UNIPOP / ONECA TRI-COUNTRY CONFERENCE
on Community and Academic Mapping of Opportunities for
Community Participation in Sustainable Economic Development
November 25 to 28, 2010 Panama Rep. of Panama
Lead Co-Sponsors:
· Universidad Popular de Desarrollo Sostenible de Las Americas (UNIPOP),
· The Black Organization of Central America (ONECA),
· The Southern Caucus of NGOs for Sustainable Development
The Conference provided a vehicle for presenting the results of the pilot process of demographic, geographic and human resource research in collaboration with three disadvantaged African descendant communities and local university members of UNIPOP. These reports will focus on the application of the data acquired to Master Planning for Sustainable Economic Development.
The conference gave various professionals, government officials, agency representatives, representatives of academic institutions and civil society an opportunity to discover, critique, explore and connect to future applications of the community and academic products generated in these processes to activities of the New Paradigm for Eradication of Poverty.
unipop@universipop.org
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CCCU 53rd International Convention
UNIPOP Chancellor, Dr J A George Irish, was the keynote speaker for the 53rd International Convention of the Caribbean Confederation of Credit Unions (CCCU) in St Maarten, NA on July 28, 2010. The theme of his address: Embracing a New Paradigm for the Eradication of Poverty in the Caribbean Basin.
Dr Irish congratulated CCCU for its outstanding service to the English and Dutch speaking countries of the region, and acknowledged the institution's tremendous social and economic impact on the people it serves. He outlined the vision and philosophy of the New Paradigm Movemen for the Eradication of Poverty, identified areas of synergy between CCCU and the New Paradigm Access to Finance Task Force, and emphasized the viability of economic prospects for collaboration in the wider Caribbean Basin, especially in communities of African descendants.
Assisting Dr Irish in the technical aspects of the presentation was Prof. Mayte Irish of the Faculty of Public Administration, Universisty of Panama.
CCCU has a membership of 375 organizations in 18 countries, 342 affiliated credit unions, serving 1.9 million individuals and families; and assets of EC$3.2. billion.
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UNIPOP Collaboration Agreeement
On June 17, 2010, UNIPOP officers, J A George Irish, Waldaba Stewart and Esmeralda Brown, signed a new agreement for collaboration with the International Institue for the Development of Citizenship (IIDAC) of Brazil; Gilson Scharnik, Executive Director. This Agreement is the result of earlier discussions with the Rector of Universidade Estadual de Goias, Dr Luiz Antonio Arantes and community leaders of IIDAC, Marco Antonio C. Pereira and Gilbert Scharnik. The Agreement invovles collaboration in research, project development, academic, cultural and technology exchange, technical assistance and capacity building for sustainable development.
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UNIPOP-IDB Joint Community Resource Mapping Project
UNIPOP, in collaboration with the Inter American Development Bank (IDB), completed a community resource mapping and capacity building project in African descendant communities in three countries of Central America: Colon in Panama; Bluefieldss in Nicaragua; and Limon in Costa Rica.
Dr Pablo Armuelles, Lic. Orlando Ávila and Mgtra. Norma Díaz, Universisty of Panama;
Mgtr. Gustavo Perez and Mgtra Ellen Greaves, Commnity Leaders in Panama;
Rectora Alta Hooker, Zarifeth S. Bolaños. M.Sc, Sheira Thomas, M.Sc, URACCAN, Nicaragua;
Lic. Sidney Francis and Wilfredo Machado, Community Leaders in Nicaragua;
Carlos Fallas MSc., Univeresidad de Costa Rica;
Lic. Edly Hall, Laura Hall and Arthur Samuels, Community leaders in Costa Rica.
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