2003/10/21
The Millennium Goals in Uruguay
On October 21st, 2003, the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations System and the United Nations Team in Uruguay launched the report entitled "Millennium Development Goals in Uruguay. A background paper for the national discussion".
The panelists in the event were Mr. Pedro Daniel Weinberg, Resident Coordinator a.i. of the United Nations in Uruguay; Mr. Roberto Bissio, Social Watch; Mr. Omar Sellanes, President of the National Association of Non Governmental Organizations for Development (ANONG); and Mr. Leonardo Costa, Pro-Secretary of the Presidency of the Republic.

2003/10/02
Review of the 2004 World Development Report
On September 21, 2003, the World Bank unveiled its annual flagship publication, the 2004 World Development Report, entitled “Making Services Work for Poor People.” The WDR’s main premise is that basic services — primary education, basic health care, water and electricity services — fail to reach the poor because too many governments lack sound and representative institutions of governance. Ironically, the report expresses strong confidence in the ability of these same unaccountable governments to regulate private service provision.

2003/10/02
NGOs score point in fight against poverty at Cancun. News conference launches Social Watch report in Arabic
At a time when the United States, Japan and Germany account for half of the world’s GDP, the prospect of abolishing poverty seems far-fetched. But civil institutions and non-governmental organizations, emerging from the victory scored in the collapse of new trade liberalization talks at the World Trade Organization ministerial meeting last month, feel they have gained ammunition.

2003/09/22
Wayward leaders causing jitters
Tanzanians have been urged to use their power of influence through mass protests and other available avenues to stop corrupt leaders from using government resources for their personal interests.

2003/08/29
Social Watch in Colombia
Colombia, August 28 - The Social Watch Report on Privatizations was considered the subject of the day on today's issue of El Colombiano, the second newspaper of greater circulation at national level.

2003/08/25
From Social Contract to Private Contracts: The Privatisation of Health, Education and Basic Infrastructure
Privatisation is being pushed by international governance institutions, the governments that control them, and the corporations that lobby both groups, even though the dangers that privatisation entails can seriously-and permanently-harm the livelihoods of the world's poorest people. The position of "privatise first and ask questions later" and the naïve confidence in the processes and outcomes of market reform have imposed hardship on precisely the groups those organisations are entrusted to protect. It is time to shift the burden of proof from those who question risky solutions to those who propose them.

2003/06/30
German Social Watch Report 2003 launched in Berlin
The German edition of the 2003 Social Watch Report was launched at a press conference in Berlin on June 25, 2003.

2003/06/30
Netherlands: Launch of the Social Watch Report 2003
On 23 April Novib, in collaboration with the National Commission for Sustainable Development (NCDO), presented the Social Watch Report for 2003 entitled “The Poor and the Market” to the Dutch parliament.

2003/06/27
Meeting of Special Rapporteurs and Experts members of the UN Commission of Human Rights
The special rapporteurs/representatives, experts and chairpersons of the working groups of the special procedures of the Commission on Human Rights, meeting in Geneva 23-27 June 2003, expressed alarm at the growing threats against human rights which require a renewed resolve to defend and promote these rights.

2003/06/13
Millennium Goals unlikely for Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa is struggling to redress the extreme poverty plaguing the region, leaving little hope of reaching the millennium development goal (MDG) of halving world poverty by 2015, the South African Press Association reports.