By Rachel Harvey
BBC News, Mae Sot, Thailand

http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8518137.stm?ad=1

“โครงการตลาดประกอบฝัน 5” (Youth innovation Marketplace 5) โอกาสสำหรับคนรุ่นใหม่ ที่มีความเชื่อในการพัฒนาสังคมให้ดีขึ้น ได้มีโอกาสนำความเชื่อของตนเองมาลงมือทำเป็นโครงการจริง เพื่อพัฒนาสังคมในด้านต่าง ๆ โดยตลาดประกอบฝัน 5 จะสนับสนุนพี่เลี้ยง งบประมาณ ทรัพยากรด้านอื่นๆ รวมทั้งกระบวนการพัฒนาศักยภาพ เพื่อให้โครงการที่สร้างสรรค์บนความเชื่อของคนรุ่นใหม่ได้ดำเนินการและสร้าง ผลกระทบที่ดีต่อสังคมร่วมกันไปกับเรา

เงื่อนไขการสมัคร

1. ผู้รับผิดชอบมีอายุ 18 – 30 ปี และเคยรับผิดชอบโครงการเพื่อสังคม
2. รวมกลุ่มกัน 3 คน
3. ส่งโครงการตามความเชื่อของคุณ โดยโครงการจะต้อง

• ดำเนินงานระหว่าง 1 พฤษภาคม – 31 ตุลาคม 2553
• ทำกิจกรรมต่อเนื่องอย่างน้อย 4 เดือน
• ระบุที่ปรึกษา 1 คน
• มีการทำงานร่วมกับหน่วยงานในท้องถิ่น
• งบประมาณไม่เกิน 130,000 บาท

ช่วงการรับสมัคร วันนี้ – 10 มีนาคม 2553

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Bandung, Indonesia, 23rd-27th August 2010

AAYF (Asian-African Youth ) 2010 is a forum that invites youth from all countries of Asia and Africa and the world to formulate a declaration that is blown into the world to demonstrate the existence of the youth of Asia and Africa to the world. This forum brought a number of prominent and competent speakers to fill the show in this forum. AAYF 2010 commemorates the Asian-African Conference held in 1955 in Bandung. This forum is held on the basis of a desire to continue the expectations of our predecessors is to form strategic cooperation among Asian and African Countries. In addition to sharing experiences, participants can enjoy a beautiful and comfortable city of Bandung, capital of West Java Province. You will find the experience will never be forgotten there

Bandung, the capital of West Java province, Indonesia to witness the conference the countries in Asia and Africa in 1955 and 2005. The conference’s two major significance for human civilization to create freedom and peace to human welfare. At the conference 2005 all 106 countries, 73% of the world’s population, succeeded in formulating BANDUNG DECLARATION as a form of mutual understanding to build a strategic partnership.The Declaration must be followed up by concrete through the organization of the youth meeting in the Asia-Africa. Youth are the future hope of reviving the spirit of Bandung Conference in 1955, maintaining the consistency of solidarity and cooperation between the countries of Asia and Africa. In this context the implementation of the Asian-African Youth Forum to find relevance.

To map the issues, ideas and problems of youth in the area, the Millennium Declaration can be used as a source of ideas to be studied more deeply. Declaration, signed in New York by representatives of 189 developed and developing countries in September 2000, identified eight global issue that must be achieved in 2015. This is in line with the latest facts and the determination of the nations of Asia and Africa to achieve social progress and economic progress in following up on a lot politically, apart from the shackles of colonialism.

http://developmentprofessionals.org/groups/youth-rights-youth-development/forum/

“Organizations working on promotion of youth rights and advocating for the proper development of youths are invited to join this group.”

UN-HABITAT’s Youth Fund for NGOs and CBOs

http://www.fundsforngos.org/latest-funds-for-ngos/un-habitats-youth-fund-for-ngos-and-cbos/

UN-HABITAT adopted a resolution in 2007 to establish the UN-HABITAT Youth Fund to mobilize young people for advocating for youth-related policy formulation; support governmental and non-governmental agencies to respond to youth concerns; support youth information networks; implement new ideas on employment, governance, adequate shelter and secure tenure; share best practices; promote vocation training for entrepreneurship and employment; and promote gender mainstreaming in all urban youth matters. The Fund was officially launched as the Opportunities Fund for Urban Youth-Led Development on 4 November 2008 at the fourth sessions of the World Urban Youth Forum in Nanjing, China.

NGOs and community-based nonprofit organizations led by young people aged 15-32 years in developing countries can apply for this Fund (This can also mean that if the governing or management board of an NGO has an active representation of one or more young persons between 15-32 years, it can still apply for this Fund – partnerships between adults and young persons are also encouraged). Applicant organizations should be based in cities or towns with more than 10,000 inhabitants and they must be legally registered for at least one year and should have a valid bank account. If small applicant organizations do not have legal registration but still fulfill the eligibility criteria, they can apply in partnership with another legally registered organization which can facilitate the grantmaking process.

Proposals can be submitted in English, French or Spanish. The application form can be downloaded from the UN-HABITAT website. Supporting documents need to be submitted along with the completed application form. Submissions can be made by email. However, there are different emails for different regions. Budgetary limitations have been specified: small projects can request up to $5000 while larger projects can receive grants of up to $25,000. Proposed projects should schedule the starting date of implementation six months after the submission deadline and should last for less than 12 months.

Applications will be evaluated thoroughly and objectively and the judges’ decision on the rating will be final. The winners will be notified by email and projects receiving support will also be listed on UN-HABITAT’s website. The selection process can take up to 5 months after the deadline. The last date to submit applications is 15 April 2010. For more information, visit this link.

The Lao Youth Network has been very busy organizing workshops for young NGOs and organizers, with the Lao Youth Action for AIDS Programme (LYAP) working with groups all over the country.  Rita and Sombath have been traveling to Pakse and Vang Vieng for trainings on AIDS prevention campaigns and education.  It was inspiring to hear their stories from working with other young people and trying to make society a better place.  Kita, who is a volunteer with the Participatory Development Training Center (PADETC), will be finishing university soon and then starting community development work in Savannakhet province.  Ole is planning to work on environmental consulting with a dam project in central Lao PDR.

We look forward to hearing more from our Lao friends!

Student-activist groups gathered together on Feb 12 to protest the privatization of Khon Kaen University.  One of the main student organizers, DauDin, also hosted the Esan Common Rights Festival earlier this winter.  Your reporter joined with the protesters and spoke with several of the group’s leaders.  As the school continues to accept students “outside of the system” for extra tuition and makes public plans to privatize the school, students are increasingly concerned about the double standards and inaccessibility such development would inevitably create.  The student groups worked together to develop a letter to the Dean of the university and expressed their opinions in a very public space – the front of “complex” a popular place for students to eat food or go shopping.  With banners and loudspeakers, the students got the attention of many students and even some professors joined in with them.  ASEAN Youth Movement will continue to follow any developments around privatization at KKU.

http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsworld.php?id=475927

JAKARTA, Feb 17 (Bernama) — The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Secretary General Dr. Surin Pitsuwan said that the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement will benefit member countries on trade and investment pact, China’s Xinhua news agency cited a local daily as saying on Wednesday.

Surin said that the ASEAN member countries would benefit from more trade and investment under the pact, and could gain even more if they can insert themselves into “supply lines”to Chinese factories.

Surin did, however, acknowledge that some countries would likely encounter “difficulties” in implementing the agreement, which was signed in 2004 and took effect on Jan 1 this year.

“Every member state has its own way of managing the transition because the agreement is going to involve some adjustments, responsibilities and cooperation,” he said.

“China is a large market that everybody wants to get into, and I think the line that the ASEAN should be thinking, as China grows, ASEAN grows with it.

“So we have to be on the supply lines into the factories of China, into the production base of China,” Surin said.

With its economy growing by a huge 8.7 percent last year, China is now the world’s third-largest economy after the United States and Japan, and is expected to lead the global economic recovery.

According to a report by DBS Bank last year, China will continue to inject strong demand into global trade, thus boosting the economies of its export-dependent Asian neighbors, including Indonesia.

The ASEAN-China trade pact creates the world’s third-largest free-trade area after the European Union and the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Rural banks decry ASEAN free trade pact

February 17, 2010 – http://www.bworldonline.com/main/content.php?id=6454

RURAL BANKS said they stand to lose as tariffs on agricultural imports fall in line with a regional trade pact, since the agriculture sector is a primary market.

In a telephone interview on Tuesday, Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines (RBAP) President Joseph Omar O. Andaya said the agriculture sector would suffer greatly as tariffs on farm goods fall in line with the implementation of a free trade agreement among members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

“It will affect us because 50% of the rural banking sector’s loan portfolio is lent to the agriculture sector,” he said.

“The rest is lent out mostly to micro and small enterprises in the countryside, which are largely linked to or dependent on agriculture.”

He added that around 90% of rural bank head offices and branches are in the countryside where the economy is agriculture-based.

In January, tariffs on several goods such as petroleum, chemicals, iron and steel, cars and parts, rubber, leather goods, textiles and garments, and glass were scrapped under the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA).

Duties on certain farm goods — corn, cassava, poultry and pork — were reduced to 0-5%. The Philippines’ proposal to keep rice tariffs at 40% before lowering it to 35% in 2015 is being negotiated.

Mr. Andaya said the agriculture sector, which lacks support from the government, would suffer against competition from Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia.

“Don’t implement [this agreement] for now. Give the agri sector support first because we would die if this sector dies,” he said.

Agriculture officials were not available for comment.

The RBAP chief said the government, to boost the agriculture sector, should shift the focus of the agrarian reform program to improving the education of and support for beneficiaries from just land redistribution.

He noted that most of the beneficiaries have been left to fend for themselves by the government.

Mr. Andaya said the RBAP, which has 650 members, has over six million depositors and a million borrowers, has commissioned a study on the impact of AFTA on the rural banking industry. The results will be released in two months.

Overseeing the study is Rolando T. Dy, executive director of the Center for Food and Agribusiness and dean of the School of Management at the University of Asia and the Pacific.

In a text message, Mr. Dy said the immediate sectors that are affected by the AFTA implementation are corn farmers and chicken and hog producers.

Tariffs on imported chicken and livestock were reduced last month to zero and 5% respectively, from 40% and 35% before. — Don Gil K. Carreon

20/02/2010 – http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/33198/vietnam-takes-the-helm

Q:WHAT ARE VIETNAM’S PRIORITIES AS THE ASEAN CHAIR?

A: Our theme, “Towards an Asean Community: From Vision to Action”, will see concrete action to accelerate implementation of the three blueprints (The Asean community consists of three pillars: the Asean Political-Security Community, the Asean Economic Community and the Asean Socio-Cultural Community), strengthen Asean’s ability to overcome the consequences of the financial crisis, deal effectively with transnational problems such as climate change, disaster and other pandemic issues, and build on the momentum Asean has gained with our dialogue partners to support our development goal and maintain Asean’s centrality within regional frameworks.

Q:VIETNAM WILL BE BUSY THIS YEAR WITH TWO CONCURRENT CELEBRATIONS: THE 15TH ANNIVERSARY OF VIETNAM JOINING ASEAN AND THE 1,000-YEAR HANOI COMMEMORATION.

A: Yes, both occasions have special meaning for Vietnam – a milestone for the officially united nation and our entry into a new life within the Southeast Asia region.

The year 2010 is also a special year for us to celebrate our diplomatic relations with several major partners, including the 60-year relationship with China and Russia and 15 years of relations with the US.

Q:HOW DOES VIETNAM VIEW RECENT DEVELOPMENTS SUCH AS THE ASEAN DEFENCE MINISTERIAL MEETING (ADMM), THE EXPANDING EAST ASIA SUMMIT (EAS) AND OTHER NEW INITIATIVES LIKE THE EAST ASIAN COMMUNITY FORMULATED BY JAPAN, AND THE ASIA PACIFIC COMMUNITY (APC) SET IN MOTION BY AUSTRALIA?

A: Defence cooperation is an integral part of Asean political-security cooperation. As chair of the fourth ADMM, we will strengthen cooperation in addressing non-traditional security issues, particularly disaster relief and emergency response, and further promote ADMM cooperation with Asean dialogue partners.

On the issue of EAS membership expansion, there have been a number of proposals to join the EAS, including that of Russia, which has been voicing its desire to participate in this forum for several years.

Asean should examine the EAS applications on a case-by-case basis, taking into account such important factors as the EAS’s nature, the purpose of openness and inclusiveness, and momentum for the promotion of policy dialogue and cooperation with key regional partners.

We also welcome and look forward to more details on the EAC and the APC initiatives, but would like to emphasise the important role of Asean in the existing regional frameworks. Any new regional mechanism or process should be complementary and supportive to those already existing, especially the ARF (Asean Regional Forum), Asean+3, EAS and Apec (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation), and avoid an overlap.

Q:THERE ARE SOME CONCERNS WHETHER DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE CIVIL SOCIETY AND THE NEXT ASEAN CHAIRS, INCLUDING VIETNAM, MIGHT NOT BE THAT ROSY, AND THE NEW ASEAN INTERGOVERNMENTAL COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS (AICHR) MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO ADDRESS ANY RIGHTS PROBLEMS.

A: Asean has committed to building a people-centred community. Therefore, all member states, including Vietnam, support the participation of different people layers in the establishment of this community.

Vietnam will work with other members on appropriate modalities for communication and engagement with the civil society.

As for the AICHR, we think it needs adequate time to grow up (in terms of organisational structure and planning) before effectively taking part in substantial matters.

As chair of this year’s AICHR, we will facilitate it in writing a five-year road map. I do believe that the AICHR can only be a success if Asean’s principles are firmly upheld, the Asean way is strongly preserved and the terms of reference are strictly followed.

We would like to share our views on the question of human rights issues. Enjoying better life conditions is the most fundamental right we are now doing our best to fulfil.

But since an understanding of human rights is one of the most diverse issues not only in this region but also in the world, our task at hand is to make sure the region can reach an approach acceptable to all.

In Vietnam, issues related to human rights can be found in the curriculum of universities and primary and secondary schools. The majority of our students are equipped with an adequate knowledge of this subject.

Asean has also become a very familiar term to every Vietnamese. We all are aware of what Asean means to us in the past, at present and in the future.

From Maryland Public Radio:

U.S. citizen Kyaw Zaw Lwin was arrested on his way into his native country of Burma on September 3rd, 2009. He’s been in prison there since then. Last Wednesday he was sentenced to three years of hard labor; the next day he was moved to a remote, rural prison. We bring you an update on his case.

http://mdmorn.wordpress.com/2010/02/16/217102-marylander-in-a-burmese-jail-three-years-hard-labor/

Rights Group Takes Nyi Nyi Aung Case to UN

By LALIT K. JHA – February 17, 2010

The Washington-based organization Freedom Now has asked the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to investigate the case of the Burmese-American Nyi Nyi Aung, who was sentenced by a Rangoon court last week to three years imprisonment.

A 17-page petition was submitted to the UN panel on behalf of Nyi Nyi Aung’s fiancée, Wa Wa Kyaw, who said: “I hope that the United Nations will help the junta to see that they cannot continue to imprison people for their political actions.”

Freedom Now President Jared Genser said: “We are deeply concerned about Nyi Nyi’s health and welfare both because his three-year sentence includes hard labor and because the junta has arbitrarily and permanently denied him family visits; the primary way prisoners in Burma receive food, vitamins, and medicine.”

Nyi Nyi Aung was convicted of carrying false identification and undeclared currency and of failing to renounce his Burmese nationality when becoming a US citizen in 2002.  Freedom Now charged in its petition that Nyi Nyi Aung had been tried by a biased court and denied an impartial tribunal.

“In addition to not being able to adequately prepare a defense because he was not provided access to his lawyers, the Burmese junta did not allow Mr Aung to present defense witnesses under the same conditions that the prosecution presented its witnesses,” the petition said.

“Mr Aung was only allowed to present two witnesses on his behalf. The government was allowed to present at least 16 witnesses,” Freedom Now charged.

After his sentencing on February 20, Nyi Nyi Aung was transferred from Rangoon’s Insein Prison to a prison in Prome to begin serving his sentence. Freedom Now said it believed he was transferred to a location far from Rangoon to prevent information on his condition from leaking to the media and to make regular visits difficult.