May 2015 - Page 2 of 3 - Global Foundation for Democracy and Development

Monthly Archives: May 2015

GFDD on Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability: “Natural environments and communities are essential elements for businesses interested in creating successful sustainable strategies”
Promoting sustainable development as well as encouraging exchange for collaboration and progress is an essential part of GFDD’s institutional mission. As part of this mission, the Foundation supports Dominican Week, organized each year by the American Chamber of Commerce in the Dominican Republic (AMCHAMDR). Now in its 23rd year, GFDD has jointly organized two events. The first, which was held on May 12th at GFDD offices in Washington DC, promoted the goal of establishing networks
and fostering partnerships among talented young representatives from international and governmental organizations, universities, private companies, and non-governmental organizations, as well as top Dominican business leaders.

Building Networks and Promoting Alliances between Young Dominican Professionals in the United States and Dominican Businesses
Dozens of young Dominican professionals living in the United States, Dominican businesspeople, and representatives from governmental, private, and non-governmental sectors gathered yesterday at the event, organized by the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) and the American Chamber of Commerce in the Dominican Republic (AMCHAMDR), as part of Dominican Week XXIII. The lively gathering, held at the GFDD office in Washington D.C., was the perfect atmosphere for
networking and promoting partnerships among these talented young representatives of international and governmental organizations, universities, private companies, non-governmental organizations, and the Dominican entrepreneurs who are part of the delegation currently visiting the United States for Dominican Week 2015.

GFDD/Funglode to Discuss the Importance of Putting People and Planet First at UN Panel Discussion
GFDD & Funglode in partnership with the NGO Committees on Financing for Development and Social Development will hold a panel discussion entitled Do we have the Courage to Put People and Planet First? The Challenges of Financing for Development during the Intergovernmental Negotiations on the Post-20I5 Development Agenda.

Creating and Developing Concepts for Short Documentaries
The goal of the workshop, “Creating and Developing Concepts for Short Documentaries” for young filmmakers and potential competitors of the fourth edition of the Globo Verde Dominicano competition, seeks to encourage students and professionals to create audiovisual material capable of generating awareness around the importance of environmental conservation and sustainable development.

“Bosch, Aristide, and the United States”, an article by Dr. Leonel Fernández
Surprisingly—and without anyone apparently having noticed before—striking similarities exist between the political careers of Juan Bosch and Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Bosch, for example, was chosen in December 1962 as the first democratically elected Dominican president, with more than 60 percent of the vote, following the 30-year dictatorship of Rafael Leónidas Trujillo.

Upcoming Environmental Film Screenings at UNIBE University
Public screenings of Lago Enriquillo… Prelude to Climate Change; Last Call; Planet Ocean; and the GFDD production Garbage or Resource: A Dominican Republic Experience will take place at UNIBE University during the first week of June. The screenings are part of the year-round Environmental Film Screenings Program, and take place during the 2015 Semana del Ambiente of UNIBE.

GFDD supports CoNGO President’s Statement: NGOs with the UN “Building a Better Future for Human Kind”
The Conference of NGOs in consultative relationship with the United Nations (CoNGO) and the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) partnered on May 7th to hold a commemorative panel discussion celebrating the 70th Anniversary of the United Nations before a packed auditorium in the General Assembly Building. The participants included Ambassador Martin Sajdik of the Permanent Mission of Austria to the UN and President of the UN Ecomomic and Social Council, Navid Hanif,
Director of the Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, Elizabeth Benham, Past-President of the International Federation of Business and Professional Women and Marc Jourdan, GFDD’s UN Representative. President of CoNGO, Cyril Ritchie, moderated the event stressing how civil society and the UN were “together building a better future for human kind”.

GFDD/Funglode and SBS Agreement Finalized, New Films to be Made in the DR
Dr. Leonel Fernández, the president of GFDD/Funglode and former President of the Dominican Republic, oversaw an inter-agency partnership with the Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS) to produce and market a series of films through the Dominican film industry.

GFDD/Funglode Stand Sees over 6,500 Visitors During Passport D.C. 2015
Over 6,500 people enjoyed a day full of Dominican flavor on Saturday at Passport DC, an annual event in Washington D.C. in which foreign embassies open their doors to the public. Visitors at the Dominican Embassy on 22nd Street not only danced merengue and bachata and snacked on Dominican tapas, they also learned about GFDD/Funglode’s various projects and programs and took home many of the foundations’ products and publications.

Despite Accumulated Progress, Education Faces Challenges due to Disparities
This was one of the reflections arrived upon at a meeting following the presentation of the UNESCO report, “Education for Everyone: 2000-2015. Achievements and Challenges,” held at Funglode, with Miguel Llivina, a UNESCO official, and Virginia Wall, Funglode’s representative to ECOSOC.