News archive

Strengthening collaboration of Dutch organizations active in Mali

Aux représentants des organisations non-gouvernementales néerlandaises au Mali  ...

Strengthening collaboration of Dutch organizations active in Mali

Aux représentants des organisations non-gouvernementales néerlandaises au Mali  ...

ICCO's education partner Tin Tua in Burkina Faso has received a UNESCO award

Tin Tua's self-help philosophy makes communities bloom Source: © UNESCO  ...

First part of the Grant Application for MFS II to the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Early December the ICCO Alliance submitted the first part of the Grant Application for MFS II to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Current ICCO Alliance expanded

The Zeister Zendingsgenootschap and Yente reinforce the ICCO Alliance comprising Edukans, Kerk in Actie, Oikocredit, Prisma, SharePeople and ICCO.

Co-operation between Kerk in Actie and ICCO to be prolonged

The Protestant Church will prolong the co-operation between Kerk in Actie and development organisation ICCO. The synod decided that the agreement between Kerk in Actie, the development organisation of the churches, and ICCO will be continued in 2010.

Human rights award for Angolan organisation

ICCO's Angolan partner, SOS Habitat, has been presented the Civil Society Human Rights Award in huge recognition of the work of this Angolan partner and its director Luis Araujo.

HIV is not statistical, Tutu says

A major religious leader says the world can no longer think of HIV in developing countries as a problem that sits in isolation from other countries. Nobel laureate and former Archbishop of Cape Town, Desmond Tutu, says no-one anywhere in the world is immune from the issue of HIV. "You can no longer quarantine yourself and say you are able to remain safe when there is disease and poverty and instability ‘over there'. Instability in one part of the world almost always communicates itself as instability all over."

International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

Today ICCO & Kerk in Actie and all our partner-organisations would like to ask you to take the initiative to light a candle in solidarity with all women suffering from violence and all people striving for the elimination of violence against women.

Women in Business Challenge 2010

ICCO is very pleased to announce the special "Women in Business Challenge". This business plan competition is targeted at women who seek finance for their start-up or established business in a developing country in Africa, Asia or Latin America.

One billion people go hungry - Who controls governance of World Food System?

Failure by national governments and international institutions to ensure the right to food has led to rising numbers of malnourished and starving people, as documented in the Right to Food and Nutrition Watch 2009. The report which is being launched this week on the occasion of World Food Day in twelve countries worldwide, is a common endeavor of a Consortium of human rights organisations, social movements and development agencies, among them Brot für die Welt, FIAN International and the Interchurch Organisation for Development Co-operation (ICCO).

ICCO and the Private Sector

ICCOs Position Paper about Corporate Social Responsibility and Private Sector Collaboration is available and online! This summary version is based on the internal document that ICCOs Board of Management accepted in June 2008.

Wim Hart joins ICCO Board of Directors

Wim Hart is the new member of the Board of Directors of the development organisation ICCO. He will be responsible for internal affairs such as operations management, human resources and IT. He will share this task with Jack van Ham, former General Manager and currently chairman of the ICCO Board of Directors.

'Do Not Be Used By Misguided Politicians'

'Do Not Be Used By Misguided Politicians' Updated: August 18, 2009 - 9:16am News Section: FLY President, Joseph J. Sankaituah addresses participants at the peace building program in Clara Town over the weekend.   ~ FLY Tells Youth  ...

Report Celebration 177 Indian youngsters from the slums go to university

Last Saturday August the 8th India celebrated that 177 young people from the slums were admitted to university. ICCO-Partner organisation Asha says this is one of its most memorable events since its foundation. ICCO's general director Jack van Ham was present at the celebration. Below you can read Asha's report.

Liberia: Make torture a crime

An executive of the New Deal Movement, Professor Alaric K. Tokpa has suggested and is currently appealing to the National Legislature, Liberia's lawmaking body, to make torture a crime in Liberia.  ...

Call for EU Foreign Ministers to visit Gaza

Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the European Union urgently need to visit Gaza to witness for themselves the denigrating circumstances in which the people of Gaza live. Only then can they make foreign policy decisions that so heavily affect the people of Gaza.

Churches reaffirm 40-year struggle against racism

The Dutch queen will be the guest of honour at a conference seeking to take on the legacy of the World Council of Churches' (WCC) historic anti-racism efforts.

Churches tackle root causes of hunger in new campaign

Christian leaders around the world are calling on the United Nations Secretary-General to seek tangible results in realizing the right to food. The letter to Ban Ki-moon is the first action of a new ecumenical global campaign on food being launched today in Geneva, Switzerland, by the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance (EAA).

Fairfood bridges the North-South gap

ICCO at the World Social Forum

As an intermediary, ICCO plays a very important role at the WSF. Seven ICCO employees travelled to Brazil to attend the WSF, from 26 January to 3 February.

Right to Food recognized as essential to fight

The Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance (EAA) and faith-based organizations and leaders around the world hailed the recognition, at the High Level Meeting on Food Security for All, of the essential role of the Right to Food in combating hunger.

ICCO at the World Social Forum 2009

The 9th World Social Forum takes place between January 26 and February 2nd in Belém, Brazil, highlighting especially global concerns such as climate change and environmental issues in relation to poverty. Some 80.000 people are expected to participate.

Summary Burma/Myanmar Day 2008 available

ICCO, the European Commission, Burma Centrum Nederland and the Euro-Burma Office jointly organised “Burma/Myanmar Day 2008” in Brussels on 29 October 2008. The first panel discussion was focused on the ‘Aftermath of Cyclone Nargis’, while the second discussion concentrated on ‘Political Options for the Future’. The summary is now available.

Rural Finance Study

An inventory of policies, practices and challenges regarding support to rural (micro)finance among Netherlands' MicroNed members

Ethiopian partner MFI wins European Microfinance Award 2008

Social mission of micro credit rewarded

ICCO alliance receives an EU subsidy for food security in Bangladesh

Development organisations ICCO&Kerk in Actie, LEPRAzending and Dark & Light Blind Care will be joining forces with seven local partner organisations to improve food security in Bangladesh.

Cheque

ICCO field officer Corita Corbijn hands a cheque for € 1494 to the staff of ICCO’s Malinese partner organisation GRAT.

Global Economy needs redical changes, WCC team says

Radical changes and tangible commitments from world leaders are needed if an equitable and sustainable global economic system is to be built, says an ecumenical delegation attending a UN conference on financing for development starting tomorrow in Qatar.

Launch of Right to Food and Nutrition Watch

On the occasion of World Food Day 2008, the Zero Issue of the new Right to Food and Nutrition Watch was presented to the public in Rome, Vienna, Brussels, Utrecht and Amsterdam by representatives of the publishing alliance from Bread for the World, ICCO and FIAN International.

Europe proves unreliable partner for developing countries

Report “Dialogue of the Deaf” - An assessment of Europe’s developmental approach to trade negotiations - available

Migration from an African perspective

In December, ICCO and Kerk in Actie will publishing the brochure ‘Migration from an African perspective’.

Dutch prince, Constantijn visits ICCO partner

Prince Constantijn, the youngest son of queen Beatrix of the Netherlands paid a visit to the Philippines in early June 2008. In his capacity as chairman of The Hague Process on Refugees and Migration (THP), he was invited to Manilla to hold discussions on brain drain and other migration issues with the cream of the Filipino business community.

ICCO partner receives AIDS award

Promoteurs Objectifs Zéro Sida (POZ), an ICCO partner in Haiti, will receive a Red Ribbon Award at the international AIDS conference in Mexico. POZ is receiving the award in recognition of its efforts in the fight against AIDS in Haiti.

Base of the Pyramid

‘The Base of the Pyramid as a development strategy’, a new brochure in English by ICCO and Oxfam Novib aimed at tackling global poverty. Can commercial success go hand in hand with poverty alleviation? Can commercial success go hand in hand with poverty alleviation?

PME, sharing experiences and learning from each other

Years of practical experience with NGOs, supported by ICCO and Cordaid, ecclesiastical development agencies, CBOs and networks have now been compiled into a book: Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (PME) within development organisations.

“Preparing the Ground” in four new regions

In the last E-zine, we shed some light on the setting up of Regional Councils in three of the four pilot regions. The establishment of these councils constituted a crucial step in the ProCoDe process: ICCO is no longer solely responsible for policy and the execution thereof in these regions.

BRAZIL: Stigmatisation of the MST and its members

Paris-Geneva, July 8, 2008. The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), and Justiça Global express their deepest concern about the harassment by the Public Ministry of Río Grande do Sul against members and leaders of the Landless Workers Movement (Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra - MST), a movement active in the rights to land, assimilating them to, inter alia, “criminals” and elements “threatening the society and national security”.

Not a soul left in the village

I do not know what happened to my wife and daughter. They must have been carried off by the force of the water, but I will never know for sure." For the full eight dark hours that cyclone Nargis ravaged Burma, dad Myo Lin (*) and his seven year old son survived by desperately clinging on to a tree trunk.

Security training now also available to local aid workers

Because of the increased violence against aid workers in Afghanistan, ICCO was the first NGO to start security trainings for local partner organisations in the country.

Surinam would gain from shift to sustainable production

Surinam could substantially raise income from its rain forest by promoting small-scale sustainable production. This was the key message ICCO director Jack van Ham put across in his speech at a conference on sustainable development in the Surinamese capital of Paramaribo last month.

Independent study published on Afghan perceptions of security and development in Uruzgan and Paktia

The military strategy of trying to win “hearts and minds” in Afghanistan by building schools and health clinics is failing to address the root causes of violence in the country, according to an independent study commissioned by a group of European and Canadian aid agencies and published today (Wednesday). The study also calls for an ‘Afghanisation’ of the civil-military debate , as current policies aimed at stabilising the war-torn country are inadequately informed of local Afghan views on the key challenges in security, governance and development.

Conference Report Transforming Development is published

The Conference Report Transforming Development. Exploring approaches to development from religious perspectives, held in October 2007 in Soesterberg, is now published.

ICCO & Kerk in Actie strongly reject Dutch MP’s film

On 27 March 2008, Dutch MP Geert Wilders launched his film Fitna. This film is Wilders’ statement that increasing Islamisation in the Netherlands impinges on the freedom of the Dutch. ICCO and Kerk in Actie immediately released a statement in which they forcefully rejected Wilders’ approach.

ICCO and Kerk in Actie tackle vulnerability

A large part of the population of El Salvador is living under virtually constant threat. For example, in 2005: hurricane Stan and the eruption of the Ilamatepec volcano. These natural disasters largely ruined the provinces of Ahuachapan and Sonsonante. Faced with these kinds of perils, the vulnerable population needs support.

Young people in action for FairClimate

Currently, a group of seven young people is being trained to become ambassadors for ICCO’s Fair Climate campaign, which is dedicated to climate change.

International Women’s Day a success in the Netherlands

On 8 March, the Netherlands, like many other countries, celebrated International Women’s Day. ICCO used Women’s Day to call attention to its ‘Powerful Women’ campaign, which focuses on the rights of women in developing countries.

Report conference The EU & UNSCR point 8; women: from target group to stakeholders in peace and security finished

The conference was held on 6-7 November 2007 in Brussels. Representatives of 25 women's organisations worldwide came to Brussels to discuss a local perspective on the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, on women, peace and security. During the two conference days all 150 participants committed themselves to rich and dynamic discussions.

Dutch Minister visits ICCO/Kerk in Actie partner in Kenia

The Dutch Minister of Development Cooperation visited ICCO and Kerk in Actie partner Elreco in Kenia. He spoke during an informal lunch with rev. Rirei, manager of the relief- and peace and reconciliation program of Elreco. "The Minister told us what he saw in Naivasha as well as at the Eldoret IDP camp. Since it was an informal meeting there was time for interjections and questions and clarifications", says rev. Rirei.

Providing emergency relief and contributing to reconciliation in Kenya

Last week, Kenya was again hit by a wave of violence, with protest rallies ending in injury and death, and a number of villages destroyed by fires. Refugee camps are overflowing – 25.000 people have sought refuge in flight. ICCO and Church in Action partner Elreco are active in the hard-hit Trans Nzoia district, which harbours 40.000 refugees. What relief can this organisation offer?

Green light from ICCO board for start of Phase 2 of ICCO’s ProCoDe Renewal Process

December 2007 The ICCO board has made a decision in favour of Phase 2 of the ProCoDe renewal process. Before the board made its final decision, extensive discussions were held with ICCO’s management and works council (WC). This series of meetings was successfully concluded in late November, and the WC issued a positive recommendation for Phase 2.

The UN Resolution 1325 Campaign

‘This struggle ought to be unnecessary’

How to proceed after Soesterberg?

Taking the ‘Peanut Declaration’ forward

Between hope and despair

ICCO’s chairman visits Sudan

Trip to turbulent Congo

ICCO director Jack van Ham recently visited the Democratic Republic of Congo. A country that appears largely unable to escape from its spiral of violence. Conservative MP Arend Jan Boekestijn travelled along.

Aiding the victims of the Bangladesh cyclone

ICCO & Kerk in Actie have set aside 150,000 euros to bring aid to the victims of the cyclone in Bangladesh. The money is earmarked for emergency relief, such as the provision of food rations and clean drinking water. The cyclone hit the southern part of Bangladesh last month. All in all, at least 900,000 families were affected. Nearly all crops were destroyed. Many people lost their homes, cattle of fishing boats. In the coastal area, home to some 3.2 million people, entire tracts of land have disappeared below the waves. To date, the death count stands at 3,500, but it is estimated that the final figures will rise to at least 10,000. ICCO & Kerk in Actie have called on their constituents to donate generously.

BiD Network Marketplace

Meet outstanding entrepreneurs, share ideas, network and get inspired in Amsterdam on December 4th!

ICCO invests energy in climate change

Developing countries are suffering under the consequences of climate change. Shortages of food and water, droughts and floods and high numbers of ecological refugees are several examples of these consequences. It is the industrialised countries that contribute to a great extent to global CO2 emissions, thereby causing climate change. ICCO is launching a campaign that calls for a fair climate(a fair climate situation?): ‘The climate has already changed!’

‘We are not tossing responsibility over the fence’

This month, the ICCO board will decide whether or not it can go ahead with the planned changes. It is an exciting time. This also applies to Director Jack van Ham, who reiterates his vision of the future ICCO on the eve of the board decision. What will ICCO be like four years from now? “If everything goes according to plan, ICCO will have a decentralised organisation when it comes to what we now refer to as ‘financing’, and we will expand our activities in the north, such as Impulsis (private initiatives) and collaboration with the business community. We would like to surrender a bit of our responsibility by increasing the importance of the influence of the people in the south. This is an idea driven by idealism, the goal of which is to improve the results. We have to work more based on the assumption of how they envision democracy, their ideas of prosperity and consider where they would like to receive support instead of how we feel things should be done in developing countries". What is ICCO’s current role within the ‘aid chain’? “In and of itself, this role is good, but our environment is changing dramatically. The question is: what is ICCO doing to anticipate these changes? I’m not saying that we never deal with social responsibilities, but you have to realise that this occurs on a very individual level, from account manager to partner, and vice versa. And the partners generally also work in isolation. Through the three-pronged approach of programme-based work, decentralisation and co-responsibility, we try to stimulate a greater form of collaboration and more solid results. We will soon be participating in the discussion on the elements that contribute to development in West Africa, from the standpoint of the West Africans.”

What is ICCO & Kerk in Actie doing in Afghanistan?

‘It’s working with kid gloves on here’ Although the results achieved are not yet what people had in mind, the development in this Islamic republic is not at a standstill. In particular, the position of women in the ICCO work field has improved slightly. An interview with two experts on the position of women. By Saskia Bolt ‘For us, the old adage 'working with kid gloves on’ applies,“ ICCO lobbyist Manon Wolfkamp says. “In a large part of Afghanistan, war has been raging for more than 30 years,” account manager Raymond Bernardus adds. “This means that there is an entire generation that doesn’t know what life without war is like, they have never experienced stability. Through special educational programmes, our partners learn how to teach the new generation that violence is not normal.” Through concrete projects, partner organisations try to improve the position of women, and they have been successful in these attempts. Bernardus explains: “In one of our projects, widows receive three sheep to help them earn a livelihood. The income from dairy products, wool and the sale of lambs helps improve the economic position of these women. And this improvement has an impact on a number of factors: in the long run, the widow’s health as well as that of her children improves, and her children can go to school. Also very important: the women are accepted by the community because they are no longer in a position of dependence. “It is no longer necessary for them to migrate to the city,” he says with enthusiasm.

TNO at work in India

ICCO to collaborate with TNO. This well-respected Dutch knowledge institute makes 180 days per year available (valued at € 1.6 million) to work together with ICCO, in an attempt to solve problems facing partners in developing countries. At this time, the TNO staff is working on some five project proposals to further develop the collaboration with ICCO and several Indian partners. “On the basis of questions from account managers, a long list of 14 topics has been drawn up. These may be summarised under three themes”, Van der Vleuten reports. The first theme on the list is food processing, which primarily involves technology for extending the shelf life of the harvest and improving its chances of being launched on the market. The second theme relates to product and process innovation: for example, assessing cotton culture to determine whether the farmers could do more with these seeds. The third theme is water, sanitation and energy. “We are going to find out as quickly as possible to which six projects TNO will contribute its knowledge.”

ICCO president visits Sudan

Heavy and confrontational, this is how Doekle Terpstra (51), chairman of the board, describes his first trip with ICCO to Sudan. The goal of the trip was to draw attention to the distressing situation of displaced persons, whose cause he promotes in the ‘Being forgotten is also a disaster’ campaign. ‘Once you're there, you realise why you do it’. By Hanan Nhass “You can read and hear about poverty in the media, but you can never smell it. This is why a physical presence is so important. This strengthens my conviction that one simply must not accept poverty. Frightening, this is how Terpstra describes the living situation of the over 5 million Sudanese refugees. These inland refugees have been all but forgotten by the international community. The UN refugee organisation UNHCR cannot help them since they have not crossed national borders. This is why Terpstra is trying to attract attention to the plight of these displaced people on behalf of ICCO & Kerk in Actie in churches in the Netherlands.

Governments, make good on your promises!

The most important day this year is 17 October, International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. On this day, worldwide focus will be on poverty in the world and the millennium goals. This day will also be an ideal opportunity to evaluate what has become of the promises made by world leaders to reduce illiteracy, and ensure that children everywhere go to school by 2015. By Machteld Ooijens Primary education for every child in the world before the year 2015, and equal opportunity for boys and girls. This was the promise that hundreds of countries made in two important global agreements: ‘Education For All’ and the Millennium Objectives. A lot more will need to get done if these governments hope to be able to keep their word.

ICCO and Albert Heijn expand efforts in Africa

These days, tropical fruit salads, haricots verts, grapes and avocados have become regular fixtures on Dutch supermarket shelves. Many of these fruits and vegetables are cultured in Africa and exported to Europe. The Netherlands’ largest supermarket chain, Albert Heijn is one of these exporters (moet dit niet importers zijn?). For many years, ICCO has been working together with Albert Heijn on the import of Fair Trade fruit from Africa and other regions. Albert Heijn was also interested in making the substantial flow of fruit and vegetables from Africa sustainable, and to do so, once again sought out collaboration with ICCO in this regard. By Carla Kivits In order to invest more in the local economies, producers and their employees in countries such as Kenya, Ghana andSouth Africa, the Albert Heijn Foundation was established in September of this year, and ICCO, Fair Match Support (FMS) and Albert Heijn began a partnership. Together, they will make the sourcing of fruit and vegetables for the Albert Heijn stores more sustainable, thereby supporting the local communities.

ONE battle against poverty

The EEN (‘one’) campaign was launched in the Netherlands in mid-August of this year. Within the context of this campaign, all Dutch people are being asked ONE by ONE to lend their help in fighting the worldwide battle against poverty. However, we are already half of the way to 2015 and some (or all) of the 8 millennium development goals set in 2000 are in danger of not being achieved. Jack van Ham, General Director on ICCO’s participation: “We feel it is important for the Dutch government to take serious action in achieving the goals which were agreed upon internationally in 2000”. An appeal is being made to everyone via the www.een.nl website to add their signature to this campaign. These votes – together with the votes of citizens from no fewer than 122 countries - will be used to helpfulfil this millennium promise. For example, on 20-22 October, when the IMF - World Bank holds its annual meeting in Washington.

ICCO Report: Food under Threat

European agricultural products are inundating local markets in West Africa, posing immediate threats to the food production and the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of farmers. This is the main finding of the report ‘Food under Threat’, that was presented by ICCO on Tuesday 22 June 2007.

The recommendations of the International Advisory Group about ICCO’s innovation plans:

“ICCO is moving into the right direction, it should keep moving and … fast”

Surinamese aid organisations work together for the first time

Surinam was hit by heavy rains in early May 2006. The banks of the Surinam River in the interior of the country overflowed, resulting in floods in an area the size of the Netherlands. Dozens of villages were completely inundated.

ICCO launches the campaign: Tackle trade!

Together with the trade union CNV Jongeren (young people), ICCO has launched the campaign ‘Aanpakken die handel’ (‘tackle trade’). This campaign promoting fair trade regulations has not come a moment too soon.

With European help, hope for elections in Pakistan

After a 13-day tour through Europe, a delegation from PACFREL (Pakistan Coalition for Free and Fair Elections) is hopeful about elections in their country, provided Europe does not abandon them.

Appeal to our readers: nominate someone who is dedicated to peace

The World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) promotes communication for social change. During its conference in South Africa in 2008, WACC would like to award a prize to a man or woman who has been consistently, dynamically and creatively dedicated to promoting communication in the interests of peace.

Protest during Zimbabwean Minister’s visit to the Netherlands

On 13 June, ICCO, Kerk in Actie and international trade union FNV protested the Environmental Minister from Zimbabwe’s visit to The Hague in the Netherlands.

Social organisations call attention to the occupation of Palestinian Territories

On 9 June, worldwide attention was called to the 40-year occupation of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights.

ICCO and Kerk in Actie partners receive awards

During the past few months, various ICCO and Kerk in Actie partners in Tanzania and India have won awards.

ICCO partner wins Olle Hansson Award 2007

The Olle Hansson Award which recognizes the contribution of individuals from developing countries in promoting the concepts of essential drugs and their rational use and increasing awareness among consumers of the dangers of irrational and hazardous drugs has been awarded to Dr Eva Ombaka this year.

Ministers are running out of opportunities to stop unfair trade deals between the EU and ACP

As Ministers from Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) meet their European counterparts in Brussels today to review ongoing trade negotiations civil society organizations from around the world are calling for the EU’s partnership with the ACP to become exactly that: a partnership for development, not a free trade time bomb.

The BiD Challenge 2007 is opened!

Will you make poverty reduction YOUR business? The 3rd edition of the Business in Development (BiD) Challenge starts on April 2th and challenges everyone to write a business plan for an enterprise in a developing country. The BiD Challenge 2007 edition will have: more prizes, more investors and up to 7 local BiD Challenges in Developing Countries!

EU Development Ministers Must Act to Stop Unfair Trade Deals With Africa, say EU

European Development Ministers meeting in Bonn this week (March 12-13) must act to stop the unfair free trade deals between the EU and countries in Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific (ACP), otherwise millions of people will be locked into poverty, said an informal coalition of European Non-Governmental Organisations, including Oxfam, Traidcraft and WEED today.

Workshop Accountability in Harare, Zimbabwe (30 Nov.-2 Dec.).

Recent ICCO survey shows that grassroots support is satisfied

Grassroots support more positive than it was four years ago

Mwanza Rural Housing Programme wins the Africa Award

Mwanza Rural Housing Programme (MRHP) wins first prize (£30,000) in the world's leading green energy awards (known as The Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy). The award ceremony held in London.

Representatives of ICCO at the 9th Assembly of the World Council of Churches

The ninth assembly of the World Council of Churches is being held in Porto Alegre, Brazil from 14 through to 23 February. Representatives of over 340 member churches of the World Council of Churches are then meeting to among other things discuss the globalisation of the economy and the consequences this has for the distribution of wealth. Several ICCO representatives are going to be present, including directors Jack van Ham and Hans Brüning.

Food, Trade and Nutrition Coalition (FTN) Statement on Hong Kong Ministerial Conference

ICCO is one of the members of the FTN Coalition - Food, Trade and Nutrition. FTN is disappointed to see that the negotiation process continues to serve the interests of developed countries and their transnational companies.

Study Latin America policies of European NGOs: recent trends and perspectives

A very interesting study, commissioned by ICCO, ALOP and SNV about the developments of European donors with respect to their involvement in Latin America.

Plans of action for fifth World Social Forum

The fifth edition of the WSF is going to be held in Porto Alegre, Brazil from 26-30 January 2005. ICCO and a large number of counterpart organisations will be taking an active part in this worldwide alternative platform together with six other European protestant development organisations.

ICCO will be moving

From Zeist to Utrecht on 30 August 2004.

Food, Trade and Nutrition Network at UNCTAD XI, São Paulo

The Food Trade and Nutrition Coalition of Wemos, ICCO and Southerns NGOs from Bolivia, Brazil, India, Kenya and Uganda is organizing the workshop "Assuring good Food from Good Trade" on June 15th.

EC Commissioner Wallström takes big risk on threshold GMO-seeds

The European Commission is about to take an implementation decision on the access of GMOs in seeds imported into the EU. Although these levels seem low,

Olive Tree campaign in Holland

Together with the YMCA and YWCA in Holland , ICCO have launched a joint Olive Tree campaign in Holland . Every tree, which is sold through this campaign, will be doubled by ICCO. So each person, who buys a tree, will get two trees planted!

200 billion US Dollars leaking away in India

NGOs and activists point out the disastrous consequences of a water project in India.

Sustainable Forest Use (SFU) mini-seminars in 4 Asian countries

In February 2004 ICCO and its local partnerorganisations will organise preparational mini-seminars in 4 countries in Asia on the issue of tripartite cooperation in sustainable forest use.

SFU Working group meeting from 18-21 February 2004 in Naga City Philippines.

February 2004 ICCO will also organise in Naga City Philippines the second seminar of the International Working group on Sustainable Forest Use.

ICCO Impressions of the World Social Forum

Natalie Righton (ICCO press officer) is keeping a workday diary during the World Social Forum, which is being held in India from 16-21 January, in which she writes down her experiences at the biggest alternative globalists summit.

"Pro-poor growth and African entrepreneurship"

ICCO participates actively in the online debate "Shaping a new Africa". This debate is organised by NCDO, and triggered by the recent Africa policy paper of the Dutch government "Strong people, weak states".

Trade and Food Security from Aprodev this week in Brussels

Aprodev speaks out on What happened in Cancun and how to follow-up from here. This week the NGOs input on the reflection round on WTO and the failure of Cancun meets its deadline with DG Trade Commissioner Lamy in Brussels

"Shaping a new Africa"

On-line debate with Dutch Minister for Development Cooperation on new Dutch policy on Africa, November 5 - December 19, 2003

Double Award from South Africa for MFI in Tunisia

ICCOpartner Enda inter-arabe has won two Awards in South Africa for its work in support of micro-entrepreneurs in the underprivileged suburbs of Tunis

EYE goes Latin!

From 16 till 28 October EYE organises an intensive two-week's programme to Brazil.

No shipbreaking yard in Guinea Bissau

An international coalition of friends of Guinea-Bissau (a.o. ICCO) wants/demands Spanish companies to stop shipbreaking plans in Guinea-Bissau

ICCO's impressions of the World Social Forum 2004

Natalie Righton (ICCO press officer) is keeping a workday diary during the World Social Forum, which is being held in India from 16-21 January, in which she writes down her experiences at the biggest alternative globalists summit. The World Social Forum is a platform for social movements to discuss the future of the world and to come up with alternatives for today's political polarisation and the negative social consequences.

ZIMBABWE – presidential elections March 2002

ICCO’s Zimbabwe staffmember Aad van der Meer coordinated the Ecumenical Peace Observer team.

ZIMBABWE - presidential elections March 2002

The story of Aad van der Meer