key words index > social and citizen movement > recommended sites

Choike

Choike, a project of the Third World Institute is a portal dedicated to improving the visibility of the work done by NGOs and social movements from the South. The website holds a vast NGO directory, searchable by issue, a selection of materials produced by these NGOs and a number of in-depth reports/dossiers on key issues.

CIVICUS

CIVICUS (World Alliance for Citizen Participation) is an international alliance of over 1000 members from 105 countries that has worked for over a decade to strengthen citizen action and civil society throughout the world, especially in areas where participatory democracy and citizens’ freedom of association are threatened.
Its website hosts the CIVICUS Civil Society Index (CSI): an action-research project that aims to assess the state of civil society in countries around the world, with a view to creating a knowledge base and an impetus for civil society strengthening initiatives.

América Latina en Movimiento

ALAI is a communications organization committed to the full respect of human rights, gender equality and people’s participation in development and policy making in Latin America and views the struggle for the democratisation of communication as a basic prerequisite for democratic society and social justice. The agency offers resources and information services, produces publications, including the monthly magazine America Latina en movimiento, and helps to coordinate and network groups.
Its website, also available in Portuguese and Spanish, has news updates, a FTAA Watch, articles on the WSF and details of the women’s programme. See also the site movimientos.org, a web community of social movements in Latin America that it has contributed to.

Social Watch

Social Watch is an international watchdog citizens’ network on poverty eradication and gender equality. It coordinates the reporting by national citizens’ groups on the current social progress in that country with the aim of following up the fulfilment of internationally agreed commitments. In addition to its Annual Report, Social Watch produces reports based on the commitments enshrined in the World Summit for Social Development and the critical areas of concern of the Bejing Platform for Action.
In addition to the group’s Annual Report (supported by world trend statistics, presented in a number of forms), the website holds annual reports on some 60 individual country’s social progress and setbacks, produced with the help of Citizen’s Groups in the country. Reports and publications can also be searched by “commitment”. Website also available in Spanish.

ATTAC (Association pour une taxation des transactions financières pour l’aide aux citoyens)

The International ATTAC Movement – “international movement for democratic control of financial markets and their institutions” - promotes economic reforms meant to tame the devastating power of the financial markets, and to favour democratic, transparent economic structures that serve the needs of ordinary people.
From the international site it is possible to access details of national groups, as well as a database of press releases from the entire network. Individual ATTAC sites often contain publications and news releases, although site maintenance and groups’ activeness varies between countries.

Common Dreams News Center

Common Dreams is an eclectic mix of politics, issues and breaking news with an emphasis on progressive perspectives that are increasingly hard to find. It supports the Progressive NewsWire, which brings the press releases and the statements from America’s progressive community.