Alliance Guinea

Latest violence in Guinea: The worst kind of déjà vu

Mambi Magassouba — Mon, 06 May 2013 11:52:51 +0000

And once again, shots were fired in Conakry. This happened during the most recent marched organised by the opposition in the Guinean capital. Five young people lost their lives – five too many, not counting the wounded and the material damages. This sounds awfully familiar!

It is hard to ignore the string of grim incidents that Guinean citizens have had to endure over the course of the past years. And yet, Guineans had started to see a light at the end of the tunnel in the aftermath of the first presidential election that saw President Alpha Condé take up office and begin to believe again in a better future.

Following the horrible massacre on 28^th September 2009, many members of the Guinean political class, amongst them Professor Condé himself, stepped up and loudly voiced their indignation and managing even to bring the case to the attention of the International Court of Justice.

This makes us wonder why today, despite having the bodies of five young activists lying at the morgues of Donka and Ignas Deen, waiting to be carried off to the nearest cemetery, the very voices that used to seek justice cannot be heard, not even to simply establish the facts surrounding these incidents.

To the extent that most Guineans condemn the human rights abuses committed by the previous regimes, should those most recent abuses not be be condemned all the more firmly? Under no circumstance can it be acceptable that a member of the police or other security forces in a self-professed democracy opens fire on unarmed demonstrators. These acts have to be condemned as strongly as possible and those responsible must be identified and brought to justice. Equally as important, solutions must be found to avoid similar abuses in the future.

It is unacceptable that people, especially those so young, lose their lives under such circumstances. Therefore to prevent such incidents from becoming accepted as commonplace, the problems ought to be addressed at their roots. Given the considerable experience that all the actors in the Guinean political scene bring to the table, it is time to expect from them a better outcome to the current crisis.

MAGASSOUBA Mambi

Alliance Guinea

Latest violence in Guinea: The worst kind of déjà vu is a post from: Alliance Guinea

Déclaration Alliance Guinea sur la crise politique et sociale

Mohamed — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 18:57:17 +0000

A Monsieur le Président de la République, A Monsieur le Président de la CENI, A Monsieur le Ministre de Droits de l’Homme et des libertés fondamentales, Aux leaders de l’opposition, Aux acteurs de la société civile guinéenne, Aux Guinéen(ne)s : La crise guinéenne est aussi bien politique que sociale car dans la vie d’une nation on ne saurait séparer le politique du social. C’est eu égard à cet état de fait que nous nous adressons aux personnalités ci-haut citées. Préoccupés par la situation vécue en Guinée la semaine dernière, l’ensemble des membres de l’ONG Alliance Guinea condamne fermement les exactions commises à l’encontre des populations et déplorent les pertes en vies humaines et les dégâts matériels qui en ont résulté. De même, nous demandons à tous les Guinéens de se ressaisir et de recourir à la justice plutôt qu’à la violence, car dans un pays de droit nul ne peut se faire justice. Il incombe à la justice d’assumer ses responsabilités conformément à la loi en vigueur. D’où la nécessité absolue de respecter l’indépendance du pouvoir judiciaire sans laquelle il ne peut y avoir d’Etat de droit. Monsieur le Président de la République, vous avez l’obligation de protéger les citoyens et leurs biens, ainsi que de montrer l’exemple en matière de respect de la loi, ce, en vertu de votre statut de chef d’État et de président de tous le Guinéens. Monsieur le Président de la CENI, le vote constitue un droit sacré des citoyens dans une démocratie et, donc, doit être traité comme tel. A cet égard, fixer la date des élections législatives sans avoir conclu un accord avec les acteurs politiques de l’opposition serait de violer ce droit et vouer lesdites élections à l’échec. D’autant plus que la phase la plus importante, c’est l’acceptation des résultats par tous les acteurs politiques. Ce qui pourrait être impossible sans l’engagement des leaders de l’opposition. Messieurs les Présidents de la République et de la CENI, pour avoir longtemps vécu à l’extérieur de la Guinée, vous savez apprécier à sa juste valeur la contribution tant sociale qu’économique des Guinéens de l’étranger au bien-être du pays. En conséquence, vous devez tout aussi savoir à quel point ces compatriotes tiennent à participer démocratiquement à la vie politique de la nation. Nul n’est censé ignorer que la diaspora guinéenne s’est toujours mobilisée à des moments difficiles pour dénoncer les maux dont souffre ce peuple de Guinée. Sous la neige ou la pluie, dans le froid ou la chaleur, elle a organisé des marches de protestation dans le monde entier pour sensibiliser l’opinion publique internationale sur la crise guinéenne. Cette diaspora, qui a en son sein des militants de l’opposition et de la mouvance présidentielle, s’était battue pour le retour à l’ordre constitutionnel. Empêcher ces milliers de citoyens de voter est une violation flagrante de leur droit civique et politique primordial. Implicitement cela les exclut de participer à la construction de la démocratie en Guinée. Monsieur le Ministre des Droits de l’Homme et des libertés fondamentales, les Guinéens vous ont vu aux côtés des marcheurs et nous apprécions votre travail à sa juste valeur. Dans les précédentes marches organisées par l’opposition, des zones comme le siège du RPG à Hamdallaye-Concasseur ainsi que la Casse et la SIG à Madina sont devenues des zones à haut risque d’affrontement. Il est important qu’au cours des prochaines marches que vous augmentiez le dispositif de sécurité à ces endroits en collaboration avec le Ministère de la Sécurité, tout en conviant les leaders de l’opposition à former et sensibiliser leurs propres encadreurs. Messieurs et Mesdames les leaders de l’opposition, la Constitution de la République garantit à vos partis le droit d’organiser des marches militantes conformément aux lois et règlements en vigueur. Toutefois, cette Constitution et les lois qui en découlent vous rendent responsables de la préparation civique de vos militants en vue d’éviter le vandalisme et toute autre forme de violation de la loi. Nous vous invitons de continuer à tenir des discours constructifs et patriotiques, et à aider à la promotion de l’unité nationale à travers le maintien de la paix et la quiétude sociale. Acteurs de la société civile, nous vous demandons de prendre vos responsabilités pour défendre la bonne cause. Une société civile doit afficher sa neutralité pour pérenniser la démocratie et lutter contre toute forme de violation des droits du citoyen. En ce moment de crise, nous vous invitons à contribuer d’avantage à l’apaisement des tensions communautaires. Guinéennes et Guinéens, Les communautés qui composent la Guinée d’aujourd’hui ont généralement cohabité dans la solidarité et entretenu des échanges fructueux au cours des siècles, tout en respectant leur diversité identitaire. Aujourd’hui encore, les victimes des violences politiques et des affrontements communautaires n’en demeurent pas moins guinéens pour avoir appartenu à l’opposition ou à la mouvance présidentielle. La dégradation actuelle du tissu social de la nation guinéenne ne pourrait être arrêtée sans une prise de conscience individuelle et collective. Les leaders politiques changent au gré du temps et des événements, mais la nation demeure. Que chaque Guinéen(ne) exige de son dirigeant un esprit et un comportement constructif, un discours patriotique et des actions citoyennes. Que Dieu bénisse le peuple de la Guinée.

Déclaration Alliance Guinea sur la crise politique et sociale is a post from: Alliance Guinea

Alliance Guinea Declaration on the Political and Social Crisis

Mohamed — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 18:06:56 +0000

To the President of the Republic,

To the President of the CENI,

To the Minister of Human Rights and Public Freedom,

To the Leaders of the Opposition,

To Guinean civil society actors,

To Guineans:

The Guinean crisis is political as well as social because in the life of a nation, political aspects cannot be separated from social aspects. It is with this fact in mind that we address the people indicated above.

Troubled by the events in Guinea last week, the members of the NGO Alliance Guinea firmly condemn the violence committed against the population and deplore the loss of life and the property damage that resulted.

Thus, we call on all Guineans to regroup and to seek justice rather than violence, because in a law-abiding country justice is not meted out by individuals. It is up to the legal system to fulfill its responsibilities according to the law. Hence the absolute need to respect the independence of the legal system without which there can be no rule of law.

Dear President of the Republic, you have the obligation to protect citizens and their belongings, as well as to set the example in terms of respecting the law, by virtue of your status as leader of the country and President of all Guineans.

Dear President of the CENI, voting constitutes a sacred right of the citizens of a democracy and thus must be treated as such. In this regard, setting the date of the legislative elections without having reached an agreement with the political actors of the opposition would violate this right and doom these elections to failure especially since the most important phase is the acceptance of results by all political actors.

Dear Presidents of the Republic and of the CENI, having lived for a long time outside of Guinea, you can appreciate the real value of the social as well as economic contribution of Guineans living abroad to the well-being of the country. Consequently, you should also know how strongly our compatriots want to democratically participate in the political life of the nation.

No one ignores that the Guinean diaspora has always mobilized at difficult times to denounce the troubles the nation suffers from. In the snow or the rain, in cold or heat, the diaspora has organized protests throughout the world to raise awareness in the international community about the Guinean crisis. This diaspora, who counts among its members both supporters of the opposition and presidential supporters, has fought for the return to constitutional order. Preventing these thousands of citizens from voting is a blatant violation of the civil and political rights essential to participate in the construction of democracy in Guinea.

Dear Minister of Human Rights and Public Freedom, Guineans saw you alongside protesters and we appreciate your work for its true value. In previous marches organized by the opposition, areas like the seat of the RPG in Hamdallaye-Concasseur as well as the Casse and the SIG in Madina have become areas of high risk of confrontation. It is important that during future marches you increase the level of safety in these areas in collaboration with the Ministry of Security, while inviting the leaders of the opposition to train and educate their own trainers.

Dear opposition leaders, the Constitution of the Republic guarantees your parties the right to organize protest marches conforming to the laws and rules in force. Nevertheless, this Constitution and its resulting laws make you responsible for the civic preparation of your activists in order to prevent vandalism and other forms of violation of the law. We invite you to make constructive and patriotic speeches, and to help the promotion of national unity by maintaining peace and social tranquility.

Dear civil society actors, we ask that you assume your responsibilities to defend the cause. Civil society must demonstrate neutrality to sustain democracy and fight against the violation of citizen’s rights. In this time of crisis, we invite you to contribute more to calming community tensions.

Dear Guineans, the communities that make up the Guinea of today have generally coexisted in solidarity and maintained fruitful exchanges throughout the centuries, while respecting their diverse identities. Today still, the victims of political violence and community clashes remain no less Guinean for having belonged to the opposition or the presidential party. The current deterioration of the social fabric of the Guinean nation cannot be stopped without a realization of the individual and the community. Political leaders will change over time and events, but the nation remains. Every Guinean demands from its leaders a constructive mind and behavior, patriotic discourse and civic action.

God bless the people of Guinea.

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Alliance Guinea is a non-governmental, nonpartisan organization founded in 2009 in order to promote democracy, human rights, and unity in Guinea. Our unique worldwide forum is composed of Guineans and friends of Guinea of all nationalities and ethnicities united in their dedication to this mission. With headquarters in New York and Conakry, our approach is to share information and promote powerful citizen action across national and international networks, using new media and traditional values of respect for the common good. Anyone sharing our values and motivation is encouraged to join us as a member of Alliance Guinea. To learn more, please visit www.allianceguinea.org and http://www.facebook.com/groups/allianceguinea/.

Alliance Guinea Declaration on the Political and Social Crisis is a post from: Alliance Guinea

Let Guinea’s Girls Be Girls, Not Brides

Alliance Guinea — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 21:12:56 +0000

On December 19, 2011, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution to declare October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child, to recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world.

This year’s day will focus on child marriage, which is a fundamental human rights violation and impacts all aspects of a girl’s life. Child marriage denies a girl her childhood, disrupts her education, limits her opportunities, increases her risk of violence and abuse, and jeopardizes her health.

According to UNICEF, globally, more than one in three young women aged 20-24 years were first married before they reached age 18. However, 63% of Guinea’s girls were brides before 18, the fifth highest prevalence of child marriage in the world. The practice affects all girls in Guinea regardless of region, ethnic group, and economic standing.

By getting married as a child, Guinea’s girls have fewer opportunities to realize their potential. This does only rob girls of their rights, but the nation from realizing its full potential.

The good news is that a movement to end child marriage is already underway in Guinea. To date, over 500 villages across all four natural regions of Guinea have already made commitments to fully abandon child marriage, following years of grassroots education, dialogue and community-led mobilization for social change.

On this the first International Day of the Girl Child, we call on citizens of Guinea to speak out on child marriage in their communities and through the media and Internet. We call on religious leaders to take a stand for the rights of girls. The Government of Guinea must redouble its efforts to end child marriage. We call on politicians planning to run for parliament to make girls’ issues national issue and create an enabling environment for change to occur. Finally, we call on the Government, civil society, NGOs and the UN system to support communities in abandoning this harmful practice.

Together, Guinea can end child marriage in this generation and further the cause of human rights.

For more information:

The UN: http://www.un.org/en/events/girlchild/

Girls Not Brides: http://girlsnotbrides.org/

Tostan: http://www.tostan.org

Let Guinea’s Girls Be Girls, Not Brides is a post from: Alliance Guinea

L’ANNIVERSAIRE DU 28 SEPTEMBRE, JOURNEE BOUSSOLE POUR LA LIBERTE ET LA JUSTICE EN GUINEE

Alliance Guinea — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 14:48:15 +0000

Sorry, this entry is only available in Français. L’ANNIVERSAIRE DU 28 SEPTEMBRE, JOURNEE BOUSSOLE POUR LA LIBERTE ET LA JUSTICE EN GUINEE is a post from: Alliance Guinea

L’ANNIVERSAIRE DU 28 SEPTEMBRE, JOURNEE BOUSSOLE POUR LA LIBERTE ET LA JUSTICE EN GUINEE is a post from: Alliance Guinea

ALLIANCE GUINEA CONDEMNS THE INTERCOMMUNITY VIOLENCE IN GUINEA AND INVITES ALL GUINEAN CITIZENS TO RETURN TO CALM AND RESTRAINT

Alliance Guinea — Sun, 23 Sep 2012 22:56:22 +0000

For immediate and wide release

September 23, 2012 – Conakry and New York

The communal violence that erupted in Conakry on September 21, 2012 following a political demonstration demands attention from all Guineans both inside and outside the country as well as from the international community. These incidents have caused death and serious material damage and are all the more grave given their ethnic character that is opposing people who have been living side by side for generations. Alliance Guinea condemns these regrettable events. Instead of being belligerent or vengeful, we invite people to take a step back and renounce this violence that serves the interest of no person or community, nor of the nation as a whole.

In rejecting the cycle of violence, Alliance Guinea invites all citizens to promote dialogue to maintain peace. After 54 years of independence, Guinea should instead find recourse in peaceful and legal means. Republican institutions must play their role to ensure security and render justice. Finally, political, religious and opinion leaders must take responsibility to ensure that there are no more deaths in the name of defending the fledgling democracy in Guinea.

For more information contact:

Ousmane Ibrahima Bah, Country Director, Alliance Guinea – Conakry: ousmane [at] allianceguinea [dot] org

Jennifer Swift-Morgan, President, Alliance Guinea: jen [at] allianceguinea [dot] org

***

Alliance Guinea is a non-governmental, nonpartisan organization founded in 2009 in order to promote democracy, human rights, and unity in Guinea. Our unique worldwide forum is composed of Guineans and friends of Guinea of all nationalities and ethnicities united in their dedication to this mission. With headquarters in New York and Conakry, our approach is to share information and promote powerful citizen action across national and international networks, using new media and traditional values of respect for the common good. Anyone sharing our values and motivation is encouraged to join us as a member of Alliance Guinea. To learn more, please visit www.allianceguinea.org and http://www.facebook.com/groups/allianceguinea/.

ALLIANCE GUINEA CONDEMNS THE INTERCOMMUNITY VIOLENCE IN GUINEA AND INVITES ALL GUINEAN CITIZENS TO RETURN TO CALM AND RESTRAINT is a post from: Alliance Guinea

1st Symposium of the Guinean Youth Diaspora of North America

meghan — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 17:49:50 +0000

1st Symposium of the Guinean Youth Diaspora – JULY 14TH, 2012

Under the leadership of the Organization of the North American Symposium on Guinea (ONASG), members of the Guinean youth diaspora of North American held their first successful symposium July 14th, 2012 at the Holiday Inn and Suites Chicago O’Hare, Illinois, USA on the theme “Guinean Youth and Development. The Chicago symposium was attended by hundreds of participants of young Guineans from Canada, France and several other states and cities across the U.S. Supporters from Senegal, Ivory Coast and Democratic Republic of Congo also came to the meeting to express their pan-African solidarity.

In his short welcome speech, Dr. Mohamed Saliou Camara, initiator of ONASG and co-organizer of the symposium thanked the Chicago Guinean community, the host city, for rallying to provide this important forum a success worthy of the “Windy City” and the dynamic Guinean diasporas. He then paid tribute to the Guinean youth Diasporas for having understood that in its capacity of hope for the Guinean nation, we can only prepare for the future of Guinea by overcoming the ethnic and political divisions, and to concentrate on the making of a prosperous, and united democratic Guinean nation.

There also were three panels presented by Guinean professionals on subjects relevant to Guinean society in the U.S. and abroad as i.e. education, employment among the youth, leadership, health and citizen interest. Additionally, a round table discussion led by NGO’s allowed them to promote their organization’s missions and objectives. The first symposium was a success in many ways as it created a stronger alliance between Guineans in the U.S. and abroad. It also displayed its commitment to the development of citizen action and national unity in Guinea.

The first symposium of the Guinean Youth of the Diaspora has been organized by :

Dr.Mohamed Saliou Camara, Professeur at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and initiator of (ONASG) The Organization of the North American Symposium on Guinea ;
Mr. Oumar Telly Diallo, host of « La Voix de la Jeunees Africaine » (Voice of African Youth Show) on Guineeview and a founding member of the ONASG ;
Mr. Mamadou Safa Tounkara, computer specialist/engineer at AT&T, host of the radio show « La Liasion » on Guineeview and founding member of the ONASG ;
Ms. Adama Hawa Diallo, Accountant in New York City and founding member of the ONASG

To learn more about this meeting and its outcomes, the English translation of the symposium report here.

1st Symposium of the Guinean Youth Diaspora of North America is a post from: Alliance Guinea

M. Alexander Laskaris, personne nommée pour l’ambassadeur en République de Guinée

meghan — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 23:15:56 +0000

La commission des affaires étrangères du sénat américain – Washington DC
Le 12 juillet 2012

M. Alexander Laskaris, personne nommée pour l’ambassadeur en République de Guinée a présenté récemment son témoignage a son audition devant la commission des affaires étrangères du sénat américain.
Il a bien exprimé son enthousiasme et son grand intérêt pour la République de Guinée. En plus, il a mis l’accent sur les défis de la croissance économique et de la croissance sociale. Celles-ci qui ont empêché le développement de la societé guinéenne. Les premières élections présidentielles démocratiques ont été accompli de facon juste, et libre. Enfin, les 50 ans du gouvernement autoritaire se sont terminés. Laskaris constate la nécessité d’organiser les élections législatives pour éviter le retour du gouvernement autoritaire. Il exprime l’importance de ces élections afin de faire une transition démocratique. Si M.Laskaris devient ambassadeur en Guinée, il veut aider à organiser les élections législatives et transparentes pour le peuple guinéen. En outre, il veut que les états-unis souviennent le gouvernement guinéen, sa média et sa societé civile pour la progression sociale.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee – Washington D.C.
07-12-2012
Alexander Laskaris, nominee for Ambassador to the Republic of Guinea,
recently gave testimony at his nomination hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
He expressed his enthusiasm and great interest for Guinea. He also highlighted the social and economic challenges that have prevented
development in Guinea. In 2010, Guinea’s first, fair and free democratic presidential elections ended the 50 year dictatorial rule. Laskaris sees the imminent need for legislative elections in order to avoid a return to authoritarian rule.
He stresses the importance of holding legislative elections in order to make a complete transition to a fully functioning democracy. If Laskaris is confirmed as Ambassador, his primary focus will be helping Guinea elect a legislative body. Furthermore, he wants the U.S. to be the architect of democracy in Guinea, and support all branches of government, free media and civil society for the advancement of Guinean society.

M. Alexander Laskaris, personne nommée pour l’ambassadeur en République de Guinée is a post from: Alliance Guinea

Appel aux candidats pour l’élection des administrateurs -Alliance Guinea

Alliance Guinea — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 19:35:22 +0000

(English below)

Chers amis,

C’est le moment de l’année où l’Alliance Guinea est tenue par nos règlements administratifs et nos valeurs d’élire à nouveau les membres exécutifs de notre comité de pilotage et de notre conseil d’administration. Si vous êtes attiré par notre mission de promouvoir la démocratie, les droits humains et l’unité en Guinée par l’intermédiaire d’une communauté de Guinéens et d’amis de la Guinée à travers le monde, nous vous invitons à participer. Depuis sa fondation il y a deux ans et demi suite au massacre du 28 septembre, 2009, notre petite organisation de gens ordinaires a été en mesure de réaliser des choses extraordinaires, tout comme la Guinée elle-même. Et comme la Guinée, il nous reste encore énormément de choses à accomplir. Nous avons une enthousiasmante liste d’activités prévues pour l’année à venir (consultez le lien www.allianceguinea.org à la fin de ce message pour plus d’informations) et nous avons besoin de vous pour tout réaliser !

Si vous êtes intéressé par un des postes décrits ci-dessous, veuillez nous envoyer un e-mail à info@allianceguinea.org et nous prévoirons un appel pour en discuter davantage. N’hésitez pas également de transmettre ce message à vos connaissances qui pourraient être intéressées. Où que vous habitiez dans le monde, vous remplissez les conditions requises pour la plupart de nos positions tant que vous parlez français ou anglais (de préférence, les deux). Selon nos règlements administratifs, les personnes publiquement affiliées à un parti politique guinéen ne sont pas autorisées à servir en tant que membre du comité pilotage ou de la direction d’Alliance Guinea; toutefois, nous encourageons tout partisan ou sympathisant d’un parti politique à participer aux activités. Les directeurs du conseil d’administration et les membres du comité de pilotage ne sont pas rémunérés.

Et pour ceux d’entre vous voulant tout simplement en apprendre davantage sur l’Alliance et comment participer aux activités actionnées par nos membres en général, restez à l’écoute pour une conférence téléphonique ouverte à tout membre de l’« Assemblée générale », prévu pour juillet.

Nous vous remercions de votre considération et de votre solidarité !

Le comité pilotage d’Alliance Guinea

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Facebook: allianceguinea | Twitter: @allianceguinea | www.allianceguinea.org

Une communauté mondiale pour la démocratie, les droits de l’homme et l’unité en Guinée.

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Renouvellement des membres du comité de pilotage et du conseil d’administration d’Alliance Guinea

Postes exécutifs du comité du pilotage : cette année, nous sommes à la recherche en particulier d’un nouveau trésorier – quelqu’un avec une expérience dans le domaine de la gestion financière qui peut aider à diriger notre budget en plein essor et à promouvoir de bonnes pratiques comptables. Comme chaque année, les postes de président, secrétaire, vice-président/États-Unis, vice-président/Guinée (ainsi que d’éventuels postes de vice-président dans d’autres pays ayant une diaspora guinéenne importante) seront représentés aux élections. Bien que certains officiers titulaires se représentent aux élections, nous invitons tous ceux intéressés dans les positions de se présenter, car nous ne considérons jamais une réélection acquise.

Membres ordinaires du comité de pilotage : toute personne peut présenter sa candidature pour se joindre au comité de direction de l’Alliance Guinea sans délai imposé, tant qu’elle partage les valeurs de l’Alliance en matière de promotion de la démocratie en Guinée, les droits de l’homme, l’unité, le respect, la transparence et l’impartialité politique – et qu’elle s’engage à consacrer au moins 5 heures par semaine aux efforts d’Alliance guinée, y compris les conférences téléphoniques hebdomadaires de l’organisation. Ces positions ne sont pas élues, mais sont soumises à l’approbation du comité de pilotage actuel. Nous sommes actuellement à la recherche, en particulier pour quelqu’un dans la région de Washington, DC et des membres représentant toutes les régions naturelles de la Guinée.

Haute administration : Le conseil d’administration de l’Alliance Guinea est chargé de contrôler la gestion organisationnelle de l’organisation et de promouvoir l’Alliance et son travail. Grâce à un minimum de trois réunions du conseil d’administration par an, ainsi que le réseautage et une orientation régulière, les administrateurs travaillent à accroître la transparence et l’efficacité des efforts de l’organisation. Les membres du Conseil doivent se dévouer à la mission de l’Alliance Guinea et ont une réputation d’intégrité, de respect et de leadership exceptionnels – que votre expérience en leadership soit dans un domaine professionnel ou académique, que vous soyez un dirigeant communautaire, un chef d’entreprise, un artiste, un athlète ou autres. Nous accueillons toute suggestion de candidature, en particulier pour les administrateurs potentiels en Guinée et en Europe.

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Alliance Guinea 2012 – 2013: Profil et projets

Alliance Guinea (www.allianceguinea.org) a été fondée en 2009 suite au massacre du 28 septembre, avec la mission de promouvoir la démocratie, les droits humains et l’unité en Guinée. Notre approche est globale sous la forme d’un forum impartial pour les amis de la Guinée de toutes les nationalités et ethnies, afin de partager l’information et de promouvoir l’action citoyenne à travers des réseaux puissants. Fondée à la fois par les Guinéens et les non-Guinéens, l’Alliance est une organisation unique, car elle incarne la neutralité politique et ethnique, la crédibilité axée sur les Guinéens, les connexions entre la diaspora et le pays d’origine, et l’accès aux décisionnaires politiques au sein de la communauté internationale.

Pendant les deux dernières années, nous sommes devenus connue en Guinée à travers l’observation des élections présidentielles de 2010 et de leurs conséquences par des citoyens sur place et des messages SMS. Nous avons également facilité le dialogue entre les communautés de la diaspora guinéenne (voir ici par exemple) et avec les acteurs du gouvernement américain et d’autres groupes non gouvernementaux. Nos principaux domaines d’action continuent de comprendre la sensibilisation et le dialogue autour des questions de la démocratie et des droits humains en Guinée, mais aussi de plus en plus de faciliter les approches axées sur la mobilisation des citoyens pour la promotion et l’amélioration continue de la gouvernance.

Dans l’année à venir, avec du soutien financier et matériel anticipé de la part d’un certain nombre de partenaires importants, nous nous concentrons actuellement sur les principales activités suivantes:

1. Soutien aux élections législatives, y compris le déploiement de Vote Guinée Témoin (GVT) – un système de surveillance par les citoyens des élections législatives avant, pendant et après le jour du scrutin. L’effort sera un déploiement optimisé du système Ushahidi / crowdsourcing, celui que nous avons utilisé pendant les élections présidentielles, y compris avec des boucles de feed-back pour les communautés rurales et une meilleure analyse des données. Nous prévoyons aussi de travailler sur les campagnes, le vote et la gouvernance axées sur les vrais aspirations et projets de société à travers un meilleur échange d’informations entre les électeurs et les candidats/membres de l’Assemblée.

2. Pilotage d’une initiative innovatrice utilisant la technologie de crowdsourcing pour la surveillance citoyenne de la gouvernance environnementale en Guinée – à notre connaissance le premier projet du genre à permettre aux citoyens ordinaires d’envoyer des rapports vis-à-vis les problèmes tels que le braconnage et la contrebande, la pollution minière, la dégradation, etc. ainsi que les pratiques prometteuses en matière de gestion des ressources naturelles et la conservation. Nous allons collaborer avec des groupes en Guinée, au Sénégal, et d’autres en dehors de la Guinée afin de partager les bonnes stratégies et les leçons apprises avec un œil à la réplication et l’application potentielle à d’autres secteurs.

3. L’établissement d’un “Centre de Communication et Mobilisation Civique” géré par ses membres – un espace physique à Conakry ainsi qu’un espace virtuel enligne pour les organisations de la société civile, les militants individuels et les bloggeurs de se réunir pour partager des informations, des compétences et de l’action en collaboration avec d’autres acteurs de la région et dans le monde entier en utilisant les médias et réseaux anciens et nouveaux. Notre vision est que ce centre ce sera totalement innovateur, axée sur les aspirations et demandes de ces membres (et non sur les formations déterminées uniquement par l’offre et le per-diem) et centré sur l’entraide et le partage des compétences entre pairs afin de lancer et soutenir des actions menées par les citoyens pour des changements positifs. Nous envisageons également que le centre va devenir auto-suffisant financièrement à travers l’adhésion et les frais d’utilisation au prix très abordables.

Toute demande de renseignements supplementaires sera la bienvenue à info@allianguinea.org.

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English:

Dear Friends:

It is the time of the year when Alliance Guinea is required by our bylaws and values to renew our committee of officers and our board of directors. If you are drawn to our mission of promoting democracy, human rights and unity in Guinea through a community of Guineans and friends of Guinea around the world, we invite you to consider becoming more involved. Since being founded two and a half years ago following the September 28, 2009 massacre, our little organization of ordinary people has been able to achieve some extraordinary things – much like Guinea itself. And like Guinea, there is still so much for Alliance to do. We have a tremendously exciting slate of activities planned for the coming year (see www.allianceguinea.org and the end of this message for more information) and we need you to make it happen!

If you are interested in any of the positions described below, please email us at info@allianceguinea.org and we will schedule a call to discuss further. Kindly also forward this message to anyone you know who may be interested. For most positions you can be located anywhere in the world, as long as you speak English or French (bilingual a big plus). Per our bylaws, persons publically affiliated with a Guinean political party are not eligible to be Alliance Guinea officers, steering committee members, or directors; however, party affiliates or supporters are encouraged to be involved in our activities. Alliance Guinea board and officer roles are volunteer positions.

And for those of you interested in simply learning more about Alliance and becoming involved in our member-driven activities in general, stay tuned for an open “General Assembly” member conference call to be scheduled later in July.

Thank you for your consideration and your solidarity!

The Alliance Guinea Steering Committee

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Facebook: allianceguinea | Twitter: @allianceguinea | www.allianceguinea.org

Une communauté globale pour la démocratie, les droits humains et l’unité en Guinée

A global community for democracy, human rights and unity in Guinea.

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Alliance Guinea 2012 Officer, Steering Committee & Board of Directors renewal

Officers: This year we are looking in particular for a new Treasurer – someone with financial management experience who can help oversee and promote good accounting of our rapidly increasing budget. Also up for election, as every year, are the positions of President, Secretary, Vice President/US, Vice President/Guinea, and possibly other VPs in other countries with large Guinean diaspora communities. While some incumbent officers will be running for re-election, we welcome new interest in all positions as no re-election is taken for granted.

Steering Committee Members: Anyone is eligible to join the Alliance Guinea steering committee at any time as long as you share the Alliance Guinea core values of democracy, human rights, unity, respect, transparency and nonpartisanship – and are committed to spend at least 5 hours/week on Alliance Guinea efforts, including weekly organizational conference calls. These are not elected positions but are subject to current steering committee approval. We are currently looking in particular for someone in the Washington, DC area and members representing all of Guinea’s natural regions.

Directors: The Alliance Guinea board of directors is responsible for overseeing Alliance Guinea’s organizational management and for promoting Alliance and its work. Through a minimum of three board meetings a year as well as regular networking and guidance, directors work to increase the transparency and effectiveness of our efforts. Board members must be dedicated to the Alliance Guinea mission and have reputations of exceptional integrity, respect and leadership – whether as professional or academic experts, community leaders, business leaders, artists, athletes or others. We welcome any nomination suggestions you may have, particularly for potential directors in Guinea and in Europe.

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Alliance Guinea: 2012 – 2013 Profile and Plans

Alliance Guinea (www.allianceguinea.org) was founded in 2009 in the aftermath of the September 28 massacre with the mission of promoting democracy, human rights, and unity in Guinea. Our approach is a worldwide, nonpartisan forum for friends of Guinea of all nationalities and ethnicities to share information and promote powerful citizen action across networks. Co-founded together by Guineans and non-Guinean friends in Guinea and around the world, we feel Alliance is unique in our combination of political and ethnic neutrality, Guinean-driven credibility, connections between the diaspora and home-country, and access to decision-makers in the international community.

In the past two and a half years, we have become best known in Guinea for our SMS-based citizen observation of the 2010 presidential elections and their aftermath and in the US and France in particular for our facilitation of dialogue among the Guinean diaspora communities (see here for instance) and with American government actors and other, non-governmental groups. Our principal areas of action continue to be in awareness-raising and dialogue around issues of democracy and human rights in Guinea, but also increasingly in facilitating citizen-driven approaches to promoting rights and better on-going governance.

In the coming year, with anticipated financial and material support from a number of important donors, we are currently focusing on the following main activities:

1. Support to the legislative elections, including deploying Guinée Vote Témoin (GVT) – a system of citizen monitoring of the legislative elections before, during and after election day. The effort will be an enhanced deployment of the Ushahidi/crowdsourcing system we used during the presidential elections, including with increased feedback loops for rural communities and better data analysis. We also anticipate working on promoting issue-based campaigning, voting and governing through better information-sharing and increased dialogue between constituents and candidates/Members of Parliament.

2. Piloting a cutting-edge initiative employing crowdsourcing technology for citizen monitoring of environmental governance in Guinea – to our knowledge the first project of its kind to facilitate ordinary citizens reporting first-hand on problems such as poaching and smuggling, mining pollution, degradation, etc. as well as promising practices in natural resource management and conservation. We will be collaborating with groups in Guinea, Senegal, and others outside of Guinea to share strategy and learning with an eye to potential replication and application to other sectors.

3. Establishing a member-run “Centre de Communication et Mobilisation Civique” – a physical space in Conakry and virtual space online for civil society organizations and individual activists to come together to share information, skills, and action in collaboration with other actors in the region and around the world using new and old media & new and established networks. Our vision is that this will be totally innovative, demand-driven, self-empowering, perdiem-free space for launching and supporting citizen-driven positive change. We also envision that the center will become self-sufficient financially through membership and at-cost user fees.

All requests for further information will be gladly received at info@allianceguinea.org.

Appel aux candidats pour l’élection des administrateurs -Alliance Guinea is a post from: Alliance Guinea

Alliance Guinea Seeking Interns

Alliance Guinea — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 14:43:20 +0000

Internship – Alliance Guinea

Location: Anywhere with Internet, with Possible Travel to Guinea (depending on funding) from the United States or Europe.

Time period: Summer 2012 full-time, with possibility to continue as a member of the Steering Committee beyond the summer.

Compensation: All Alliance Guinea members are currently unpaid volunteers.

About Alliance Guinea:

Alliance Guinea (www.allianceguinea.org) was founded in late 2009 in the aftermath of the September 28 massacre with the mission of promoting democracy, human rights, and unity in Guinea. Our approach is a worldwide, nonpartisan forum for friends of Guinea of all nationalities and ethnicities to share information and promote powerful citizen action across networks. Co-founded together by Guineans and non-Guinean friends in Guinea and around the world, we feel Alliance is unique in our combination of political and ethnic neutrality, Guinean-driven credibility, connections between the diaspora and home-country, and access to decision-makers in the international community.

In the coming year, with anticipated financial and material support, we are focusing on the following main activities:

1. Guinée Vote Témoin (GVT): citizen monitoring of the legislative elections before, during and after election day – once the elections are finally scheduled. The effort will be an enhanced deployment of the Ushahidi/crowdsourcing system we used during the presidential elections, including with increased feedback loops for rural communities and better data analysis.

2. Piloting a cutting-edge initiative employing crowdsourcing technology for citizen monitoring of environmental governance in Guinea

3. Establishing a member-run “Centre de Communication et Mobilisation Civique”

Concept notes for these initiatives are available upon request for further details. Throughout the year we will also continue to represent member interests to the US government and other international community actors and keep up our ongoing blogging and other outlets for information sharing, analysis and statements in both English and French.

Internship Description:

As a full-time intern, the candidate would have the opportunity to take a lead role on the development of several Alliance Guinea initiatives. In particular, she/he would be involved in the following:

Tracking and Blogging about the Upcoming Legislative Elections and other issues of relevance to Guinea and Alliance’s mission
Putting in place the framework for a Citizen Elections Monitoring Platform for Legislative Elections
Helping to implement a crowdsourced platform for good governance
Establishing a Citizen Communications Center in Conakry, including an advocacy and outreach strategy to key stakeholders (notably to Guinean diaspora)
Developing new revenue streams and grants with the Alliance Guinea Board and Steering Committee

It is extremely important that the candidate have a strong interest in Guinea, civil society and new media. We highly encourage candidates to read our entire website to get a sense of the organization’s vision. Additional or special projects may be proposed depending on the candidate’s interests and competencies.

Necessary Competencies:

Fluency/Professional level reading, writing and conversation in French and English, including writing for general public/blog
Strong interest in citizen-led advocacy, democracy and governance, and social change communication

Highly Desired Competencies:

Candidates with one or more of the following competencies will be seriously considered:

Prior experience in Guinea or another Francophone West African Country
Prior experience with social media (twitter, Facebook, WordPress)
Grantwriting experience
Technical exertise in creation of online and SMS based communication platforms
Business planning
Advocacy and Social Change Communication/C4D background

Deadline and Application Material:

Candidates are invited to forward a recent CV to Cody Donahue, cody@allianceguinea.org

Alliance Guinea Seeking Interns is a post from: Alliance Guinea