Excellencies,
We, a diverse range of civil society organizations from Myanmar/Burma, are writing to you in advance of the upcoming 25th regular session in Geneva to express our serious concerns about the lack of progress made regarding the situation of human rights in Myanmar/Burma, and to urge the Council to maintain the resolution on the situation of human rights in Myanmar/Burma under agenda item 4 of the Council in its upcoming session.
It is vital to maintain pressure on the Myanmar/Burma government to ensure that it continues with its reforms, and addresses grave ongoing issues such as constitutional reform, inter-communal violence, the lack of rule of law, repressive legislation, land confiscation and gross human rights abuses in ethnic areas as a matter of extreme urgency...
Lifestyle
Dear Fellow Forum Members
As most of you know, Chuck Meadows has been battling cancer for some time now. While I have no doubts Chuck will survive this horrible illness I ask that you keep him in your prayers.
Even before finding out about Chuck's illness, I had been scheming on ways of having a named American Welding Society Scholarship as a way of honoring the great contributions he has made in our field.
Unfortunately, Avesta Welding has been non-responsive to my requests for sponsorship funding so to that end I am going to begin coordinating with some of the other stainless steel filler metal producers, as Chuck's done so much for the stainless world I'm sure there are other willing participants in this cause.
If any of you should wish to contribute to the Chuck Meadows...
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Dear Mr O'Callaghan,
I write to formally and publicly raise the concerns of Transparency International Ireland with the Irish Red Cross Society over its dismissal of Mr Noel Wardick, former Head of the Irish Red Cross's International Department.
We are concerned that the Irish Red Cross Society has not treated Mr Wardick in a fair and transparent manner.
We are also using this opportunity to call on the Irish Red Cross to commission an independent investigation into the claims made by Mr. Wardick related to governance and financial management of the society. Furthermore, we call on the Irish Red Cross to reinstate Mr Wardick pending the outcome of such an investigation and any formal appeal he may make against his dismissal. As you are aware, Mr Wardick was dismissed for gross...
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Dear Nigel,
I was concerned for you on the news the other night. I've never seen you looking uncomfortable in front of the camera before.
Answering questions about Climate Change with water all around you left you short of breath and a bit panicky, I thought. A pint in your hand would have helped settle the nerves. I'll buy you one – it would give me a chance to talk through a couple of things (I'm with you on the straight glass thing by the way).
You said to the journalist: "I have no idea whether CO2 emissions are contributing to Climate Change." Well, I'm an academic at the Open University, a social scientist working with climate scientists and technology specialists, so I can help you with that one.
In the mid 1980s it was agreed by governments and the top science...
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Dear Jamie,
An independent and open legal profession is, I am sure you will agree, an essential element in a strong democracy where Government and public bodies need to be held to account and the rights of citizens upheld. A legal profession that seeks to gag its members, and place total power in the hands of persons unelected by its members – as you and the Board have sought to do – is neither open, independent, nor democratic and thus fails in this most basic of functions.?
Such a unhealthy governance structure is one step away from transforming the Law Society of Scotland into a quango of the State, subverting its statutory duty independently to promote the interests of the Scottish public, and the solicitors who represent and speak up for them.
In a jurisdiction where Acts of...
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Dear colleagues,
I want to make three things clear from the outset.
I am a proud member of the American Studies Association, and a proud holder of a PhD in American Studies (NYU, 2003, if you're interested).
I am as troubled as just about anyone by many of the current and past policies of the Israeli government with respect to its ongoing occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
I'm as frustrated as just about anyone by the stunted peace processes that I regularly hope will help create a long lasting, sustained, and, most of all, just peace for Israelis and Palestinians.
That said, I oppose the American Studies Association resolution supporting an academic boycott of Israeli institutions for the following reasons:
I got into the academic business because I...
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Dear Sir/Madam,
I was heartened to read that Birmingham City Council Leader Sir Albert Bore has pledged to support museums, galleries and ballet in the current period of austerity.
I note that his enlightened views are reflected in the Council's Green Paper, Responding to the challenge, looking to the future, which accords a high priority to Arts and Museums. However, I am aware that the Council is experiencing a budget crisis and must make unprecedented levels of saving across its services.
On December 10, as part of Birmingham City Council's wider spending review, it has been proposed that the Trust will receive a reduction of £850K in funding from April 2015.
I am writing to urge that the cuts imposed on Birmingham Museums Trust should be reduced. Birmingham has the...
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Dear Mr. Timothy Andradé, the Board of Directors and its stakeholders,
I am writing to express my disagreement with the new appointment of the Canadian Hearing Society [CHS] who is not knowledgeable of the Deaf community. She does not seem to have any connection to Deaf culture – she does not even know American Sign Language. This appointment does not show good faith for the community, which is supposed to be served by the CHS.
Ontario Association of the Deaf (OAD) got the first idea to set up then National Society of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (NSDHH) founded 59 years ago then changed its name to CHS on July 4, 1956. This was supposed to be a consumer organization advocating the Deaf, but instead bombards deaf people with silence affecting their lives, language, and leisure,...
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Dear Mr. President,
We, the African civil society leaders of Publish What You Pay – a global coalition campaigning for an open and accountable gas, oil and mining sector – are addressing you on the eve of the US – Africa Leaders' Summit.
We are addressing you as concerned citizens, forced to see their countries cheated out of revenues as illicit financial flows drain Africa of its resources. Because of trade mispricing, opacity and secrecy jurisdictions our continent has lost out on more than $1 trillion over the last 30 years. Africa is generating revenues, but many of these flow to the pockets of rich corporations and individuals rather than back to citizens. It shouldn't be this way.
We are addressing you as worried parents, who fear that by the time our grandchildren grow up...
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Dear Mr. Prime Minister,
We write to you today as members and representatives of Indian civil society organizations and, most importantly as Indian citizens, to express our deep concern at how civil society organizations in general and their support systems, including donors, are being labeled and targeted.
Funds are being frozen, intelligence reports are being selectively released to paint NGOs in poor light, disbursal of funds are being subjected to case-by-case clearance, and their activities are reportedly being placed on "watch lists". As a result several NGO projects have shut down, donors are unable to support work, and there is an overall atmosphere of State coercion and intimidation in India's civil society space.
Today, standing in solidarity with India's most...
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