First UN Rapporteur for Water Rights speaks about Water and Sanitation for All, 28-Oct

American Club of Lisbon invites us to hear:  Catarina de Albuquerque Executive Chair at Sanitation and Water for All Lisbon and New York « Challenges and Opportunities in Sanitation and Water for All » 12:15 - 3:00 pm Friday October 28th Sheraton Lisboa Hotel and SPA

Catarina de Albuquerque

The ACL joins PPA - the Portuguese Water Partnerhsip in celebrating the  achievements  in the water sector, Catarina de Albuquerque will offer remarks in Portuguese on the progress thus far and the challenges still facing us in making this most fundamental Human Right to clean water a reality for all.

 Please E-mail your reservation to office@americancluboflisbon.com  

Access to clean water and sanitation is now, rightly, considered a Human Right but it still remains is a major problem in many parts of the world, for more than one in ten people. In this context, Portugal has the capacity and the will to help change this for the better, with water companies and professionals joining together in the PWP Portuguese Water Partnership to offer Portugal’s water sector expertise where it can have the greatest impact.


Catarina de Albuquerque, the first United Nations special rapporteur on the human rights to water and sanitation has recently been recognized with the Global Water Award 2016 of the International Water Association for her “exceptional role as the driving force behind the recognition of the Human Rights to Water and Sanitation". Seen as a visionary leader and advocate influencing policy makers who has had a significant impact on the world of clean water, she helped to enshrine the right to water and sanitation in the Sustainable Development Goals, in order to align all our efforts.

Do join us ! 
Mariana Abrantes de Sousa, President, American Club of Lisbon 

Assédio Fiscal tritura actividade económica

Arte de Bem Tributar  precisa-se 

Mais um artigo sobre a máquina trituradora em que se tornou a AT, Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira, a antiga DGCI, Direcção Geral de Contribuições e Impostos.  

Se e Evasão Fiscal é  seguramente um crime,  um pecado social como dizia o Patriarca de Lisboa, o Assédio Fiscal é ainda pior. 

O mesmo FISCO que deixava passar  sem tributar boa parte da actividade económica, tornou-se agora numa máquina infernal informatizada que lança "penhoras automáticas"  e coimas sobre coimas a torto e a torto. 

Penhoras automáticas ?  Mas desde quando é que somos governados por computadores? 

Os contribuintes-eleitores votam em pessoas, não em máquinas, e muito menos em máquinas desgovernadas que trituram, não apenas tributam, a actividade económica.  E a Segurança Social é igualmente desmedida como cobradora.   

Precisamos de rever os princípios fundamentais da "Arte de Bem Tributar".  A fiscalidade deve ser leve, transparente, eficaz e  justa.  Precisamos de um "buoyant tax system", um sistema fiscal de taxas e procedimentos de cobrança  que "flutue" com a economia, sem distorcer nem abafar a frágil actividade económica.   

Os abusos da máquina tributária são o verso da medalha do descontrolo da despesa  pública e da acumulação insustentável da dívida pública. Sabíamos que os os contribuintes iriam sempre ter de pagar, com fortes aumentos de impostos, pelos erros na gestão do gasto público.  

Agora sabemos, pelos episódios recontados nestes artigos, anedoctal evidence quase trágica, que continuaremos a pagar, desta vez  pelos erros na tributação e na cobrança de impostos.

Mariana Abrantes de Sousa

PPP Lusofonia

VER http://www.publico.pt/sociedade/noticia/o-inferno-sao-as-financas-1715682

Call for the 2015 Public-Private Partnerships (P3) Impact Award - 30 April

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Concordia and the Institute for Business in Society (IBiS) at University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business announced that the US Secretary of State’s Office of Global Partnerships will become an organizational partner in the inaugural launch of the P3 Impact Award. The award recognizes and honors leading public-private partnerships (P3s) that are improving communities around the world. For this award, a P3 refers to any cross-sector collaboration that features public, private, NGO or nonprofit organizations addressing societal problems.

“The P3 Impact Award intends to spark a new generation of partnerships for sustainable and scalable solutions,” said Natalie Pregibon, Director of P3 Intelligence, Concordia’s research division. “Similar to the Secretary’s Office of Global Partnerships, at Concordia, we believe that partnerships move us closer to solving the world’s most intractable problems – and we are thrilled to have them join us in recognizing today’s leaders in this space.”

“By shedding light on successful partnership models around the world, we hope that this award will invoke others to promote change through partnerships,” said Deputy Special Representative Thomas Debass from the Secretary’s Office of Global Partnerships.

“The P3 model is unique in that it highlights the innovation and value created when partners from various sectors work together to address global challenges,” said Professor Mary Margaret Frank, an academic director of IBiS. “Our award intends to highlight leading practices that are sustainable, scalable, and more impactful than traditional approaches.”

Applicants must meet the definition for a “public-private partnership,” which refers to any cross-sector collaboration that features public, private, NGO or nonprofit organizations addressing societal problems.

Award Criteria

• Strength of the cross-sector partnership
• Measurable impacts
• Economic and/or social benefits
• Improved service delivery
• Innovative features
• Financial effectiveness
• Scalability/replicability

The P3 Impact Award aims to raise awareness and develop meaningful content on impactful and leading practices in the P3 arena, by highlighting the stories of top partnerships each year. The competition highlights leading practices, delivers practical learning, and generates a database of information relevant to P3s.

The P3 Impact Award will be presented at the Concordia Summit held on September 2015. A publication outlining leading practices and actionable insights from the top applicants will be produced to serve as a tool to inform future P3s. Award winners will receive a weeklong Darden Executive Education course, international publicity, and the opportunity to showcase their partnership.  At least one winner will be selected from an international pool of applicants by a panel of esteemed judges.

The US Department of State Secretary’s Office of Global Partnerships (S/GP) is the entry point for collaboration between the U.S. Department of State, the public and private sectors, and civil society.

The Darden Institute for Business in Society (IBiS) of the University of Virginia aims to be a leading global catalyst and convener of thought, information and action at the interface of business and society 

Concordia aims to enhance the scale and effectiveness of public-private partnerships (P3s). Guided by a global network of advisers and a robust research program, Concordia helps organizations maximize the impact of their P3s. Our mission is to identify new avenues of collaboration for governments, businesses, and nonprofits by convening global leaders and developing new research products. Concordia promotes effective public-private collaboration to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.

Source: http://concordia.net/news/state-departments-gpi-joins-p3-impact-award/   e http://youtu.be/CnojyMjt_ek