Amnesty International: Reform 2004

Candidates' Forum - Questions and Answers - Page 1

This page last updated: April 29, 2004

Question:
I'd like to know 3 specific things that the reform slate candidates would implement, assuming they had the board votes, once they were on the board.

Govind answers:
1. I will ask the Board to make some changes in the way that Board documents are given to the membership and how the membership can comment on matters coming to the Board's agenda. A concrete example might be to create an email burst which will send a short email to its subscribers, mentioning when Board items are available for review. By doing this, the Board will be able to open up a process that has unfortunately been much more secretive than it should have been.

2. I will endeavor to change the way in which the organization treats its volunteers in terms of empowering them to take action on their own to combat the scourge of human rights violations. One concrete suggestion is to re-prioritize the staff in the regional offices to focus on strengthening local groups, so that they are again the ones who are responsible for being the human rights presence in their communities.

3. Amnesty International was founded on combating a very narrow subset of human rights violations, because that was all we could do. Even now (as they always will be), our resources are very limited, requiring us to choose in a way that maximizes the benefit to human rights defenders and forgotten prisoners. Thus, I will urge my Board colleagues to make sure that we as an organization are both strategic and, just as importantly, focused.

Magdaleno answers:
The three things I would implement if we had the votes:

1. I would expand the lines of communication between the board and the staff

2. I would re-orient staff about what it is a membership organization and how to work in such an invironment.

3. I would expand our efforts to diversify our membership.

Rick answers:
1. My first priority will be to help bring a stronger resolve to the Board to strengthen structures and programs designed to help our grassroots activists, in local and student groups, so that their human rights work can be done in a timely and successful manner.

2. I will work steadfastly to re-open the Board's functioning processes, so that members get minutes and decisions from Board meetings in a much more timely and open manner than at present.

3. I will make sure that in the new format of Amnesty's priorities, our traditional work (on behalf of Prisoners of Conscience, casework, etc.) is neither sacrificed nor forgotten at the expense of newer categories of human rights endeavors to which AI is now committed.

Paul answers:
1. Run for General Secretary of the Board.

2. Making Board, Executive Committee, and the Board's 3 Standing Committees Minutes available to the membership. This means no more than 30 days after the meeting at a maximum. I will not tolerate late availability of these documents, regardless of whether I am elected to serve in an officer position or not.

3. Making these minutes more comprehensible to the average member. That means improving the quality of reporting out on discussions and making it easier for motions referencing other documents/reports to be understood.

As you see, these threeitems are pretty concrete steps. My list of personal Board priorities is much, much longer, should the membership elect me.

Steve answers:
1. At the AGM last weekend many resolutions on open and accountable governance were passed. Most of these resolutions were sponsored by members of our slate or its supporters. As one of the first tasks of the new board I would push for immediate implementation of those resolutions.

2. During the course of our term of office we will be called upon to select a new Executive Director. I will push to insure that such new Director have expreience working with grassroots organizations and supports shared decision making between staff and volunteers.

3. I would ask the Board to instruct the next International Council Meeting delegation to lobby and vote in favor of maintaining our work on behalf of individual victims in all AI work and to ensure that AI continues to oppose grave abuses of civil and political rights.

Phyllis answers:
1. Open standing committee meetings at each quarterly board meeting, including the AGM (annual general meeting of the membership). By this I mean the Administration/ Development Committee, the Program Committee and International Committee. There has been a movement away from having these meetings face-to-face at the quarterly meetings. When I was on the board previously (1995-2001) we met this way, as opposed to meeting by conference call which is done now. Open meetings lead to lively discussion and debate of program/policy/funding issues, etc. as well as allowing for activist members to be present if so desired. Conference call meetings makes this difficult, cuts off debate and undermines transparency in governance.

2. I will request an assignment to either the Program Cmte (on which I served 6 years previously) or to the International Cmte, where I will do my part to make sure that individual casework for detainees, prisoners of conscience, disappearance cases, etc., continues and is well-funded.

3. I will run for an appropriate office (appropriate to my skills and expertise) on the Executive Committee of the board, so as to have greater imput into program concerns, policy setting, transparency and governance concerns.

Question:
What do the members of the slate believe should be Amnesty's position regarding the occupation of Iraq? In what ways is cooperation with other organizations appropriate regarding this issue?

Govind answers:
As today's news indicates, there are massive human rights violations taking place in Iraq under the aegis of the occupation of the country by the US. AI must take a strong position on these violations of human rights. For example, we see on pictures coming in from Falluja that women and children are being killed in the city. Thus, AI must demand that the perpetrators of the massacres in Falluja by the American occupation army be prosecuted. Simply put, this occupation has not put human rights as a priority in Iraq as their propaganda has claimed.

Paul answers:
I personally believe that this was a war for a resource - oil. However, Amnesty International does not focus on the cause of this kinds of events; rather, Amnesty strives to remind all government authorities, and those acting in the name of government authorities, to respect the human rights of the population in question during any war or armed combat. Amnesty is already working with organizations such as the UN, through its many agencies including the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. You may recall that the High Commissioner (from Brazil) perished in the bombing of the UN headquarters in Iraq.

Question:
What kinds of actions do you favor AIUSA taking to advance economic, social, and cultural rights?

Paul answers:
The action that I am working on right now - the Right to Food in North Korea. In this instance, the Right to Food also combines work on other human rights, as during the worst of the famine, the North Korean authorities executed and tortured starving people. Why? They stole food and farm implements as they were so desperate. So many of the human rights violations tie into one another in North Korea, it is difficult to neatly separate them into categories.

Steve answers:
I endorse my colleague Paul Schulte's effort to confront N Korea's denial of food. I'd like to see more on religious freedom (in part as a way of defusing conflict that leads to HR abuses and in part as a means of building coalitions with non-traditional allies -- Christian right, muslem groups -- as well as being important in its own right). The basis for our concern for Human Rights Defenders and for other POCs is that by supporting them, we support human rights, including ESCR, all around the world.

Question:
If you are elected to the Board, what will be your principal goals for the organization during your coming term of office?

Govind answers:
While of course I hope to fulfill the aims set out in the platform, I also will be a strong advocate for cutting out some of the waste that built up over the years in the organization. A small example is that Board members should not be treated to expensive meals during Board meetings. Certainly, Board members should have their costs reimbursed for providing a valuable volunteer service, but for a non-profit organization setting a per person limit for meals and drinks should be a reasonable request. Additionally, I will do all I can to strengthen the relationship between the staff and volunteers by stressing the importance of AIUSA's grassroots tradition. This means that incoming staff must be trained in a shared leadership model that continues to empower volunteers and staff to cooperate to further the aims of social justice and human rights.

Magdaleno answers:
If elected I would concentrate on the process of accountability of the board and the staff to the membership. And I would work with others to improve the diversity of the movement.

Question:
Does your commitment 'to ensure that work on domestic abuses and coalitions does not inadvertently cloud AI-USA's credibility' mean that you support AIUSA's position of taking no action on behalf of Leonard Peltier?

Govind answers:
Just as there are human rights violations in Mexico, China, and Gabon, there are human rights violations in the United States that must be scrutinized by the organization. Thousands of AI activists from around the world have campaigned on human rights violations in the United States ranging from state organized killings (also called the death penalty) to police brutality to political prisoners like Leonard Peltier to incommunicado detentions like Jose Padilla, culminating in the international campaign on human rights violation in the United States in 1999(??). This will continue wholeheartedly while I am on the Board.

Magdaleno answers:
I think that there needs to be a new trial for Leonard. He did not have a fair trial and he was targetted just as many muslims today are incarcerated and judged by using secret information never released for the defense.
On this case there are many parts of his case that we can get involved with and ours should be a strong and persuasive voice. There are many ways to work with other groups and coalitions without embracing all of thier issues and still protecting the integrity of the organization.
To do nothing is a mistake.

Read previous week's questions ->

Acronyms explained:

IEC = International Executive Committee [in essence, the "International Board"]
UDHR = Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the UN General Assembly on Dec. 10, 1948 [forms the basis of our work]
CEDAW = Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women
FSA = Full Spectrum Approach [to our human rights work]
ICM = International Council Meeting [held every 2 years to make decisions for our movement]
ISP = Integrated Strategic Plan
NGO = Non-Governmental Organization [not just an AI acronym]


		Candidate Question Time
	Candidates' Forum - Questions and Answers - Page 1 This page last updated: April 29, 2004 Question: I'd like to know 3 specific things that the reform slate candidates would implement, assuming they had the board votes, once they were on the board. Govind answers: 1. I will ask the Board to make some changes in the way that Board documents are given to the membership and how the membership can comment on matters coming to the Board's agenda. A concrete example might be to create an email burst which will send a short email to its subscribers, mentioning when Board items are available for review. By doing this, the Board will be able to open up a process that has unfortunately been much more secretive than it should have been. 2. I will endeavor to change the way in which the organization treats its volunteers in terms of empowering them to take action on their own to combat the scourge of human rights violations. One concrete suggestion is to re-prioritize the staff in the regional offices to focus on strengthening local groups, so that they are again the ones who are responsible for being the human rights presence in their communities. 3. Amnesty International was founded on combating a very narrow subset of human rights violations, because that was all we could do. Even now (as they always will be), our resources are very limited, requiring us to choose in a way that maximizes the benefit to human rights defenders and forgotten prisoners. Thus, I will urge my Board colleagues to make sure that we as an organization are both strategic and, just as importantly, focused. Magdaleno answers: The three things I would implement if we had the votes: 1. I would expand the lines of communication between the board and the staff 2. I would re-orient staff about what it is a membership organization and how to work in such an invironment. 3. I would expand our efforts to diversify our membership. Rick answers: 1. My first priority will be to help bring a stronger resolve to the Board to strengthen structures and programs designed to help our grassroots activists, in local and student groups, so that their human rights work can be done in a timely and successful manner. 2. I will work steadfastly to re-open the Board's functioning processes, so that members get minutes and decisions from Board meetings in a much more timely and open manner than at present. 3. I will make sure that in the new format of Amnesty's priorities, our traditional work (on behalf of Prisoners of Conscience, casework, etc.) is neither sacrificed nor forgotten at the expense of newer categories of human rights endeavors to which AI is now committed. Paul answers: 1. Run for General Secretary of the Board. 2. Making Board, Executive Committee, and the Board's 3 Standing Committees Minutes available to the membership. This means no more than 30 days after the meeting at a maximum. I will not tolerate late availability of these documents, regardless of whether I am elected to serve in an officer position or not. 3. Making these minutes more comprehensible to the average member. That means improving the quality of reporting out on discussions and making it easier for motions referencing other documents/reports to be understood. As you see, these threeitems are pretty concrete steps. My list of personal Board priorities is much, much longer, should the membership elect me. Steve answers: 1. At the AGM last weekend many resolutions on open and accountable governance were passed. Most of these resolutions were sponsored by members of our slate or its supporters. As one of the first tasks of the new board I would push for immediate implementation of those resolutions. 2. During the course of our term of office we will be called upon to select a new Executive Director. I will push to insure that such new Director have expreience working with grassroots organizations and supports shared decision making between staff and volunteers. 3. I would ask the Board to instruct the next International Council Meeting delegation to lobby and vote in favor of maintaining our work on behalf of individual victims in all AI work and to ensure that AI continues to oppose grave abuses of civil and political rights. Phyllis answers: 1. Open standing committee meetings at each quarterly board meeting, including the AGM (annual general meeting of the membership). By this I mean the Administration/ Development Committee, the Program Committee and International Committee. There has been a movement away from having these meetings face-to-face at the quarterly meetings. When I was on the board previously (1995-2001) we met this way, as opposed to meeting by conference call which is done now. Open meetings lead to lively discussion and debate of program/policy/funding issues, etc. as well as allowing for activist members to be present if so desired. Conference call meetings makes this difficult, cuts off debate and undermines transparency in governance. 2. I will request an assignment to either the Program Cmte (on which I served 6 years previously) or to the International Cmte, where I will do my part to make sure that individual casework for detainees, prisoners of conscience, disappearance cases, etc., continues and is well-funded. 3. I will run for an appropriate office (appropriate to my skills and expertise) on the Executive Committee of the board, so as to have greater imput into program concerns, policy setting, transparency and governance concerns. Question: What do the members of the slate believe should be Amnesty's position regarding the occupation of Iraq? In what ways is cooperation with other organizations appropriate regarding this issue? Govind answers: As today's news indicates, there are massive human rights violations taking place in Iraq under the aegis of the occupation of the country by the US. AI must take a strong position on these violations of human rights. For example, we see on pictures coming in from Falluja that women and children are being killed in the city. Thus, AI must demand that the perpetrators of the massacres in Falluja by the American occupation army be prosecuted. Simply put, this occupation has not put human rights as a priority in Iraq as their propaganda has claimed. Paul answers: I personally believe that this was a war for a resource - oil. However, Amnesty International does not focus on the cause of this kinds of events; rather, Amnesty strives to remind all government authorities, and those acting in the name of government authorities, to respect the human rights of the population in question during any war or armed combat. Amnesty is already working with organizations such as the UN, through its many agencies including the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. You may recall that the High Commissioner (from Brazil) perished in the bombing of the UN headquarters in Iraq. Question: What kinds of actions do you favor AIUSA taking to advance economic, social, and cultural rights? Paul answers: The action that I am working on right now - the Right to Food in North Korea. In this instance, the Right to Food also combines work on other human rights, as during the worst of the famine, the North Korean authorities executed and tortured starving people. Why? They stole food and farm implements as they were so desperate. So many of the human rights violations tie into one another in North Korea, it is difficult to neatly separate them into categories. Steve answers: I endorse my colleague Paul Schulte's effort to confront N Korea's denial of food. I'd like to see more on religious freedom (in part as a way of defusing conflict that leads to HR abuses and in part as a means of building coalitions with non-traditional allies -- Christian right, muslem groups -- as well as being important in its own right). The basis for our concern for Human Rights Defenders and for other POCs is that by supporting them, we support human rights, including ESCR, all around the world. Question: If you are elected to the Board, what will be your principal goals for the organization during your coming term of office? Govind answers: While of course I hope to fulfill the aims set out in the platform, I also will be a strong advocate for cutting out some of the waste that built up over the years in the organization. A small example is that Board members should not be treated to expensive meals during Board meetings. Certainly, Board members should have their costs reimbursed for providing a valuable volunteer service, but for a non-profit organization setting a per person limit for meals and drinks should be a reasonable request. Additionally, I will do all I can to strengthen the relationship between the staff and volunteers by stressing the importance of AIUSA's grassroots tradition. This means that incoming staff must be trained in a shared leadership model that continues to empower volunteers and staff to cooperate to further the aims of social justice and human rights. Magdaleno answers: If elected I would concentrate on the process of accountability of the board and the staff to the membership. And I would work with others to improve the diversity of the movement. Question: Does your commitment 'to ensure that work on domestic abuses and coalitions does not inadvertently cloud AI-USA's credibility' mean that you support AIUSA's position of taking no action on behalf of Leonard Peltier? Govind answers: Just as there are human rights violations in Mexico, China, and Gabon, there are human rights violations in the United States that must be scrutinized by the organization. Thousands of AI activists from around the world have campaigned on human rights violations in the United States ranging from state organized killings (also called the death penalty) to police brutality to political prisoners like Leonard Peltier to incommunicado detentions like Jose Padilla, culminating in the international campaign on human rights violation in the United States in 1999(??). This will continue wholeheartedly while I am on the Board. Magdaleno answers: I think that there needs to be a new trial for Leonard. He did not have a fair trial and he was targetted just as many muslims today are incarcerated and judged by using secret information never released for the defense. On this case there are many parts of his case that we can get involved with and ours should be a strong and persuasive voice. There are many ways to work with other groups and coalitions without embracing all of thier issues and still protecting the integrity of the organization. To do nothing is a mistake. Read previous week's questions -> Acronyms explained: IEC = International Executive Committee [in essence, the "International Board"] UDHR = Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the UN General Assembly on Dec. 10, 1948 [forms the basis of our work] CEDAW = Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women FSA = Full Spectrum Approach [to our human rights work] ICM = International Council Meeting [held every 2 years to make decisions for our movement] ISP = Integrated Strategic Plan NGO = Non-Governmental Organization [not just an AI acronym]