From Venice to the world, to promote human rights
Cosmocafes are real conversations between people who are experts or interested in human rights, taking place all around the world, for 18 months in total. They are part of the Human Rights Pavilion, a project by Belgian artist Koen Vanmechelen. The final goal? To establish a permanent and supranational Human Rights Pavilion as part of the Venice Biennial. The project was initiated in Venice, and there we embarked on participating in one of these conversations with Italian and foreign experts
Venice the centre of the most prestigious European human rights master’s programme
As of tradition the graduation ceremony of the European Master's Programme in Human Rights and Democratisation (EMA) has taken place in the Scuola Grande di San Rocco. EMA is the first master’s programme funded by the EU. 41 universities located in all EU member States are part of the programme. EMA is promoted by Global Campus of Human Rights, a network of more than 100 universities worldwide which offers training in the fields of human rights and democratisation
Last call to enter projects for the EESC's 2019 Civil Society Prize
Launched by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), this year the prize, rewarding excellence in civil society initiatives, is dedicated to the theme of gender equality. Final date for applications is 6 September
Syria, the deadliest place in the world to be an aid worker
This emerges from an analysis done by CARE International, a major international humanitarian agency, founded in 1945 in the USA, delivering emergency relief and long-term international development projects. Syria has been holding the sad record for the third year running
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Human Rights 27 August Aug 2019 1631 27 August 2019 Venice Film Festival: director Askold Kurov presents documentary about the case of Oleg Sentsov
In the framework of the Festival, Askold Kurov presented the documentary: “The Trial: The State of Russia vs. Oleg Sentsov” and spoke in a live panel organised by Global Campus of Human Rights at their headquarters in Venice Lido. Dissident Ukrainian film director Oleg Sentsov was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for terrorism and arms trafficking after a trial denounced as “Stalinist”. In 2018 he was awarded the Sakharov Prize by the European Parliament
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EESC 5 August Aug 2019 1506 05 August 2019 Blockchain can have multiple applications in the social economy, but must not create a new "digital economy elite"
Originally associated with cryptocurrencies, blockchain and distributed ledger technology (DLT) are in fact very versatile and can be usefully applied to the social economy. However, it is important to regulate them properly and gear them to benefits for all, allowing everyone to participate, says the EESC in a report tabled at its July plenary
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Sustainability 25 July Jul 2019 1749 25 July 2019 Circular Economy: time to unleash the power of consumers, urges the EESC
So far, actions to boost the development of a circular economy in Europe have centred on production, getting industries to introduce circular business models and bring circular options to the market. Now conditions are ripe for getting consumers involved, and empowering them to make sustainable purchasing choices in their daily lives, says an EESC report adopted in July
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Europe 14 June Jun 2019 1728 14 June 2019 Equal opportunities, the theme of the 2019 EESC Civil Society Prize
The EESC dedicates its flagship Civil Society Prize in 2019 to the empowerment of women and the fight for gender equality. Applications for 2019 are now open
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Venice 3 May May 2019 1422 03 May 2019 Belgian artist launches worldwide Human Rights project
In the context of the 58th Venice Biennale, internationally renowned Belgian artist Koen Vanmechelen launches a project called the Human Rights Pavilion, whose purpose is to explore the possibility of a universal concept of human rights and the role of art in its development, with the collaboration of the Global Campus of Human Rights, Fondazione Berengo and the MOUTH Foundation. The launch of the project will take place at the Fondazione Berengo ART SPACE in Murano, Venice, on 8 May. Vita International is media partner of the project
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Democracy 15 April Apr 2019 1400 15 April 2019 Lorent Saleh: Venezuela needs the respect of law, not military intervention
Venezuelan activist for human rights, ex political prisoner, Sakharov Prize laureate 2017 for freedom of thought, Lorent Saleh speaks about the situation of his country starting from the rise to power of Chávez, and asks for the intervention of the international community, “not to support democratic opposition in Venezuela, but to support our Constitution, guaranteeing free elections”. Here is his speech In Venice, where he was hosted by the Global Campus of Human Rights
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Democracy 3 April Apr 2019 0900 03 April 2019 Civil rights in Venezuela: Sakharov Prize laureate Lorent Saleh speaks in Venice
The Venezuelan activist for human rights has been invited on the 6th of April by the Global Campus of Human Rights, a network of more than 100 universities worldwide offering postgraduate education in the field of human rights and democracy. He will participate at a round table on “How to defend the democratic change in Venezuela”
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Brussels 25 March Mar 2019 1800 25 March 2019 European Philanthropy Manifesto calling for a Single Market for Philanthropy
European foundations, philanthropic organisations and policymakers have come together to jointly launch the European Philanthropy Manifesto and to advocate for an enabling environment for philanthropy in Europe. The European Philanthropy Manifesto is a call to policy makers in Europe to work towards a Single Market for Philanthropy
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Events 8 March Mar 2019 1552 08 March 2019 Geneva becomes the stage for human rights
47 films, 200 debates and conferences, 300 guests, among whom artist Ai Weiwei and actor Forest Whitaker. These are the numbers of FIFDH, the most important event at international level on human rights and cinema, that is taking place from the 8th to the 17th of March. A festival with a strong social impact, that includes educational programmes for students, and involves migrants and detainees
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Europe 4 March Mar 2019 1622 04 March 2019 The EESC votes in favour of decent minimum income for all EU citizens in need
The consultative body of the EU representing civil society has adopted an opinion to guarantee a minimum income for all European Union citizens who need it. It is a tool to address the serious and persistent problem of poverty in Europe, which affects 112.9 million people
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Rights 20 February Feb 2019 1126 20 February 2019 No stone should be left unturned in ensuring that EU elections are accessible to all
An Eesc hearing has revealed that almost a million Eu citizens may be deprived of their right to vote in the upcoming European elections as a result of their disability, and many more may face obstacles when casting their ballots
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Uk 5 February Feb 2019 1455 05 February 2019 The Big Lemon, bottom-up solar powered electric bus service
The social enterprise has converted its fleet of old diesel buses into electric vehicles. The Big Lemon are finalists at the Social Enterprise Awards organised by Social Enterprise Uk. Their vision is that every community in the Uk by 2030 has access to zero-emissions public transport powered by renewable energy
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Health 8 January Jan 2019 1145 08 January 2019 Canada, doctors can prescribe art visits as therapy
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, together with the Francophone Association of Doctors in Canada, has launched a pilot project lasting one year. Associated doctors will be able to issue up to 50 prescriptions to guarantee patients and their families a free visit to the Museum of Fine Arts, as complementary therapy to traditional medical treatments
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Projects 12 December Dec 2018 1634 12 December 2018 Berlin, the foundation contributing to the development of the city
Born in Pfefferberg, an area that has become an important cultural and social centre, the Pfefferwerk Foundation has contributed to the regeneration of the site. It carries out and supports projects to help disadvantaged people enter the job market, in all areas of Berlin. Its experience has been selected by the European Economic and Social Committee as a story of innovative and successful social enterprise at European level
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Culture 14 November Nov 2018 1124 14 November 2018 Ankara, garbage collectors open library with discarded books
Dustmen of the Turkish capital have rescued books left on the streets and in rubbish bins, creating a big library, open to the public, which collects more than 6000 books
