Thunder!

Yesterday I arrived in Bishkek after a three hour drive from Almaty. It was a beautiful ride through mountains and fields. The air here is a little bit less filthy, hence I can breathe fresh air again and the terrible cold that has pestered me is now slowly dissapearing. The visit to Kazakhstan was very inspiring - met many nice and couregeous people taking good initatives.

Today we had a free day and I went for lunch with a colleague from a Dutch development cooperation whom I very coincidentally bumped into at the reception of my previous hotel...it's a small world after all. After sun-bathing this morning next to the swimming-pool, suddenly clouds surrended us and it started to rain and thunder. We sat down to have a lunch outside under a covered terrace when the lightning struck right beside us in a metal pole... this made a lot of noise and made us jump from our seats...

Kazakhstan

I am on my way to Almaty, on my way to a country of which existence I almost was not aware until a few years ago. A country in which the electorate yesterday decided that its president will be president for life – a country in which the its president faces almost no resistance. A country in which horse-head can be tabled, a country which still practices death-penalty and a country with the biggest amount of nuclear waste in the world. But Kazakhstan also has the fastest growing economy in the region (9-10% per year), ecologic-programs, and is aiming to chair the OSCE from 2009 onwards.
I am happy that I didn't see Borat yet, just not to have a completely subjective view on the country. And I’m looking forward to learn about the country!

The discourse of energy supplies and human rights

Being Dutch and probably exemplary for what poldering is myself I am a great believer of silent advocacy. However – there is one thing that is greatly frustrating about silent advocacy: that it’s silent. West-European’s dependency on energy suppliers such as for instance Russia or resources in the Middle East are in many cases creating an obvious vacuum to social and human rights which we strive for. It is clear that countries want to become less depending from such suppliers, but which steps are they actually taking in this regard?

Next week I will be visiting Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The first country is increasingly an independent energy supplier, which for obvious geographical reasons is still depending on Russia for distribution. Kazakhstan is aiming at chairing the OSCE (Organization for Security Cooperation Europe) from 2009 onwards. Several EU member states are supportive to this, merely for economical reasons. Others are not, obviously for more social reasons. Netherlands is supportive, and is currently the second biggest investor in the country, having setup a variety of trade-missions. Through a long-term empowerment program we have in addition been enabled to build-up LGBT organizations to fight against the rising hiv/aids epidemic and strive for better social rights.

Now I do believe that economical opportunities seize chances to combine profitable economic projects with demands for better social rights. Let’s call it social-economic synergy. But it is frustrating how invisible such processes are – as they make it difficult to call for additional measures, or even set certain conditions. Of course, human rights can never only be the change that a country gives for economic profits – as I believe that a true implementation of social rights and human rights needs a sincere believe and understanding of their applicable discourses. But incentives do open doors, raise awareness and demonstrate respect to the principles and values of social and human rights that we ought to consider minimal to each person in this world.

As an ideologist I do believe that maybe next to the daily stock rates we should measure our wellbeing with daily ‘happiness’ indexes. As a pragmatist I do also believe that different sets of indicators will increase the willingness to start working on political change that is socially need based instead of power policy driven. Another interesting barometer would of course be understandable and challenging emission indexes – but that's another story.

Future

This weekend we are visiting Skeiv Ungdom, an IGLYO member organisation in Norway. At the board meeting that we organise here we are discussing how the future of IGLYO can be developed, a process we have recently started. For the first time members will have a major role in the development of a strategic plan, which will be organised through a membership consultation process. For me it feels strange but also good. On one side I know that I will not be involved in this future as I shall be leaving IGLYO the end of this year, on the other hand I have the full confidence that IGLYO shall further develop in the coming years.

Oslo is a beautiful city I can judge from the little we saw of it. After two days of hard working, and a crazy week in Istanbul and Amsterdam, we're now preparing for a dinner in the city and discovering Oslo a little bit at night.

Bloody May Day

Hundreds of Turks aimed to assemble today at Taksim (the main city square) to commemorate the deaths that fell thirty year ago when during a same protest the police killed 34 of them. Civil society largely gathered, but didn't succeed in a holding a peaceful manifestation as the police dispersed them. This didn't happen in a friendly way: water canons and tear gas were used through the thousands and thousands of police men that gathered. According to the protesters also peper spray was used.

Currently I am in Turkey for a meeting and hence experienced how the civil society was opressed by the police in their strive for better working conditions. The current political tensions in the country apparently made the authorities afraid that the protest (of mostly politically left demonstrants) could evoke in a violent meeting. For this reason the demonstration was forbidden - a legal demonstration took place at the other side of Istanbul (and also in Ankara).

Whilst heading to the headquarters of LambdaIstanbul I had to cross Taksim square. My first attempt failed immediately as I inhaled tear gas and was therefore forced to leave the square. The second attempt was succesful - but whilst we head into the main road protesters gathered exactly in the street where our meeting was supposed to be. Standing in between the crowd we had to run for the police and again inhaled tear gas. I didn't know the effects of this gas - but it gives a horrible feeling in your longs, makes you cry and breating becomes difficult. This is apparently how democracy can be controlled.

Yesterday evening Erdogan called for unity in the society. His speech was supported by pictures of new schools and roads which were built under his leadership.

You would expect the Turkish government to look for constructive ways to enable civil society to assemble instead of using such unnecessary violence.