[Gcap-mujeres] Fw: FTF: Requesting Feedback on India Proposal to Host GCAP Secretariat

ana ana en icae.org.uy
Vie Feb 8 14:37:03 GMT+2 2008


Dear all,
I am forwarding a message from Lysa John, where the proposal from India to 
host the global secretariat of GCAP is explained. Lysa will very much 
appreciate your comments.
Amigas,
India se propone como sede del secretariado global en la nueva estructura. 
Aqui Lysa manda la propuesta, por ahora esta en ingles, pero la vamos a 
traducir y hacerselas llegar para que ustedes le envien vuestros comentarios.
Gracias!
Ana

---------- Forwarded Message -----------
From: "Lysa John" <lysa.john en gmail.com>
To: <ana en icae.org.uy>, <RosaenCasa en aol.com>
Sent: Fri, 8 Feb 2008 18:05:40 +0530
Subject: FTF: Requesting Feedback on India Proposal to Host GCAP Secretariat

To: The Feminist Taskforce

Dear Ana, Rosa

Warm Greetings! I trust you have already seen the formal proposal towards 
hosting the GCAP Secretariat that we have submitted to the IFT.

I am writing as part of our effort to receive feedback on the feasibility 
and acceptability of this proposal from the groups & coalitions of GCAP that 
we have worked with so that we can plan our next steps accordingly.

The proposal is enclosed again with this mail for your reference, and we 
request you to share this with the members of the Feminist Taskforce so that 
we can receive their responses accordingly.

Best regards,
Lysa John
on behalf of
Wada Na Todo Abhiyan

-- 
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 
Wada-Na-Todo-Abhiyan National Secretariat
C-1/E, Second Floor, Green Park Extension
Behind Yusuf Sarai Gurudwara, New Delhi 110 016 INDIA
Tel: 91-11-46082371 to 74 / Fax: 91-11-46082372
Email: info en wadanatodo.net / Web: www.wadanatodo.net

To: The International Facilitation Team

Sub: PROPOSAL TO HOST THE GCAP GLOBAL SECRETARIAT IN INDIA

From: Wada-Na-Todo Abhiyan (GCAP India)

I.   CONTEXT

Wada Na Todo Abhiyan has been closely tracking the discussions around the 
future of GCAP and the developments around the proposed structure and 
operational mechanisms of GCAP. We have contributed our experiences and our 
perspective to the dialogue around the strategy and direction of GCAP 
through the forums at the global and regional, and sub-regional levels, as 
well as through our active involvement in the functional sub-groups of GCAP.

Taking Forward the Outcomes of the Global Assembly, 2007

In keeping with the mood of the Global Assembly held in Montevideo, Uruguay 
in May 2007, we have maintained that the health and dynamism of the Global 
Call to Action Against Poverty can be sustained only by investing in and 
protecting the vitality of the national coalition / campaign efforts of the 
GCAP membership, and enabling the continuation of its flexible and plural 
character.  The results of the Straw Poll on the options for the future 
structure of GCAP, organized at the same meeting, reinforced this position.

Expression of Interest for Hosting the GCAP Global Secretariat in India

In response to the consultations undertaken by the Structures Task Group, 
Wada Na Todo Abhiyan had put forward a statement of interest in hosting the 
global secretariat of GCAP to the International Facilitation Team in 
September 2007 following the decision that was reached after intense 
deliberation within the political leadership of Wada Na Todo Abhiyan. We are 
extremely grateful to the GCAP coalition of Latin America & the Caribbean 
for formally endorsing our proposal, and also to members of GCAP Europe for 
informally indicating their confidence in our ability to play this role 
during the Global Assembly at Montevideo, Uruguay held last year.

In the months since our expression of interest, we have further intensified 
our effort to determine the operational mechanisms for the hosting of the 
GCAP Global Secretariat in India. Although the discussions and developments 
within the IFT Support Group itself on this matter have been taking place at 
great speed, we are happy to be able to identify a concrete proposal for the 
hosting of the GCAP Secretariat in India within a short span of five months 
since the discussions were opened up to the national coalitions.

II.     IDENTIFICATION OF A LOCAL ORGANIZATION TO HOST THE GCAP SECRETARIAT

As mentioned earlier, our preference in the discussion around the GCAP 
Secretariat clearly lies with the option of finding an appropriate 
Organization to play the role of Host to the Secretariat, in the manner that 
CIVICUS has hosted the Global Secretariat over the last few years.

Over the last few months we have been having exploring and consulting with 
several key partners of Wada Na Todo Abhiyan. This process has borne fruit 
in the light of a concrete statement of willingness to host the GCAP Global 
Secretariat being received from our partner, YUVA (Youth for Unity & 
Voluntary Action) in the previous week.

      BRIEF PROFILE OF THE PROPOSED HOST ORGANIZATION

      Name:
     YUVA (Youth for Unity & Voluntary Action)

      Location:
[WINDOWS-1252?]     YUVA is located in Mumbai, which is the commercial 
capital of Mumbai. The city is therefore strategically connected to all key 
international, regional and national destinations; and provides ready access 
the best infrastructure and technology that is available in the country. 
Mumbai is also India’s - and possibly South Asia’s - safest and most 
cosmopolitan city, making it a natural choice for many international 
professionals and  students. YUVA also has a Training Centre at the 
outskirts of Mumbai, which possesses good training, communication and 
conference facilities.

      Tenure:
     YUVA came into existence in 1984, and will be completing 24 Years of 
work on Human Rights & Development in August 2008.

      Legal & Financial Profile
     YUVA is duly registered under the Bombay Societies Registration Act & 
the Bombay Public Trust Act. It is also registered under the FCRA (Financial 
Contribution Regulation Act), which is a pre-requisite for the receipt of 
foreign funds. The annual turnover of YUVA is an average of USD 1,162,791 or 
INR 50,000,000 (@ 1 USD = 43 INR)

      Scope of Work:
[WINDOWS-1252?]     YUVA’s operational work is located in 3 states of India, 
namely Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, but it also has a history of 
national and international advocacy and policy research. YUVA is best known 
for its work in the areas of Governance, Peace & Security, Child Rights and 
the Right to Basic Services.

      Its work also includes strong interventions to protect the rights and 
entitlements of the marginalized, most notably in defense of the victims of 
the communal violence that rocked Mumbai in the aftermath of the Babri 
Masjid demolitions (1993), and more recently in mobilizing communities to 
demand their Right to Information on the proposed Privatization of Public 
Water Services in Mumbai (2007).

      International & Regional Interventions
     Significantly for GCAP, YUVA has played an important secretarial role 
during the World Social Forum, held in Mumbai in 2004. As we know, the World 
Social Forum 2004 in Mumbai has been the largest mobilization of the WSF 
till date. This was also the first global gathering of the World Social 
Forum organized outside Brazil since its inception.

      The WSF 2004 in Mumbai saw the participation of over 25,000 people 
from over 100 countries across the world and the management of few hundred 
sub-events involving the identification and arrangement of venues, 
accommodation, infrastructure, amenities and co-ordination visa and passport 
related matters with embassies across the world.

      YUVA was extensively involved in fund raising, resource management and 
co-ordination of operations for WSF 2004. It played an active role 
networking with international and bi-lateral agencies for the mobilization 
of funds amounting to USD 284,318 which were routed through the 
organization. As part of the local and international WSF Organizing 
Committees, YUVA was active in the planning and networking process that led 
to the World Social Forum 2004, and continues to be involved in the 
political and decision making processes around WSF.

[WINDOWS-1252?]      YUVA also has a prior history of international policy 
and lobbying work. In the late 1980’s it played an instrumental role in the 
formation of two national level coalitions, the National Campaign on Housing 
Rights & the Campaign Against Child Labour – which went on to significantly 
influence the discussions around the UN-Habitat and the UN-CRC (Convention 
on the Rights of the Child) in the 1990s. YUVA also hosted the initial 
operations of the international advocacy organization, FOCUS on the Global 
South in 1996-98, and facilitated the formation of its India program in the 
following years. It has also facilitated the setting up of Oxfam in India, 
and provided administrative support to the South Asia Network for Dams, 
Rivers and People (SANDRP) and the World Parliamentary Forum.

III.    OUR PROPOSAL TO GCAP

Wada-Na-Todo Abhiyan proposes that the GCAP Secretariat could be hosted in 
India for a period of three years. As a principle, we endorse the rotational 
hosting of the Secretariat by different regions linked to the global 
coalition thereby strengthening the ownership and grounding of GCAP in the 
work and energies that are brought to the forum by different regions. 
Accordingly, the Secretariat has already been hosted by CIVICUS in Africa 
for the last three years (2004 to 2007), can be hosted in India (Asia) for 
the next three years (2008-11) and we support its re-location to Latin 
America & the Carribean after this period. In the context of hosting the 
GCAP Global Secretariat in India over the next three years, we offer the 
following scenarios:

Scenario 1: GCAP Secretariat is Hosted by a Local Partner

Our first preference is for the GCAP Secretariat to be hosted by a local 
partner, thus continuing the Hosting Arrangement that has been undertaken by 
CIVICUS. The local partner identified by Wada-Na-Todo Abhiyan for this 
purpose is YUVA. A profile of this organization has been provided in this 
note. The possible pros and cons of this arrangement are as follows:

      PROS of Scenario 1
     CONS of Scenario 1

      §         Flexible, Plural Structure of GCAP

[WINDOWS-1252?]      The local hosting arrangement would enable the 
continuation of the flexible, plural structure of GCAP – which is its key 
strength and energy – and the continued focus on national coalitions as the 
building blocks of GCAP, in keeping with the mandate of the Beirut 
Declaration, and Montevideo Declaration.

      §         Statutory Compliances Taken Care Of

      As YUVA is already registered, the statutory requirements for the 
operation of GCAP would already be taken care of. YUVA would be able to 
receive funds from other countries / organizations on behalf of GCAP.

      §         No Conflict of Interest

      YUVA would be in a position to develop and promote proposals on behalf 
of GCAP, without any competing activity or interest in the scope of work 
being undertaken through GCAP.
     §         Dissemination of Funds Abroad

      While the receipt of funds from other countries would not be an issue, 
the procedures for dissemination of funds from India to other countries 
would need to be explored. However, to our understanding, the GCAP 
Secretariat currently does not function as a channel for funds to any of the 
GCAP members, in which case the absence of this option would not be a hurdle.

Scenario 2: GCAP Registered Outside India

In line with the options that have been identified by the GCAP Structures 
Group, the independent registration of the GCAP Secretariat at a location 
outside India[1] could be explored, and the Secretariat could operate 
locally with support from YUVA. The pros and cons of this option are as 
follows:

      PROS of Scenario 2
     CONS of Scenario 2

      §         Formal Structure of GCAP

      The GCAP Secretariat would have a formal, legal identify, which would 
be beneficial for the long term financial and administrative sustenance of 
operations.

     §         Formal Structure of GCAP

      The formalization of the structure may have an adverse impact on the 
energies and diversity of actors engaged with the objectives of GCAP, as 
ownership becomes limited, and organizational interests precede the 
political interests of the network.

      §         Relationship with Host Organization

      The linkages with the host organization could be weakened by the 
identity of the Secretariat as an entity of an independent Governing 
Council, as opposed to a vehicle of collective campaign effort.

IV.    NEXT STEPS

We look forward to the next round of activities with regard to this proposal 
to host the GCAP Global Secretariat. Some of the immediate steps that we 
foresee to be taken over the coming month (Feb 2008) are outlined below for 
reference, and are open to suggestion:

-          The proposal from Wada Na Todo Abhiyan (GCAP India) is discussed 
by the International Facilitation Team, and shared with relevant regional 
and constituency groups for information and feedback.

-          Responses and/ or queries from the IFT on the acceptance / 
feasibility of this proposal are sent back to Wada Na Todo Abhiyan

-          Based on the feedback from the IFT, a formal request for hosting 
the GCAP Global Secretariat can be sent in by YUVA.

-          Information on the Terms of Reference and other relevant 
information / agreements made for the hosting of the Secretariat between 
GCAP and CIVICUS would be required to develop the operational details of the 
hosting arrangement at this stage.

Submitted by Wada Na Todo Abhiyan, India (29 January 2008)

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[WINDOWS-1252?][1] Registration in India is relatively easy, however the 
clearance for foreign contribution – without which it is not possible to 
receive foreign funds – requires atleast three years of operation and is 
also time consuming.
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