Social Watch

Social Watch
Founded 1995
Focus Poverty, social inequality, racism, gender justice
Location
Product Research, Reporting
Website http://www.socialwatch.org/

Social Watch is a transnational alternative policy group and network of citizens organizations that disseminates analyses, reports and information tools oriented towards the enhancement of social and gender justice, peace and ecological sustainability.[1][2] Established in 1995, its secretariat and coordinating personnel is hosted by the Third World Institute, whose international seat is based in Montevideo, Uruguay.[3][4]

Adopting a critical-liberal stance, Social Watch is focused on four broad goals:

  1. the eradication of poverty and the causes of poverty,
  2. an end to all forms of discrimination and racism,
  3. an equitable distribution of wealth, and
  4. the realization of human rights, emphasizing ‘the right of all people not to be poor’.[1]

On these fronts, Social Watch engages both United Nations-sponsored and related intergovernmental initiatives that address global governance issues, as well as simultaneously coordinating a vast network of grassroots activist—so-called ‘Watchers’ (over 80 in both North and South)--that monitor compliance with international covenants.[5]

The practice of ‘Watching,’ involves documenting and reporting on events, or failures to act (a kind of alternative journalism), thereby raising awareness and consciousness and holding governments and intergovernmental organizations to account in honoring their commitments. News concerning noncompliance generated by Watchers in various countries (who exercise democratic control over knowledge production[6]) is regularly updated on the Social Watch website. Each year, reports from the Watchers are also condensed and compiled into an overall Social Watch Report, which is widely distributed in intergovernmental and non-governmental organization circles, as well as back to the various grassroots communities of Watchers.

Publications

In 2011, Social Watch released the Basic Capabilities Index, a report on global development and human well-being.[7]

In 2012, it published its most recent Gender Equity Index, one of the measures of gender equality.[8]

In 2014, it published its annual Report, "Means and Ends."[9]

References

  1. 1 2 "What do we do?". Social Watch. 2009-11-22. Retrieved 2015-03-05.
  2. ↑ Carroll, William. 2015. "Modes of Cognitive Praxis in Transnational Alternative Policy Groups". Globalizations, 1-18. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14747731.2014.1001231
  3. ↑ Helmut K. Anheier; Stefan Toepler (24 November 2009). International Encyclopedia of Civil Society. Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 1458–1459. ISBN 978-0-387-93996-4.
  4. ↑ "Social Watch" (PDF). Un.org. Retrieved 2015-03-05.
  5. ↑ Carroll, William. 2015. "Modes of Cognitive Praxis in Transnational Alternative Policy Groups". Globalizations. 1-18. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14747731.2014.1001231
  6. ↑ "About us". Social Watch. Retrieved 2015-03-05.
  7. ↑ "Social Watch Launches Basic Capabilities Index (BCI) - United Nations - Non-governmental Liaison Service". Un-ngls.org. Retrieved 2015-03-05.
  8. ↑ Fernández-Sáez, J; Ruiz-Cantero, MT; Guijarro-Garví, M; Carrasco-Portiño, M; Roca-Pérez, V; Chilet-Rosell, E; Álvarez-Dardet, C (2013). "Looking twice at the gender equity index for public health impact". BMC Public Health. Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. 13: 659. PMC 3751633 Freely accessible. PMID 23855520. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-13-659.
  9. ↑ "Social Watch Report 2014" (PDF). Socialwatch.org. Retrieved 2015-03-05.
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