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Electronics TakeBack Coalition about e-waste

18. 5. 2009 -
The Electronics TakeBack Coalition, which promotes responsible recycling and green design in the electronics industry, lauded Dell’s e-waste policy as the highest standard in the industry.

Thousands of consumers call for fair mobile phones makeITfair hands over signatures to mobile phone companies

18. 5. 2009 -
Amsterdam, 15.05.09: On the occasion of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day on May 17, thousands of signatories will put pressure on mobile phone companies across Europe to pay greater attention to fair labour standards.

SACOM and WEED: Fujitsu Siemens Computers does not take responsibility for labor rights violations in their supply chain in China

6. 5. 2009 -
PRESS RELEASE

SACOM and WEED: Fujitsu Siemens Computers does not take responsibility for
labor rights violations in their supply chain in China

Human Rights for Flower Workers - Politicians and trade need to take their responsibilities

4. 5. 2009 -
Austria/ Belgium/ Czech Republic/ Germany, April 29, 2009. On the occasion of the International Labour Day, the new European Campaign “Flowers for Human Rights” demands public authorities, flower traders and consumers to take their responsibility regarding decent working conditions in the cut flower industry.

Tisková zpráva SACOM a WEED

2. 4. 2009 -
SACOM and WEED: Fujitsu Siemens Computers does not take responsibility for
labor rights violations in their supply chain in China

Řešení krize

18. 2. 2009 -
Doporučení, která po širší mezinárodní diskusi zaslala mezinárodní koalice Social Watch tzv. Stiglitzově komisi k reformě globálních finančních a ekonomických systémů. Komise byla zřízena na popud předsedy Valného shromáždění OSN. Tato iniciativa Social Watch má za cíl nastartovat širší diskusi o problémech hospodářské krize.

Are we on the Right Track?

17. 11. 2008 - Jiří Silný
After the Prague development conference
Paradigm change inevitable
The 2008 Prague conference was organised by TRIALOG in cooperation with CONCORD, the Czech NGDO platform FoRS and the Ecumenical Academy Prague and supported by a variety of donors: European Commission, Czech and Austrian Development Cooperation, Regional Partnership Programme, Brot für die Welt, Oxfam GB, Fondation de France and Glopolis.

Community Development Work – Science Fiction or Reality?

8. 9. 2008 - Tony Addy
Study based on the definition:
Community development work involves working with people collectively to enable them to define their own needs and take appropriate action to meet those needs’

IT must become green and fair

6. 3. 2008 -
Campaigners are protesting at the opening of the ‘GreenIT’ conference at the CeBIT IT fair in Hannover. For Human Rights, Labour Rights and environmental protection in the global IT industry

Development Cooperation in New EU Member States

26. 2. 2008 -
An insight analysis
Published in the Trialog Bulletin on EU Enlargement and NGDOs 5/2007

Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats – a comment on transport in Europe.

8. 1. 2007 - Andrew Letby
Reflexion on transport based on the study visit of british methodist chaplains in Prague in Novemer 2006 (organised by Ecumenical academy)

Churches, trade unions and civil society in Central & Eastern Europe call for greater corporate responsibility

26. 10. 2006 -
A conference of churches, trade unions and other civil society organisations that ended in Prague, Czech Republic, on Saturday 21 October stressed the need for more corporate responsibility to ensure equitable and sustainable development in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).

Delegates from 18 countries - including Albania, Belarus, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, the UK and the USA - concluded two days of workshops and discussions on social and environmental challenges facing business and communities in the CEE region by calling for concerted stakeholder action to promote higher standards of social and environmental behaviour from companies.

The event was funded by the European Union, hosted by the Ecumenical Academy Prague and jointly organised with the Work & Economy Network in the European Churches and the UK-based Ecumenical Council for Corporate Responsibility (ECCR). Participants included churches and church investors, trade unions, NGOs, and research, educational and academic institutions.

Closing the meeting, Dr Jiri Silny, Director of the Ecumenical Academy Prague, said: “Company managers, workers, consumers, public authorities and civil society need to act as equal partners to protect our common social and environmental interests.”

Speakers had pointed out that social and environmental regulations were routinely ignored in the CEE region – let alone the higher standards necessary for a more equitable and sustainable economic system.

Delegates included representatives of the Conference of European Churches, UK Church Investors Group, International Interfaith Investment Group, Oikocredit (Netherlands), Protestant Academy Meissen (Germany), Lutheran Church of Latvia, Romanian Orthodox Church, the Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD, and the US Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility.

During the conference, Zdenek Malek of the Czech Trade Union Chamber warned of countries lowering their corporate responsibility standards in competition for foreign direct investment.

Participants agreed to continue working together as churches, trade unions, ethical investors and civil society actors to promote Europe-wide progress on corporate responsibility and capacity- building in CEE countries.

Notes for Editors

Media contacts - Central and Eastern Europe:
 Dr Jiří Silný, Ecumenical Academy Prague: www.ekumakad.cz; +420 2727 37077; ekumakad@volny.cz
 Tony Addy, Work & Economy Network in the European Churches/European Contact Group: www.ecgnet.cz; +420 2222 11799/+420 603 176910; tony.ecg@ecn.cz

Media contact - Western Europe:
 Miles Litvinoff, Co-ordinator, ECCR, PO Box 500, Oxford OX1 1ZL, UK; www.eccr.org.uk; +44 (0)20 8965 9682 / +44 (0)7984 720103; miles.litvinoff@eccr.org.uk

Organising partners:
Ecumenical Academy Prague (EAP)
Na Mícánkách 1, CZ101 00, Praha 10, Czech Republic; +420 2727 37077; www.ekumakad.cz, ekumakad@volny.cz
An independent association that organises seminars, conferences and workshops and undertakes research on issues in the fields of culture, politics, church and society, social justice and sustainable development, providing a place for discussion among churches and people of different opinions and beliefs from all generations.

Work & Economy Network in the European Churches/European Contact Group (WEN/ECG)
Žitna 45, CZ110 00, Praha 1, Czech Republic; +420 2222 11799; www.ecg.ecn.cz, tony.ecg@ecn.cz
An ecumenical network connecting individuals and organisations across Europe, promoting exchange of experience, knowledge and strategies, engaging with work and employment issues including working conditions, informal and non-legal labour, social exclusion, gender-based and racist discrimination in the labour market, environmental and economic sustainability.

Ecumenical Council for Corporate Responsibility (ECCR)
PO Box 500, Oxford OX1 1ZL, UK; +44 (0)1865 245349; www.eccr.org.uk; info@eccr.org.uk, miles.litvinoff@eccr.org.uk
A church-based NGO working on corporate responsibility, linking the church as investor with church concern for human development and environmental stewardship, engaging in dialogue with companies about their corporate responsibility policies and impacts on host communities.

DEBTS OF TRANSITION COUNTRIES ON G 8 AGENDA

8. 6. 2006 -
Press release

In March 2006 an international workshop of NGOs on problems of foreign debt in the CEE and CIS countries, occurring especially during the transition was held in Prague. Some of the countries in the region are critically indebted, as an expert study made by Erlassjahr.de shows. The region is in a global comparison the second most indebted after Latin America. Russian president Putin announced this topic will be negotiated during the G 8 summit in Petersburg in July this year.
The participants of Prague workshop set out the Declaration “Drop the Debt of the Transition” with the appeal to the governments:
“We, the undersigned organisations call upon our governments to support debt cancellation for the critically indebted nations of our region. This cancellation is a precondition for the sustainable development of these countries. Our governments should support an impartial process to determine which debts should be cancelled.”

This declaration so far has been supported by 60 NGOs from 16 countries of the region and is supported by the biggest European network of NGO committed to solution of the debt crisis EURODAD. The organisers of this campaign will present their demand in Petersburg itself in connection with G 8 summit. They establish a regional network of NGOs to deal on a long run with debt issues in a global context as well.

Full text of Prague Declaration and of the Study “Sovereign Debt in Central / Eastern European and Commonwealth of Independent States Countries” (and the Russian translation) is available at www.ekumakad.cz

Organisers of the campaign:
Erlassjahr.de www.erlassjahr.de
Ecumenical Academy Prague www.ekumakad.cz

Financially supported by: Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst www.eed.de

More information:

Dr. Jiri Silny
Ecumenical Academy Prague
Na Micankach 1
101 00 Praha 10
Czech Republic
Phone/Fax 00420 272737077
Mobile +420 604625486
Skype: Ekumenicka akademie Praha

Iraq's odious debts

15. 12. 2005 - Antje Queck
Contribution from Antje Queck during the conference Odious debts (Prague 14th - 15th October 2005)
Antje Queck works for Entwicklungspolitisches Netzwerk Sachsen

Zambia after the Completion Point: Will one swallow make a summer?

20. 5. 2005 - Jürgen Kaiser
Zambia’s C.P. document is strongly driven by the positive developments of the country’s economy in the year 2004. Performance in the years 2000-2003 falls way short of decision point projections, and Zambia would have appeared a likely candidate for topping-up, had the slow improvement persisted for another year. 2004, however, was marked by an impressive boom in export income, based on higher than expected copper prices and some other factors.