Friday, October 30 2009

Civil Society groups are requesting greater intervention into the organisation of Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) which will be hosted on November 27 to 29.

Hazel Brown, Coordinator of the Network of (NGO’s) and Advancement of Women said the groups have raised concerns about arrangements made for the input of civil society. The Press conference yesterday was held at the Professional Centre, FitzBlackman Drive, Woodbrook. Brown said their demand was for inclusion in the decision making and management of the People’s Space, and enough space and time for all.

She said the civil society organisations were collaborating to ensure they are able to have the required space and facilities, “allocated to them” at the People’s Space in the Queen’s Park Savannah, from November 23-29 along with the programme to showcase the talent and culture in the country.

Brown said the ownership of the space does not belong to Government but Civil Society who represents the people.

“It is clear we need more space and less Government intervention. We must have that space, that is the People’s Space and we are not going to allow somebody else to say what is in and what is out, and who is in and who is out.”

She said responding to a recent call by the National Secretariat for proposals, 34 Civil Society organisations presented 50 proposals for workshops, which will cover eight themes of the Commonwealth People’s Forum. She said some of the workshops will include gender, health & HIV/Aids, commonwealth and human rights.

She said the organisers were failing to include civil society in the Peoples Space and wanted to let them know that they were alive and well “It is very possible that they can come and pick out their favourite ones and put them there. We have seen it before that is a possibility and what we have to do is guard against that and see what we are going to do about it,” she said.