10 DECEMBER
"HUMAN RIGHTS DAY"

This is the first HUMAN RIGHTS DAY commemoration after the establishment of the UN Human Rights Council. Despite enormous efforts, increasing and most horrifying situation of human rights violations continue in regions of the world which are experiencing huge death tolls, acute sufferings and deadly injuries every day.
The Afro-Asian Peoples' Solidarity Organization – AAPSO - expresses deep concern over the conditions under which innocent people, women and children, elderly people and many others, become victims of these violations.
What is taking place in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, is a dangerous demonstration of systematic, enforced gross violations of human rights, fuelled by arrogantly and stubbornly foreign occupation forces. Religious, ethnic and sectarian rivalries, destruction of social fabrics as well as of vital infrastructures are common happenings. In Darfur – Sudan – massacres, which have led to the deepest human and humanitarian crisis ever occurring in this part of the world, are perpetrated by militias or rebels. UN Security Council is deadlocked in a common agreement regarding Darfur as individual country interests take precedent. Civil wars are looming, forcing people to flee their countries in search of safe haven; countries of the region are sliding to the abyss of abject poverty, misery and famine, illiteracy and backwardness, not to mention the natural disasters which cause ravages and destruction. Even in Sri Lanka, cease-fire agreement remains in breach leading to an imminent danger of armed conflict and recruiting child-soldiers by rebel groups.
We are witnessing numerous cases of violations of human rights, with high degree and magnitude without any approaches to a way of seeking solutions to settle the problems. Such crisis has appeared to be persistent and is threatening the very life and capacity of the peoples and societies to reproduce themselves as viable entities.
The fight against terrorism is carried out intensively, which generated more occasions of human rights violations, with racist connotation, using execrable practices as tortures, barbaric ill-treatment of persons and other kinds of atrocities contrary to human dignity. Discrimination with respect to race, sex, religion, and ethnicity, gravely affected and distorted the normal conduct of the daily life and the development process, causing insecurity and instability which are detrimental to social progress. Democratic practices are being threatened by suppression of fundamental freedom.
It is inadmissible that perpetrators of these human rights violations act with impunity.
AAPSO urges the international community to put new impetus to the efforts to fight these violations to strengthen international cooperation in order to give more vigour to the sense of the commemoration of the HUMAN RIGHTS DAY.
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50th year on the establishment of the organization

The Year 2006 has come to an end. Soon we will be welcoming the New Year 2007. Therefore we wish you all a happy New Year 2007.
You are quite aware that, with the onset of 2007, the Afro-Asian Peoples' Solidarity Organization enters the fifty years of its existence. AAPSO was founded at the end of 1957 when the veterans of our movement to form this giant movement of Afro-Asian Solidarity. The World has completely changed during these fifty years. For AAPSO these years were eventful. Looking back AAPSO can be proud of its history full of achievement but also some failures.
The time has come for us to take stock of our victorious past and learn from the failures to consolidate the movement to face the new challenges in a different world. Although much of the founding agenda had been fulfilled during the fifty years, there are many areas to be fulfilled. Added to these are the new challenges which are more formidable than the old ones. The terms such as imperialism, colonialism and neo-colonialism have changed with more pernicious symptoms in globalization and hegemonism.
The Permanent Secretariat of AAPSO has set up a committee to go into all the details and work out a programme for the commemorative activities of the fifty years. We are thankful to our national committees, affiliates and friends for their cooperation realized during the fifty years: In pursuit of the commemoration of fifty years of AAPSO, we request kindly to provide us with your own proposals and suggestions to enrich our task.
This is only a preliminary letter. We shall provide you with more concrete proposals as we discuss about the events that should be organized for the fiftieth anniversary.

Best regards,
Nouri Abdul Razzak Hussain, Secretary-General 
Dr. Mourad Ghaleb, President
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The World Social Forum

The World Social Forum will be held from January 20 to 25, in Nairobi (Kenya). The discussions this year will be around the following nine thematic terrains:-
1. Building a World of Peace, Justice, ethics and respect for diverse spiritualities;
2. Liberating the World from the domination of multinational and financial capital;
3. Ensuring universal and sustainable access to the common goods of humanity and nature;
4. Democratization of knowledge and information;
5. Ensuring dignity, defending diversity, guaranteeing gender equality and eliminating all forms of discrimination;
6. Guaranteeing the right to food, healthcare, education and decent work;
7. Building a World Order based on sovereignty, self-determination and rights of peoples;
8. Constructing a people-centered and sustainable economy;
9. Building real democratic political structures and institutions with full people's participation as decisions and central of public affairs and resources.
You can participate in the 7th World Social Forum on the following website:
www.wsf2007.org
AAPSO is going to hold two workshops about:
The first workshop:- New Middle East project between democracy and aggression:
1- The American Project for Middle East.
2- The presence of Israel and the American support to it.
3- The war on terrorism (Iraq - Lebanon - Palestine - Afghanistan) and its real aim.
The second workshop: The Iranian Nuclear Crisis:-
1- Iran's Nuclear Ambition and Regional Influence.
2- The reasons and regional repercussions of the Iranian Nuclear Crisis.
3- The probabilities of Iranian reactions in the light of the Security Council's resolutions.
4- The future Scenarios of the crisis.
AAPSO will participate in the World Social Forum with a delegation consisting of: Dr. Fakhry Labib, Dr. Saad Abdul Razzak and Dr. Mustafa Ellabbad, Miss Haguer Shokr.
Kindly inform us with your delegation's names in case of your participation in the World Social Forum.

Regards,
Nouri Abdul Razzak Hussain, Secretary-General 
Dr. Mourad Ghaleb, President
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AAPSO Greets Venezuelan President Hugo Chavas

The Permanent Secretariat of Afro-Asian Peoples Solidarity Organization expresses its great pleasure in the re-election of His Excellency Hugo Chavas as the President of Venezuela for the third time in succession.
With the Bolivarian ideology of upholding the dignity of the Venezuelan people, president Hugo Chavas brought about revolutionary changes in the social life when he was elected for the first time. Until his ascendancy to power, the overwhelming majority of the people in this fifth oil rich country lived in abject poverty and illiteracy. The poor areas of the country never had access to medical treatment. President Hugo Chavas changed this and utilised the oil income to provide free medical aid, elimination of illiteracy and poverty.
Over 17,000 medical doctors from Cuba were deployed in remotest part of the country and for the first time the people were able to get free medical aid. Within three years of his presidency, illiteracy was eliminated awarding the UNESCO prize. The socially deprived were empowered which resulted in a short lived coup by the multinationals supported by the U.S, who wanted to turn the clock back. The coup could not sustain as the people rallied around the president and brought him back to power.
In this election, president trounced the opposition candidate by a clear margin of getting 62.57 votes. The opposition candidate could not get a majority in his own state. The Bolivarian revolution has come to stay along with other Latin American countries who have voted left candidates.
AAPSO congratulates President Hugo Chavas and greets the Venezuelan people and wish them all success.

Nouri Abdul Razzak Hussain, Secretary-General 
Dr. Mourad Ghaleb, President
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AAPSO ON THE SITUATION IN SOMALIA

The confrontations in Somalia has reached a higher degree of tension with the direct involvement of Ethiopia by its jets bombing on several towns held by the Council of Islamic Courts (CICs) including Mogadishu and its international airport. The attack has occured with simultaneous fightings around Baidoa where the Somali Transitional Government (TG) is based. The attack has sparked very serious developments of the situation which might lead to the flaring-up of the whole Horn of Africa.
The fight for power to rule in Somalia has been threatening to bring the TG and the CICs into a civil war, leading to almost nothing the commitments already agreed earlier during negotiations between both sides. This adds to their opposite stands regarding the UN Resolution 1676 on Somalia which is stalled for implementation. The TG has the backing of the international community, while the CICs vehemently opposed to any form of foreign intervention.
Any open and covert interference of parties outside the country into the Somali conflict, might pave the way for the Horn of Africa to become the theater of dangerous confrontations with unpredictable consequences and devastating repercussions of the political crisis on the African sub-region.
The only way to avert such situation will be for the Transitional Government and the Somali Islamic Courts to return to negotiations and settle the problem in a peaceful manner.
AAPSO urges the African Union, the Arab League and the international community to push both parties to go to that direction in order for them to find a far-reaching solution to the conflict and help stabilize the situation in the war-thorn country of Somalia.
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Solidarity for Korean Unity

On this day, the twentieth of December, is the 15th anniversary of the assumption of His Excellency Kim Jong II as the leader of D.P.R.K. We hope that Korean peoples' struggle for unification will be achieved soon, as all Korean people's desire is based on the principle of Independence, Peace and Great National Unity without foreign forces' interference. We always support the Korean people's just cause to reunify the country, to keep the peace in Korean Peninsula and the foreign forces should be withdrawn according to the Korean people's desire and world trend. We take this opportunity to wish the Korean people happiness and the great success in their work to build the reunified and prosperous country.

Nouri Abdul Razzak Hussain, General Secretary of AAPSO
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Congratulation

Your Excellency Mr. Kim Jong II
General Secretary of the Worker's Party of Korea
Chairman of the National Defence Commission of the D.P.R. of Korea
Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army

Your Excellency,
I would like to express my warmest greeting and best wishes to Your Excellency Mr. Kim Jong II, General Secretary of the Worker's Party of Korea, Chairman of the National Defence Commission of the D.P.R. of Korea and Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army on the 15th anniversary since your Excellency was appointed a Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army.
I take this opportunity to wish you a great success in your noble work to defend your country, keep the peace and reunify the Korean peninsular.

Best regards,
Nouri Abdul Razzak Hussain, General Secretary of AAPSO
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Congratulation

Your Excellency Mr. Kim Jong II
General Secretary of the Worker's Party of Korea
Chairman of the National Defence Commission of the D.P.R. of Korea
Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army

Your Excellency,
I'm very happy to express warmest congratulations and best wishes to Your Excellency Mr. Kim Jong II, General Secretary of the Worker's Party of Korea, Chairman of the National Defence Commission of the D.P.R. of Korea and Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army on New Year 2007.

Best regards,
Nouri Abdul Razzak Hussain, General Secretary of AAPSO
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Egyptian Committe for Solidarity – Cairo

The Egyptian Committee for Solidarity held a meeting within its cultural salon on “The Egyptian- Chinese Relations” on 11/12/2006.
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Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs
Unit of Studies

Dr. Mourad Ghaleb,
The annual Conference of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs will be held on Sunday, December 10, 2006, under the theme:
“The Present and Future of Peace Process in the Middle East”
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The Iraqi Council for Peace and Solidarity

The follow- up committee of the meeting of civil society organizations (to stop sectarian violence, forced immigration and killing on the basis of identity) expresses its best wishes of a merry Christmas, a blessed Greater Barium and a happy new year. The Council invite your organization to attend the preparatory meeting to be held on Saturday, 6/1/2007 to effectively contribute in order to render the meeting successful.
The meeting is to be held at the headquarters of the Iraqi Council for Peace and Solidarity (Baghdad/ Alkaradah district/ the branch opposite to Hai El Wehda Bank- Alsenaa’ street- Al Kanesa Branch).
For further information contact: Gawad Kazem Rumy (Director of the Iraqi Council for Peace and Solidarity) /07901919290.
Hereunder is the appeal issued by the committee for information, with all appreciation.

Appeal of the attendance in the preparatory meeting of Civil Society Organizations

We, representatives of a number of civil society organizations gathered at the headquarters of the Iraqi Council for Peace and Solidarity, are recognizing the deteriorating security conditions that reached a grave limit threatening the unity of Iraq and its future through the terrorist operations and practices of sectarian militias under the effective absence of government and its bodies to enforce the law as well as the presence of confused foreign forces.
We, representatives of civil society strived since the collapse of the former regime to render the political process based on citizenship and Iraq in the first place, are affirming that the basic means to resolve Iraq’s crises should be through establishing a State of national unity, the actual participation, treating the status of militias, providing security to all Iraqis, returning the displaced to their roles, activating the national conciliation based on objectivity and reality refraining from excitability and retaliation, rather on law over which no other power exists.
The Iraqi government, the Iraqi and foreign forces should undertake the mission of achieving such objectives with a high spirit of responsibility. The priority in the government’s missions should be maintaining security which, in turn, requires enforcing law equally and justly with no discrimination at all, and no other weapon apart from legitimacy.
We call upon the Iraqi government and the political forces in coalitions to rise to the standard of dangers that surround Iraq to ensure security and stability as Iraq has reached a grave crossroads.
We declare our approach to launch a public, peaceful, political, social and informative campaign to activate the role of civil society organizations, unifying their voice and mobilizing their potentials and energies which are in fact huge and effective to address the sectarian conflict, forced immigration and killing on the basis of identity.
In this context, we declare the formation of a permanent follow- up committee comprising of representatives of organizations participating in this meeting. The committee will be in charge of preparing for the proceedings of the public campaign, contacting new organizations and social frameworks to join the campaign, taking into consideration that the affiliation to the committee will remain open for other new effective and active organizations.
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Al-Ahram

Mr. Nouri Abdul Razzak Hussain
Secretary General - Afro-Asian Peoples’ Solidarity Organization
Ms. Hamsa Abdel Hamid - International Section

Al-Ahram Regional Press Institute in collaboration with the German “Freiderich Naumann” foundation are organizing a seminar titled “The Future of Civil Society and the mechanisms of activating its role in supporting reform and democracy”.
The seminar discusses some important themes of which are:
1- Mechanisms of activating the role of civil society organizations in the processes of reform and disseminating the principles of citizenship and democracy.
2- Means of activating the relationship between legislative authority and civil society as well as consolidating the political will to develop the civil society and its reform.
3- Creating favourable legislative and institutional environment for participation in issues of reform.
4- Mechanisms for providing sustainability to civil society organizations, building institutional capacities and activating their roles in the reform processes.
5- Crystallizing a future vision of an effective partnership between governments, civil society and mass media to support reform processes and human rights.
6- The foundations of partnership between governments, civil society and mass media to strengthen issues of reform and democracy.
7- How to wok out an agreement and have a constructive dialogue between governments and civil society to participate in decision making and formulate policies.
8- Strengthening the role of mass media in adopting a clear discourse affirming the principles of international legitimacy of human rights, raising social awareness and disseminating political education in society.
Dr. Mostafa ElFeky- head of the committee for foreign relations in the Peoples’ Assembly, Counsellor Abdel Aziz Elgendy- Former Public Prosecutor, Hafez Abo Seidah- Secretary General of the Egyptian organization for Human Rights, Dr. Laila Abdel Maged- Deputy of Faculty of Mass Communication and an elite of experts and academics as well as a number of journalists, media professionals and representatives of civil society organizations and different political parties and trends will participate in the seminar.
It is a pleasure to invite you to participate in enriching the seminar on Saturday, December 16, 2006 at 10.00 AM at Ebrahim Nafee’a’s Hall, first floor, Al-Ahram new building.

Dr. Hweida Mostafa, Counselor of Al-Ahram Regional Press Institute
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Institute of National Planning

Dr. Fakhry Labib,
On the occasion of implementing the program of "Tuesday’s Seminar – Institute of National Planning 2006 / 2007", it gives us great honor to extend a permanent and open invitation to you in the program’s successive courses. Such courses will focus on a strategic topic worthy of our full concern: "Egypt – pursuing development/ bridging The gab of progress.
It is our pleasure to invite you to participate in the second course of Tuesday’s Seminar on: "Priorities of Development and the Partners’ roles".
The Speakers will be: Prof. Dr. Mustafa kamel ElSayed- Professor in Faculty of Economics and Political Science- Cairo University, Prof. Dr. Fadia Mohammad Abdel Salaam - Counsellor and Director of the Centre for International Economic Relations.
The seminar will be held on Tuesday 19 /12/ 2006 at 9.30 am, at Dr. Ebraheem Helmi Abdul Rahman’s hall, seventh floor at the Institute.
We highly appreciate your participation to enrich the discussion and we are willing to receive your proposals and valuable views in that important intellectual and scientific gathering.

Kindly accept my deep respect,
Seminar Coordinator, Dr. Mahmoud Abdel Hay
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Al Nadeem for Arab Thought

Al Nadeem for Arab Thought - Journalists’ Syndicate - is honoured to invite you to attend the inauguration of its season for this year with a seminar that will be held under the theme:
“Privatization of National Banks Projects of the Past and Dangers of the Future”
The speakers will be:
Dr. Salwa ElEntery - Head of Research department at the National Egyptian Bank.
Dr. Raouf Abbas - President of the Egyptian Society for Historic Studies.
The seminar will be held at 6.00 PM on Monday, December 25, 2006, at Taha Hussein Hall, the Jounalists’ Syndicate (Fourth Floor).
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United Nations

General Assembly
Human Rights Council
Fourth Special Session
12 December 2006

Recognizing the need of the Council for continuing to be provided with clear, accurate and substantiated information on the human rights situation in Darfur,
1. Expresses its grave concern regarding the seriousness of the human rights and humanitarian situation in Darfur and calls for an immediate end to the ongoing violations of human rights and international humanitarian law for all parties to ensure that there is no impunity;
2. Welcomes the cooperation established by the Government of the Sudan with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Sudan and calls upon Government to continue and intensify its cooperation with the Council. its mechanisms, and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights;
3. Decides to dispatch an urgent assessment mission to Darfur headed by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Sudan and requests the mission to report to the Council at its fourth session.
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(CONGO)
Invitation to the African Civil Society Forum

Dear colleagues and friends,
The Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations (CONGO) and the African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET) have the great pleasure to invite you, in cooperation with the African Union and the UN Economic Commission for Africa, to the African Civil Society Forum “Building UN/NGOs Partnerships for Democratic Governance through the MDGs” that will take place in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia from 23-25 March 2007.
The purpose of the Forum is to bring together representatives of national, regional and international NGOs from Africa to explore the most effective ways to work with the United Nations system and to partner with and impact on African institutions: the African Union, the UN Economic Commission for Africa and the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD). We intend to produce concrete recommendations for input into the Ministerial Declaration of the UN Economic and Social Council High-level Segment of July 2007.
The main thematic issues of the Forum will be the MDGs and the shortcomings in their implementation, on the basis of the three main following pillars:
* Peace and human security.
* Governance and human rights.
* Development: trade, finance, debt relief and investment.
Gender and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for Development will be the cross-cutting issues that we will take into consideration in all our discussions.
We look forward to your active participation.

With our very best regards,
Renate Bloem Mam Koité, CONGO President President of FEMNET
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UNCTAD

The Secretary-General of UNCTAD presents his compliments and has the honour to refer to the preparations for the twelfth session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD XII). The Conference, which will take place in Accra, Ghana, will be held from 20 to 25 April 2008. The Secretary0General of UNCTAD will keep all stakeholders informed of progress in the preparations for the Conference on a regular basis.
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UNCTAD
Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD)
Panel Meeting on Promoting the Building of a People-Centred, Development-Oriented and Inclusive Information Society

The United Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) held a panel Meeting on “Promoting the building of a people-centred, development-oriented and inclusive information society”, in Paris, France, from 6 to 8 November 2006.
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UNCTAD
Expert Meeting on Universal Access to Services

The Expert Meeting on Universal Access to Services was held from 14 to 16 November 2006 at the Palais des Nations, Geneva.
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UNCTAD
Expert Meeting on FDI in Natural Resources

The Expert Meeting on FDI in Natural Resources was held from 20 to 22 November 2006, at the Palais des Nations, Geneva.
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UNCTAD
Expert Meeting in Support of the Implementation and Follow-up of WSIS: Using ICTs to Achieve Growth and Development

The Expert Meeting in Support of the Implementation and Follow-up of WSIS (World Summit on the Information Society: Using ICTs (information and communication technologies) to Achieve Growth and Development, convened in accordance with the decision taken by the Commission on Enterprise, Business Facilitation and Development at its tenth session, will be held from 4 to 5 December 2006.
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UNCTAD
Trade and Development Board
Fortieth Executive Session

The Fortieth executive session of the Trade and Development Board will be held on Thursday, 14 December 2006. The session will open at 10 at Palais des Nations, Geneva.
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