Women's Participation in Decision Making

1. EDITORIAL
The PeaceWomen Team

Welcome to the 2006 1325 PeaceWomen E-News. This year the PeaceWomen team has planned an improved newsletter to increase the visibility of Resolution 1325 and momentum for advocacy for its full and rapid implementation. We will expand the newsletter's potential for sharing information with UN staff, government representatives and civil society actors on 1325 and related women, peace and security issues. One concrete change is a monthly rather than bi-monthly newsletter, designed to facilitate more analysis on the issues. We will continue to provide news, information on resources, initiatives, events, gender & peacekeeping and updates from the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security and from UNIFEM as our partner in the web portal on women, peace and security. These sections will be supplemented with more in-depth reporting and editorial content. PeaceWomen continues to promote the translation of Resolution 1325 and we look forward to using this newsletter to build on our “1325 in Translation” initiative (featured in item 3 below). This initiative collects and disseminates information on how the translations are used and the impact they have on the work of women, peace and security advocates. The initiative is part of our broader effort to share the experiences and ideas on how women and other actors, in a variety of social sectors use 1325. We look forward to receiving information from around the globe on initiatives and resources on 1325 in action as a tool for women, peace and security advocacy.

Looking ahead, beyond our monitoring of the current session of the Committee on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) featured below, the PeaceWomen Project is very engaged in preparations for the 50th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). The CSW offers an opportunity to incorporate our women, peace and security agenda into the methods and program of work for the commission for the years to come. PeaceWomen will also be paying particular attention to the thematic area of women's participation in all levels of decision making .

For more information on CSW50 please visit: http://www.peacewomen.org/un/ecosoc/CSW50/CSW50index.htm.

Also in February, the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations (C34) will be meeting (27th February to 17th March) to conduct its annual review of all issues relating to peacekeeping. The C34 plays a crucial role in ensuring that peacekeeping operations respond to the specific vulnerabilities of women in conflict situations and capitalize on their potential to contribute to the establishment of peace and security, as required by Resolution 1325. PeaceWomen has been advocating for greater commitment to gender issues in this important forum and will continue to do so in its upcoming session.

For more information on the C34 and our work on this, please visit: http://www.peacewomen.org/un/pkwatch/Events/C34/Index.html

The next edition of the newsletter will feature these two important events.

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In this edition, we focus on women's participation in decision making. This critical issue is one that forms a core part of Resolution 1325 which, inter alia, calls on Member States to “ensure increased representation of women at all decision making levels in national, regional and international institutions and mechanisms for the prevention, management, and resolution of conflict.” At the UN level, the recently formed Peacebuilding Commission certainly offers an opportunity to increase women's participation in peacebuilding, without which lasting and sustainable peace is not possible. We look forward to seeing the Commission take seriously the call to integrate a gender perspective in its work and to involve women's organizations in its activities in all stages of its operation. We will continue to monitor it as the Commission considers when and where it will begin its operations. While the Peacebuilding Commission is likely to take on an increasing role in peacebuilding there are still a number of ongoing post-conflict “peace” processes in which the inclusion of women has not been taken seriously – despite Resolution 1325 having been in existence for 5 years. While some at UN Headquarters pay attention to the Resolution and its implementation, it is not clear how serious the international community is about putting the resolution's obligations into practice . This edition's Feature Statement regarding women's participation in Kosovo Status talks is evidence of such ambiguity; it highlights the fact that women have been excluded from almost all high-level positions in the international organizations and agencies there and their representation on delegations party to the talks is extremely limited.

What the statement also highlights is the wide-spread problem of violence against women in the region. Gender-based violence is a problem which affects women in conflict and post-conflict zones across the globe. We look to the UN and the broader international community to protect women and girls from gender-based violence, in particular sexual violence and to end impunity for these crimes. We look forward to featuring efforts to follow-up on Resolution 1325's commitments to addressing sexual and gender-based violence in situations of armed conflict. Our concern is not only the immediate and continued devastating physical and psychological effect of such violence but also the obstacle it presents to the full and effective participation of women in decision making during peace processes and beyond.

The need for women's participation in decision making does, of course, go beyond the immediacy of peace negotiations and while the focus in our work is certainly on participation at this stage, it extends beyond this. In the last few months we have certainly seen impressive gains in women's political participation – our news section features some of these success stories including the election of President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf in Liberia and President Michelle Bachelet in Chile. Significantly President Bachelet has appointed a cabinet with an equal number of men and women, with the key posts in the ministries of defence, economy and health going to women. This marks an important step in ensuring that where women do obtain high-office that they are not relegated to positions traditionally thought of as “appropriate” for women. UNIFEM's update features a session to be held during the upcoming CSW which addresses this very issue and our organization (WILPF) will also be co-sponsoring an event at this time on women and trade-decision making. The issue of effective participation in economic and financial decision making is one that is not limited to the public arena and we were encouraged to note the moves on the part of the Norwegian government to ensure the representation of women in economic decision making in the private sector, through representation on company boards. In the era of privatization and globalization it is naïve to think that ensuring public decision making is inclusive and representative is the end-goal. In considering these many levels of decision making we have sought also to highlight the crucial roles that women play in politics and beyond, often we are some of the strongest players at the local level. The news item on South Africa's women mayors certainly shows the impressive gains that can be made by ensuring the involvement of women. What this, and a number of our other news items suggest, is that women's participation is not simply about equality and representation of women for its own sake. It is about more effective processes and decisions because women participate.

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As always we welcome your contributions to the newsletter's content. The newsletter will be sent out towards the end of each month and we will feature the deadline for submissions for the next edition in each newsletter. Contributions for the February edition should be sent to enewssubmissions@peacewomen.org by Thursday 16 February 2006.

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In pursuing the work of the PeaceWomen Project, we are delighted to welcome and introduce Jill Sternberg (whose biography is featured at the end of this e-news), the new director at our UN Office of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom.
2. WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY NEWS

NOT AFRAID TO DO THE JOB: EXCLUDING WOMEN FROM THE WORK OF NEGOTIATING AND MEDIATION IS SELLING PEACE PROCESSES SHORT
January 24, 2005 - (The Guardian) Popular psychology would have it that women have the monopoly over men on talk. Apparently, women like listening and talking more, and are often better at it. Communications - the soft side - is a woman's thing. Funny, then, that one of the most important professions in the international arena - the business of ending armed conflict through helping people talk their way to peace rather than battling bloodily to the death - is almost completely devoid of women.

WOMEN MAKE POLITICAL GAINS IN 2005
January 3, 2006 – (Boston.com/Associated Press) The world witnessed a number of major political achievements for women in 2005, from the election of Africa's first female president to the first polls in Saudi Arabia to include women.

WOMEN GET HALF CHILE CABINET JOBS
January 31, 2006 - (BBC News) The Chilean President-elect, Michelle Bachelet, has unveiled a cabinet made up of an equal number of women and men. Ms Bachelet, Chile's first female leader, had made a campaign promise to create an equal opportunity government. Among the roles to go to women are the defence, economy and health ministries. Her chief-of-staff will also be female.

MEN CHAFE AS NORWAY USHERS WOMEN INTO BOARDROOM
January 8, 2006 - (New York Times) On the first day of this year - and in the teeth of strenuous opposition from many Norwegian businessmen - Norway's leftist government put into effect one of the more radical attempts to achieve sexual equality: requiring that in the next two years 40 percent of the board members of the nation's large, publicly traded private companies be women.

MOTHERS WANT A PIECE OF THE ACTION
Dec 29, 2005 - (Kenya times) As I took my seat at the packed hall, I realized it was not just any other women's forum, where we whimper about bad treatment bash at male leadership, then jot down a few furious resolutions. This group of women wanted to discuss the inclusion of women in conflict resolution in Africa.

CAN MAMA ELLEN DELIVER LIBERTY TO LIBERIA?
Jan 19, 2006 - (Pambazuka News) Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was sworn in this week as President of Liberia. Tajudeen Abdul Raheem wishes her well in what promises to be a stormy voyage, and raises questions about some of the problems that might crop up over the next four years.

UGANDA: THE YEAR 2005 AND ITS WOMEN ACHIEVERS
December 24, 2005 - (The Daily Monitor) Women seem to have decided to jump all hurdles and reach out for those positions that would have otherwise been dominated by men.

YEMEN: CANDIDACY OF FIRST WOMAN FOR PRESIDENT PUTS SPOTLIGHT ON EQUALITY
December 21 2005 - (IPS) As a recent Arab women's conference came to a close, Sumayah Ali Raja, chair of the Yemen-French Forum, announced she would run in the September 2006 presidential elections. But even her supporters are only cautiously optimistic, pointing to the many cultural obstacles women in politics face in an Arab country. Raja will be the first woman to run for president of Yemen. She said in her address to more than 300 conference participants from the Arab world, Europe and the United States that her

WOMEN FOR MAYOR: THE WAY FORWARD?
January 24, 2006 - (Mail & Guardian) Of Gauteng's 15 municipalities, only those led by women -- Lesedi, Midvaal, Westonaria and the West Rand -- received unqualified audit reports for 2003/04 “It is encouraging that the four municipalities that have performed with regard to their finances are led by woman mayors,” says Gauteng local government minister Qedani Dorothy Mahlangu. “It will also spurn the notion that women are not capable of being mayors, speakers or municipal managers, and is a sign of encouragement for more women to play a leading role in local government.”

TANZANIA: MORE WOMEN, NEW FACES IN KIKWETE'S CABINET
January 4, 2006 - (IRIN) Newly elected Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete announced his cabinet on Wednesday, comprising 29 ministers and 30 deputies. The cabinet has many new faces and the highest number of women the country has had since independence.

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For more country-specific women, peace and security news, CLICK HERE

For more international women, peace and security news, CLICK HERE

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3. 1325 TRANSLATION UPDATE: "1325 in translation" initiative

In an effort to promote the implementation of resolution 1325 and to ensure its accessibility to women peace and security advocates around the world, PeaceWomen, assisted by individuals, organizations and governments, has in the last two years compiled 71 translations of the resolution. The translation process itself has served as a mobilizing tool for women in societies experiencing conflict, and organizing efforts have helped many to become familiar with Resolution 1325 and its relevance to them.

PeaceWomen is now collecting information on how translations of the resolution are being used and the impact of the availability of these translations on the work of women peace and security advocates' work.

We invite anyone who has used translations of 1325 for outreach, advocacy or other purposes, or who may know how translations of the resolution are being used to provide us with information detailing among other things:

* Which particular translation(s) of 1325 you have used or know is being used
* Who carried out the translation (if known) or how the translation(s) was accessed
* The types of activities for which this translation(s) has been used (e.g. workshops, radio programs) and your opinion about the impact of such activities in promoting resolution 1325
* Why do you think it is important to translate Resolution 1325 into local languages?
* Suggestions about women who need 1325 translated into their language and on people who may be able to provide translations

Kindly contribute to the “Using 1325 in Translation” effort by responding to these questions or submitting any other information on translating UNSCR 1325 to info@peacewomen.org

To view the 71 translations and their sources click here

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4. FEATURE STATEMENT

Open Letter from the Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation to Martti Ahtisaari, Regarding Kosovo Status Talks and Women's Participation
Stockholm, Sweden,
16 January, 2006

To:
UN Special Envoy for the Future Status Process for Kosovo, Mr Martti Ahtisaari

Copy to:
UN Security Council
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan
UN SRSG in Kosovo Soren Jessen-Petersen
Swedish Foreign Minister Laila Freivalds
President of UN General Assembly Jan Elisasson
Tvärdepartementala 1325-gruppen, Sweden

Dear Mr Martti Ahtisaari

The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation welcomes your comment at the press briefing 23 November saying that you "would welcome more women to participate in the process" of Kosovo's future status.
We also welcome the message given by your office in Vienna that there will be a good gender balance in the office, including on high level positions, and that the office will ensure that women leaders and organisations in Kosovo will be consulted during the status process.

Up until now the International Community has failed to live up to its obligations in Kosovo stated in UN Security Council Resolution 1325: to increase the number of women on all decision making levels in their organisations and to involve local women in peace processes. Women have been excluded from almost all high positions within the UNMIK, KFOR, OSCE and PISG and women in the region have too often been excluded from important processes and there are wide implementation gaps regarding policies and laws which should protect women's human rights. One example is the standard process. Even though there are gender indicators for each standard it hasn't lead to any real change for women and girls.

Based on our experience we are extremely concerned that the international community once again fails to respect women's right to fully participate. There are several facts which increase our concerns.

There are no women in the Kosovo delegation and only one in the Serbian. Men dominate other formal leading positions in the societies. This threatens to make the process unfair, vulnerable and undemocratic.

Furthermore the international community, especially the US, EU and NATO, has so far failed to appoint a woman to any of the four Liaison Officers connected to your office. Russia is yet to publish the name of their Officer.

Special Envoy, Mr Kai Eides, review of the situation in Kosovo was a starting point for the status talks. However his report is gender blind and does not reflect the specific situation and challenges that women and girls face and therefore fails to describe the true situation in Kosovo today. This is dangerous for the status talks since it increases the risk for wrong conclusions and misinformed decisions and priorities.

The situation for women, cross ethnic and religious lines, is very serious. Strong and deep patriarchal structures, boosted by the order within the international community, create an atmosphere which undermines women's status, security and participation. Men's violence against women is widespread, especially within the family, and there is very little governmental support for the women who dare to challenge the norms and stigma and report the abuses.

Your Deputy, Albert Rohan, has pointed out that the Contact group calls on all parties to reject any form of violence. This must also include the most widespread violence of all, violence against women. Likewise it is pivotal to empower women to end poverty. If women and women's human rights are marginalised there will never be just peace or real security.

In the guiding principles for the future status process for Kosovo the Contact Group says that "The settlement of the Kosovo issue should be fully compatible with international standards of human rights, democracy and international law and contribute to regional security". To enable this we urge you to:

* Ensure a gender balance, on all levels, in your office in Vienna
* Ensure that women and women's organisations in the region fully and equally participate in the status talks,
* Ensure that women's situation and their rightful and equal role in the peace and democratic processes is made visible for the different actors involved in the status talks,
* Ensure that all actors involved in the implementation of the standards respect their obligation according to 1325 and take women and girls situation into account and strengthen women's human rights. There are many strong women and women's organisations in Kosovo and Serbia who for many years have been in the forefront in building peace. They have a crucial role in the future of Kosovo and the region as a whole. Their participation is a precondition for democracy. To exclude them would be a great loss for everyone in Kosovo and Serbia. We are looking forward hearing from you regarding these questions.

Yours sincerely,

Kerstin Grebäck
Secretary General, The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation

For more information on the Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation, please visit: http://www.iktk.se/english/index.html

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5. FEATURE EVENTS

CEDAW COMMITTEE 34TH SESSION: 16 January – 3 February 2006
UN Headquarters, New york

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly, is often described as the international bill of rights for women. Consisting of a preamble and 30 articles, it defines what constitutes discrimination against women and sets up an agenda for national action to end such discrimination.
The Convention requires states to eliminate discrimination against women in the enjoyment of all civil, political, economic and cultural rights. It also establishes programmatic measures for states to pursue in achieving equality between women and men.
180 countries have ratified the Convention and an additional 97 countries have signed the treaty, binding themselves to do nothing in contravention of its terms.

The Committee is examining the initial country reports of Cambodia, Eritrea, Macedonia and Togo, as well as the periodic reports of Australia, Mali, Thailand and Venezuela.

To view the 8 country reports to be examined during the 34th session, the issues and questions raised by the pre-session working group on these reports and the states' responses, click here

To view NGO shadow reports from all countries reporting during this session click here

Look out for our feature in the February edition of this newsletter of our PeaceWomen CEDAW Report which will highlight relevant women, peace and security issues raised during this session.

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Some Highlights of the 34th Session from a WILPF Observer
Gillian Gilhool – Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (US Section member)

In reviewing the various country reports to the 34th session of CEDAW, the CEDAW committee has repeatedly called attention to the discrepancy between governmental plans and policies to end discrimination and their actual implementation and impact on women at a local level. The committee has also frequently decried the absence of disaggregated statistics in country reports as well as stressing the importance of making progress in gender budgeting. The Committee's questions to country delegations have occasionally elicited detailed information from the delegations, but also led to broader exchanges on the difference between equity and equality, and what are appropriately thought of as temporary special measures versus permanent legislative remedies to end discrimination.

An issue that some of the country delegations have sought to emphasize in their reporting are measures they are taking to improve the status of women from minority groups. The Venezuelan delegation for example included an Afro-Venezuelan, a group which, it was noted, has been historically discriminated against and previously unrepresented in the country's diplomatic missions. The delegation also sought to clarify that the absence of indigenous women in the delegation was due to their attendance of the inauguration of the new president of Bolivia, Evo Morales.

The Macedonian delegation, on its part, responded to the committee's questions on the status of Roma and Albanian women by noting that CEDAW has been translated into both languages and that Macedonia is the only country with a Roma population that recognizes them as eligible for citizenship. However, it was noted that the process of approval is slow and no gender statistics are available. The delegation concluded by noting that women's economic dependency was as fundamental problem that requiring redress to assure women's equality and security.

Occurring simultaneously as CEDAW is a human rights training for US NGOs and community organizers, sponsored by
Women's Institute for Leadership Development for Human Rights, New York City Human Rights Initiative and the US Human Rights Network. Participants at this training have gained first-hand experience observing the CEDAW committee's consideration of Australia's report on January 30. Shadow reporting provides NGOs and local communities key opportunities to advance human rights work in every country. SCR 1325 was distributed to the workshop group and it is hoped that it will enable activists to utilize the instrument in their work for women's human rights. The workshop opportunity reinforced understanding of CEDAW's value as a focus for women's organizing around the world.

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6. FEATURED INITIATIVe

Women Say No to War - sign on to the women's call for peace
Women Say No To War Campaign, WomenSayNotoWar.Org

WomenSayNOtoWar.Org is your opportunity to unite with international women everywhere and contribute towards the end of the illegal war in Iraq. With the launch of Women Say No To War Campaign, we are asking women around the world to sign on to the Women's Call for Peace.

We hope to obtain a minimum of 100,000 signatures by International Women's Day on March 8, 2006, when US and Iraqi women will deliver these signatures to leaders in Washington DC and women around the world will deliver them to US embassies.

For more information click here

Go to: http://www.womensaynotowar.org to sign the call now!

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For more women, peace and security initiatives – in country, regional, global and international, visit: http://www.peacewomen.org/campaigns/global/index.html

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7. GENDER AND PEACEKEEPING UPDATE

NEWS:

DRC: UN INVESTIGATIONS INTO ALLEGATIONS OF SEXUAL OFFENCES BY PEACEKEEPERS
January 26 2006 (IRIN) - In February 2005, the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, MONUC, created an office to address allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation by some of MONUC's civilian and military personnel. It was the first such UN office to have been set-up as part of a peacekeeping mission.

INDIA'S FIRST WOMEN'S PEACEKEEPING FORCE FOR LIBERIA
January 22 2006 - (NewIndpress) For the first time, a company of 120 Indian women would be deputed to Liberia, west Africa, for a peace-keeping mission following a UN request to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

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RESOURCES:

The 2006 Report of the Secretary General on the implementation of the Recommendations of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations
This report provides the basis for the 2006 comprehensive review of peacekeeping operations by the Special committee on peacekeeping operations, scheduled to take place between 27th February and 17th March 2006. The annex to the report provides an outline of measures taken so far to implement the Secretary-general's comprehensive strategy to eliminate sexual exploitation and abuse in United Nations peacekeeping operations.

For more on this report click here

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For PeaceWomen's Peacekeeping Watch index, visit: http://www.peacewomen.org/un/pkwatch/pkwatch.html

For more gender and peacekeeping news, visit PeaceWomen's Gender and Peacekeeping News Index: http://www.peacewomen.org/un/pkwatch/pknews.html

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8. UNIFEM UPDATE

Lead-Up to the 50th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women

In the lead-up to the 2006 Commission on the Status of Women, UNIFEM is pleased to present a preview of events being organized by the Governance Peace and Security team.

>. From Numbers to Influence: Women in Politics Making Economic Policy
2 March 2006, UN HQ, New York

UNIFEM, in partnership with UNDP, the National Democratic Institute and the Initiative for Inclusive Security will use the occasion of the CSW's focus on women's political participation to explore means of building women's capacity to advance a gender agenda in economic policy making. This CSW half-day parallel session will focus in particular on the engagement of women politicians in a non-traditional (or non-female-typed) areas of decision-making: economic policy and rights. Women in public office in many contexts are concentrated in gender-stereotyped areas of governance, notably the social sectors. However, advancing gender equality in national planning requires the application of gender analysis to, and advocacy for women's rights in economic management and policy analysis. Macroeconomic planning, trade deals, budget formulation, national audits and the like have been in many contexts notoriously resistant to gender analysis, and have not been notably open to women's engagement whether as holders of public office or as civil society participants.

In this session, women finance ministers, women in national assemblies, cabinet members, and prominent women in the public administration who have been engaged directly in financial sector reform, economic planning, poverty reduction policy-making, land reform, trade reform will reflect upon their successes (or the obstacles they have encountered) in bringing gender equality concerns into economic policy and planning.

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> Arab women in politics: Promoting inclusive democracy
2 March 2006, 1:15 – 2:45 pm, UN HQ, New York

Women's participation in representative political office has increased in many parts of the world recently; however in the Arab world there are still very low numbers of women in formal office. Women in elected office as well as women in civil society face a major challenge in seeking to amplify women's voice in public debates and to seek a greater level of engagement of women in politics, whether as voters, members of political parties, or candidates for office. In this session, politicians and activists from the Arab region will engage with the issue of democratic inclusion from a gender perspective. This will include a discussion of the challenges of participation from a gender perspective, and an assessment of the nature of the relationship between women in politics and their female constituencies. The session will consider what practical measures can be taken to promote gender-inclusive democracy in the region, and what women in public decision-making roles can do to promote gender equality in politics and policy-making.

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> Screening of “Sisters In Law” followed by panel discussion: Between a rock and a hard place? Advancing women's rights in customary and statutory legal forums.
3 March 2006, 1:15 to 5 pm, DHL, UN HQ, New York

Screening: In this documentary from Women Make Movies, Kim Longinotto and co-director Florence Ayisi capture a Cameroon courtroom where a female judge and prosecutor dispense justice with equal parts of wit, wisdom and wisecracks. Extraordinary stories unfold before our eyes as defendants admit their guilt under cross-examination. The movie reveals African mores at a pivotal moment, when brutal traditions collide with 21st-century justice.

Panel discussion: The panel will discuss the quality of women's access to justice in contexts where they are given little real choice between customary tribunals and the instruments of formal legal systems. The gender- based injustices that slip between the cracks and go unpunished in dual legal systems are reasonably well understood. The objective of this session is not so much to review the problems faced by women under these systems, but to consider constructive forms of improving women's access to justice in such contexts. UNIFEM has an interest in further developing its own programming in this area and will benefit from the expertise of the panelists and from their practical experience. The session will be structured around reactions to a recent documentary on the creative legal practice of Vera Ngassa and Beatrice Ntuba two women lawyers (now judges) from Cameroon. This will be a unique advance screening of the film Sisters in Law, which will launch the Harlem International Film Festival the same evening as this event.

This event will also explore the ways foreign aid donors are supporting rule of law reform programmes in poor countries and the implications for women. There is some concern that the significant contemporary investment in judicial system reform is bypassing women and gender equality concerns due to a focus on commercial law rather than family law and the need to rehabilitate family courts. Lack of capacity in the formal legal system means that decision-makers often refer women and domestic relations to the traditional sector, with disturbing implications for women.

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> Win with Women Knowledge Network, Consultative Session
6 March 2006 6, 1:15 – 2:45 pm (TBD), UN HQ, New York

Historically, women's participation in political processes is limited by lack of access to information and access to their political parties and governments. Networking offers a process through which women can overcome historical seclusion, mobilize resources and support, reach out to counterparts worldwide, and act strategically and proactively to increase their influence and impact in the political arena. NDI, UNDP, UNIFEM, and International IDEA are launching an electronic network that will allow women to connect globally on the issue of political participation. The goal of the network is to better assist women politicians and aspirants through information sharing on items such as running for office, developing campaign strategy, identifying funds for women candidates, implementing campaigns and being an effective policy-maker.

NDI, UNDP, UNIFEM and International IDEA will host a consultative session made up of women political and civic leaders, academics and other experts, to explore ways that the proposed "knowledge network" can act as a medium through which women can digitally reach out to each other for support, solidarity, expertise and critical research.

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UNIFEM's Web Portal on Women, Peace and Security, CLICK HERE

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9. NGOWG UPDATE

Making Peace Work For Women: Global Agenda For 2006

Five years after the adoption of Security Council Resolution 1325, the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security (NGOWG) continues to press for the full and effective implementation of SCR 1325 at both United Nations Headquarters and beyond. In 2006, the NGO Working build on the momentum achieved in October 2005 – at the 5th year anniversary of SCR 1325 through the Women Peacebuilders Program – From the Frontlines to UN Headquarters. The NGOWG serves as an important link between international civil society working on women, peace and security, Member States and the United Nations. By facilitating these connections, the NGOWG's program provides opportunities to deepen both the work of women peace-builders in local contexts and the global agenda-setting work of those working at the global level of law and policy. The NGOWG, based on the recommendations contained in its 5 Years On Report, continues to press for a number of crucial recommendations including:

* Calling on the Security Council to establish a focal point and an expert level working group to ensure the integration of resolution 1325 in the Security Council's work.
* Calling for the continuing updating, monitoring and review of the implementation of the UN System-Wide Action Plan
* Calling for the Security Council to request that the Secretary-General consider and report with ideas to the Council on:

(a) different means by which the Security Council could be informed more systematically of the use of gender-based violence by parties to armed conflict, learning from the mechanism already developed to monitor and report to the Security Council on violations against children in armed conflict,
(b) different means by which the Security Council could do more to hold parties to armed conflict to account for these violations, for example by the employment of sanctions against such parties.

* The development of national action plans and policy on women, peace and security for the coordinated implementation of resolution 1325. Such action plans should be public, drawn up in consultation with civil society, and contain specific and time-bound activities, targets and monitoring and reporting mechanisms.
* Ensuring that the Peacebuilding Commission explicitly commits to partnering with civil society, including women's organizations, through formal mechanisms at headquarters and at the country level.

*To learn more about SCR 1325 – Read our 5 Years On Report: From Local to Global: Making Peace Work for Women available at www.peacewomen.org

The NGOWG's mission is to collaborate with the United Nations, its member states and civil society towards full implementation of SCR 1325, including ensuring the equal and full participation of women in issues relating to peace and security. Using SCR 1325 as our guiding instrument, the NGOWG promotes a gender perspective and respect for human rights in all peace and security, conflict prevention and management and peacebuilding initiatives of the United Nations.

Members of the NGOWG: The NGOWG currently consists of Amnesty International, Femmes Africa Solidarité, the Boston Consortium on Gender and Security, Hague Appeal for Peace, International Alert, International Women's Tribune Center, Women's Action for New Directions, the Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children, Women's Division of General Board of Global Ministries, United Methodist Church, Women's Environment and Development Organization, and Women's International League for Peace and Freedom.

NGO Working Group on Women Peace and Security
777 UN Plaza
New York, NY 10017
E-mail: ngowgcoordinator@peacewomen.org

For more information about the NGOWG, CLICK HERE.

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10. WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY CALENDAR

International Day On Zero Tolerance to FGM
6 February 2006, 10a.m.,Palais Wilson, Geneva, Switzerland
Presented by The Inter-African Committee with collaboration from the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights

The United Nations has designated 6 February as the "International Day of Zero Tolerance of Female Genital Mutilation".
This recognizes that FGM is increasingly being identified as a harmful traditional practice, and a violation of the fundamental human rights of girls and women. Global efforts to bring an end to the custom of female genital cutting are increasing, with many nations putting in place legislation against the practice, and a number of international organisations making the elimination of FGM a priority.

The Inter-African Committee (IAC), in collaboration from the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights will celebrate efforts against the practice on 6 February 2006, at the Palais Wilson in Geneva.

For more information, please visit: http://www.peacewomen.org/frame/calendar/FGM_day.html

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Panel Discussion on Gender and Transitional Justice: Pursuing Justice and Accountability in Post-Conflict Situations
7 February 2006, 3:00 - 5:00 pm, Open Society Institute, New York
Presented by the Open Society Institute's Network Women's Program and Open Society Justice Initiative

Transitional justice mechanisms and post-conflict reconciliation efforts often neglect the complex ways political violence affects the lives of women. Opportunities for gender justice in reconciliation contexts remain tragically under-realized. Panelists will discuss a wide-range of issues related to gender and transitional justice around the world, including sexual violence, tribunals, reparations, international criminal law, the relationship between gender justice at the international and national levels, LGBT issues, memory and resistance.

Venue: Open Society Institute,
400 West 59th Street (between 9th and 10th Ave) New York

RSVP to Emilie Neumann: eneumann@sorosny.org or 212-548-0137
(please include name, address, email and phone)

For more information, please visit: http://www.peacewomen.org/frame/calendar/OSI.html

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International Alert Series: Women's Rights in Development -A Public Forum
7 February 2006, 5.30pm - 7.00pm, Adelaide Town Hall, Adelaide, Australia
Presented by World Vision Australia, AusAID and the Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre

This public forum will be a place for dialogue, discussion and questions on issues impacting women in developing countries, the stories of hope and vision and how one can play a part in alleviating poverty. While women 'hold up half the sky', women and girls are often the most disadvantaged, economically, socially, politically and culturally. Research over many years and settings shows that access to work, training, education and health for women has a 'whole family' flow-on benefit.

Come hear about the trends impacting upon women in developing countries and the stories of women whose courage and vision has transformed their lives and that of others.

For more information, please visit: http://www.unisa.edu.au/hawke/events/lectures/WV_Feb06.htm

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Sixth Asia Pacific Congress of Women in Politics
10-12 February 10-12, Makati City, Philippines

The Center for Asia Pacific Women in Politics (CAPWIP) would like to invite women and men interested in promoting women in leadership and decision making to attend the Sixth Asia Pacific Congress of Women in Politics. The forum will have the following objectives

a. To review and examine the Asia Pacific situation on women in leadership, decision making and politics in the current global context;
b. To identify gaps and weaknesses in development actions to promote women's participation
c. To define future courses of action to promote women's participation in leadership and politics

The Asia Pacific Congress of Women in Politics seeks to address these objectives and define a practical platform of action that will be presented to the Global Congress of Women in Politics on March 2, 2006 in New York City, and to the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) annual meeting on Feb 28-March 10, 2006 at the United Nations (UN).

CAPWIP welcomes relevant papers that you would like to present or share with the other participants during the congress. Sustainable development needs the participation of women at the decision making levels

Venue: Asian Institute of Management (AIM) Conference Center

For more information please visit: http://www.peacewomen.org/frame/calendar/CAPWIP.html

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Conference: Feminist Ethics, Feminist Politics and the States we're In: Critical Reflections in Uncertain Times
11 February 2005, 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., Edinburgh, Scotland

The theme of this one-day conference is to reflect upon feminist contributions to debates about the good life, politics and good governance in liberal democratic states and in the international domain in the early 21st century; and to explore the gendered dynamics of political practice and political institutions. It is time to take stock and reflect on the implications for feminist thought and practice of recent global, regional and local political developments and new theoretical challenges. We suggest a (re) engagement of feminist politics with feminist ethics in order to critically analyze the political moment in which we find ourselves.

Conference topics include: feminism and the ethics of war; feminizing global and local governance; rethinking feminist ethics; feminizing politics and policy; gendered institutions; resistance to gender equality reform; the limits of gender mainstreaming; gender quotas; gender and constitutional engineering; gender equality and cultural justice; and emerging hot issues.

Keynote Speaker: Prof Jean Bethke Elshtain, University of Chicago

Confirmed Plenary Speakers: Dr Kim Hutchings, LSE; Prof Shirin Rai, University of Warwick; Prof Chris Corrin, University of Glasgow

Venue: Edinburgh University, Scotland, Edinburgh, IT

Contact: Dr. Fiona Mackay
E-Mail: f.s.mackay@ed.ac.uk
Registration deadline: January 16 2006.

For more information please visit: http://www.sps.ed.ac.uk/gradschool/psafem/

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Launch of Report: Women in an Insecure World
Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF)
15-16 February 2006, Bibliotheca Alexandrina Peace Institute, Alexandria

"Women in an Insecure World" is a detailed study of the scope and magnitude of violence against women, also highlighting the important roles that women play in peacemaking and post-conflict reconstruction. DCAF's global launch of the book in late 2005 and early 2006 provides an opportunity to focus international action on understanding and responding to violence against women, and promoting women's roles as security sector actors.

For more information on this report and associated events, please visit: http://www.dcaf.ch/women/_events.cfm

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Seminar on Transitional Justice and Peace
17-26 February 2006, Cape Town, South Africa

Presented by the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), this seminar will explore the tensions and complements between those seeking peace and seeking justice, situating this debate in the context of both international law and the emerging policies of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The seminar is designed for peace negotiators, United Nations (UN) officials, non-governmental organisation (NGO) leaders, engaged academics, and other professionals involved in the complexities of peace-making, high-level negotiations, and questions related to accountability for past atrocity or human rights abuse.

For more information on this seminar, please visit: http://www.peacewomen.org/frame/calendar/ictjseminar.pdf

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Round Table Discussion: “Equal Participation of women and men in decision-making processes at all levels”
United NATIONS DIVISION for the Advancement of Women and The NGO Committee on the Status of Women
14 FEBRUARY 2006, 1:15 p.m. – 2:30 p.m, Conference Room 3, UN Headquarters, New York

Opening Remarks by: Rachel Mayanja, Assistant Secretary-General, Special Advisor on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women

Speakers:

H. E. Johan Løvald Ambassador, Permanent Mission of Norway to the United Nations (invited)
Anne Marie Goetz Chief advisor, Governance, Peace and Security, UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM)
Mary Sue Marshall Managing Director, Morgan Stanley
Amrita Basu Professor, Department of Women's and Gender Studies and Political Science, Amherst College
Director, Women's Studies and Research Center, Mount Holyoke College

Moderator: Bani Dugal, Past Chair NGO CSW, Principal Representative - Baha'i International Community

Those needing Un passes to attend this event please submit your name to Kimberly WILLOWS oaw-nyc@bic.org or call 212 803-2528
by 6 February at the latest

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The 50th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)
27 February -10 March 2006, UN headquarters, New York

The 50th session of the Commission of the Status of Women is scheduled to take place between 27th February and 10th March 2006.
The themes for this session are:

- enhanced participation of women in development: an enabling environment for achieving gender equality and the advancement of women, taking into account, inter alia, the fields of education, health and work
- Equal participation of women and men in decision-making processes at all levels

For more information on CSW and the 50th session, please visit:
http://www.peacewomen.org/un/ecosoc/CSW50/CSW50index.htm

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For the complete calendar, CLICK HERE.

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Welcome to Jill Sternberg: Director, Women's International League For Peace & Freedom UN Office

Before coming to the WILPF UN office, Jill worked internationally as a diversity, gender, conflict transformation and nonviolence trainer, specializing in training for nonviolent action in situations of war or protracted violence. She has been designing and facilitating workshops for more than 13 years and has extensive experience in organizing educational and training programs at the local, national and international levels. In Westchester County, New York, she coordinated “Embracing Diversity and Ending Racism,” a dialogue initiative that brought hundreds of people together to discuss race relations. From 2001 to 2004, she lived in East Timor, working with Nobel Peace Laureate José Ramos-Horta to develop a peace center focused on conflict transformation. She is now assisting the Westchester Martin Luther King, Jr. Institute for Nonviolence to develop a community peace center.

Jill's background is well rounded, both academically and experientially, blending theory and practice with insights gained from working and studying with people across the globe. She has an MA in International Peace Studies from the University of Notre Dame (‘90), an intercultural program bringing students to live and study together for one year. As coordinator of the Nonviolence Education and Training Program of the International Fellowship of Reconciliation (‘92-‘95), Jill designed and collaborated on training programs in conflict resolution and nonviolent action around the world. For 10 years she was a lead facilitator and designer of an international training program for grassroots activists from war zones, bringing them together with people intending to undertake fieldwork. She is a member of the A.J. Muste Memorial Institute's board of directors, coordinating their Nonviolence Training Fund.

Jill's involvement in nonviolent intervention in war situations comes from a desire to demonstrate that there are concrete positive ways we can address the causes of war that also support the local actors working for peace. She was involved in the formation of the Balkan Peace Team, a coalition peace team effort in the Balkans (including Kosov@). Jill participated in the Friends Peace Team Project Africa Great Lakes Initiative delegation to East Africa in January 1999, investigating ways to support Quaker peacemaking there. And she was a United Nations accredited observer for the August 30, 1999 vote for independence in East Timor.

Jill can be contacted at: jill@wilpf.ch