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Global Dialogue on Federalism Global Dialogue country roundtables on foreign relations held in six countries The Spanish Roundtable on Federalism and Foreign Relations brought together academics and practitioners of federalism from a number of governments and agencies. The event was held at the Faculty of Political Science and Sociology of the Complutense University of Madrid. The country co-ordinators of the roundtable were Mr. Francisco Aldecoa, Professor of International Relations and Dean, Faculty of Political Science and Sociology, University Complutense of Madrid, and Mr. Noé Cornago, Professor of International Relations at the University of the Basque Country. The meeting was unique and Professor Cornago remarked that 'if we take in account the current political climate in Spain, we can say that we have been quite fortunate to have celebrated the roundtable with such pluralism and expertise.' Other Global Dialogue country roundtables on foreign relations were held recently in the following countries: June 14, 2006 India (New Delhi) Bestseller: Distribution of Powers and Responsibilities in Federal Countries The publisher for the Global Dialogue on Federalism Series, McGill-Queen's University Press, has released its sales figures for the past year. The second volume in the series, Distribution of Powers and Responsibilities in Federal Countries, edited by Akhtar Majeed, Ronald L. Watts and Douglas M. Brown, sold 1000 copies since its release. This accounts for almost half of the total sales for the entire series which includes five publications to date. The complementary Global Dialogue booklets accounted for sales of 500 copies in the same time period. For published reviews visit the Forum's website. Forum participates in three UN conferences on Iraq The Forum of Federations participated in three mini-conferences held by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI). The first event, on Oil and Gas Revenue Sharing, was held April 4 to 6 at a conference facility on the shore of the Dead Sea and was co-chaired by Forum President George Anderson. Also representing the Forum were Marc Lemieux, Director of the Forum's Iraq program, and subject matter experts Paul Boothe, former Deputy Finance Minister of Saskatchewan, and Roland Priddle. The Forum also participated in a conference on Fiscal Federalism held May 16 to 18 at the same Dead Sea venue. Fiscal expert Paul Boothe represented the Forum and delivered several presentations at that event. David Cameron, University of Toronto Professor and a member of the Forum's Board of Directors, made presentations on the constitutional allocation of powers at the federal and regional level and on fiscal federalism at a third conference, which was held June 12 to13 in Madrid on the subject of Federal Structures. Forum holds conflict management conference in Addis Ababa Forum staff visited Addis Ababa in July 2006 to take part in a conference on 'Managing Conflicts in a Federal System' which was co-organized by the Forum with the German agency GTZ (Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit), the Swiss Embassy and Ethiopia's House of Federation. Shawn Houlihan, the Forum's Director for Africa, participated in the event alongside all the members of the House of Federation (the central government's upper chamber) as well as some members of opposition parties from the House of Peoples' Representatives (the lower house), academics and members of the international community. In addition to Ethiopian experts, there were international speakers from India, Kenya, Switzerland and Germany. There were extensive discussions on the major mandates and powers of the House, in particular around constitutional interpretation, fiscal federalism and conflict management. The discussions focused on Ethiopia's first 10 years of experience as a federal government and on international experience in these issues. Mr. Houlihan also held consultations - along with the Forum's resource person for the conference, Yash Ghai - on future collaboration with the Ministry of Federal Governance and officials from Addis Ababa University who are looking to establish a new Institute for Federalism. Forum program in Sudan begins work on helping to implement federalism The Forum's Africa Director, Shawn Houlihan, visited Khartoum in July to oversee some key milestones in the Forum's Sudan program. The key event was the inaugural reception by the Forum's Sudanese Advisory Committee on Civil Society at the Forum's new offices in Khartoum. The group also held extensive pre-planning sessions to help guide the Forum's future programming with civil society in Sudan. One member of this very senior-level Committee remarked, 'I have come a long way since as a teenager I carried a placard at rallies that read 'No federation for one nation' to believing that federalism is the natural system and great need for our country.' The planning session dealt with issues of programming priorities, institutional arrangements and challenges and further consultation processes. The Forum also signed its Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Federal Governance. Mr. Houlihan was also on hand to welcome the Forum's Senior Advisor to the Ministry, Chandan Sinha, who is on leave from his job as Special Secretary for the Government of West Bengal in India, and will be in place for up to eight weeks to assist the Ministry and to develop specific strategies for the Forum's programming over the coming years. New Forum project to aid Iraq in developing a federal system The Forum has launched a two-year project to assist Iraqis in the development of a federal system of government for their country. Although the people of Iraq adopted a federal constitution last year, the notion of sharing power among Iraq's constituent units is not widely understood. To bridge that gap, the Forum project aims to increase the understanding of federalism among university-level teachers, giving them the tools and skills to teach federalism-related subjects to their students. The project will also help professors and students to carry out research into various facets of a functioning federal system for Iraq. The Forum project will provide educational assistance to about 60 Iraqi teachers and academics. The project also will organize a one-day session on federalism for newly-elected members of Parliament and for both local and regional media. This two-year project is funded by a CDN $2 million grant from the Canadian International Development Agency. It enables the Forum to continue its involvement in Iraq, where its experts have provided advice on the drafting of constitutional elements related to federal governance. Forum President confers with government ministers in Spain Forum President George Anderson spent several days in Spain in June. In Madrid he met José Maria Beltran Vidal, the Director General de Cooperación Autonómica at the Ministerio de Administraciones Publicas, with Professor Francisco Rubio Llorente, chair of Spain's constitutional committee, and Nicolas Sartorius, Executive Vice-President of the Fundación Alternativas, a think tank. He hosted a dinner for various academic experts and was himself the guest of honour at a luncheon given by the Canadian Ambassador, which included Spanish experts and the Ambassadors of Switzerland and Australia. He met with Forum Director Kim Campbell and the staff of the Club of Madrid, of which Ms. Campbell is Secretary-General. While in Barcelona, he called on the Catalonian Justice Minister, Josep Maria Valles and with Joan Saura, the Minister of Institutional Relations, Joan Saura, to discuss Spanish developments and the Forum's activities. He visited with Carles Viver Pi-Sunyer, Director of the Institut d'Estudis Autonà²mà¬cs and toured the institute. He also met with Carme Valls, a Socialist member of the Catalonian Parliament, who also heads the Fundació Catalunya Segle XXI, which is promoting a civil society network on federalism and pluralism across Spain. The Forum is sponsoring a project on intergovernmental relations in Spain and has involved Spain in the Global Dialogue program. Forum president appointed to energy policy committee in India Forum President George Anderson has accepted an invitation from the Observer Research Foundation to join its committee of experts on energy policy. The New Delhi-based foundation was started in the early nineties during the period of India's transition from a protected economy to a new engagement with the international economic order. It was founded to help develop coherent policy responses to the rapidly changing global environment. It is supported by many of India's leading intellectuals, academics, public figures, social activists, business leaders and institutions of higher learning. Mr. Anderson spoke at the national conclave on India's Energy Security: Major Challenges in the Short, Medium and Long Term, on February 15, 2006. A former Deputy Minister of Natural Resources Canada, Mr. Anderson was named to an initial one-year appointment by the foundation. Workshop in Brasilia on the reform of fiscal federalism A workshop on fiscal federalism was held at the Getulio Vargas Foundation in Brasilia, Brazil, on July 20-21, 2006. The workshop examined recent proposals being developed by the Fiscal Forum of the Brazilian States on reforming the system of Brazilian fiscal federalism. The workshop focussed specifically on tax harmonization and on the autonomy of Brazilian states in matters of taxation. The workshop also looked at fiscal equalization and its importance for the efficiency and accountability of subnational governments. Three international experts shared their knowledge in these areas with Finance Ministers of the Brazilian states as well as with high-ranking officials from the state Finance Ministries and Brazilian experts. The international experts were Pierre-Pascal Gendron, Professor at Humber Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning, Toronto; Anwar Shah, Lead Economist at the World Bank; and Ricardo Varsano, Consultant on Tax Policy at the International Monetary Fund. The event was organized by the Forum of Federations in cooperation with the Fiscal Forum of the Brazilian States and with support from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Forum interns bound for Sri Lanka and South Africa Three Canadian interns have been chosen by the Forum for nine-month terms in Sri Lanka and South Africa. Meghan McDermott of Victoria, British Columbia, has been chosen as the Forum's intern for 2005-2006 at the Centre for Policy Alternatives in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Ms McDermott graduated from Concordia University in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts degree and obtained a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Victoria in 2005. She has worked as a policy analyst for the Ministry of the Environment and was a volunteer with La Maison de l'Amitié, a peace and refugee support agency in Montreal. Margaret Mary Flynn of Toronto, Ontario, will be the Forum's intern with the Southern African Development Community in Johannesburg, South Africa. She graduated from Queen's University with a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Education degree in 2000 and from the University of Toronto with a Doctor of Law degree in 2005. She was an articling law student with the Ontario Human Rights Commission and a caseworker with the International Human Rights Clinic. Omo Akintan of Toronto, Ontario, will serve as the Forum's intern with the Community Law Centre in Bellville, South Africa. Ms Akitan graduated from Carleton University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2001 and from the University of Toronto with a Doctor of Law degree in 2004. She was a municipal lawyer with the City of Toronto and a legal caseworker for the Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic in Toronto which serves women victims of violence from around the world. The internships commence in September 2006 and end in March 2007. They are supported with funding from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). Forum to contribute to multi-ethnic study George Anderson and Rupak Chattopadhyay represented the Forum of Federations at the first Ethnicity and Democratic Governance Project group meeting in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, from June 17 to 20, 2006. The $2.5 million project is funded by Canada's Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and is a multi-university project including Queen's University in Kingston, the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) and the University of Toronto. Collaborators from seven countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa will explore ethnic politics and the complexities of democracy in multi-ethnic and divided states. Researchers will build on Canada's experience in accommodating linguistic and cultural diversity to find solutions for governance of multi-ethnic states around the world. The Forum of Federations is one of a number of partner organizations that will contribute to building linkages between the research group and policy makers. Other partners include Rights and Democracy, the Metropolis Project, International Development Research Centre, and the Club de Madrid. Blindenbacher speaks to conference in Islamabad Dr. Raoul Blindenbacher, Vice President of the Forum of Federations, was one of the speakers at the International Conference on Fiscal Decentralization in Islamabad, Pakistan from May 3-5, 2006. The conference was organized by the National Reconstruction Bureau of Pakistan and the World Bank Institute and was held under the auspices of Pakistan's Prime Minister, Shaukat Aziz. Dr. Blindenbacher spoke on inter-governmental fiscal relations and governmental accountability in Switzerland. Other international experts participating were Dr. Paul Boothe, former Associate Deputy Minister of Finance, Canada; Dr. Chris Heymans, Senior Municipal Development Specialist from the World Bank; Dr. Govinda Rao, Director National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, India; Dr. George Mathew, Director, Institute of Social Sciences, India; and Dr. Duvuri Subbarao, Advisor, Prime Minister's Advisory Council, India. The objective of the Conference was to show the outcome of fiscal decentralization reform and its impact on poverty reduction, development and governance in Pakistan. All documents relating to the conference, including the slide presentation by Raoul Blindenbacher, are available at www.nrb.gov.pk/icfd/default.asp Forum consults on Global Dialogue with IACFS in Tübingen, Germany Forum President George Anderson and Vice President Raoul Blindenbacher consulted with the directors of the International Association of Centers for Federal Studies at their annual meeting in Tübingen, Germany on June 28. The Forum executives reviewed the latest Global Dialogue program developments and discussed how to collaborate with IACFS in the future. Forum brings Indian federalism conference head to former conference venues In late June, Forum Vice President Raoul Blindenbacher accompanied Ravi Dhingra from the Indian Interstate Council Secretariat to two former conference venues: Brussels, Belgium and St. Gallen, Switzerland. Mr. Dhingra is the Executive Director of the International Conference on Federalism 2007. In Brussels, they met with Johan Verkammen, Chairman of the Third International Conference on Federalism 2005, and in St. Gallen, they were received by Peter Schönenberger, President of the Canton of St. Gallen, the host canton for the Second International Conference on Federalism 2002. For Raoul Blindenbacher, it was familiar territory - he was Executive Director of that conference. VISITORS AND HEADQUARTERS ACTIVITIES Members of the Iraq Parliament visit the Forum An Iraqi delegation, including Ms. Maysoon Al-Damluji, Iraq's Deputy Minister for Artistic Matters; Narmeen Othman Barzingy, Minister of the Environment; Iraqi Kurdistan minister for Human Rights, Dr Yousif M. Aziz; and Yonadam Kanna, a Member of the Iraq Parliament; visited the Forum of Federations on July 19, 2006. The Forum's President, George Anderson, greeted the delegation and explained the history and the mission of the Forum. Members of the Iraqi delegation and Forum staff discussed ways that the Forum could help in educating the Iraqi public on the potential benefits of federalism for Iraq. The Iraqi delegation's trip was organized by PGF Consultants of Ottawa and funded by the Canadian International Development Agency. During the visit, Yonadam Kanna commented that 'Iraqis need to learn the advantages of federalism. When they can feel secure, Iraqis will accept a federal system.' U.S. state government delegation visits the Forum A delegation from the Council of State Governments (CSG) of the United States recently met with Forum President George Anderson at the Forum's Ottawa office. The CSG is an institutional partner of the Forum's. The group, which was on a tour of Calgary, Ottawa and Montreal, exchanged information with Mr. Anderson on the role of the Forum, its relations with American bodies and the role of the Council of State Governments. The delegation included Governor Jim Douglas of Vermont and Lt. Governor Jane Norton of Colorado. The group's six-day tour, from June 22 to June 28, included a visit to the Alberta oil sands, meetings with senior federal officials in Ottawa and talks with Quebec government officials in Montreal. Forum Board of Directors honours Prof. Ron Watts The Forum's Board of Directors met on June 26 and named Prof. Ron Watts as a Fellow of Forum of Federations. Professor Watts joins former Forum President Bob Rae as a Fellow of the Forum. At the annual general meeting, the Forum's Board also approved the organization's Annual Report for 2005-2006 and the revised budget for 2006-2007. The Board received the advice and recommendations from the Forum's Strategic Council, composed of representatives from the governments of Australia, Austria, Canada, India, Mexico, Nigeria and Switzerland. This was also the occasion of Professor Watts' retirement from the Forum Board. Professor Watts has worked for over 40 years on the comparative study of federal systems and Canadian federalism. Three other board members officially retired from the Board at the meeting: Ambassador Maràa Teresa Garcàa de Madero, the Mexican Ambassador to Canada and a Board member since August 2002; Prof. Rui de Britto àlvares Affonso of Brazil had been a on the Board since April 2000; and Michael Zorbas of Australia, who had been the youth representative since August 2002. Forum's strategic council meets in Switzerland The Forum's advisory body, the Strategic Council, met on June 8 and 9 in Morschach, Switzerland for their second annual meeting. The Council is a body composed of representatives from the Forum's seven partner countries: Australia, Austria, Canada, India, Mexico, Nigeria and Switzerland. During the two-day meeting, held under the chairmanship of René Holenstein of Switzerland, council members discussed the Forum's strategic direction, its relations with the seven partner countries and how other countries could become affiliated with the Forum. The council also received an update on the planning for the Fourth International Conference on Federalism to be held in New Delhi in November, 2007, where the Council's next meeting will be held. Representatives at the meeting included Warren McCann of Australia; Karl Irresberger from Austria; Manon Dumas, Anne Scotton, Gregory Gillespie, Martin Bourgeois and Stéphane Marsolais from Canada; Ravi Dhingra from India; Gloria del Carmen Muà±oz León, Ofelia Saavedra Archundia and Graciela Gómez-Garcia of Mexico; George Ajonye and Stephen M. Baba of Nigeria; Canisius Braun, Nicole Gysin, Markus Dürst, Chantal Nicod and Christine Löwe of Switzerland; as well as Arnold Koller, Chair of the Forum's Board of Directors, George Anderson, President and CEO of the Forum, and Raoul Blindenbacher, Forum Vice President. Later, on June 21, the Forum held a debriefing session on the highlights of the council meetings at its Ottawa headquarters. Those who attended include Llerner Baumann, Ambassador of Switzerland; Sigurd Pacher, Minister-Counsellor with the Embassy of Austria; James Huykendall and Keith Mines, Political Officers, Embassy of the United States of America; Juan Ollivier, Political Officer with the Embassy of Mexico; and Zhala Sabit, Executive Assistant to the Ambassador of Iraq. Céline Auclair returns to the Forum - Valerie Raymond joins Canada's Foreign Service Institute Céline Auclair has re-joined the Forum as Vice President of Governance and Research after a 10-month family leave. Among other tasks, she is responsible for the Forum's governance programs in Canada, Brazil, Ethiopia, Mexico, India, Iraq, Spain and Sudan. Ms Auclair has a PhD in international relations from the University of Geneva. With Ms Auclair's return, interim vice president Valerie Raymond, who was previously Canada's High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, has taken a senior post with the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT). Ms Raymond is now the Director General of DFAIT's Canadian Foreign Service Institute. The Institute was established by the Government of Canada in 1992 to enhance the performance of DFAIT and other Canadian government personnel involved in international relations. Jörn Rohde appointed Deputy Head of Mission of German Embassy in Ottawa after a period of service as senior advisor to the Forum German foreign service officer Jörn Rohde has been appointed Deputy Head of Mission of the German Embassy in Ottawa, Canada. Prior to taking up his new post, he spent three months as a senior advisor with the Forum of Federations, helping particularly in regard to Global Dialogue activities in Germany and the conference on German constitutional reform that the Forum will co-sponsor with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Berlin in October. |
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