The GFMD 2008 Civil Society Meeting is supported in part by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The Foundation is a private, independent grantmaking institution dedicated to helping groups and individuals foster lasting improvement in the human condition.  Through the support it provides, the Foundation fosters the development of knowledge, nurtures individual creativity, strengthens institutions, helps improve public policy, and provides information to the public, primarily through support for public interest media.

With assets of more than $6.4 billion and grants and program-related investments totaling approximately $260 million annually, MacArthur is one of the nation’s largest private philanthropic foundations.  In order to enhance its effectiveness, the Foundation focuses its grantmaking on a relatively few areas of work, making available to each sufficient resources over a long enough period of time to make a measurable difference.

The Foundation makes grants and loans through four programs.

The Program on Global Security and Sustainability focuses on international issues, including human rights and international justice, peace and security, conservation and sustainable development, higher education in Nigeria and Russia, migration and human mobility, and population and reproductive health.  MacArthur grantees work in about 60 countries; the Foundation has offices in India, Mexico, Nigeria, and Russia.

The Program on Human and Community Development addresses issues in the United States, including community and economic development; housing, with a focus on the preservation of affordable rental housing; juvenile justice reform; education, with an emerging interest in digital media and learning; and policy research and analysis on important domestic concerns.

The General Program supports public interest media, including public radio, documentary programming, and work to explore the use of digital technologies to reach and engage the public.  Grants are also made to arts and cultural institutions in the Chicago area and for special initiatives, including intellectual property rights in a digital environment.  The General Program also provides a few institution-building grants each year to organizations that are central to the fields in which the Foundation works.

The MacArthur Fellows Program awards five-year, unrestricted fellowships to individuals across all ages and fields who show exceptional merit and promise of continued creative work.  It is limited to U.S. citizens and residents.

John D. MacArthur (1897-1978) developed and owned Bankers Life and Casualty Company and other businesses, as well as considerable property in Florida and New York.  His wife Catherine (1909-1981) held positions in many of these companies and served as a director of the Foundation.

www.macfound.org

Thirty three years ago, Microsoft began with the vision of a computer on every desk and in every home. Life has changed profoundly for more than one billion people utilizing technology today: information is more readily available, connections are more easily made, and commercial trade is more efficient and accessible. Remarkable advances for sure yet more remains to be done. With a goal of reaching the next billion people by 2015, Microsoft’s Unlimited Potential program accelerates the company’s commitment to bring the benefits of technology to people and communities currently underserved by this phenomenon.

Developed in consultation with counterparts from government, industry, academic and non-profit sectors, Microsoft Unlimited Potential promotes digital inclusion through expanded and integrated buisness and citizenship initiatives. One such initiative is the Community Technology Skills (UP-CTS) Program. Through grants of software, cash and curriculum to non-government organizations, Microsoft and the NGO partners provide access to technology and skills training which enable communities to experience the transformative power of software, empower individuals, and enable sustained social and economic opportunity.

Microsoft and labor migration
Labor migration is a significant feature of globalized economies and migrating workers are a growing sector in many countries. Although hailed as modern-day heroes in their home countries due to their high volume remittances, this group faces unique labor issues such as social dislocation, increased vulnerability to abuse, and limited employment opportunities.

Microsoft recognizes the role of overseas workers, both as an economic lifeline in their home countries and as much needed labor force in their countries of destination. In 2004, an UP-CTS program dubbed “Tulay” (“bridge” in Filipino) was introduced in the Philippines and destination countries Singapore and Malaysia to bridge both the digital divide and physical divide between migrant workers and their families. These skills also address income gaps, as the graduates of the course, now empowered with new skills, have started building internet-enabled local businesses. Microsoft collaborates with NGOs and government to deliver the program, currently implemented in 17 locations in the Philippines and 8 locations in other parts of Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

At the same time, pilot efforts began in China where internal labor migration brings millions from the rural areas to the major cities each year. Implemented by NGOs and aligned with the government “SanNong” policy, thousands of workers who previously had never touched a computer are now provided access to free IT skills training. To date, 24 community technology learning centers focusing on migrant workers have been established in urban cities and rural counties throughout China.

In 2007, the Sri Lanka Anti-Narcotics Association (SLANA) asked Microsoft to support overseas workers programs in Sri Lanka in response to the noticeable correlation between narcotic abuse and family dislocation. They focused on pre-departure training for workers and training for their dependents, provided through NGO partners and in conjunction with the Foreign Employment Bureau. Microsoft also launched partnerships with NGOs in Indonesia and India to extend this training program to overseas workers from those countries. In total, Microsoft has provided more than USD 8 million of support to IT skills training programs focused on migrating labor.

In addition, Microsoft is working with governments, financing agencies, hardware manufacturers and other organizations to create affordable computing packages specifically for overseas workers. Remittance programs and financing projects assist migrant workers and their families in acquiring their first computer. Microsoft is also searching for ways to reduce communication and banking costs for migrant workers through the use of smart phones and other mobile devices, as well as developing partnerships to open more access points for workers overseas to make facilities within easy reach.

The Issue of Human Trafficking
The safety and well-being of migrant workers is also a priority for Microsoft. While millions have benefited from the experience of labor migration, many have also encountered incidents of abuse, including human trafficking. This is especially true among youth and women employed in low-skill, low-wage industries. vBeginning in 2006, Microsoft has awarded grants worth USD 2.5 million to more than 40 NGOs in India, Thailand, Cambodia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam that operate centers in trafficking hot spots in these countries. Through these grants, IT skills training have become part of the prevention and reintegration strategies: prevention through the provision of higher-level skills and safe-migration messages for vulnerable communities as well as reintegration through the provision of new skills and new employment opportunities for former victims of trafficking.

Moreover, IT training programs compliment the existing services of the NGO partners who provide temporary shelter, medical and legal assistance, job counseling and placement, and psycho-social interventions.

As an innovator and global leader, Microsoft continues to research, consult and evaluate how information technology can tackle issues concerning labor migration to enhance workers’ employability, improve their self-confidence and strengthen human relationships. Combining advanced technologies and effective partnerships, Microsoft works to connect overseas laborers and address their crucial needs, enabling them to achieve their full potential.

www.microsoft.com/philippines

Ayala Corporation (Ayala) is the holding company of one of the largest and most diversified business groups in the Philippines. It maintains a leading presence in real estate development (Ayala Land, Inc.), financial services (Bank of the Philippine Islands), telecommunications (Globe Telecom, Inc.), water delivery, sewerage and sanitation services (Manila Water Company, Inc.), electronics manufacturing service (Integrated Microelectronics, Inc.), automotive dealerships (Ayala Automotive Holdings Corp.), technology-related investments (Azalea Technology Investments, Inc.), investments in business process outsourcing (LiveIt Solutions, Inc.), and overseas real estate investments (AG Holdings Ltd). The company was founded in 1834, incorporated in 1968, and was listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange (then Makati Stock Exchange) in 1976.

www.ayala.com.ph

BPI is the Philippines’s largest bank in terms of market capitalization and third largest bank in terms of asset size. It has a lead position in intermediation capacity, corporate and consumer lending, remittances and electronic banking. The bank offers peso and foreign currency deposits, corporate and consumer loans, leasing, loan syndication, securities underwriting and distribution, foreign exchange, cash management, credit cards, payments and settlements, remittances, asset management services, life and general insurance.

www.bpiexpressonline.com

Ayala Land is the country’s largest and only full-line property developer and one of the most successful operators of prime commercial spaces in the Philippines. Its product portfolio is composed of residential, industrial, commercial and leisure projects; shopping center, office and residential leasing; hotel operations; and construction and property management services.

www.ayalaland.com.ph

Globe Telecom is a leading telecommunications company in the Philippines. Our mission is to transform and enrich lives through communications, while our vision is that of Globe Telecom being indispensable to people’s lives. Through our renewed commitment to enrich lives through ease and relevance, our goal is to enrich everyday communications by simplifying and removing the obstacles in communication technology so that we bring our customers closer to what matters to them most. We strive to create and deliver products that are relevant to our customers’ needs and are easy to understand and use.

The Globe Group is composed of the following companies :

* Globe Telecom, Inc. (Globe) provides our wireless telecommunications services.

* Innove Communications, Inc. (Innove), a wholly-owned subsidiary, provides our fixed line telecommunications services, consumer broadband services, high-speed internet and private data networks for enterprise clients, services for internal applications, internet protocol- based solutions and multimedia content delivery.

* G-Xchange, Inc. (GXI), a wholly-owned subsidiary, provides our mobile commerce service under the GCash brand.

* Entertainment Gateway Group Corp., EGGstreme (Hong Kong) Limited and Karton Limited (collectively referred here as “EGG”), provides digital media content and applications.

www.globe.com.ph

The year of 1896 was a memorable year to All Japan Seamen's Union. For it was in January of 1896 that 68 ship's officers set up the Kai-in (Seafarers) Club in Kobe, which was the forerunner of our Union and Japan's first seamen's labor organization.

In 1921, 23 Japanese seamen's organizations united to form the Nippon Kai-in Kumiai (Japan Seamen's Union). The movement was inspired greatly by the experience of the seamen's representatives who participated in the Second General Conference (First General Conference on Maritime Affair) of the ILO which was held in Genoa, Italy in 1920.

In 1924 during the General Conference of the International Labor Organization, the union representative who attended had its first contact with the ITF. On October 26,1929, the memorandum on affiliation to ITF was signed and on March 5,1930, the union ITF membership was formalized when the organization acknowledge that international cooperation was essential in order to improve seamen's working condition and welfare. On the other hand, under the pressure from the war time government, the JSU was forced to withdraw from the ITF in 1937 and disbanded and abolished in 1940.

In October 1945, only two months after the end of the World War II, the survivors and other maritime workers based on the pre-war experience formed the All Japan Seamen's Union. It is an industrial union uniting officers, ratings and harbor seamen into a single organization and the maritime labor movement was resumed. Once again, the JSU joined in the ITF family in 1950.

In more than fifty years since then, the All Japan Seamen's Union has faced gargantuan task but not insurmountable to become what it is today.

In these days the All Japan Seamen's Union (JSU) is a trade union that organizes maritime workers engaged in foreign and domestic trades, fisheries and waterfront. JSU also organizes and cover non-domiciled seafarers employed in Japanese-beneficially owned fleet. As of July 1999, the membership of JSU is 40,000 and many non-daniciled special members.

The JSU deployed its branches in 38 Japanese major ports and it has two offices overseas namely the JSU Manila Welfare Office (Phil.) Corporation in Manila, Philippines and the JSU Representative in Vietnam in Haipong, Vietnam. The JSU trainees in London are also having a big contributing factor in the over all JSU activities. The most outstanding characteristic of this organization is being independent in terms of its own finances and democratic constitution.

Internationally, the JSU is affiliated and cooperates with the ITF (International Transport Workers' Federation) and communicates with other international organizations such as the IMO, ILO and OECD whereby the JSU earned internationally high reputation.

Nationally, the JSU also has a strong solidarity with other labor organizations in Japan. The JSU as being part of the Transport Workers Union in Japan has its automatic affiliation with Rengo (Japanese Trade Union Confederation) known as the Japanese National Center (Koun- Kokyo).

www.jsu.or.jp/eng/eng.htm

The International Mariners Management Association of Japan (IMMAJ) is an organization of 95 companies (as of July 2008) including crewing agencies, ship management companies and ship owners covering 1,893 vessels with 39,301 seafarers. IMMAJ was founded in 17 May 1984 and since then adopted policies to establish fair and effective crewing system as well as to assist in strengthening the international competitiveness of its members thereby contributing to the development of the Japanese manning industry.

The main activities of IMMAJ are as follows:

1.Participate in the International Bargaining Forum (IBF) as a member of the Joint Negotiating Group (JNG) and negotiate with the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) for terms and conditions to be applied for foreign seafarers.

2.Hold discussions with the All Japan Seamen’s Union every six months about issues of an international dimension related to the employment of seafarers, including activities by the union, the situation on the owners’ side, the employment of Japanese seafarers, etc.

3.Hold a negotiation committee (IBF Local Negotiation Committee) with the All Japan Seamen’s Union and negotiate for a collective bargaining agreement for foreign seafarers, including IBF-JSU IMMAJ CA and ITF-JSU/AMOSUP IMMAJ CBA.

4.Implement necessary measures for international seafarers to improve their talent and skill under close cooperation with relevant authorities, unions, etc.

The IMMAJ Head Office is located at the 6th Floor, Nishishinbashi Excel Bldg., 20-10, Nishishinbashi 1-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0003. Likewise, IMMAJ has overseas offices in the United Kingdom, at the Dexter House, Royal Mint Court, London EC3N, 4JR; and in Manila, at the 6th Floor, JSU-AMOSUP Mariners’ Home, 1765 Vasquez corner Nakpil Sts., Malate 1004, Manila.

www.immaj.jp

Conference documents for the GFMD Civil Society Days were translated into Spanish and French by Fundacion Santiago.

Fundación Santiago is a private, voluntary development services provider working for poverty alleviation and the promotion and preservation of the rich Filipino heritage. It is guided by its vision of the Compleat Filipino : a person who by knowing oneself can care for oneself and one’s other.

Fundacion Santiago is propelled by its twin Mission Statement

* To contribute to a strong grasp to the national identity by promoting and sustaining historical awareness among Filipinos, and using this sense of self and of shared purpose, as one of the foundations of national development.

* To contribute to true, sustainable and equitable national development through the promotion of entrepreneurship and commitment to community among economically marginalized Filipinos, particularly those in the countryside.

Fundación Santiago assists and supports rural enterprises operating in the Heritage Tourism sector, within a framework of Tri Partite cooperation.

www.fundacionsantiago.ngo.ph

ammado, the global community of people who care, connects nonprofits, socially responsible companies and engaged individuals dedicated to positive change at a global and local level. The platform enables individuals and organisations to connect, communicate and mobilize around shared values.

ammado was founded as a privately owned internet company in 2005 by social entrepreneur Peter Conlon and Dr. Anna Kupka. Headquartered in Dublin, ammado has development centres in Amsterdam, Chicago, Dhaka, Düsseldorf, Hong Kong, Lodz, London, Los Angeles, Novi Sad, Paris, Philadelphia, Prague, Rome, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo, and Washington D.C. It has a rapidly growing employment base of currently 60 individuals from 16 nations.

A beta version of the site was released in May 2007. Since then, the site has developed rapidly and is now available in 10 languages (English, Dutch, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Polish, Korean and Japanese) with activities in over 100 countries. More languages will be added soon, including traditional and simplified Chinese.

ammado launches a new era of social interaction for nonprofits, socially responsible companies and engaged individuals.

To nonprofits, ammado offers a focused environment where they can create meaningful content. Upon joining ammado, which is free for all nonprofits to do so, they are provided with a range of tools to greatly enhance their online capabilities and build their own space within a global online community. They can upload information about their organisation and the work they do, publish news and articles, share images and videos with their network, and communicate instantly with their supporters, potential partners and other nonprofits from around the world.

For companies, ammado is the platform where they can demonstrate their support for nonprofits and the third sector as a whole. It provides an environment that enables organisations to communicate and engage with their stakeholders in an authentic and relevant way through forming meaningful communities.

From a user’s perspective, ammado is a truly unique experience. ammado is a democratic platform allowing individuals to exchange ideas, educate themselves, and make informed decisions as to whom they support and why. Our unique donations feature, the Giving Circle, allows people to donate to their favourite nonprofits from all over the world. These include charities, sports clubs, schools and universities. We currently have over 2000 nonprofits from more than 60 countries on the platform and anyone can easily invite new nonprofits through the ammado system.

The donor can choose from 33 different currencies for their donations. The Giving Circle offers the possibility to give micro donations and the flexibility to seamlessly change the recipients and the giving amount every month. Even the smallest contributions are instantly displayed on the changemaker’s ammado profile, recognizing the donor as an ambassador for change.

www.ammado.com