ANNUAL REPORT 2000

ANNUAL REPORT 2000

• Contents
• Message from the Director
• Global Economic Justice Programme
• Democratisation Programme
• Peace and Security Programme

MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR
Fiona Dove

Reflecting on the achievements of the institute of the year just past is always a rewarding and satisfying experience. Of course, one is conscious of shortcomings and unfulfilled ambitions but somehow these pale into insignificance in the face of the evidence of successes in terms of having a real impact in shifting thinking or in helping to build a public momentum on relevant issues. I am regularly humbled by the sheer talent TNI fellows demonstrate for being able to see the real issues behind the headlines, and to foresee the issues of tomorrow. Above all, I am moved by the tenacious and selfless commitment to universally laudable ideals that TNI's fellows, project partners and staff demonstrate year after year. It is an honour and a privilege to work with such remarkable people.

Besides the ongoing work of the TNI projects in the fields of Drugs & Democracy; Asia-Europe Relations; Nuclear Weapon Free Zones; Sustainable Economy and Energy; and the World Trade Organisation, two new TNI projects got off the ground in 2000. The "New Politics" project was launched towards the end of the year at an international seminar in Cordoba, Spain; and the "Energy & Development" project received confirmation of a three-year grant from the Dutch Ministry of Development Co-operation. The groundwork was laid for a third new project, "Alternative Regionalisms", which will begin in 2001. In addition, a workshop was held at TNI to explore the potential parameters of another new project, 'Towards a Universal Law of Peoples".

TNI co-hosted five major international conferences in 2000: in Cordoba (New Politics), Seoul (Asia-Europe People's Forum), Uppsala (Nuclear Weapon Free Zones), Quito (Biological War on Drugs), and Madrid (Plan Colombia). This year a major effort was made to offer TNI's local constituency interesting forums on topical issues. An average of one public forum or workshop a month was organised in Amsterdam on subjects ranging from climate justice to proposals for a global taxation system to conflicts in Mindanao and in the Putumayo, Colombia. TNI also launched a regular biweekly email newsletter last year which draws attention to what is new on the TNI website. The subscriber list grew to 300 in a matter of months and continues to grow exponentially as does the rate of hits on the website itself.

Priorities for 2001 include consolidation of the new projects; the development of a new programme aimed at supporting younger activist-scholars; and a greater emphasis on product development. The TNI website is being overhauled to reflect better the dynamism of the institute and TNIdeas, a regular newsletter is to be relaunched.

On the institutional front, TNI welcomed a number of new members to the Amsterdam staff. Annelies Borsboom was appointed Executive Manager; Natasja Fransen and Monique de Nijs joined the TNI secretariat; Allal Yacoubi was employed to run the help deskfor TNI's computer network; and Amira Armenta joined the Drugs & Democracy programme. We said farewell to Johan Switters, TNI secretary since 1996, and John Dunlea, who helped out the Asia programmefor six months of 2000.

In recognition of their stirling contributions over the pastfive years, TNI welcomed to the fellowship two members of the Drugs & Democracy team: Martin jelsma, international coordinator and a member of the TNI research staff since 1990, and Ricardo Vargas, the programme coordinator in Colombia. Two other new fellows were also appointed: Dot Keet, who works for the Alternative Information and Development Centre in Cape Town and is active in TNI's Global Economic justice programme; and Boris Kagarlitsky from the Institute for Comparative Political Studies in Moscow. This brings the TNI fellowship complement up to 21 excellent activist-scholars, with an additional six associate or senior fellows.

The fellows produced innumerable books, articles, lectures and discussion papers on the vast range of important contemporary issues reflected in this annual report. A number are intimately involved in the work of TNI's projects, while others play a role as speakers at the conferences, seminars, workshops and other public forums organised by TNI, producing books for TNI or assisting with fundraising, networking and institutional development matters. They come together once a year for the TNI Fellows' Meeting and Planning Board Meeting held in Amsterdam each May.

On the financial front, TNI almost made ends meet, running a small deficit of $3 000. Income rose by 31%, largely due to the expansion of TNI's project base and additional funds raised for the conferences organised during the year. The income figure reflected in our financial statement is even higher because we have included for the first time the subsidy received for certain salariesfrom NVWerk. This is a government scheme to support enterprises prepared to offer jobs and on-the-job training to people who had been unemployed for longer than a yea.r TNI has eight such people on its payroll, who have proved an invaluable asset to the institute.

On behalf of TNI's fellows and staff, I thank all those who have contributed to another productive year for the institute -not least, the generous funders, who make it all possible.