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Saturday, July 5, 2008
Durban Review Conferences begin with activists at the helm
By Karen Juanita Carrillo
The human rights activists who met in the Brazilian capital of Brasilia
from June 13th to 15th, 2008 to take part in the "Civil Society Forum of the Americas, Preparatory to the Durban Review
Conference"  were greeted by Edson Santos, Brazil's minister of the Secretaria Especial de Políticas de Promoção da Igualdade Racial (Special Secretariat for the Promotion
of Racial Equality - SEPPIR). Civil Society Forum of the Americas poster (Karen Juanita Carrillo photo) With the official Durban Review Conference (DRC) scheduled to take place in Geneva, Switzerland from April 20 through 24 in 2009, the Brasilia
event was a chance for activists to talk about the efforts their governments have made toward eradicating racism and discrimination,
as called for in the World Conference against Racism's final "Durban Declaration and Plan of Action." read more
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Haiti's Fight for a Prime Minister
By Jane Charles Voltaire
President René Préval's nomination of Michele Pierre-Louis to the post of prime minister on Saturday
June 14th seems to be a promising turning point for Haiti. Pierre-Louis, a long time personal friend to the president, has for the past 13 years been the
director of the Fondation Connaissance et Liberte FOKAL, an Open Society Institute project founded in 1995 to support educational, cultural and environmental initiatives throughout Haiti. (www.heritagekonpa.com) FOKAL has made incredible contributions to the country and Pierre-Louis should be commended for
FOKAL's unparalleled achievements in literacy promotion through the various programs and libraries supported by FOKAL.
Pierre-Louis may just be President Preval's long awaited saving grace to restoring order
in the country. In the two months since the world watched in apprehension as food riots broke out in cities throughout Haiti,
the country has found itself in the midst of a scandalizing political tug-of-war between its senators, deputies and even the
president of the Republic, René Préval. read more
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