CAJ 25
CAJ (Committee on the Administration of Justice) had a busy
end of year with its usual AGM in October, addressed by Michael
Farrell and Mark Kelly of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties
- commemorating "55 years" of civil liberty campaigning
on the island, with ICCL 30 years old this year, and CAJ 25.
The AGM came shortly after the launch of a major CAJ report
into equality on religious and political grounds, which has
caused a stir in government circles since it challenges the
spin that "equality problems are a thing of the past"
("Equality in Northern Ireland: the rhetoric and the
reality", 220 pages, ISBN 1 873285 89 2, price £15
plus postage). On the positive side, CAJ is gearing up for
a re-energising of the debate on a Bill of Rights, given that
the St Andrews Agreement announced the establishment of a
Round Table - to hold its inaugural meeting in December. Current
committee members of CAJ are: Chair, Fiona Doherty; Vice-chair,
Kieran McEvoy; Treasurer, Les Allamby; Parliamentary Liaison
officer, Paddy Hillyard; Minutes Secretary, Fiona McCausland;
Membership Secretary, Barbara McCabe; Just News Editor, Fionnuala
Ní Aolain. For further information on these issues,
or plans for the New Year, visit http://www.caj.org.uk
or e-mail info@caj.org.uk
CAJ, 45/47 Donegall Street, Belfast BT1 2BR, phone 028 - 90961122.
ICCL 30
The Irish Council for Civil Liberties has been celebrating
30 years in existence this year - it was set up in 1976 by
a group including Mary Robinson, and has played a leading
role in successful human rights campaigns in Ireland in the
period since then. ICCL's International Conference on Human
Rights, due to take place in early December, will now take
place in February. There have been three relatively new staff
appointments: Mark Kelly, an international human rights lawyer,
became Director in May; Amy Pearson is in charge of ICCL's
communications strategy, and Karen Ciesielski is responsible
for planning and fundraising. ICCL is now at 9-13 Blackhall
Place, Dublin 7, ph. 01 - 799 4504, e-mail info@iccl.ie and
web http://www.iccl.ie
INCORE Summer School
2007
The INCORE Summer School provides a structured learning opportunity
to analyse the dynamic and constantly changing field of conflict
resolution and peacebuilding. Focusing on the latest research
and concepts in specific topics of conflict resolution, participants
are invited to compare, contrast and learn from different
perspectives. Three courses will be offered in 2007 which
will run from June 11th - 15th: The Management of Peace Processes
facilitated by Dr Cathy Gormley-Heenan; Evaluation and Impact
Assessment of Peacebuilding Programmes facilitated by Emery
Brusset and Margie Buchanan-Smith; Reconciliation in Societies
Coming out of Conflict facilitated by Dr Brandon Hamber and
Dr Wilhelm Verwoerd. Detailed information about the 2007 Summer
School, including online application details, is available
here e-mail school@incore.ulst.ac.uk
ph. 028 - 7137 5500. INCORE, University of Ulster, Aberfoyle
House, Northland Road, Derry/Londonderry BT48 7JL
Kilcranny House, Coleraine;
new build planned
Kilcranny House was established in 1985 as a residential,
educational and resource centre; it is committed to addressing
the divisions which exist between people in Northern Ireland,
in a rural residential setting. Conservation architects have
been appointed to build a new conference centre which will
be flexible and accommodate up to a hundred people and enable
Kilcranny to host two classes from different schools at the
same time; this will be up and running by 2008. Current staff
are Siobhan Atkins, administrator; Joan Hunter, environmental
project; Lyn Moffett, coordinator; Rachel Rafferty, community
liaison; Irene Melaugh, ethnic minorities support (a project
which began in 2005 and has been involved in a wide variety
of work and training). The Christmas pot luck supper takes
place on Wednesday 13th December at 5pm; all welcome, just
turn up with your goodies. Kilcranny House, 21 Cranagh Road,
Coleraine, BT51 3NN, ph. 028 - 7032 1816, e-mail info@kilcrannyhouse.org
and web http://www.kilcrannyhouse.org
Making Peace with the
Past
This is the latest and very substantial report (A4, 117 pages)
from Healing Through Remembering (HTR), entitled "Making
Peace with the Past - Options for truth recovery regarding
the conflict in and about Northern Ireland", developed
by a sub group from diverse backgrounds and written by Kieran
McEvoy. The aim of the publication is to encourage inclusive
and informed debate on the topic. The report covers the international
context, truth-recovery initiatives in Northern Ireland, and
looks at various options (under the headings; drawing a line
under the past, internal organisational investigations, community-based
'bottom-up' truth recovery, truth-recovery commission, and
a commission of historical clarification). Copies of the report
or the 8-page executive summary are available from HTR and
on the website at http://www.healingthroughremembering.org
Healing Through Remembering, 17a Ormeau Avenue, Belfast BT2
8HD, ph 028 - 9023 8844, and e-mail info@healingthroughremembering.com
Afri's Féile
Bríde
Afri's annual Féile Bríde conference will take
place on Saturday 27th January from 10 am - 6 pm in De La
Salle Secondary School, Kildare town. Different anti-war themes
and human trafficking will be among the issues dealt with.
Contact Afri for further details. Afri, 134 Phibsborough Road,
Dublin 7, ph. 01 - 8827563, e-mail afri@iol.ie
and web http://www.afri.ie
Stepping Out - diversity and inclusion for 5
- 9 year olds
"Stepping Out" is a lively new resource on 'Diversity
and Inclusion' for teachers and leaders of 5-9 year olds from
the Irish School of Ecumenics, produced by Yvonne Naylor.
It includes background information, resources, events and
festivals, stories and songs and is available online
here (where you can find other related resources) and
also here
Contact: Irish School of Ecumenics, 683 Antrim Road, Belfast
BT15 4EG, phone 028 - 9077 5010.
Feasta website relaunch
Feasta, the Foundation for the Economics of Sustainability,
has relaunched its excellent website at http://www.feasta.org/
It includes online discussion forums (free registration -
receiving their e-mail bulletin is also free), new multimedia
material and a new members' area.
West Papua Action
On Sunday December 10th at 2.00pm in the Central Hotel, Exchequer
Street, Dublin, West Papua Action will hold its annual AGM
- your opportunity to hear the guest speaker, Carmel Budiardjo.
West Papua Action, 134 Phibsborough Road, Dublin 7, ph 01
8603431, website: http://www.westpapuaaction.org
ARAN - International
Day for Animal Rights
Sunday 10th December sees a rally and march against cruelty
to animals starting at the Garden of Remembrance, Parnell
Square (top of O'Connell Street). Dublin at 1 pm. Contact:
John Carmody, Campaigns Coordinator, Animal Rights Action
Network (ARAN), 120 Vale Avenue, Carew Park, Limerick, ph
087-6275579, e-mail: arancampaigns@eircom.net
and website: www.ARAN.ie
Belfast to Faslane
There will be a send- off rally, Friday 8th December, 3.30pm
to 4.15pm outside the main gates of Belfast City Hall in support
of the Make Trident History group who travel to Faslane in
Scotland for a peaceful blockade of UK's nuclear submarine
base December 8-10. There will be 5 minutes silence at 4pm
to remember all those who have been killed in war, and to
envisage a peaceful, nonviolent, and just world free from
weapons of mass destruction. The group, including Nobel Peace
laureate, Mairead Corrigan Maguire, will then depart. Since
the Faslane365 campaign started in October this year, over
330 people have been arrested. Ph Kevin at 028 - 4173 8997,
e-mail make.trident.history@ntlworld.com
(the Belfast group), and the Trident 365 website is at www.faslane365.org
New secretary for Pax
Christi International
Claudette Antoine Werleigh of Haiti is the new Secretary General
of Pax Christi International, and succeeds Etienne De Jonghe,
who will be retiring at the end of 2007; she has extensive
international and conflict-related experience and was most
recently the Conflict Transformation Programmes Director of
the Life and Peace Institute in Uppsala, Sweden. See
http://www.paxchristi.net/ Pax Christi International,
Rue du Vieux Marché aux Grains 21, B-1000, Brussels,
Belgium, ph. ++32 (0)2502.55.50.
Peace and Justice Wishes
for Bethlehem
For the seventh consecutive year, Christmas celebrations will
take place in a difficult climate for all peoples in the Holy
Land. Bethlehem may potentially become further isolated due
to the Wall, which literally separates its people from the
outside world. The clashes between Fatah and Hamas, and the
non-payment of salaries to public workers are making life
extremely difficult. Pax Christi international is once again
among a broad swathe of groups, including IFOR and Church
and Peace, inviting people to e-mail Advent and Christmas
wishes, and prayers for peace to partners in Bethlehem. Messages
can be submitted on Pax Christi's website at http://www.paxchristi.net/xmas/
or emailed to peace-message@paxchristi.net.
Friends of the Earth
react to Irish budget
"With this budget the Government's Kyoto cop-out is complete.
The Minister plans to waste 270 million euro of taxpayers'
money on buying carbon pollution permits overseas rather than
investing in cutting pollution at home.........instead of
putting a price on carbon so as to cut pollution and pay for
permits the Minister is taking the money from general taxation.
So the polluter has no incentive to reduce pollution and the
average taxpayer pays the price. It's a form of stealth tax."
- A quote from Oisin Coughlan, Director of Friends of the
Earth. Friends of the Earth,
9 Upper Mount Street, Dublin 2, ph 01 - 6394652, http://www.foe.ie
Entrepreneuring peace - Ashoka
If you fancy doing something different you can enter Ashoka's
'collaborative competition' of on the ground innovations for
managing conflict (closing date 10th January), or simply read
the entries already in from a variety of countries. See http://www.changemakers.net
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