Comhlรกmh Dublin 10 Upper Camden St Dublin 2 Tel: 01-478 3490
Comhlรกmh Cork 55 Grand Parade Cork Tel: 021-427 5881
Comhlรกmh Annual Review 2005
Letter from the chairperson
Dear members, supporters and friends of Comhlámh,
The year 2005 was a landmark year for Comhlámh. It marked our 30th anniversary in which we highlighted the role of Comhlámh in education and action for global justice, solidarity and development in Ireland over the last 30 years. The anniversary year was a great success in raising the visibility of the organisation and attracting a new audience to the range of issues that Comhlámh is active in, from trade justice to organising Coming Home weekends for returned development workers. The year was also one of reflection on the on-going work of Comhlámh, and of the continued need for that work in providing support to returned development workers, using the experiences of development workers to raise awareness on global justice issues and actively campaigning for change. The SOLAS 2005 event focussed on ‘Exploring Global Relationships’ and the workshops looked at issues that have been at the heart of Comhlámh activities for 30 years. It also allowed us the opportunity of celebrating the achievements of Comhlámh over those 30 years and of meeting up with old friends. 2005 also marked the first full year of our Strategic Plan 2005-2007. After all of the work of developing the strategic plan it was encouraging to see that there was so much enthusiasm and energy to implement it. The activities that took place for our 30th anniversary went a long way towards that. On an organisational level, we were pleased to appoint Anne Molloy as the new Co-ordinator, taking over from Emma Lane-Spollen. A new post of Membership Officer was created and Paul O’Mahony was appointed in this position in March 2005. I would like to conclude by thanking our funders for their continued support, our dedicated staff for their tireless work in driving our projects forward, and our committed membership, without whom none of the work we do would be possible.
Rosalind Duke, Chairperson.
Comhlamh would like to gratefully acknowledge the following funders for their support the the organisation’s work in 2005: Irish Aid – Development Education Unit Irish Aid – Civil Society Unit Dept. Justice, Equality and Law Reform Dept. Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Dormant Accounts Fund European Refugee Fund European Commission Trócaire Voluntary Service Overseas Christian Aid Concern Community Foundation for Ireland Churches’ Commission for Social Justice Irish Quaker Faith in Action Stephen’s Green Trust Dublin City Council Philanthropic Organisations Design and photography by Alice Fitzgerald [www.alicefitzgerald.com] Thomas Geoghegan [www.monkeybomb.com] © 2006
Comhlámh Annual Review 2005 30th Anniversary Celebrations AGM 2005 Solas 2005 First Wednesday Debates Member Communications Media Coverage
3 3 3 3 4
People in Development Services to Returned Development Workers Volunteering Options
6 6
Development Education Development Education Group INDEX Newsletter Accreditation for Development Education Compass Project
9 9 9 10
Education to Action Trade Justice Focus Magazine Southern Links Aid Issues European Networking Global Education Programme Food Security
12 12 13 13 13 14 14
Interculturalism Anti-Racism Group Integrating Ireland
Who’s Who In Comhlámh Comhlámh Accounts
16 17
30th Anniversary Celebrations AGM 2005 Solas 2005 First Wednesday Debates Member Communications
Comhlámh Annual Review 2005 Pages 2 & 3
AGM 2005 Comhlámh’s AGM in Cork was a great success, marking as it did our 30th anniversary year and Cork’s status as European Capital of Culture in 2005. To start the weekend, a Comhlámh delegation was officially received on Friday May 21st in City Hall by the Lord Mayor of Cork, Sean Martin, before the main business was conducted the next day in the Metropole Hotel. Former National Co-ordinator, Robin Hanan, flew in from Rome to deliver an excellent speech on 30 years of Comhlámh. Combining the main AGM business and a Global Development Forum, participatory workshops and discussions were held, with the input of guest speakers, on topics such as Trade and Agriculture, Anti-Racism and the proposed EU Constitution. Overall, the 30th anniversary AGM was an unqualified success and the excellent level of co-operation between the Dublin and Cork offices in organising and executing the event served to highlight Comhlámh’s nationwide influence and presence.
SOLAS 2005 A key event was the SOLAS 2005 conference, held in All Hallows College, Drumcondra, and hosted by Comhlámh in partnership with DSC Kimmage and Afri - who were also celebrating 30 years. It proved to be a hugely popular event. Bookings had to be halted two days before the event as the venue was unable to cater for more than the 220 people who attended over the two days. The event featured guest speakers from the international and Irish development sector included Rakiya Omaar, Yao Graham, Denis Halliday, Eamon Stack and Hans Zomer. There was also a challenging and engaging series of workshops and music and cultural interludes were featured in the itinerary.
First Wednesday Debates A fresh concept, to take the idea of Comhlámh’s regular Development Forums into the wider public domain, resulted in the hugely successful ‘First Wednesday Debates’, held in the reopened Bewley’s Café Theatre, Grafton St, Dublin, on the first Wednesday of each month from 6.15pm to 8pm. The seated capacity of the venue is 55, standing over 90. The first debate attracted over 70 people, the second more than 90, with more unable to be admitted for capacity reasons. The series is continuing in 2006 and has proved to be a talking point in the whole development sector, as was the SOLAS 2005 event, drawing much kudos for Comhlámh and focusing attention on its position as a key player in the Irish development sector.
increase the visibility of the organisation. As well as providing a great opportunity to highlight publicly the work we do, it played an important role in attracting new members and supporters to the organisation. Comhlámh’s 30th anniversary year was an unqualified success in terms of raising the profile of the organisation through unprecedented and consistent media coverage throughout the year.
Member Communications The decision to discontinue the paper version of the LINK newsletter in favour of a more immediate, relevant and efficient email version proved to be a correct decision and e-LINK is establishing itself as a ‘must have’ for many people in the development sector, RDWs and the interested members of the public alike, with nearly 500 new registrations from June to December 2005. 20 editions of the e-LINK newsletter were created, compiled and disseminated from June to December, as well as the final two paper versions of LINK between March and June.
Media Coverage The new post of Member Relations Officer was created in 2005, and it also carried with it special responsibility for maximising the potential of the 30th anniversary year of the organisation. A key priority for the 30th anniversary was to use the opportunity to
There were a considerable number of national TV and radio appearances by representatives of Comhlámh, including a 10 minute item filmed by RTÉ’s Nationwide programme in the summer, and a consistent number of newspaper and magazine articles either focusing on Comhlámh or including quotes from staff and members on various issues. The public relations aspect of all campaigns and events was significantly ‘up’ on previous years and, again, was part of an overall strategy – that included the SOLAS 2005 event and the regular ‘First Wednesday Debates’ in Bewley’s - to build ‘the brand’ in the media and public consciousness with a view to attracting new members and supporters. An indicator of the success of this strategy has been the aforementioned sizeable increase in newsletter subscribers, but the increase in actual new members has been modest, if encouraging, reflecting a number of other issues that will be dealt with in 2006, including an online credit card payment facility as part of a revamped website, more precisely targeted membership recruitment campaigns, a focus on getting lapsed members to renew their memberships in tandem with a more efficient use of the database system for ongoing renewals, and a review of the membership fees and categories.
Comhlรกmh Annual Review 2005 Pages 4 & 5
People in Development Services to Returned Development Workers Volunteering Options
Services to Returned Development Workers Two Coming Home weekends took place in 2005 for development workers in Cork and Belfast. The feedback from participants was very enthusiastic, with one development worker in particular putting the value of the weekend on “sharing experiences without having to censor it (the way I would do in other settings)” and “looking back at my overseas experience brought me back and made me realise my skills and how to promote these in Ireland to employers”. In addition, Cork hosted a workshop on the topic of getting involved with prospective development workers after returning from overseas. This was very successful in facilitating Returned Development Workers to remain active on development issues in Ireland. Careers Information and Advice also continued to be a popular service to facilitate Returned Development Workers to see how their skills acquired in working in the developing world could be used in the Irish jobs market.
Volunteering Options Programme Throughout 2005, the key objectives of Comhlámh’s Volunteering Options programme were to: ✱ ✱ ✱
The Careers & Courses leaflet continued to be a popular resource for people interested in working and studying development issues.
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Critical Incident Stress Management Through our work with Returned Development Workers, we have noticed an increased need for developing practices around stress management, particularly in conflict and disaster situations. It has been reported that around 40% of aid workers develop stress-related problems (such as depression or post-traumatic stress disorder) either while on assignment or shortly after returning home. In response, a workshop was organised on Critical Incident Stress Debriefing, in conjunction with the Irish Missionary Union, on the important issue of dealing with stress in a development work context. The aim of the training was to increase the organisational capacity of overseas development agencies and missionary organisations such that they have a policy to manage Critical Incident Stress amongst their personnel.
promote informed decision-making by potential volunteers; promote good practice by volunteer sending agencies; encourage volunteers’ understanding of their role within ‘development’; support volunteers on their return to internalise their experience; and provide structured opportunities to use that experience to positive effect at home.
Resources for volunteers In order to achieve these aims, the programme developed two new resources aimed at people who are considering volunteering in developing countries. A book entitled Working for a Better World: A Guide to Volunteering in Global Development and a complementary website (www.volunteeringoptions.org) were both launched in October 2005. These resources contain comprehensive information on all stages of overseas volunteering, from making a decision about going abroad through to using experiences gained overseas on returning home. Additionally, they set out a detailed directory of over 115 organisations that arrange volunteer placements. A publicity campaign to market the resources was initiated in October and continued throughout the rest of the year.
Comhlámh Annual Review 2005 Pages 6 & 7
Volunteer Charter and Code of Good Practice The programme also worked closely with volunteer-sending organisations and with returned volunteers to develop a Volunteer Charter and Code of Good Practice for Sending Organisations. The Volunteer Options Advisory Group, which included representatives from a wide range of organisations, was set up and worked throughout the year to finalise a set of principles for the Code and Charter. This was supported by several workshops with returned volunteers. The documents were also launched in October, and all Irish-based sending organisations were contacted to encourage them to sign up. Initial steps towards developing a model of implementation for the Code and Charter were taken through the establishment of a new Volunteering Options Working Group in December. Training courses A series of training workshops was held for people considering short- or longer-term overseas volunteering. New one-day workshops for people considering short-term volunteering were developed and took place in May, July and October. Weekend workshops for people interested in longer-term overseas volunteering or work took place in March and November. Additionally, a new “Moving Forward” course for people returning from shorter overseas placements was developed and held for three groups in October. Throughout the year, programme officers provided information and advice on a one-to-one basis to about 140 people who had queries about overseas volunteering. And, to celebrate International Day of the Volunteer, a well– attended event was held in Dublin on December 5th for people interested in volunteering, returned volunteers, and sending organisations.
Development Education Development Education Group INDEX Newsletter Accreditation for Development Education Compass Project
Comhlámh Annual Review 2005 Pages 8 & 9
Development Education Group Development Education continues to be at the core of Comhlámh’s work. Building on the strengths of the previous year, we focused our energies on ensuring members, supporters and the wider NGO network could obtain the highest standards of practice in development education (DE) through our courses, publications, public debates and programmes. Historically, Comhlámh has played a key role in building the capacity of its members, supporters and the wider NGO community to deliver quality development education. This has been done through our courses, which are issuebased and skills-based, and also through our publications. Recognising the changing environment of development, especially after the Asian tsunami in 2004, we invested time and energy in ensuring there was an environmental component built into our Development Education programme. As such, the DE Group acted upon the need to make explicit connections between the local and the global by reviewing and updating some of our course content. Similarly, the group organised a public forum on ‘Disasters: natural or man made? The real cost to development’. This forum was recorded by Near FM, thus reaching a wider audience outside central Dublin. The group made deliberate efforts to bring the environmental perspective into development themes in subsequent public discussions, such as one which asked ‘Can GM Foods End Famine?’ They have also been active in the formulation of themes for subsequent public debates, in researching and critiquing current news about development while also building their own capacity to deliver workshops on related topics. INDEX Index has remained the central publication for the exchange of ideas, news and good practice in the DE sector. In January, three new members joined the newsletter’s Editorial Board: Trócaire, DICE and Concern. This increase in the editorial membership has had a positive impact on the quality and content of Index, as it continues to build on the perspectives and strengths of the sector.
Accreditation in Development Education After a long period of research into models of good practice and with funding from Irish Aid, Comhlámh made a radical move forward towards the accreditation of development education. By partnering with the London-based Development Education Association (DEA), Comhlámh has worked towards developing an Irish version of the Global Trainer - a very successful post graduate programme in Training for Development Education offered in the UK. The establishment of this programme represents a leap forward for the professionalisation of the sector nationally as it will be the first post graduate distance-learning course for training of trainers in DE. The Global Trainer Ireland programme is expected to run in 2007.
An unexpected energiser this year was the great participation by female members of Comhlámh in the Women’s Mini-Marathon. A group of fit ladies decided to take to the streets of Dublin with approximately 40,000 others to ‘Run for Trade Justice’ while raising awareness about the unfair nature of trade rules and, specifically, the detrimental effects of Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs). Some participants sought to get as many EPAs postcards signed as a possible means of raising awareness and others decided to raise funds for our Trade Justice work. It was great fun for all involved and a precedent has been set for the years to come!
Compass Project Compass celebrated the completion of the 2002–2005 programme of work and the beginning of its 2005–2008 strategy with a ‘thank you’ lunch for members in March. The new strategic focus remains the promotion of development education in the primary school system but with an emphasis on the promotion of Good Practice. Membership of the group has continued to grow with Self Help Development International joining as Full Members in addition to three new (individual) Associate Members in 2005. In the same period, the group met on four occasions for dedicated information-sharing, networking and planning purposes. In-service training events continued to be a key feature of Compass’s work and a number of topical issues were explored through development education, including Education for Sustainable Development, the Millennium Development Goals, and Natural Disasters. Other events included: Workshop at Educate Together AGM in Kildare in May 2005 on the topic of ‘Education for Sustainable Development and Futures Education’; and Compass Peer Learning and Networking Seminar on ‘What Development Education can do for the Decade for Education for Sustainable Development’ – held in December in the ENFO centre in Dublin city centre. ✱ Two-day schedule of workshops for six Dublin primary schools on Millennium Development Goals Media Awards (in association with Irish Aid-appointed Real Event Solutions) in March. ✱ Two workshops on ‘Teaching about Natural Disasters’ as part of July in-service week for teachers in World Development Centre, Waterford; and, in September, in the Comhlámh offices for Compass primary teachers and development educators. This was preceded by the posting of related weblinks and resources for teachers on the Asian tsunami on the Comhlámh homepage. ✱
Compass was represented at a number of conferences and seminars in 2005 including the ‘Imaging Famine’ conference in London in September where Compass was part of the Dóchas delegation; Sustainable Ireland’s ‘Education for Sustainable Development’ conference in the Cultivate Centre in October; and the DICE ‘Global Expression in the Arts’ seminar in May in the Church of Ireland College of Education. Compass continued its involvement in the DICE project in 2005 through its representation on the DICE Policy and Strategy committee. This project continues the work of the Pre-service Pilot Project of which Compass was a founding member. This also included the work of the DICE research sub-group which commissioned Global and Justice Perspectives in Education: A Literature Review by Helen Fitzgerald which was published in the Autumn. Compass provided assistance and participated in DICE events such as the DICE ‘Global Day’ resource fair in April in the Church of Ireland College of Education. Compass has also been working on the development of a shared facilitator database with DICE. A high point for the Compass project in the later part of 2005 was the realisation of the ‘Recently Qualified Teacher Pilot Support Project’. A halftime project officer was recruited in November to set up the programme and it is hoped that this very necessary work will continue well beyond the pilot stage!
Comhlรกmh Annual Review 2005 Pages 10 & 11
Education to Action Trade Justice Focus Magazine Southern Links Aid Issues European Networking Global Education Programme Food Security
Trade Justice Comhlámh work at home and at EU level in the ‘Stop-EPAs Campaign’, which is seeking changes to the EU’s proposed Economic Partnership Agreements with the 77 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries, accelerated greatly during 2005. A briefing paper, postcard campaign, meetings with government departments, and a series of parliamentary questions all kept the issue on the agenda. In March, a presentation by Comhlámh to the Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs resulted in a motion being passed querying the ‘reciprocity’ in EPAs and inviting EU Commissioner Peter Mandelson to visit the Oireachtas to discuss the Committee’s concerns. He has yet to take up the invitation.
Focus Magazine: Action for Global Justice 2005 saw consolidation of the new format of Focus magazine with much greater accessibility in both content and presentation in order to reach a wider audience. Inspired by the philosophy of ‘show, don’t tell’, the group has built up a number of members with journalistic, photographic and design skills. Each issue presents readers with a concrete action that raises the awareness of others, information necessary to understand the issues, and feedback on earlier actions.
Comhlámh contributed greatly to the success in Ireland of the ‘Global Week of Action for Trade Justice’ – encouraging other organisations to be active in the week, and also producing a radio programme, an activists’ toolkit, a table quiz and three street events. Following from the success of the week among university groups, Comhlámh held an Autumn meeting of student leaders to support them in further networking and campaigns. This led to strong student involvement in the high-profile MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY ‘Send Bertie a Christmas Card’ campaign in which Comhlámh was centrally involved. In the run up to the World Trade Organisation talks in Hong Kong, joint positions were presented to government together with the ‘Trade Matters’ group of NGOs. Comhlámh, again, was present as an observer on the government delegation to the talks, as a representative of Dóchas. Many of the 24 workshops and talks given by members of the Trade Justice Group to other organisations occurred in preparation for Hong Kong. Though Comhlámh’s input was mostly in 2004, this year saw the launch of the government’s National Trade Policy Statement which, thanks to Trade Matters advocacy, and the active role of Irish Aid, includes a strong development chapter highlighting the point that developing countries are less likely to benefit from trade liberalisation.
A survey of readers during 2005 was most helpful in informing the editorial group on the interests of readers regarding topics, writing style and levels of willingness to take the concrete actions proposed. Three issues of the magazine were published during 2005. In particular, the ‘MDG issue’ received high levels of acclaim from readers who found the photo-essay on the Millennium Development Goals accessible, useful and informative. The new-look Focus magazine was shortlisted for a 2006 Metro Eireann Multicultural and Media Award in the print media category.
Comhlámh Annual Review 2005 Pages 12 & 13
Southern Links The Comhlámh Strategic Plan 2005–2007 mandates the organisation to “develop links with Southern activists so that their voices may inform our work”. The European Partnership Agreements campaign is one example of our response to this. Comhlámh, like many trade activists in Europe, had its focus upon the WTO, but through 2004 and 2005 African NGOs have been asking us to pay attention also to the proposed EPAs. Links have been built with Third World Network (TWN) Africa (Ghana), EcoNews Africa (Kenya) and Southern and Eastern Africa Trade Information Negotiations Institute (SEATINI – Zimbabwe). Comhlámh helped to set up a meeting for Barry Andrews TD with TWN when a Dáil delegation was visiting Ghana. Later in the year, Yao Graham, Director of TWN visited Ireland for Comhlámh’s 30th anniversary celebrations. During his visit, Yao also met with Irish Aid to express TWN’s concerns regarding EPAs. A number of staff of EcoNews and SEATINI were interviewed or wrote articles for Focus magazine and contributed to our policy positions. Discussions are on-going with TWN and SEATINI regarding more programmatic links in the coming years. Aid Issues As well as the Volunteering Options work on the role of the development worker, Comhlámh has been active in promoting debate on broader development issues. Most particularly, in the Spring of 2005 a series of three ‘think-ins’ was organised on the theme of ‘development and security’. Leading figures in this area led discussions arising from concern among the development community that the security agenda is progressively encroaching on development work. For example, 2005 sees the beginning of ‘security clauses’ being included in EU development assistance contracts.
European Networking Networking at an EU level has long been central to Comhlámh’s work. In recent years, with the changes introduced in the Nice Treaty and the drafting of the EU Constitution, additional attention has been focused on the EU’s institutions as they relate to Southern countries. Comhlámh enjoys being one of few development organisations to have a voice at the National Forum on Europe where it has regularly voiced sectoral concerns, and sometimes has given its seat to other organisations wanting a voice. Comhlámh represents Dóchas on the Cotonou Working Group of CONCORD, the EU NGO platform, and also networks with European NGOs through the European Trade Network (ETN) and the Stop-EPAs Campaign. A number of staff and members have attended the regular ‘DG Trade Civil Society Dialogue’ meetings. Since 2004, Comhlámh has been building links with the Polish Humanitarian Organisation, PHO. A highlight of this contact was receiving PHO’s Education Officer, Draginja Nadazdin, in Ireland for a two-week internship in November 2005. Draginja spent time in both Dublin and Cork learning how we engage with policy makers – and observed us at a busy lobbying time just on the eve of the WTO’s Hong Kong talks.
Food Security In 2005, the Cork Action Network (CAN) group organised a number of activities to raise awareness, contribute to research and promote action on the topic of ‘International Agricultural Trade and Food Security’. Comhlámh carried out significant lobbying and mobilisation campaigns on trade justice in advance of the WTO Trade Talks in Hong Kong. In the run-up to the WTO talks, CAN continued to broaden the debate on EU/WTO trade policies. A Campaigners’ Toolkit focusing on agriculture and trade was distributed to over 2,000 people. Research areas in 2006 included: Coherence between agriculture and Aid Policies ✱ Impact of Agribusiness practice ✱ Mapping WTO Trade Talks ✱ Common Advantage in Agriculture. ✱
Global Education Group, Cork An internal evaluation of CARASI and the Global Impact Programme was undertaken in Spring 2005. Acknowledging that capacity has built up greatly within anti-racism work, and also realising that interest in global issues is an important and growing area, it was decided that CARASI would merge with the Global Impact Programme in order to offer a cordinated programme of meetings, workshops and training under the auspices of a ‘Global Education Group’. Therefore, 2005 has seen a series of meetings, training programmes and seminars: ✱ The launch of Fair Trade Fortnight with Gerardo Arias Camacho and Cork fair trade activists ✱ Migrant Workers – The Hidden Scandal ✱ Information and training module (in association with Nasc) ✱ Corporate Power and the Right to Food Juliam Oram of ActionAid UK ✱ Global Justice, War and Debt with Denis Halliday and Anne Reilly ✱ Building North South Links for Trade Justice with Yao Graham of Third World Network, Ghana ✱ Using Boycotts as an Activists Tool with Kathy Glavanis of UCC ✱ The Quality of Aid with Sheilagh Henry of Comhlámh Action Network
Two issues of the CAP and Developing Countries Monitor newsletter were published and distributed widely to campaigning and solidarity groups, politicians, academics, ambassadors and individuals. The CAN project continued to network and engage with high ranking officials of Irish farming organisations and with influential agricultural journalists, and the high profile media coverage of the campaign generated interest and won credibility among decision-makers at Irish and EU level. Links were made with university societies and student groups. Links were also made with the MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY campaign and Cork hosted a photo-petition where members of the public were invited to have their photo taken to support the MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY campaign Comhlámh took part in the Global Week of Action for Trade Justice together its partner organisations in Trade Justice Ireland. A highlight of the year was the ‘Lotto Lunch’ campaign, which invited 30 politicians to a lunch at which some ate well but most received just a bowl of plain rice, highlighting the lack of global justice in food security.
Comhlรกmh Annual Review 2005 Pages 14 & 15
Interculturalism Anti-Racism Group Integraing Ireland
Anti Racism Group Policy & Lobbying 2005 was a significant year for Comhlámh’s Policy and Lobbying work. January saw the long awaited publication of a National Action Plan Against Racism, something Comhlámh had been pressing for since the 2001 World Conference on Racism in Durban. In 2001, Comhlámh, along with seven other organisations, formed an NGO Alliance and published a set of Recommendations Towards a National Action Plan Against Racism. In January 2005, Comhlámh produced a detailed media briefing and a press release in response to the finished plan. The original NGO Alliance expanded considerably, and January 2005 saw over 40 NGOs signing up to an important Shadow Report on Racism in Ireland. Produced to parallel the Irish Government’s first official report on the implementation of the UN International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), the NGO Alliance Shadow Report sought to give a more substantial picture of the real problem of racism in Ireland and was sent to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD). Comhlámh played a key role in the editing committee, with member Rosemary Warner drafting much of the final text. Rosemary and fellow member Sabri Taha went on to represent Comhlámh as part of an NGO Alliance delegation to Geneva during CERD’s examination of the Irish Government’s official report in March 2005. We were extremely pleased to see that the final CERD ‘Recommendations’ to the Irish Government strongly reflected many of the concerns and suggestions contained in the Shadow Report. While the NAPAR and CERD were undoubtedly significant Anti-Racism milestones during 2005, the Anti-Racism Group engaged in a variety of other policy work throughout the year, from hosting a development forum on the implications of Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) for migrant communities to publishing comment on issues such as institutional racism and Garda Reform or the equal rights of Travellers.
Networking The Comhlámh Anti-Racism Group plays a particularly active role in driving forward a number of networking initiatives among the many NGOs now engaged with issues of cultural diversity. In addition to its work with the NGO Alliance, Comhlámh is a member of an Equality Coalition, holds a seat on the board of the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism (NCCRI) and is allied with a number of smaller issue-based campaigns On a European level, Comhlámh is an active board member of the Irish Branch of the European Network Against Racism (ENAR – Ireland) and contributes to the European policy and lobbying work of that organisation. In February 2005, the Anti-Racism Project Officer, Alice-Mary Higgins, represented Ireland at an ENAR conference on ‘Racism and the new EU member states’. On April 8th 2005, International Roma Day, ENAR Ireland hosted a day-long seminar on Roma and Traveller Rights in Ireland and Europe. Comhlámh is also a member of UNITED, which campaigns against racism and xenophobia on an international level.
Comhlámh Annual Review 2005 Pages 16 & 17
Integrating Ireland
Awareness Raising and Education The second half of the year was a busy time for ‘Le Cheile: Anti-Racism and the Arts’. In July 2005, Comhlámh took part in the Arts Council’s consultation on a new and more inclusive arts policy. July also saw the return of the ‘Stand Up Against Racism Comedy Night’ — the most successful yet, with a line up of top comedians, a guest performance by young rap artists, The Revolution Crew, and an audience of over one thousand packed into Dublin’s Vicar Street venue. In August, Comhlámh was delighted to be a part of the tremendous Dun Laoghaire ‘Festival of World Cultures’. Over two days, hundreds of people visited the fascinating ‘Can Art Change the World?’ exhibition curated by Comhlámh’s newly formed Campaigning Artists Group and associated workshops quickly reached capacity. The power of art to create change was further explored in November in a seminar on ‘Art and Anti-Racism’ for educators, activists and community workers. Taking place in Cork, this event combined inspiring case studies with practical workshops. Throughout 2005, the Anti-Racism Group continued its distribution of its very popular ‘What is Racism?’ and ‘Myths and Facts’ leaflets. The Anti-Racism Group also began work on a new ‘Challenging Racism’ leaflet, which it hopes to publish in 2006.
Integrating Ireland is an independent network of community and voluntary groups working in mutual solidarity to promote and realise the human rights, equality and full integration in Irish society of asylum seekers, refugees and immigrants. In 2005, Integrating Ireland took several important steps to becoming an NGO independent of Comhlámh. A major step was the appointment of the first director, Aki Stavrou, appointed in September 2005, who will lead the organisation through the steps towards full independence in 2006. In preparation for independence, a business plan was developed based on an environmental analysis of the Irish NGO sector, as well as an Irish, UK and EU overview. Following a consultation process with the member groups, the vision of Integrating Ireland was agreed on as a ‘just, diverse, inclusive Irish society that ensures full participation and rights of migrants, immigrants, refugees and people seeking asylum’. The main activities for the year continued around the three core areas of Information & Networking, Research Policy and Lobbying. The regional outreach was greatly facilitated by the appointment of a Regional Officer. Recognising that education and employment are key elements of integration, Integrating Ireland developed a report on Access to Higher Education and Recognition of Professional Qualifications, a key issue for many immigrants in Ireland. In response to the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform proposals for an Immigration and Residence Bill, Integrating Ireland submitted a paper highlighting the voice of immigrant communities.
Who’s who in Comhlámh?* Position
Name
National Co-ordinator
Anne Molloy
annemolloy@comhlamh.org
Operations Officer
Elena Garcia
elena@comhlamh.org
Policy & Campaigns Officer
Conall O’Caoimh
conalloc@comhlamh.org
Returned Development Worker Officer
Marie-Therese Fanning
marietherese@comhlamh.org
Development Education Officer
Astrid Pérez Piñán
astrid@comhlamh.org
Development Education & Services Officer Cork (Jobshare)
Carol Doyle Steve Thornhill
cork@comhlamh.org
Primary Education Officer
Lizzie Downes
lizzie@comhlamh.org
Volunteering Options Project Officer
Dervla King
dervla@comhlamh.org
Membership Relations Officer
Paul O’Mahony
paul@comhlamh.org
Compass NQT Project Officer
Barbara Gill
barbara@comhlamh.org
Anti-Racism Officer
Alice-Mary Higgins
alicemary@comhlamh.org
Administration
Sharon McDaid
sharon@comhlamh.org
Development Education Officer
Siobhán Sleeman
siobhan@comhlamh.org
Policy & Campaigns Intern
Thomas Geoghegan
thomas@comhlamh.org
Administration Assistant
Abdul Yusef
abdul@comhlamh.org
Project Assistant
Wendy Knott
cork@comhlamh.org
Aki Stavrou
aki@integratingireland.ie
Integrating Ireland Director Project Officer
Jean-Pierre Eyanga
jeanpierre@integratingireland.ie
Project Officer
Sarah Toner
sarah@integratingireland.ie
Regional Officer
Anne Brennan
anne@integratingireland.ie
Administrator
Ailbhe Ní Mhaoilearca
ailbhe@integratingireland.ie
Comhlámh Executive 2004/2005
2005/2006
Chairperson
John Moffet
Rosalind Duke
Vice Chairperson
Rosalind Duke
John Ryan
Treasurer
Paul McGuinness
Paul McGuinness
Staff Officer
David Dalton
Bernadette Crawford
* as of December 2005
Teresa Cash
Teresa Cash
Bernadette Crawford
Anne Kennedy
Sarah Benson
Sarah Benson
John Ryan
Mary Kinane
Peter Gaynor
Peter Gaynor
Comhlámh Annual Review 2005 Page 18 & 19
Comhlámh Accounts Income for year ended 31st December 2005
Funding Department of Justice, Equality & Law Reform Development Education Unit DCI — Organisational Fund DCI — Services to RDWs DCI — Media Challenge Fund NGO Funding DCI — Volunteering Optios Department of Community, Rural & Gaeltacht Affairs Dormant Accounts NCDE Funding European Refugee Fund Department for International Development UK European Commission The One Foundation Philanthropic Foundations & Trusts
Own Resources Courses Income Fundraising Membership & Donations Sales of Resources Admin Income Services Planning & Evaluation Income Bank Interest Received
Total Income Expenditure (see Page 20) Surplus for the year
Certified to be a true copy
Director
Director
2005 (€) 8,000 191,511 889 139,000 14,800 22,223 151,236 50,148 3,950 — 88,444 — 82,357 54,684 69,273 876,479
2004 (€) 9,289 162,006 — — — 25,182 151,192 38,500 — 762 45,795 11,258 72,008 — 118,313 634,705
4,164 28,274 10,826 2,079 1,401 40 460 1,095 48,339
5,572 22,920 11,576 2,030 318 110 1,370 744 44,640
924,818
679,345
(923,546)
(658,369)
1,272
20,976
Expenditure for year ended 31st December 2005
Activities (Excluding Salaries and Official Overheads) RDWs Services Membership Engagement Volunteering Options Anti-Racism and Multicultural Education Integrating Ireland Development Education Campaigning and Research
Staff Expenses Wages and salaries Recruitment
Operational Expenses Computer Expenses Repairs and Maintenance Stationery & Supplies Telephone & Postage Travel Expenses General Expenses
Establishment Expenses Rent & Insurance Rates Utilities
Depreciation Office Equipment and Fittings
Financial Expenses Audit Consultancy Financial Expenses Lease Finance Charges
Total Expenditure
Certified to be a true copy
Director
Director
2005 (€) 12,450 25,128 44,991 10,638 107,863 23,413 88,141 312,624
2004 (€) 13,087 15,018 4,000 14,715 89,616 36,166 36,165 208,767
544,052 2,178 546,230
389,217 895 390,112
200 896 309 1,023 (274) 97 2,252
288 1,489 437 2,133 2,721 (646) 6,421
39,089 2,059 6,944 48,092
31,118 1,704 5,724 38,546
10,036 10,036
9,192 9,192
3,530 142 134 506 4,312
3,500 — 1,830 — 5,330
923,546
658,369