Of Paris, the Council of Europe, local self-government, and just a touch of football

Jeremy Smith: 28th June

The Council of Europe – the not-the-European-Union organisation of wider Europe (47 countries at last count) – is best known for the work of its Court of Human Rights, and has a general remit to promote democracy and human rights.  It is also in the news just now because its Parliamentary Assembly has voted unanimously against a general banning of the burqa or nijab, and criticized the recent Swiss law against the building of minarets. (By the way, the football bit  is at the end of this post!)

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Categories: Local government —

A Lesson in Power by World Leaders

Ann Pettifor and Maz Kessler: 7th June, Huffington Post

It’s not often that you get to sit in the same room with a group of world leaders and hear their wisdom, ideas and experiences at the personal and political levels.

We’ve just enjoyed that privilege. And the world leaders were all women.

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Categories: Gender & Equality —

Advocacy International in Haiti

By Jeremy Smith, 1st June 2010

Léogane is a medium-sized town in south-west Haiti where  Jean-Jacques Dessalines, the first emperor  of Haiti (1804-06), is said to have married the future empress Marie-Claire Heureuse, with Toussaint L’Ouverture as best man.

Léogane achieved a far sadder fame on 12th January this year, as the town at the epicentre of the giant earthquake which devastated much of the country.  About 80% of the houses and buildings of the town were destroyed or badly damaged, with probably thousands dead.

It was therefore logical that Léogane should be chosen, together with its three neighbouring communes, by Haiti’s Minister of the Interior and Territorial Authorities, Paul Antoine Bien-Aimé (great name for a politician) for a new international local government initiative.  I am proud to play a part.

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Categories: Haiti, Local government, Public services, Sovereign Debt —