Nov. 3, 2006 - May 3, 2007

GOVERNANCE PROGRAMS

Forum and Gauteng province hold local government event in Johannesburg
A four-day event, part of the Forum's Dialogue on Federalism, took place in Johannesburg from April 19 to 22. The International Roundtable on Local Government and Metropolitan Regions was organized in cooperation with the Community Law Centre, University of the Western Cape, South Africa. A one-day event on creating a Global City Region in the South African province of Gauteng was held with representatives from Johannesburg and surrounding municipalities, which have a combined population of nine million.
Experts identify new trends in local governance

Forum on innovation and good governance held in Mexico
On March 29, 2007, a national forum on innovation and good governance was hosted by the State of Aguascalientes in the City of Aguascalientes, Mexico. The Forum brought a Brazilian expert, Luiz Sapori, Undersecretary of Social Defense, Minas Gerais to the session on security and justice. At this event, participants recognized the achievements made by state and local governments in modernizing and improving the delivery of services to citizens. . Participants also discussed and learned about international best practices in terms of benchmarking and identifying emerging trends in good governance. About 200 participants attended the event.

Workshop on public security held in Mexico
To enhance the sharing of knowledge in the field of crime prevention, a workshop was held in Mexico City, convened by the Mexican Ministry of the Interior and the Forum of Federations. This March 26 event put state and federal government officials of Mexico in contact with their counterparts from other federal countries who face similar challenges. As a result of the gathering, an international network was formed, composed of officials and politicians committed to fighting organized crime through democratic and constitutional means.

Forum and INAFED hold workshop series in Mexico on intergovernmental institutions in federal systems
The Forum of Federations and the Mexican Interior Ministry's National Institute for Federalism and Municipal Development (INAFED) recently organized a series of workshops in Mexico on decentralization and intergovernmental institutions in federal systems. These workshops, held from March 16 to 23, 2007, brought together Mexican officials and specialists in the field of intergovernmental relations with their counterparts from selected federations around the world. Workshops were attended by senior government officials from the three orders of government, with a minimum of 50 participants at each workshop.

Forum provides international experts to tackle fiscal challenges in Argentina
The Forum of Federations recently participated in an international seminar on reforms to Argentina's fiscal regime. The event, titled Reforms and Fiscal Responsibility in Federal Countries, was held in the Senate of Argentina in Buenos Aires on March 20.
For more information: International experts tackle fiscal challenges in Argentina

Ten videos on federalism released in English - Arabic version next
The Forum recently (April 10) completed the editing and production of 10 modules, recorded on DVD, of a series of lectures and presentations on various facets of federalism. The collection, titled Exploring Federalism - The Kingston Sessions - is based on training sessions organized by the Forum and presented in February 2006 to a visiting delegation of prominent Iraqis. These modules, each about 20 minutes in length, will soon be dubbed into Arabic for the Forum's program in Iraq, where it is working with Iraqi academics to mount a curriculum on federalism for use in all of Iraq's publicly-funded universities.

Brazil considers new value added tax
Brazilian state and federal finance officials met recently with experts from the Forum of Federations to discuss the workings of fiscal federalism in Brazil, focusing on the possible adoption of a new dual Value Added Tax (VAT) for Brazil.
For more information: Brazil considers new value-added tax

Sri Lankan journalists learn about power-sharing experience in Canada
Six Sri Lankan journalists participated in a ten-day study tour of Canada, organized by the Forum of Federations with the support of the Canadian High Commission in Colombo.
For more information: Sri Lankan Journalists Learn about Power-sharing Experience in Canada

Workshop held to plan graduate program in federalism at Ethiopian university.
On March 27, 2007, participants at a workshop in Ethiopia, organized by the Forum, discussed the planned launch of a Master of Arts (MA) program in Federalism. Discussions focused on the curriculum, staffing and related needs for the creating of the Federalism program to be offered at Addis Ababa University. The university hopes to launch the MA program in October 2007. 

Video on five federal countries released in Iraqi, Kurdish and English version
The Forum recently completed the production of a new 42-minute trilingual version, of the DVD - Federalism: The Challenge of Diversity. It was completed on March 6. The recoding is in Kurdish, Arabic and English. It explains federal structures in five federations: India, Switzerland, Belgium, Spain and Canada.

Workshop explores intergovernmental relations in Ethiopia
A workshop in Addis Ababa on exploring intergovernmental relations in Ethiopia was held from March 28 to 30, 2007, by the Forum, in collaboration with Ethiopia's Ministry of Federal Affairs. The workshop included participants from all state governments as well as leading Ethiopian academics and practitioners and international resource persons from India and South Africa.

Fiscal panel held in Khartoum
A roundtable on Fiscal Federalism and its Importance to the Development of Federalism in Sudan: was held by the Forum in Khartoum on March 21, 2007, with representatives of Sudanese civil society.

Fiscal Federalism experts deployed in Sudan
Two experts were provided by the Forum of Federations to work with Sudan's Fiscal and Financial Allocation and Monitoring Commission. Dr. Michael Bell of George Washington University in the United States and Rory Riordan of South Africa worked with the commission in Khartoum from March 18 to 25, 2007. They provided advice to the commission on measures and tools for data needs, current status and solutions; design of a financial transfer formula, and a comprehensive activity and capacity-building plan for the commission 

Forum presentation in Spain on federalism in the 21st Century
Forum President George Anderson delivered a presentation to the Fundaction Gimenez Abad in Zaragosa, Autonomous Community of Aragon, Spain, on Federalism in the 21st Century. In addition, a memorandum of understanding on co-operation between the Forum of Federations and the Fundacion was signed at the event on Feb. 28, 2007.

Forum presents at UN conference on Iraq
Forum President George Anderson and Forum experts Richard Simeon of Canada and Cheryl Saunders of Australia presented to a meeting in Dubai composed of about 20 Iraqi members of the Constitutional Review Committee and a dozen other international experts. The Forum experts spoke on the topics of federal structures and global fiscal practices. The event, from Feb. 24 to 28, 2007, was organized by the UN Assistance Mission to Iraq Office of Constitutional Support.

Forum to organize health care conference with Australians
Rupak Chattopadhyay, Director for the Asia-Pacific region at the Forum of Federations, was on mission to Australia from Feb. 26 to 28, 2007. There he called on the Government of South Australia and the Menzies Centre for Health Policy in order to finalize a partnership agreement regarding a proposed conference on health care in Australia with international participation from other federations. The Menzies Centre is working with the Forum to produce an issues paper on health care in Australia and a series of fact sheets on select federations.

Forum President speaks on federalism and the future in Sri Lanka
Forum President George Anderson gave a presentation on 'Federalism in the 21st Century' in an event organized by the Centre for Policy Alternatives on Feb. 19 in Sri Lanka. In addition, he participated in roundtables hosted by the Canadian High Commissioner and Swiss Ambassador in Colombo, and had meetings with the Mayor of Kandy, Mr. Aluvihare; Central Province Chief Minister Mr. Ekanayake; Secretary General of the Peace Secretariat for Muslims Mr. Mohideen; and Minister of Constitutional Affairs, Mr. D. E. W . Gunasekara.

Sri Lankans examine power-sharing options
The first of the three workshops on Power-sharing Options for Sri Lanka and the Federal Idea was organized by the Forum of Federations in partnership with the Centre for Policy Alternatives of Colombo. More than 50 participants took part in the workshop, which was held from Feb. 15 to 16, 2007, in Kandy. The group included provincial councillors, members of the Bar, academics, religious leaders, representatives of women's organizations and a journalist.
International resource persons for the workshop included: Professor Akhtar Majeed, from the Centre for Federal Studies, Hamdard University, New Delhi; and George Anderson, the president of the Forum of Federations. Local resource persons included: Dr. G.H. Peiris from the University of Peradeniya; Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, Executive Director of the CPA; and Rohan Edrisinha, Director and Head of the Legal Unit at the CPA. Irina Shmakova and Jean-Philippe Linteau from the Forum of Federations also attended the workshop.

Forum conducts assessment mission to Indonesia
The Forum conducted an assessment mission in Indonesia from Feb. 6 to 10, 2007. Irina Shmakova, the Forum's program officer for the Asia-Pacific region, met with the members of Indonesia's Regional Representatives' Council (DPD) to evaluate opportunities for future collaboration. Her mission included mission meetings with various officials with the DPD including Mr. Irman Gusman, Vice-Chairman; Mr. Laode Ida, also Vice-Chairman; Ms. Sity Nurbaya, Secretary-General of the Secretariat; Ms. Eka Komariah, Chairwoman of the Budget and Finance Committee; and Mr. Alexander Edwin Kawilarang, Chairman of the organizations' International Relations Committee.

Forum co-hosts international conference on post-secondary education
From Jan. 14 to 16, 2007, the Forum of Federations organized an international conference on post-secondary education. The conference was held in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. The Forum presented the event in partnership with Human Resources and Social Development Canada.
For more information: International experts discuss higher education at Forum event

Officials from Brazil attend Canadian study tour on fiscal issues
A group of government finance officials from the Fiscal Forum of the Brazilian States took part in a four-day study tour of Canada organized by the Forum of Federations. Starting in Ottawa on Dec. 11, 2006, they learned about Canada's fiscal arrangements, and continued on with a final consultation in Quebec City on Dec. 15.
For more information: Brazilian fiscal federalism study tour

Forum staff present on fiscal federalism in Sudan
Forum President, George Anderson, and its Africa Director, Shawn Houlihan, were key participants in a series of Forum events in Sudan from Nov. 30 to Dec. 2, 2006. Mr. Anderson delivered a presentation on 'Comparative Fiscal Federalism' to Sudan's Panel of Experts of the Fiscal and Financial Allocation and Monitoring Commission. The commission is a body mandated by both the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in Sudan and Sudan's constitution of 2005 to recommend a revenue-sharing formula for transfers from the central to state governments, The Forum officials also held meetings with government, stakeholders and other partner organizations working with the Forum in North and Southern Sudan.

Forum organizes two workshop sessions in Sudan
The Forum organized two workshop sessions in Sudan from Nov. 20 to 28, 2006. The theme of the workshops was 'Dialogue on Federalism: Sudanese and International Experience.' The first workshop was held with central and state government officials, and the second with members of civil society and academics. Both sessions included experts from three of the Forum's partner organizations - Nico Steytler of the Community Law Centre in South Africa, Akhtar Majeed of the Centre for Federalism Studies in India and Isawa Elaigwu of the Institute of Governance and Social Research in Nigeria. Forum President George Anderson also delivered a speech on 'Federalism in the 21st Century' at the University of Khartoum.

Green light for Forum training of academics in Iraq
Iraqi officials have given approval for experts with the Forum to train Iraqi academics on federalism. An 18-person Iraqi delegation including the Kurdish minister of higher education, a representative of the Iraqi Minister of Higher Education, six university presidents as well as deans and professors of law and political science, met with Forum of Federations experts in Amman, Jordan from Nov. 17 to 19 and approved the agreement.

GLOBAL PROGRAMS

Global city region conference held in Johannesburg
A conference on emerging global city regions was held in Johannesburg on April 20, 2007, by the Province of Gauteng, South Africa, and the Forum. Speakers came from Chicago, Toronto, Lagos, Madrid, Mexico City, Delhi, Rio de Janeiro, Sydney, Vienna and Switzerland. Panel discussions focussed on the experiences of cities in developed nations and those in developing nations. The conference was hosted by the Province of Gauteng. Emily van Rijswijck and Millicent Kgowedi reported on the conference on the City of Johannesburg website: http://www.joburg.org.za/2007/apr/apr24_globalcity.stm

International roundtable on local governance held in Johannesburg
The Forum and the Province of Gauteng, South Africa, organized the International Roundtable on Local Government and Metropolitan Regions in Federal Countries, from April 21 to 22, 2007. The roundtable was part of the Global Dialogue on Federalism series, following individual country roundtables on municipal issues in 12 federal countries. Following this event, a book and booklet will be written on local governance in federal countries, highlighting key urban issues facing different federal countries around the world.

The Forum publishes five Global Dialogue books in Spanish
On Mar. 31, 2007, the Forum launched five Global Dialogue booklets in Spanish:

1. Booklet 1 Dià¡logos Sobre Orà­genes, Estructura y Cambios Constitucionales en paà­ses federales edited by Raoul Blindenbacher and Abigail Osten
2. Booklet 2 Dià¡logos Sobre Distribución de facultades y responsabilidades en paà­ses federales edited by Raoul Blindenbacher and Abigail Osten
3. Booklet 3, Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Governance in Federal Countries, edited by Katy Le Roy and Cheryl Saunders as Dià¡logos sobre Gobernabilidad Legislativa, Ejecutiva y Judicial en Paà­ses federales
4. Booklet 4 on fiscal federalism as Dià¡logos sobre la Prà¡tica del federalismo fiscal: Perspectivas comparativas, and
5. Booklet 5 on foreign relations as Dià¡logos sobre las Relaciones exteriores in Paà­ses federales.
   

Publication of Global Dialogue Livret 4: Dialogues sur la pratique du fédéralisme fiscal: perspectives comparatives
On March 1, 2007, the Forum published the French edition of the Global Dialogue Booklet 4 on fiscal federalism. Livret 4: Dialogues sur la pratique du fédéralisme fiscal: perspectives comparatives. It is available from the Forum of Federations.

Pre-conference to International Conference on Federalism held in New Delhi
From Feb. 21 to 23, 2007, the Pre-conference for Fourth International Conference on Federalism 2007 was held in New Delhi. The Government of India and the Forum organized this pre-conference to discuss and review all background papers written for the Fourth International Conference on Federalism and the adopt a distinctive conference methodology for the Indian conference.

Global Dialogue booklet published on foreign relations in federal countries
The fifth booklet in the Global Dialogue series was published on Feb. 2, 2007. Dialogues on Foreign Relations in Federal Countries, edited by Raoul Blindenbacher and Chandra Pasma, looks at foreign relations of constituent units in 12 countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Germany, India, Malaysia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland and the United States.

Book on legislative, executive and judicial governance published
On Dec. 15, 2006, McGill-Queen's University Press published the Forum book, Legislative, Executive and Judicial Governance in Federal Countries, as part of the Global Dialogue series.
For more information: http://mqup.mcgill.ca/book.php?bookid=2029

Country Roundtable meetings on the theme of Local Governments and Metropolitan Regions in Federal Countries held in:

Vienna, Austria on March 15, 2007 with the local partner agency Institute of the Regions in Europe (IRE), based in Salzburg.
For more information: Austrians rethink local government

Mexico City, Mexico on March 6 and 7, with the local partner INAFED, Mexico's institute on federalism and municipal development.

Sydney, Australia on Feb. 9, 2007, with local partner, the University of Technology in Sydney.

Cape Town, South Africa on Feb. 9, 2007, with local partner, the Community Law Centre, University of the Western Cape.
For more information: South African roundtable discusses local governance

Berlin, Germany on Feb 2, 2007, with local partner, the Association of German Cities and Communities (Deutscher Städte- und Gemeindebund).

Madrid, Spain on Jan. 26, 2007, with local partner, the Instituto de Derecho Local.
For more information:
Madrid roundtable discusses local governance

Chicago, USA, on Jan. 18, 2007, with local partner, the Great Cities Institute of the University of Illinois at Chicago.
For more information: Chicago roundtable pinpoints needs of local government

Bern, Switzerland, on Dec. 21, 2006 with local partners, the Conference of Cantonal Governments and the University of Lausanne
For more information: Swiss Global Dialogue roundtable on local government held in Bern

New Delhi, India, on Dec. 9, 2006, with local partner, the Institute for Social Sciences in New Delhi.
For more information: Roundtable on local government in India's federal system

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Dec. 1, 2006, with its local partner, the Institute for Urban Planning, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. For more information: Brazilian Roundtable on Local Governments and Metropolitan Regions

Jos, Nigeria, on Nov. 17, 2006, with the partner Institute of Governance and Social Research. Among the speakers was Forum of Federations President George Anderson.

VISITORS AND HEADQUARTERS ACTIVITIES

Forum Vice President Céline Auclair named to Canadian aboriginal tax commission
On April 30, 2007, Jim Prentice, Canada's Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and non-Status Indians, announced the appointment of Céline Auclair, the Forum's Vice-President for Governance Programs, to the First Nations Tax Commission. The commission's mandate is to support and regulate First Nation property tax regimes to ensure they are administratively efficient, harmonized with property tax regimes across Canada, and fair to on-reserve taxpayers.

Briefing for Russian delegation in Ottawa
On April 25, 2007, the Forum of Federations welcomed a delegation from the Russian Federation to the Forum of Federations. Forum President George Anderson briefed the delegation on the work of the Forum worldwide and gave an overview of federalism in different countries.

Part-time librarian hired
On May 7, 2007, the Forum hired Judith van Berkom as part-time librarian. Judith has worked as a manager of library services and as information specialist for the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, the University of Ottawa Heart Institute and the British Medical Association in London, England. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and certification as a Library and Information Specialist from Algonquin College, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. She speaks English, French and Dutch.

New corporate secretary and executive assistant to the president
The Forum welcomed Angela Fiorin as corporate secretary and executive assistant to the president on April 30, 2007. Angela has worked as the executive assistant to the national president of a Canadian labour union. She also worked as executive assistant to two Members of Parliament in Ottawa, as a researcher for Industry Canada and for two other Canadian ministries. She has a BA in political science and sociology from McGill University in Montreal. She speaks English, French and Italian and has a working knowledge of Spanish.

New webmaster and copy editor
On April 2, 2007, Shannon Elliot joined the Forum as webmaster/copy editor. Ms. Elliot has worked as web and new media co-ordinator for United Way/Centraide Ottawa and for the Canadian Solar Industries Association, and for a number of years as multimedia designer and illustrator. She has a Bachelor of Commerce from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and a diploma in radio and television broadcasting from Seneca College in Toronto. She speaks English and French.

Forum hires new human resources manager
On March 12, 2007, the Forum hired Keely Gregory as human resources manager. Ms. Gregory has a BA in social sciences from the University of Ottawa with a concentration in sociology, a human resources management certificate, and an office administration executive diploma. She has worked for more than six years in human resources in the private and public sectors in Canada. She is a member of the Human Resources Professionals Association of Ontario. She is bilingual in English and French. 

New Program Officer, Africa
On Jan. 27, 2007, Joyce Abarbanel became the Forum's program officer for Africa programs. Ms. Abarbanel has worked in international/community development, peace-building and protection in a variety of conflict and post-conflict settings in Africa. She has worked for the UN, numerous NGOs and government organizations, including UNICEF, the International Rescue Committee, the Centre d'Etude et de Coopération International, and the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. She has a BA in History and Spanish from Carleton University, a Bachelor of Education from the University of Ottawa, a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film Production from Concordia University, and certification in conflict resolution. She is fluent in English and French.

Forum hires Senior Program Manager, North America
On January 24, 2007 the Forum hired David Parks as Senior Program Manager for North America. David has an MA in international development. Before joining the Forum, he developed alternative energy projects in Cuba and also worked with fair trade coffee producers in Central America. His languages are English and Spanish.

Forum hires Program Director, Europe programs
On Jan. 8, 2007, Felix Knuepling became the Forum's program director for European programs. He is the first German staff member of the Forum. A former staff member of the German parliament - the Bundestag - he worked as a senior staffer in the office of a member of the Foreign Affairs committee for six years. Previously, he worked at the International Secretariat of the Parliamentary Assembly of NATO in Brussels. He also worked as a journalist for the German-Polish Quarterly DIALOG. Felix holds a Master's Degree in Political Science from Free University of Berlin and a B.A. in International Relations from University of Kent (Canterbury). He is fluent in German and English.

Forum hosts roundtable discussion on Sri Lanka
The Forum of Federations organized a roundtable discussion on Sri Lanka on January 8, 2007. Participants included David Cameron, Glen Hodgins, Joanne Poirier, Bob Rae, Valerie Raymond, Richard Simeon, and Ron Watts. The group was joined by Forum staff to discuss the current situation in Sri Lanka as well as to explore ways for the Forum's continued involvement in the country.

Ethiopia becomes eighth partner country of the Forum
On Dec. 8, 2006 at a ceremony in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia became the eighth partner government of the Forum of Federations.
For more information: Ethiopia becomes eighth partner country of the Forum

Forum hires program officer for Asia-Pacific
On Nov 26, 2006, Irina Shmakova joined the Forum as program officer for Asia-Pacific programs. Ms Shmakova previously worked on peacebuilding and democratic governance issues for Canadian and international organizations including the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre, the OSCE Mission to Serbia and the OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission to Montenegro. She holds master's degrees in international affairs from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University in Ottawa and international relations from Central European University, Budapest as well as a Degree in Oriental Studies from Saint-Petersburg State University, Russia. She speaks English, Russian, French and Hindi.

Chandra Pasma becomes program manager for Global Dialogue
On Nov. 3, 2006, Chandra Pasma became the Forum's Program Manager, Global Dialogue. Ms. Pasma has an MA in French from Bowling Green State University and an MA in political science from Carleton University. She has lived in the U.S., France and Canada. Before joining the Forum, she worked in Canadian politics. She is fluent in English and French, and speaks some Spanish. She is, taking over from Abigail Ostien Karos who is on a one-year leave.

COMING FORUM EVENTS

May 7, 2007 - Ottawa, Canada
Briefing on migration issues: European experts will brief Canadian practitioners on migration issues

May 14, 2007 - Ottawa, Canada
Address by Joschka Fischer, former German foreign minister. Co-organized by the German Embassy, Ottawa

May 16, 2007 - Ottawa, Canada
Address on 'From Devolution to Independence? The May 2007 Scottish Election ' by Prof. Charlie Jeffery, University of Birmingham, UK

June 3-5, 2007 - Kalatura North, Sri Lanka
Workshop to create a Tamil/Sinhala lexicon on power sharing

May 31 - June 7, 2007 - Shillong and Nanital, India
Federalism Roundtables: Series I

June 7-8, 2007 - Kalatura North, Sri Lanka
2nd workshop on Power-sharing Options for Sri Lanka and the Federal Idea

June 18 - July 5, 2007
Federalism training for Iraqi academic partners, first session

July 20 - July 26, 2007 (tentative) - Pune and Mysore, India
Federalism Roundtables: Series II

Nov. 8-10, 2007 - New Delhi, India
Fourth International Conference on Federalism. Partner: Government of India