Research on ongoing developments is on shifting sands

The fast pace of recent events in Iran illustrates that any research on ongoing developments is on shifting sands. It is extremely difficult to say anything about the leeway for civil society which will still hold true a few months later. That is the risk of doing future oriented research rather than historical studies. Political developments have also made it harder to do research in direct cooperation with researchers and activists in the two countries, something which has been an aim of the knowledge programme Civil Society in West Asia from the outset.

Workshop 24th of November: local governance in fragile states

On the 24th of November, HIVOS, PSO, ICCO and IDS organize a workshop on participatory governance in fragile states. Jon Gaventa (IDS) will introduce key issues and then it’s over to the participants. So if you have insights to share or issues for discussion, this is an opportunity not to be missed.

HIVOS-ISS seminar: 'seeing like a citizen' 25/11

On the 25th of November, from 13:00-14:30, Professor John Gaventa will facilitate a seminar at ISS on particiation, power and mobilization. If you are interested in citizen action this is an event not to be missed

Beyond Economics, the Hague, 11/12

Rick van der Ploeg will hold a keynote speech on ‘climate change, scramble for natural resources, financial crisis and sustainable development’. Subsequently, an international panel of civil society experts will discuss how to bring people’s needs to the centre of economics and how to foster collective action for a more sustainable world. The panel consists of Franck Amalric, Khawar Mumtaz and Allert van den Ham. The event will be chaired by SID President Jan Pronk. Upon invitation only.

Mobilizing social justice - Unlocking the potential for structural change

On the 23rd and 24th of November, the Hivos-ISS knowledge programme organizes a conference on 'mobilizing social justice; unlocking the potential for structural change'

Publication: Digital Natives with a Cause?

This new publication shows that young people are sensitive and thoughtful and more then willing to contribute to change in their societies. It proves that the common complaint that young people are not interested in politics, is mainly a result of insufficient understanding of the world of youngsters. Digital Natives - youths thriving on digital technologies - are sensitive and thoughtful; it is time to listen to them.

Learning groups can have big impact

The Knowledge Programme on “Smallholder Agency in the Globalised Market” is at present building a Learning Network as its core instrument. This network will be a group of some 15 persons from Africa, Latin America and Asia that will focus on the commissioning of innovative studies, the exchange of ideas and the diffusion of the results into the global debate and the capacities of civil society.

New! Participatory Guarantee Systems newsletter

The market for organic foods is an important opportunity for farmers in developing countries. But how can consumers be assured that what they buy is indeed organic? Certification systems exist to give the answer. Most of these systems are ‘top-down’; they define the conditions that farmers have to comply with and ensure external inspectors do the checking. This increases the costs of the products.

Dialogues of knowledge in action

The Civil Society Building Knowledge programme supports the Kabarole Research Center in Fort Portal, Uganda to elaborate a new initiative that seeks to bring together politicians, policy makers and communities to jointly engage in development dialogue and knowledge generation. Edit Tuboly, Programme Officer at HIVOS, is currently visiting the region and participated in an open space meeting. An impression

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