General Assembly Hears Civil Society

On 23–24 June 2005, the UN General Assembly (GA) held "Interactive Hearings" with civil society organizations (CSO) and the private sector. The hearings were organized as an input into the Millennium+5 Summit, now officially called the 2005 World Summit. As member States are still negotiating the outcome of the 2005 World Summit, the hearings took place at a crucial time and provided many recommendations for member States to adopt. "Your voices must continue to be heard," remarked the Deputy Secretary-General at the opening of the hearings, noting that they represented a significant new step in the way the UN interacts with civil society. (Read the UN press release.)

Sessions at the hearings were based on the clusters mentioned in the Secretary-General's report, In Larger Freedom, and the GA President’s draft Summit outcome document, which is the basis for negotiations.

Most striking were references made throughout on the importance of gender equality and the empowerment of women. These references, which came from women's organizations and NGO representatives, reflected the ongoing organizing in monitoring government negotiations on the outcome document, and other preparations in the lead-up to the Summit.

In his address closing the hearings, the Secretary-General noted that CSOs had raised a wide range of issues, ranging from gender, human rights and conflict prevention to aid, trade, debt and the environment. "You have argued for greater emphasis on gender. All of us should agree 100 per cent. Gender issues are not for women alone. They're for all of us. Some of you have recounted personal experiences and traumas to stress the need for action to assist those seeking freedom from fear. You have asked for stronger language on these and many other issues in the draft outcome for the World Summit." (Read the Secretary-General's remarks.)

UNIFEM has been supporting stronger references to gender equality by member States in their negotiations in a number of ways, including: participation in the Millennium Project Task Force 3; organizing a consultation with women's organizations on the Beijing+10 and Millennium Development Goals processes; and collaborating with women's NGOs monitoring the 2005 World Summit preparations and process.

An advanced/unedited summary of the hearings can be found on the website of the United Nations Non-Governmental Liaison Service.

Read Peggy Antrobus' statement at the hearings. Ms Antrobus spoke on behalf of DAWN, the International Gender and Trade Network, and the Global Call Against Poverty.

For detailed summaries issued by the United Nations on the hearings, see the following GA press releases: GA/10359 and GA/10361. These summaries provide the background to the hearings, cover all issues discussed and identify most of the CSO speakers by name and government representatives by country.

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Global Conference on the Role of Civil Society in Conflict Prevention

From 19 to 21 July 2005, New York was host to hundreds of civil society representatives from around the world, who participated in the global conference "From Reaction to Prevention: Civil Society Forging Partnerships to Prevent Violent Conflict and Build Peace." UNIFEM staff from field offices in Kenya, the Solomon Islands, Kyrgyzstan and Haiti attended the conference, as did more than 60 UNIFEM partner organizations from around the world.

On the eve of the conference, UNIFEM held a press briefing to call for stronger international support for women’s participation in peace processes. (read the news release). Members of the women's rights caucus also spoke to the media on women's role in the prevention of violent conflict at both the regional and local levels (watch the webcast).

UNIFEM also helped organize the Working Group on Gender Perspectives and Women’s Equality, which met each day of the conference to develop an implementation plan for the Global Action Agenda (GAA) for the Prevention of Violent Conflict — the primary objective of the global conference. A roundtable discussion held by the working group discussed raising awareness of women's protection needs as well as recognizing their contributions to preventing conflict.

The results of the working group will be available by 15 August 2005 in the Conflict Prevention issue brief of UNIFEM's web portal on women, peace and security, WomenWarPeace.org.

More news about the global conference, including blogs by participants, webcasts of events, newsletters and more, can be found at People Building Peace. Background information and the conference programme are available on the conference website.

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Iraqi Women Concerned About Rights

Over the last two months, Iraqi women activists and civil society groups have been working tirelessly to ensure that women's rights and freedoms remain on the agenda of the constitutional committee of the National Assembly tasked with drafting Iraq's new constitution. As the committee continues in its drafting process, women are becoming increasingly alarmed at what they see as a curtailing of their rights, as enshrined in the earlier interim constitution.

Two weeks ago, a draft of the constitution was released to the press by a member of a sub-committee of the main constitutional committee. Of particular concern to Iraqi women was the Chapter on Duties and Rights, which now referred to Sharia Law as the "main source" for legislation in the new constitution. In the earlier interim constitution, Sharia Law was referred to as an important source of legislation but not a main source.

The draft also indicated the following:

1. That the quota of 25 per cent for women's representation in all decision-making bodies, provided for in the interim constitution, in the new constitution needed only to be followed for the next two election phases. This quota was also moved from the Chapter on Duties and Rights to the Chapter on Transitional Laws, implying that the quota could easily be removed in the future.

2. That Resolution 137, removed in the interim constitution through successful lobbying by Iraqi women, has reappeared in Article 14 of the new constitution. Resolution 137 sought to abolish Iraq's longstanding and progressive Personal Status Law governing family matters, requiring instead that all family issues such as marriage, divorce and inheritance be judged according to the law as practiced by the family's own sect or religion. Article 14 intends to allow Iraqis to apply their own sectarian or religious laws to family issues.

3. That the state guarantees the equal rights of women with men in all areas, on condition that this did not contradict Sharia Law.

4. That the state acknowledges all international laws and treaties as long as they did not contradict Sharia Law.

On Tuesday 19 July 2005, women staged a "sit-in" demonstration in a large tent in Baghdad's Firdaws Square. An appeal in English was circulated as widely as possible to international parliaments and organizations, to the United Nations, and to international women's groups. Read the full appeal.

Hanaa Edwar, a prominent activist from the Iraqi Al-Amal association described the event: "Despite the fiery heat and the deteriorating security situation, brave women from different governorates have taken the initiative to raise their voices demanding to ensure women's rights and equality in the constitution and protesting against the attempt to marginalize the role of women and their human rights as well as the role of civil society organizations in the process of writing the constitution." Read her narrative of the sit-in.

The sit-in, which drew roughly 200 women and men, ended after a few hours when it was announced that two Sunni members of the drafting committee had been assassinated.

UNIFEM has been working, together with the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), to support the Iraqi women's movement, serving as a catalyst in promoting dialogue between all the various groups, and assisting in coordinating with UNAMI and other international organizations. On the same day as the sit-in, UNIFEM and UNAMI organized for a group of about 30 women to meet with members of the drafting subcommittee of the Chapter on Duties and Rights to articulate their concerns — this meeting also ended abruptly because of news of the assassinations. Another similar meeting is being planned for the near future.

UNIFEM Around the World

DFID to Give GBP 800,000 to Engendering the Election Process in the DRC
Britain's Department for International Development (DFID), has pledged £800,000 to promote women's inclusion in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's electoral process. The funds will be applied to a UNIFEM project to ensure that Congolese women participate in the process. It will work with institutions and organizations to highlight the critical role that women play in creating a sustainable peace in the country.
        The project stems from a request by the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI), the Ministry for Women and the Family, and women's organizations and civil society groups, for UNIFEM to play a bigger role in supporting women's efforts to mobilize and lobby as the country prepares for its general election. UNIFEM will collaborate on the project with CEI, the Ministry for Women and the Family, MONUC, UNDP and women's groups in the country.
        Read the full press release (in French).

Afghanistan: Supporting the Electoral Process
To raise awareness and understanding of the parliamentary process, UNIFEM has published a manual titled "Parliamentary Manual: Institutional and Legal Principles." It has been distributed widely among government offices, Joint Electoral Management Body (JEMB) staff, and through the JEMB's provincial offices to more than 6,050 candidates in Dari and Pashto. English, Dari and Pashto versions have also been distributed among journalists, UN agencies, gubernatorial offices throughout Afghanistan, embassies, and some international and local NGOs. Additional copies of the manual are available from the UNIFEM Afghanistan office or website.
        In the lead-up to the elections in September 2005, the manual is being used to raise public awareness about the electoral process and encourage people to register to vote.
        UNIFEM is partnering with Afghan National Radio and Television to produce a TV and radio program, based on the manual, to inform parliamentary candidates and the general public about fundamental constitutional and parliamentary concepts. Expert Afghan resource persons debate and discuss the material drawn from the manual on 30-minute weekly shows that are aired each Thursday on Afghan state TV, and rebroadcast every Friday. The shows will then be carried on state radio on Sunday.
        The program, which began broadcast on 23 June, has 11 episodes that cover topics such as constitutional state structure, the Afghan legal system, constitutional rights, election law principles and procedures, constitutional rules and regulations, parliamentary structure, constitutional law making, and public and constituency relations. The last program will answer audience questions.

Spain Renews Commitment to Promoting Gender Equality
UNIFEM signed an agreement in July 2005 with the Government of Spain to strengthen international cooperation on removing discrimination against women and promoting gender equality in order to reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Read the full news release.

Jordan Telecom and Wanadoo to Provide Internet Connectivity for UNIFEM Project
Jordan Telecom, the principal telecommunications services provider in Jordan, and Wanadoo, a leading global broadband provider, are partnering with UNIFEM to provide its e-village programme in Jordan with fixed lines and internet connectivity in all the programme's centres in the villages of Lib and Mleih. The partnership supports the programme's aim to transform a few Jordanian villages into gender-sensitive communities where information and communications technology is used to improve the quality of life for women and men. Through its e-Village initiative, UNIFEM is working to bring together the private and public sectors to share resources and expertise in narrowing the gender digital divide in Jordan to promote sustainable human development. For more information please contact Yazan Majaj, yazan[at]unifem.org.jo

China Gender Facility
The China Gender Facility for Research and Advocacy provides funding for innovative and catalytic projects that seek to promote advocacy and social dialogue on gender equality and women's empowerment in China. Its goal is to contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the reduction of gender inequalities in the country. Established in September 2004 by the United Nations Theme Group on Gender (UNTGG) and administered by UNIFEM, the facility invites applications for funding from research institutions and civil society organizations with legal status in China that have the basic capacity to initiate research and advocacy work. For more details, please visit UNIFEM's Beijing Office.

Ecuador – Weekly Radio Programme on the United Nations
Various UN agencies, including UNIFEM, are collaborating to produce a new weekly radio programme — broadcast on Thursday afternoons — called "Conexión ONU." Each agency presents a topic or issue that relates to the work of the United Nations in Ecuador. UNIFEM's programme, broadcast on 30 June, was on the third Millennium Development Goal — promoting gender equality. In addition, UNIFEM's weekly events are being broadcast on the public radio station. Tune in at Multimedios 106.

Ecuador – Women Refugees and Gender-Based Violence
UNIFEM is conducting, with the support of UNHCR, a series of workshops for men and women from Ecuador and Colombia on gender-based violence, focusing on refugee situations. Workshops have been organized with CEMPROC (the Centre for Mediation, Peace and Conflict Resolution International) in Ibarra and the Jesuit Refugee Service in Quito, where participants are informed of the different mechanisms and organizations that exist to protect women refugees (both women with official and unofficial refugee status) from domestic and sexual violence. For more information, contact Judith Friedman, judith.friedman[at]undp.org

Mexico's Senate and UNIFEM Sign Agreement to Strengthen Collaboration on Women's Human Rights
An agreement between UNIFEM and the Mexican Senate was signed in June to strengthen collaborative efforts to promote women's human rights in the country.
        Leticia Burgos, president of the Social Development Commission, described two main challenges for Mexican women — the first was the need to improve Mexican legislation regarding International Humanitarian Law; the second was to evaluate the progress the country is making to improve women's lives. She said that this agreement, in highlighting women's human rights, would help chart a clearer path for peace and stability in Mexico.
        Noeleen Heyzer, UNIFEM's executive director, emphasized the importance of this year, 2005, for gender equality, because of the Beijing+10 review in March and the World Summit in September. She said that UN reform must also include the inputs of parliaments, senates and local governments within countries for it to be successful.
        Read the full press release (in Spanish).

High-Level Meeting on Gender Justice in Post-Conflict Situations
The Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, in cooperation with the International Legal Assistance Consortium (ILAC) and UNIFEM, is hosting a high-level meeting in Stockholm, Sweden, on 25–26 August 2005 as a follow-up to the Conference on Gender Justice in Post-Conflict Situations held in mid-September 2004 in New York. Bearing in mind the recommendations from the conference and the ongoing UN reform process, the goal will be to focus on how gender justice requirements, can best be addressed and operationalized within the context of rule of law and post-conflict peace-building. Read more.

Afghan Government Task Force for Combating Violence Against Women Releases Workplan
In July 2005, the Afghan Inter-Ministerial Task Force on the Elimination of Violence Against Women (VAW) endorsed a three-month workplan to address violations of women's rights. The workplan identifies deficiencies in Afghanistan's justice system and mandates action different agencies and government ministries must take by 12 October 2005 to improve the judicial and law enforcement systems.
        The workplan requires, among other things, that officials in the courts, Attorney General's office, and police departments receive training on interacting responsibly with women, that marriage and divorce be registered and formalized, and that women's rights under Islam be secured. The implementation of the workplan will be supervised by the VAW Task Force and the Ministry of Women's Affairs' Legal Department, with technical support from UNIFEM. The Task Force is made up of high-level officials from the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, Afghan Women Judges Association, Supreme Court, Attorney General's Office, and Ministries of Women's Affairs, Pilgrimage, Information and Culture, Public Health, Foreign Affairs, Refugees, Interior, and Education.
        For more information, contact Sarah Kamal, sarah.kamal[at]undp.org

World Summit on the Information Society – Gender Caucus
UNIFEM, in partnership with the governments of Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark, is supporting the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Gender Caucus to ensure that gender issues are integrated in the WSIS, its outcome processes and the implementation programmes.
        The gender caucus was formed during a WSIS regional preparatory conference in Africa (Mali, May 2002); it is a group of women and men representing governments, civil society organizations, NGOs, the private sector and the United Nations system working towards the goals of the WSIS by sharing information and ideas on strategies for ensuring women's participation in the process.
        The first WSIS Summit took place in Geneva, in December 2003, and the second one will be held in Tunis, 14–19 November 2005. Prior to the November Summit, a preparatory committee meeting (PrepCom3) will take place in Geneva, 19–30 September 2005.
        To solicit inputs to the process, the gender caucus has started an e-discussion on its website inviting all gender caucus members and other stakeholders to contribute their comments and ideas over a three-week period (25 July – 13 August 2005). The discussions focus on Internet Governance, Millennium Development Goals and WSIS, Funding and Financing Mechanisms for ICTD, and Implementation and Follow-Up of WSIS. Final conclusions will serve as content for lobbying and advocacy in the PrepCom3 negotiations and ensure that gender concerns remain firmly on the agenda.
        For more information and to join the e-discussion please contact sfernandez[at]genderwsis.org, or visit www.genderwsis.org.

Indigenous Women Meet With UN Agencies
UNIFEM organized the Second Regional Meeting Among Indigenous Women Leaders and UN Agency representatives in Mexico on 21–23 June 2005. Indigenous women participants came from Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Costa Rica, Ecuador and also included members of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
        Participants discussed how UN Agencies could better support indigenous women's processes, including proposals to improve communication between their communities and governments, the creation of an exchange programme among indigenous women and UN agencies, participation in UN inter-agency meetings, creation of an indigenous women database, support for training programs, and the organization of regional meetings around the MDGs to promote the indigenous communities' experiences and strategies to promote sustainable development.
        Read the speech by Noeleen Heyzer at the Regional Conference of Indigenous Women.

Central and Eastern European Delegation Calls for Gender Perspective in New EU Financial Instruments
A six-woman delegation representing major gender equality networks and organizations from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) descended on Brussels in June to speak out on current changes in EU policy towards their countries. The delegation, supported by UNIFEM, met with members of the European Parliament and European Commission (EC) officials to convey concerns relating to the new financial instruments. Discussions focused mainly on the instruments that will form the framework for EU support to most countries in South-East Europe (SEE) and the European part of the Commonwealth of Independent States from 2007 until 2013 — the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA), the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI), and the Stability Instrument (IS).
        A chief concern expressed by the delegation was that the EU commitment to the promotion of gender equality seemed to be either not reflected, or only weakly reflected, in all the new financial instruments. In addition, the new instruments (and in particular the ENPI and the IPA), failed to draw on the lessons learned by the eight CEE New Member States under the "old" instruments, with particular reference to the considerable challenges encountered by NGOs in gaining access to EU funding.
        While the group appreciated the interest of members of Parliament and EC officials in hearing their views and concerns, they were concerned that officials understand and do not downplay the relevance of gender within these documents; rather they should recognize it as a critical cross-cutting concern enshrined in binding commitments by the EU and all its member states.
        Kinga Lohman from KARAT Coalition, a network of NGOs from the CEE/CIS region, pointed out in a statement to the press that "given the prevailing inequality between women and men in Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States, and knowing the strong EU commitments to the promotion of gender equality, it was disappointing to hear EU officials argue that gender does not need to be mentioned, since it is already taken care of in founding treaties."
        Read the full press release.

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Other News

Publication About Quota Laws in the Andean Region
A new book, "Nadando Contra la Corriente" (Swimming Against the Current), edited by Colombian sociologist Magdalena León, was published in Ecuador this month. The book is a collaboration between UNIFEM, UNFPA, CIDEM, IEP, the National University of Colombia and FLACSO, and describes the situation of women and quota politics in the Andean Region. The system of quota laws for political offices in the Andean Region has given an important boost to women’s inclusion and gender equality in political spaces, and in the promotion of democracy as a whole in the Andean Region. For more information, visit the FLACSO website.

New Global Learning Programme on Human Rights in Development
Dignity International in partnership with Hakijamii (Centre for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Kenya) are soliciting applications for a new learning programme on human rights to be held 1-10 December 2005 at the Fairview Conference Centre in Nairobi, Kenya. For more information, visit Dignity International or e-mail applications[at]dignityinternational.org. Deadline for applications is 5 September 2005.

10th AWID International Forum on Women's Rights and Development
In October 2005, up to two thousand activists, academics, policy makers, funders, students, researchers and practitioners working for women's rights and gender-sensitive development will converge upon Bangkok, Thailand in to discuss the question, "How does change happen?" The conference takes place 27-30 October 2005. Registration is now open. Early Registration Deadline: August 15, 2005, Registration closes: 14 October 2005. Visit AWID for more information.

Women Make History Again in Bougainville
The women's lobby had been successful in attaining three reserved seats in the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG). This is less than the women representatives in Bougainville's Constitutional Committee had initially lobbied for, but as Helen Hakena of the Leitana Nehan Women's Development Agency pointed out, the very fact that there were three reserved seats for women encouraged women to contest the elections in the first place. Read more about women's participation in the recent elections in Bougainville in femTALK enews May/June 2005.

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