Conference to discuss agenda and role of human rights organizations of the Global South
Conectas and Cels have organized a meeting in New York to discuss means of collaboration between civil society groups
24/03/2011
Civil society organizations in the Global South, many of which were created in opposition to dictatorial governments and strengthened throughout the processes of democratization, have now become key players in denouncing abuses, calling for greater transparency in government actions and proposing alternative policies to tackle the most serious social problems. In recent years, some of these organizations have also expanded their role to the international level and have begun to monitor human rights foreign policies of their own country and are fighting for a greater international commitment to these rights.
The motivations, achievements and challenges of the expanded agenda for the southern-hemisphere organizations were the priorities of the conference “Voices of the South for the Global Agenda” that the Argentine NGO Center for Legal and Social Studies (CELS) and Conectas Human Rights organized at Columbia University in New York on March 23.
Representatives of human rights organizations in Argentina, Brazil, India and the United States discussed the current terrain of human rights worldwide and the role of the so-called Global South to design a plan for action.
“The new agenda seeks to prevent violations of human rights working with a broad definition, including economic and social rights, and is integrated with the issues that currently occupy the attention and efforts of democratic governments in the region on issues from public safety to immigration,” noted the executive director of CELS, Gastón Chillier during the event.
Oscar Vilhena Vieira, member of Conectas’ Board commented on the renewed and more active role of civil society of the Global South: “In a multi-polar world, civil society in this region has been critical for democratic consolidation and for building a global movement of human rights, which today is more varied and more effective.”
In this context, the Global South has faced challenges in consolidating this new role. The sustainability of the organizations in this region was one of the points discussed at the meeting. Their performance and calls for action are frequently presented as challenges. According to Lucia Nader, executive director of Conectas, “In Brazil we are asked why consider international relations with the number of problems within the country that seem more urgent. And outside of Brazil, we are asked why we place so much emphasis on human rights, as if the last decades of progress have solved all our historical domestic problems. “
Invited to conclude the seminar, Aryeh Neier, president of Open Society Foundations, recalled the crucial role that civil society played during the democratic transitions in Latin America in the 1980s and in Eastern Europe in the 90s. Given these historical processes, Neier believes there is understanding and acknowledgement about the current role of organizations in the Global South on the agenda of human rights.
