CAJ Update - Committee on the Administration of Justice
Despite the CAJ Executive choosing at the beginning of the year to concentrate on four main areas of work - Policing, Criminal Justice and Emergency Legislation, Protection of Rights/Bill of Rights, and Equality, CAJ's 1999 - 2000 Annual Report details an amazingly wide range of in-depth work done. Mary O'Rawe's foreword to the report as chairperson mentions that so far as human rights are concerned, the language may have become mainstream through the Good Friday Agreement and Northern Ireland Act 1998, but "The rhetoric masks, in many cases, a very disappointing reality." Martin O'Brien's 25-page report, as director, details the extensive work done and the Annual Report, among other things, includes the current publications list (the report is sent free to members, otherwise available price £2.50 including postage).

Subscriptions to CAJ are £17 waged, £5 unwaged (including Just News bulletin; ask if you want to pay by standing order). CAJ, 45/47 Donegall Street, Belfast BT1 2BR. Tel: 028 9096 1122, Fax: 9024 6706. Their redesigned website is at www.caj.org.uk which includes recent back issues of Just News and an index.

Challenge of Tranformative Mediation
The Mediators Institute Ireland Annual Conference 2000 is entitled 'The Challenge Of Tranformative Mediation - Unlocking Relational Conflict' and takes place at Station House Hotel, Clifden, Connemara, Co Galway from Friday 24th (late afternoon) to Sunday 26th November (2pm close). It is a residential conference intended for all practitioner mediators in Ireland and those interested in learning more. The keynote speaker is Joe Folger, Professor of Communications at Temple University, USA. Workshops include ones on Justice-as-healing circle, Managing caucus sessions, Surviving and thriving in private practice, Date Discernment Circle and Equality and Workplace Mediation. There will be sector meetings for family mediation, community mediation and business mediation. Fees range from £175 for members inclusive of accommodation and meals, to £75 members/£95 non-members day fee includes lunch. Programme info from: Goeffrey Corry, 95 Stillorgan Wood, Stillorgan, Co Dublin. Tel: 01 - 288 4190, Fax: 278 3453, e-mail corry@indigo.ie 

On The PANA Front
The Peace and Neutrality Alliance (PANA) Annual Conference takes place on Saturday 25th November from 2.30 - 5 pm at MSF, 15 Merrion Square, Dublin 2; the speaker at the Frank Aiken Memorial Lecture will be John Simpson of the Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation. Major themes will be PANA's campaign for a referendum to insert neutrality into the Irish Constitution (Article 29.2) - there are now 7 TDs in the Dail who support PANA's amendment - and PANA's campaign for a referendum on EU's Nice Treaty and call for a 'no' vote until and unless a protocol is inserted into the Treaty allowing for Ireland's non-participation in EU militarisation (as with Danish protocol in Amsterdam Treaty). PANA also has a postcard campaign to the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, asking him to reverse government policy supporting EU militarisation and to support the UN instead. Copies of the postcard are available from PANA, 113 Springhill Avenue, Blackrock, Co Dublin, Tel: 01 - 2806878.

Peace People: Declaring Support for UN Decade
The Peace People have a campaign Entitled 'Promoting An Ancient Vision For A Nonviolent Future' to get people to sign their support for the United Nations Proclamation of the Decade for the Culture of Nonviolence, the Nobel Laureates' Manifesto Commitment 2000, and the Declaration of the Peace People (the three are included together in the leaflet which includes brief information about them - the Nobel Laureates' manifesto is the most specific in terms of individual commitment.) Their campaign for a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence will be holding meetings each 1st Monday of the month at Fredheim/Peace House, next meeting is 6pm on Monday 6th November. There'll also be a Meditation Group for people of all faith traditions meeting on the first Monday of the month at 7.30pm. Peace People, 224 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 6GE, Tel: 028 9066 3465, Fax: 9068 3947, e-mail info@peacepeople.com

Cementing the Peace: Meath Peace Group
Meath Peace Group invites you to a public talk On ‘Cementing the Peace - The Role of the Republic's Government and People’ on Monday 6th November at 8pm in St Columban's College, Dalgan Park, Navan. Speakers are Mary Wallace TD, Brian Hayes TD, Caoimhghin O Caoilain TD, Cllr Brian Fitzgerald and Stephen Collins of the Sunday Tribune. The session will be chaired by Roy Garland. Further info from; Julitta Clancy, Batterstown, Co Meath, Tel: 01 - 825 94 38, or Pauline Ryan, Tel: 046 - 21159. Dalgan Park is 3 miles from Navan on the Dublin road.

Amnesty International Campaign on Torture
Irish Amnesty International (AI) have launched a campaign 'Take a Step to Stamp out Torture'. The map showing different aspects of torture and human rights abuses in the current (October) issue of 'Amnesty Ireland', based on AI's Report 2000, shows just how widespread such practices are - something 'democracies' are not immune from (80 countries have tortured people to death; torture or ill-treatment by state officials has been recorded in 150 countries). AI Director, Mary Lawlor's letter in support of the campaign details 'urgent action ' appeals last March in support of five Turkish political activists taken into custody in a country where torture is widespread; following appeals from around the world, Turkish security officers told the detainees: "Amnesty International is making a big fuss about you. We won't do anything to you." AI in Ireland will be campaigning with community, women's, religious groups, trade unionists, human rights organisations and others to take intensive action to prevent torture in more than seventeen countries in a campaign that will last until the end of 2001. Contact; Amnesty International, 48 Fleet Street, Dublin 2, Tel: 01 - 677 6361, Fax: 677 6392, e-mail info@amnesty.iol.ie website: www.amnesty.ie Their Winter/Spring catalogue has some great ideas for fair trade or solidarity gifts.

Comhlamh 25th Anniversary Conference
A big hand for Comhlamh, which has been so important is promoting world consciousness in Ireland, it has its 25th anniversary conference entitled ‘Aid: Whose Development? Whose Decisions?’, taking place from 24th - 25th November at Marino Institute of Education, Griffith Avenue, Dublin 9. It will focus on participation and accountability in aid and development work and will involve a range of speakers from North and South. It runs from 1.30pm on Friday to 6pm with a Friday evening 25th anniversary party, and then from 10am - 4pm on Saturday. Registration fee is £20 (members £15, concession £10, asylum seekers £1). Brochure and registration from: Comhlamh, 10 Upper Camden Street, Dublin2, Tel: 01 - 4783490, e-mail comhlamh@iol.ie website www.comhlamh.org [Source: Community Exchange www.pcc.ie]

Guns and Gandhi in Africa
Africa has seen some of the most fundamental and terrible conflicts on this planet. This book (title above) by Bill Sutherland and Matt Meyer has the subtitle 'Pan African Insights on Nonviolence, Armed Struggle and Liberation in Africa', and in the words of Desmond Tutu's foreword, "looks beyond the short-term strategies and tactics which too often divide progressive people". The book is based on dialogues with a broad spectrum of Africans who have played key roles in both revolution and reform including Walter Sisulu, Ela Gandhi, Kenneth Kaunda, Graca Machel, Sam Nujoma, Julius Nyerere, Jerry John Rawlins and Salim Ahmed Salim. UK Price £13.99, 180 pages, paperback, ISBN 0 86543 751 3. Published by Africa World Press, UK distribution by Turnaround. In the authors' words: "If we are to achieve our goals, we believe that dialogue is essential, especially amongst all those searching for a truly revolutionary alternative.'

On Yer Bike With the NI Cycling Initiative
The Northern Ireland Cycling Initiative campaigns for a safe, clean alternative to the car, in particular promoting self-propelled two-wheel transport, and now has over 200 members. Nearly half all journeys are less than 2 miles - ideal for biking it. Subs, payable to NI Cycling Initiative, inc quarterly newsletter are £5 waged, £2.50 unwaged, £10 household to; Tom McClelland, Membership Secretary NI Cycling Initiative, 6 Tullyrusk Road, Dundrod, Crumlin BT29 4JA. Info Tel: 028 9082 5279. Help with campaigning work also welcome.

INNATE the next Belfast networking group meeting is at 8pm on Monday 20th November in Quaker House, 7 University Avenue, Belfast. We are organising a seminar on local involvement in the arms trade to take place in March 2001. Anyone interested welcome. Queries to Rob at 028 - 90 64 71 06.