound as idealistic and even naïve to some, but I bet the whole idea of a “united nations’ organization” and the declaration of human rights were judged romantic by cynics too at a time. But it is people who care that make things happen, not doubters, but some people like the youth panelists presenting during the briefing. As one of them, Viktoriia Brezheniuk, mentioned, youth do not need to be inspired to care, they already care, the only thing they need is trust.

Beautiful fall colors and the sky matching color with the UN flag to celebrate this special day…

It’s simple but powerful. And it’s valid for all partners not only youth. So, as a beginning of response to H.E. Lykketoff, I would say one way to make the civil society-UN collaboration more effective is to build more trust in the relationships at every level, between UN agencies and NGOs, between NGOs and the communities they serve. And here, I mean trusting as treating all development partners as equals so that policy-making is actually an inclusive and participative process in the true spirit of the SDGs. Again, you might say I’m a dreamer, but just like John Lennon, I’m definitely not the only one…