International Organizations

Women, Peace and Security: GlobaL & REGIONAL Initiatives

Regions:  Africa | East Africa-Horn | Great Lakes | Southern Africa | West Africa | South - Central America | South Asia | South East Asia | Middle East / West Asia | Central - Eastern Europe

1000 PeaceWomen Across the Globe:The Exhibition
The exhibition's goal is to provide information about the existence and the importance of the peacework of women. The exhibition consists of 1000 postcards that show the name and picture of the woman, a quotation from her and her country and region of origin. The back of the card is designed like a postcard and has a short description of the work the woman does.

For more information, please click HERE

Reporting Individual Complaints to the Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women
The Special Rapporteur is mandated to seek and receive information on violence against women, its causes and consequences from Governments, treaty bodies, specialized agencies, other special rapporteurs responsible for various human rights questions and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, including women's organizations, and to respond effectively to such information.

For more information, please click here

WOMEN GEAR UP: GOVERNMENTS RESPOND
Statement from the Linkage Caucus at the UN Commission on the Status of Women

For more information, please click here

International Women’s Day
For more information about worldwide commemoration of Interantional Women's Day, please click HERE

International Poll Finds Large Majorities in All Countries Favor Equal Rights for Women
According to a new WorldPublicOpinion.org poll of 16 nations from around the world there is a widespread consensus that it is important for "women to have full equality of rights" and most say it is very important. This is true in Muslim countries as well as Western countries. In nearly all countries most people perceive that in their lifetime women have gained greater equality. Nonetheless, large majorities would like their government and the United Nations to take an active role in preventing discrimination.

For more information, please click HERE

Unite to end violence against Women
United Nation's Secretary General Campaign
“At least one out of every three women is likely to be beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused in her lifetime. Through the practice of prenatal sex selection, countless others are denied the right even to exist,” UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon

For more information, please click here

WOMEN’S ANTI-TRAFFICKING GROUPS AROUND THE WORLD call for action
The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW), Equality Now, The European Women’s Lobby, and grassroots groups from around the world, all working to end trafficking in women and girls, are jointly calling on governments to use the Vienna Forum to Fight Human Trafficking (13-15 February 2008) organized by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) as a venue to generate significant political will and commit resources to ending the scourge of human trafficking.

For more information, please click here

Human Rights for Women ‹—› Human Rights for All: UDHR60
The 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Reclaiming the UDHR Campaign marks the adoption by the United Nations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) – the landmark document which outlines the basic human rights guaranteed to all people. The Center for Women's Global Leadership (CWGL) is proud to be a partner in the UDHR 60 NGO campaign, which comes at a time when the legitimacy of both women’s rights and human rights are being challenged in too many settings. This NGO campaign is led by The Elders project, and is being held in conjunction with the UN’s celebration of this anniversary. In the month of March, using International Women’s Day (March 8th) as an anchor, CWGL will take the lead through highlighting a spectrum of women’s human rights issues and the importance of women’s leadership in realizing human rights for all.

For more information, please click here

say no to violence against women
The UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women will receive $100,000 from the United Nations Foundation for 100,000 signatures. UNIFEM and their Goodwill Ambassador Nicole Kidman invites you to meet the challenge.

For more information, please click HERE

World YwCA Call for Action
Elections in Kenya resulted in nearly 500 deaths and 250, 000 people are displaced in the search for safety. Amidst the violence women have been systematically raped and abused. Gang rape as a means of retaliation is on the increase and the Nairobi Women’s Hospital has recorded a two-fold increase in rape cases in recent days.

The Kenya government last year passed a progressive sexual offence law and it must be exercised at this time.

The World YWCA is calling on member associations, civil society, partners and donors to take the action to alleviate the suffering in Kenya by:

1. Donating and supporting ongoing efforts
2. Advocating for women’s inclusion in peace building
3. Saying ‘No’ to impunity for rape and abuse of women
4. Dedicating a prayer session to Kenya

For more information, please click HERE

Every Human Has Rights Campaign
In December 2008 the Universal Declaration of Human Rights will be 60 years old. To celebrate its anniversary The Elders (Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Mary Robinson, Ela R. Bhatt, Graça Machel, Gro Brundtland, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela, Kofi Ananan and others) have launched a year-long campaign to reinvigorate the Declaration, to remind everyone that it remains just as important a document today as it was in 1948, and to encourage people across the globe to live by its principles.

For more information, please click HERE

WILPF Europe statement on the proposed EU Reform Treaty
"We women, in International Congress assembled, protest against the madness and the horror of war, involving as it does a reckless sacrifice of human life and the destruction of so much that humanity has laboured through centuries to build up.”

To view the statement, please click HERE

WILPF Statement on International Human Rights Day
Since its inception in 1915, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) has worked for all human rights to be respected. We have equally worked for the prevention of war and the eradication of militarism, believing that these conditions negate human rights. We are convinced that human rights cannot exist without peace and freedom.

To view the statement, please click HERE

Center for Women's Global Leadership Statement on Human Rights Day
The Center for Women’s Global Leadership is committed to the realization of human rights for all, with a focus on the rights of women, and is pleased to announce its participation in the global 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Reclaiming the UDHR Campaign. With the slogan, Every Human Has Rights, different organizations around the world with the support of The Elders will lead in highlighting key aspects of the human rights framework each month and call for a worldwide commitment to realizing human rights.

To view the statement, please click HERE

is peace possible? The San Diego Call for Action
In late October 2007, women peacemakers from around the world met for a summit entitled “Is Peace Possible?” that was convened by the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice (IPJ) at the University of San Diego in San Diego, California. Due to the wildfires in the area it was necessary to relocate and it was not possible to hold a public event, however meetings continued despite the disruptions. The summit resulted in the “San Diego Call for Action” being issued, urging constructive steps be taken to assure gender inclusion in peace processes and to encourage specific actions in the fifteen countries represented.

To view the full text of the call to action click HERE

Center for Women's Global Leadership honors Women Human Rights Defenders
On the occasion of November 29th, Women Human Rights Defenders day, and as a part of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence Campaign, the Center for Women’s Global Leadership honors the hundreds of thousands of women activists around the world who persistently and courageously defend human rights, peace and social justice.

For more information please click HERE

Call for Submissions: Global Peacebuilders Peacebuilding Approaches Catalogue
Got an innovative approach to peacebuilding? Want to publish your approaches and turn the world’s attention to what you’re doing for peace? Global Peacebuilders is publishing a catalogue of worldwide approaches to peacebuilding, and we are looking for effective, fresh and innovative approaches from organisations working to create the conditions for a sustainable peace in their area.

For more information, please click HERE

UN Action, UNicef & V-Day campaign launch: stop Raping Our Greatest Resource - power to women and girls of the drc.
UN Action, under the leadership of UNICEF and with co-sponsor V-Day, launched the Stop Raping our Greatest Resource: Power to Women and Girls of the DRC campaign on 24 November 2007 in Bukavu, DRC. The event launch was organized in collaboration with V-Day, the Ministry for Women’s and Family Affairs (CONDIFFA), the UN Mission for Congo (MONUC) and several other United Nations Agencies. Madam Olive Kabila, the First Lady of the DRC, actively participated in the launch. The president of the National Assembly, Vital Kamerhe, pledged to use his office to maintain the issue of sexual violence on the national agenda. The campaign calls attention to the wide-scale atrocities committed against women and girls in Eastern DRC and demands an end to the impunity with which these crimes are committed.

For campaign press release please click HERE

V-Day and UNICEF, in collaboration with The Culture Project present: Stop Raping Our Greatest Resource - Ending Femicide in the DRC.
Stop Raping Our Greatest Resource: Ending Femicide in the DRC is a one night only event to launch V-Day's newest Campaign, Stop Raping Our Greatest Resource: Power to the Women and Girls of Democratic Republic of Congo. This new initiative is a joint two-year campaign between V-Day and UNICEF on behalf of UN Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict. The campaign calls for an end to impunity for sexual violence, for measures to ensure that state armed forces and police do not perpetrate sexual violence against women and girls and for the full implementation of national laws that protect and empower women.

For more information, please click HERE

IANSA call for action: letter to EU president to stop violence again women
Thousands of women are beaten or raped every day, the often forgotten victims of conflicts all across the world. In conflicts in West Africa and Northern Uganda thousands of young girls have been kidnapped and forced into sexual slavery and prostitution. Rape is rampant in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where it has again been used as a weapon of war, a tactic used to terrorise, destroy and humiliate communities. In May 2007, the European Council called for significant scaling-up of programmes to combat violence against women, including in conflict and post-conflict situations. But we need to keep up the pressure to see these words turned into action. With Portugal taking on the EU presidency, please send an email to Prime Minister José Sócrates urging him to put Europe at the forefront of global efforts to end violence against women.

The International Rescue Committee has prepared an email to send to Prime Minister José Sócrates which we can all sign HERE

U.N. ACTION AGAINST SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN CONFLICT
UN Action against Sexual Violence in Conflict (UN Action) unites the work of 12 UN entities with the goal of ending sexual violence in conflict. It is a concerted effort by the UN to improve coordination and accountability, amplify programming and advocacy, and support national efforts to prevent sexual violence and respond effectively to the needs of survivors.

For more information, please click HERE

Nobel Women's Initiative: exclusive open Democracy coverage
openDemocracy.net was given exclusive access to the three day conference called by the Nobel Women's Initiative - " Women Redefining Peace in the Middle East and Beyond". The Laureates invited 80 peace workers from 30 countries to exchange views over the three day period.

openDemocracy was part of the Nobel Women Initative's documentation team, and you can read and listen to theircoverage of the conference in articles, podcasts and a diary-blog written by participants on their website.

For more information, please click HERE

UN Trust Fund to end VAW - final calls for proposals
The UN Trust Fund in Support of Actions to Eliminate Violence Against Women was established by General Assembly resolution 50/166 in 1996 and is managed by the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM). The Trust Fund is the only multilateral grant-making mechanism that supports local, national and regional efforts to combat violence. Applications for its 12th grant cycle (2007) are now being accepted and must be related to one of the following areas of work:

* Implementation of existing laws, policies and plans of action to address violence against women.

* Reducing the twin pandemics of HIV/AIDS and violence against women.

Please read the following region-specific guidelines for information on how to apply for a Trust Fund grant in your region, including application deadline available HERE

SIGN THe IRC'S PETITION TODAY: STOP SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN WAR
International Rescue Committee and Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children
Simple, accessible, and cheap, rape is an extremely effective form of combat, used systematically to terrorize and humiliate. Rape is unmatched for its range of impact and scope of damage. It destroys entire communities. Sexual violence is not just a by-product of war. It's a military strategy, a tactic of genocide.
The bodies of women and girls are battlegrounds in conflicts throughout the world. Some 50,000 women were raped during the war in Bosnia. As many as 500,000 women were raped during the Rwandan genocide. Today, more than 50 women are raped every single day as violence rages in South Kivu, Congo. And it doesn't end there.Stop Sexual Violence Against Women.
Start Now.
Sign the petition at — www.theIRC.org/StopViolence

women and children in war
Western Visitor Centre - Shrine of Rememberance, Melbourne Australia
27 October – January 2008
Melbourne contemporary artist Tiffaney Bishop has created a beautiful and thought provoking body of work. On 31 October 2000, the United Nations passed a resolution focussing on the effects of war on women and children that aimed at promoting the involvement of women in international processes for peace and security. Inspired by this resolution and images of women and children from the Second World War found by the artist, this exhibition presents her works on the subject of women and children in war created over the past three years.

Please click HERE for more information

Launch of the Gender & Mine Action Web-Portal
The Swiss Campaign to Ban Landmines is delighted to announce the launch of an Internet portal, dedicated to encouraging and supporting gender mainstreaming in mine action. The portal is both a source of information, and an interactive space for mine action actors and stakeholders to exchange questions, perspectives and experiences.

For more information, please click HERE

A move to change … building on principles of SC Resolution 1325 - Australian National Committee on Refugee Women (ANCORW), African Women’s Advocacy Unit
For the last four years, Australia has been actively resettling refugees from African countries. In 2005, the Australian National Committee on Refugee Women (ANCORW), a national advocacy and advisory organization based in Sydney, Australia sought funding to work with refugee women from Africa in order to further identify and address some of the issues impacting on their successful resettlement in Sydney, Australia. Once received from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC), the funds allowed for a small pilot program to be run for a group of 15 refugee women from various countries in Africa. The program trained women to work within a human rights framework, incorporating a gender perspective to resettlement, representation and advocacy skills. Upon completion, both the ANCORW board and DIAC worked with graduates to establish links and networks into the agencies and services, acting as a way to further progress issues identified by their communities. Thus providing a way to influence policy and service provision, whilst also enabling them to bring about change in their situation. A change that would later developed into ANCORW African Women’s Advocacy Unit (AWAU).

Since it’s conception and the initial training of 15 refugee women from Sierra Leone, Burundi, Rwanda, Sudan, Uganda and Liberia, AWAU has successfully identified key issues for their communities and began negotiation with various government departments and national agencies to bring about more insight into the issues for refugee women in resettlement and to offer more ‘durable solutions’ to these issues. In 2006 the graduates were trained in training methodologies to pass on their skills to a new group of refugee women from African countries. A new group of 35 refugee women from African countries have now actively joined AWAU and are working towards building the refugee women’s voice in resettlement.

To view the article, please click HERE

WILPF AUSTRALIA EXPRESSES PROFOUND DISAPOINTMENT OVER JAPANESE MP'S DENIAL OF THE USE OF COMFORT WOMEN
Following the placement of an advertisement in The Washington Post of 14 June 2007 by a group of Japanese MPs denying that the Japanese Imperial Army forced hundreds of thousands of young women and girls into sexual slavery during World War II, please click below for Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) Australia's response.

To view the response, please click HERE

Call for Nominations: Celebrating Mothers in Action
Celebrating Mothers: Global Portraits to Inform and Inspire is a forthcoming illustrated book featuring mothers who are making the world a better place for women and children through social activism. It will spotlight 20 mothers internationally who are rising up to address important issues in their community and mobilizing other mothers to get involved in advocacy for women and children. The book is a project of Mothers Acting Up and a collaborative effort between international organizations including the National Council for Research on Women, the Global Education Fund and many others, and will benefit nonprofit coalitions working to support women and children worldwide.

For more information, please click HERE

WILPF Raging Grannies protest for peace
Peace advocates gathered on 41st Avenue in Capitola on Tuesday, June 26th to protest the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; the recent troop surge, which has resulted in greater casualities, not fewer; and the recruitment of at-risk youth by military recruiters, many of whom use lies and manipulation in order to get people to sign up. Ten people engaged in nonviolent civil disobedience and were arrested by Capitola Police when they stayed in front of the Army recruiting office doors when asked to disperse.

For full story, please click HERE

One Million Signatures Demanding Changes to Discriminatory Laws
Iranian women’s rights activists are initiating a wide campaign demanding an end to legal discrimination against women in Iranian law. The Campaign, “One Million Signatures Demanding Changes to Discriminatory Laws,” which aims to collect one million signatures to demand changes to discriminatory laws against women, is a follow-up effort to the peaceful protest of the same aim, which took place on June 12, 2006 in Haft-e Tir Square in Tehran.

For more information, please click HERE

Call for contributions to the Survivors Project
International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA)
Last year IANSA published 'Survivors - Women Affected by Gun Violence Speak Out', a compilation of stories and experiences that effectively highlighted the links between violence against women and small arms. The Survivors Project is now underway and we want to hear from you! We want to include more of your stories and experiences and make them available in a new format for use in your activism and work.

If you have been personally affected by gun violence or know a woman or girl who is willing to share their story with others, please let us know.

We will accept testimonies in any language and contributors can remain anonymous if they do not wish to be named. We also welcome your photographs and drawings. The testimony form outlines the kind of information we hope to receive.

Please send contributions by Friday 8 June 2007 to women@iansa.org

For more information, please click HERE

Give Women a Voice: Help Make the UN Human Rights Council Work for Women’s Rights
From April 10 to April 26, 2007, diplomats with the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) will meet in Geneva to define how the Council will carry out its work in the coming years. Human and women’s rights organizations across the globe are coming together to insist that the voices of women and girls are heard. Join the growing list of supporters and add your organization’s signature to our petition insisting that the UNHRC addresses women’s and girls’ rights appropriately and prominently.

To sign the petition and get more information, please click HERE

Peace and Security Fellowships for African Women
Kings College, University of London
School of Social Science and Public Policy
The African Women’s Fellowship on Peace and Security is designed to expose young professional and mid career African women to the complexities of conflict, security and development and to equip them for careers in this field. This Fellowship is aimed at challenging the existing tendency that seems to reinforce the male dominant discourse on conflict and security related matters. It will also develop the network of African women scholars working in the field whilst linking them with the peace and security mechanisms of relevant regional institutions.

For more information, please click HERE

Mobilising the Mine Action Sector, Supporting Gender Mainstreaming:
Swiss Campaign to Ban Landmines’ Gender and Mine Action Programme
In December 2006, the Swiss Campaign to Ban Landmines began a two-year programme designed to support gender mainstreaming in mine action, complementing United Nations action on the issue.
On the International Women’s Day, 8 March 2007, the Swiss Campaign launched a global survey on gender and mine action with the aim of gathering comprehensive, context specific information on the significance of gender in the impact of mines and in the effectiveness of mine action. The information gathered through this survey will be synthesised into a toolkit for mainstreaming gender in mine action. In May 2007, the programme will launch an online ‘Gender and Mine Action Portal’ (www.scbl-gender.ch), where thematic and country profiles relating to the significance of gender in mine action will be available.

For more information, please click HERE

Call for Papers: Women's Narratives, War, and Peace-building
Deadline: May 21, 2007
Women for Women International, a non-profit humanitarian organization, seeks submissions for the Summer 2007 issue of its bi-annual academic journal, Critical Half. The journal is intended to raise awareness and spark debate among a variety of audiences by presenting various perspectives on economic, social, and political issues as they relate to women in international development and conflict and post-conflict societies.

This issue of the journal will focus on the function of women’s individual and collective narratives during and after war and civil conflict. We hope to examine how stories can unite and heal women and their societies. The Women for Women website provides the specifics of the submission guidelines.

For more information, please click HERE

iKNOW Politics
The International Knowledge Network of Women in Politics (iKNOW Politics) is an online workspace designed to serve the needs of elected officials, candidates, political party leaders and members, researchers, students and other practitioners interested in advancing women in politics.
The goal of iKNOW Politics is to increase the participation and effectiveness of women in political life by utilizing a technology-enabled forum. The iKNOW Politics Web site plays a central role in achieving this goal by offering users the opportunity to:
* Access resources, including the online library and the information and expertise of other users, experts and practitioners;
* Create knowledge through mediated discussion forums, information exchange and consolidated expert responses to member queries; and
* Share experiences by using tools specifically designed to facilitate the exchange of lessons learned and best practices among members of a global community committed to the advancement of women in politics.

For more information, please click HERE

Launch of a Global Survey on Gender and Mine Action
On this, International Women’s Day 2007, the Swiss Campaign to Ban Landmines announces the launch of a global survey to gather comprehensive information on the significance of gender in the impact of mines and in the effectiveness of mine action. This is the first time that comprehensive global information on the significance of gender in mine action has been collected. The project also opens up a new dimension in the study of gender and conflict.

For more information, please click HERE

Mama Cash: Campaign 88 Days
Campaign 88 Days is a worldwide effort to raise awareness, take action and mobilize resources for women’s rights. In the 88 days between International Human Rights Day (December 10th 2006), and International Women’s Day (March 8th 2007), women from around the world are banding together to make a difference for women’s rights.
Mama Cash is a women's fund which finances projects conceived by women; strong women who set an example for others, who know first-hand experience that it is possible to turn the tide if women know their rights and claim them.

For more information on these projects, please click HERE

Call for Input: Global Report on Sexual Violence in Conflict
The Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) is preparing a Global Report on Sexual Violence in Conflict. The objectives of this Global Report are to provide a global overview of the prevalence and nature of sexual violence in conflict by collating existing data, and identify good practice in security sector responses to sexual violence in conflict. DCAF is now seeking specific examples of good practice in security sector responses to sexual violence, in particular in the following sectors:

- police reform
- defence/military reform
- justice sector reform
- peace support operations
- DDR
- community-based security initiatives
- border management
- penal reform

DCAF would be very grateful for any reports, contacts or suggestions you might have from your own region or beyond, in any language.
For a short summary of the concept of the Global Report on Sexual Violence in Conflict, please click here

For more information contact:
Megan Bastick
Special Programmes Coordinator
Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces
Email: m.bastick@dcaf.ch
Phone: + 41 (22) 741 77 34
Fax: + 41 (22) 741 77 05

Make Police and Military Best Allies in Combating Violence against Women
Message by UN-INSTRAW Director Carmen Moreno on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, 25 November 2006

"..Unless police and military are willing and fully equipped to adequately deal with female-specific needs, there will be no relief for the millions of women who suffer. Making security institutions our best allies in combating violence against women must be one of the priority concerns of UN agencies, governments and civil society.

It should be unacceptable that those who are educated and trained to protect civilians,especially vulnerable groups, may pose a threat to women’s rights and security. The zero tolerance policy towards perpetrators of sexual exploitation and abuse as well asother forms of gender-based violence is resolutely supported by UN-INSTRAW.

Increasing female recruitment and addressing the under-representation of women in decision-making positions within the security sector could also help achieve more gender sensitivity in the police armed forces and court rooms.."

For full statement, please click HERE

Statement in response to SG Study on Violence Against Women
Human Rights Watch and Center for Women's Global Leadership, November 2006.
The Center for Women’s Global Leadership and Human Rights Watch welcomed a report issued by the United Nations today that classifies abuse against women – whether it happens in the home or elsewhere – as a human rights violation. As such, states are obliged by international human rights standards to hold perpetrators accountable.

For full statement, please click HERE

Women Making Peace
South Korean Women Making Peace's Statement on North Korean Nuclear Test.
"....We women will join hands with people and other organizations both non-governmental and governmental in the ROK and abroad who seek to resolve the DPRK's nuclear issue in a peaceful manner and to realize a nuclear-free Korean peninsula. We will strive until the day peace is achieved."

For full statement, please click HERE

Project Water
Charity, New York
Project Water is a global initiative working to build clean water wells in Africa. It is a project of Charity, an independent non-for-profit group based in New York City, which works in partnership with effective charitable organizations around the world to educate the public on global issues concerning poverty.

For more information, please click HERE

To visit the website: http://charityis.com/water/charitywater_why.htm

Gender Goes Wiki: UN-INSTRAW Creates a new Interactive e-Tool to Promote Trainings
As a groundbreaking initiative, the United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (UN-INSTRAW) launches today the first-ever Gender “Wiki”, an online tool facilitating and increasing the exchange of knowledge-sharing on capacity-building activities and resources worldwide.

For more information, please click HERE

Mama Cash supports women’s groups during the Middle East crisis
Mama Cash is a women’s foundation which supports groundbreaking and innovative projects conceived by women for women all over the world.
It also supports local women’s funds all over the world. These are groups that raise money locally, regionally and internationally to support women’s rights initiatives in their own communities. Deeply shocked by the war that has erupted in the Middle East, Mama Cash has sent a letter of support to women’s groups that we have close relationships with in Lebanon, Palestine and Israel. To make sure that women’s groups can continue to devote themselves to fighting for women’s rights and security, Mama Cash is financing additional projects in the Middle East.

For more information, please click HERE

Woman in Armed Opposition Groups in Africa and the Promotion of International Humanatarian Law and Human Rights
Geneva Call and the Program for the Study of International Organizations, Addis Ababa, 23-26 November 2005
The objective of the 2005 Addis Ababa workshop was to identify ways of strengthening the understanding and observance of international humanitarian law and human rights law within the African armed groups and their political wings. At the same time, the workshop sought to contribute to African and international organizations’ understanding of and ability to work with armed opposition groups to promote and uphold international humanitarian and human rights norms. Four topics were discussed during the workshop: humanitarian law, human rights law, disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) and transition into governance roles. This report presents information and analyses that came out of these four thematic working groups.

For the Letter which calls for the dissemination of the findings of the workshop and the distribution of the report, please click HERE

For a copy of the full report, please click HERE

Brussels Call to Action to Address Sexual Violence in Conflict and Beyond
International Symposium on Sexual Violence in Conflict and Beyond, Brussels, 21-23 June 2006
At the conclusion of this symposium, delegates issued a call for urgent and long-term action against sexual violence in all its forms, in conflict and beyond.
---We are deeply concerned that the response to sexual violence in conflict and beyond is grossly inadequate when compared to the scope of the phenomenon and agree with the report of the independent experts on women, war and peace “that the standards of protection for women affected by conflict are glaring in their inadequacy, as is the international response.” We recognize the urgency of addressing sexual and gender-based violence as a priority.---

For complete statement or more information, please click HERE

Call for contributions for the Essay Collection -Women and the Everyday Realities of War
For this proposed collection, I am soliciting essays that address the ways in which women confront the everyday realities of war in various mediums and from a range of historical and cultural perspectives. Studies that take into account graphic arts like Persepolis and other visual media as well as extra-literary text forms like receipt books, account books, women's magazines, and performing arts are welcome, as are studies that look at more traditional or canonical literary modes. Essays should contextualize the works examined in order to provide a clear sense of what material and cultural details informed the output of the women analyzed.

Abstract deadline 1st November 2006. Final essays will be requested by or before 1st April 2007.

For more information, please click HERE

Vancouver * Appeal for Peace 2006: Make Peace!
The first World Peace Forum assembled in Vancouver from June 23 to 28, 2006 to discuss "Cities and Communities: Working together to end war and build a peaceful, just and sustainable world."

UNFPA: Campaign to End Fistula
The Campaign to End Fistula currently covers some 30 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and some Arab States. The Campaign works in three key areas: prevention, treatment and support to help women who have been repaired return to their communities.

In each country, the Campaign proceeds in three phases:

- First, needs assessments are undertaken to determine the extent of the problem and the resources to treat fistula.

- Second, each country that completes a needs assessment receives financial support for planning, including raising awareness of the issue, developing appropriate national strategies and building capacity.

- Finally, a multi-year implementation phase begins, which includes interventions to prevent and treat fistula, such as improving obstetric care; training health providers; creating or expanding and equipping fistula treatment centres; and helping women reintegrate into their communities.

Fistula is most common in poor communities in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia where access to or use of obstetric care is limited. Good data on fistula are scarce. In 1989, the World Health Organization estimated that more than two million women remain untreated in developing countries and that at least 50,000 to 100,000 new cases occur each year. But the secrecy and shame that surround the condition make it difficult to get a reliable estimate of its prevalence. Needs assessments done as part of the Campaign to End Fistula suggest those numbers are far too low. In fact, WHO experts have also estimated that in areas of high maternal mortality, two to three women per 1,000 pregnancies develop fistula, which would mean that the prevalence is likely much higher than the 1989 estimates.

For more information, please click HERE

European Women’s Lobby Petition: Advancing Equality between Women and Men through the Better Provision of Care Services in the European Union!

The European Women’s Lobby (EWL) is the largest umbrella organisations of women’s associations in the European Union (EU). The EWL Secretariat is based in Brussels, but EWL has member organisations in 23 Member States of the EU and 2 countries that are in the process of becoming members of the EU. The European Women’s Lobby aims at promoting women’s rights and equality between women and men in the European Union. EWL is active in different areas such as women’s economic and social position, women in decision-making, violence against women, women’s diversity etc. EWL works mainly with the institutions of the European Union: the European Parliament, the European Commission and the EU Council of Ministers.

The European Women's Lobby is leading a Campaign on Care Issues until March 2007. The Campaign focuses on the provision of affordable, accessible and high quality care services for all dependents, available to all women and men whatever their financial situation. The Campaign is accompagnied by a Petition, to sign the petition and support their action please click here.

For more information on EWL and the EWL campaigns visit their website on: http://www.womenlobby.org

INstraw: a global directory of gender, peace and security research institutions

The Gender, Peace and Security area of the United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW) is currently developing a global directory of gender, peace and security research institutions. This searchable directory is geared towards researchers, practitioners and potential students to provide up-to-date information on gender, peace and security research institutions in order to facilitate networking, the exchange of materials and ideas, and encourage students to pursue studies in this area. The directory is in the final stages of development and will in short be available on INSTRAW’s website.

For more information click here

nobel women's initiative: LAUREATES Demand a Peaceful Solution to Iran-U.S. Conflict

The Nobel Women's Initiative is a new project of women Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, including Jody Williams (US, 1997), Shirin Ebadi (Iran, 2003), Betty Williams (Ireland, 1976), Rigoberta Menchu Tum (Guatemala, 1992) and Wangari Maathai (Kenya, 2004). These five women -- representing North and South America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa -- have decided to bring together their extraordinary experiences in a united effort for peace with justice and equality.

In April 2006, Jody Williams and Shirin Ebadi-- feeling a particular responsibility as US and Iranian Peace Laureates – issued a joint statement on the growing tensions between their governments. (click here for this statement).

Between 6-8 June, 2006 Ms. Williams and Ms. Ebadi led a delegation of American and Iranian civil society representatives to Vienna for meetings with representatives of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors, prior to the Board’s meeting the following week. The delegation met with representatives of various governments on the Board including Australia, Austria (current President of the European Union), Egypt (Vice Chair of the Board), Canada, France, Germany, The Russian Federation, South Africa, the United Kingdom.

click here for the final statement issued after this visit

click here for news on the delegation's visit to Vienna

For more information on the Nobel Women's initiative visit http://www.nobelwomensinitiative.org

Women’s Eye on Peace II: Photography Exhibition, Call for Entries

What message or image resonates in your mind (and camera!) when you think of peace?

The International Women’s Development Agency’s (IWDA) inaugural Women’s Eye on Peace photography exhibition attracted over 400 images from 16 countries. All funds raised from the exhibition funded a peace-building forum for Afghan refugees in Pakistan in 2004. IWDA, in association with marie claire and AusAID, are currently planning Women’s Eye on Peace II, a photography exhibition that calls for submissions from both amateur and professional female photographers from all corners of the globe. The photographs must respond to the question: How do you see peace?

The closing date for entries is 31st July and the exhibition opening will be held in at the Artery Gallery in Fitzroy on the 31st of October to co-incide with the anniversary of the passing of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. AusAID, and marie claire have confirmed sponsorship for this event, and members of the judging panel include Jackie Frank, Editor in Chief of Marie Claire Australia, Naomi Cass and Sandra Bardas from the Centre for Contemporary Photography, Dr. Suzette Mitchell, Executive Director of the International Women’s Development Agency and Maria Prendergast, freelance writer and broadcaster.

All funds raised from this year’s exhibition will go towards IWDA’s work with women working towards peace in Fiji.

The closing date for entries is 31st July.

Entries received before 31st May go in the running to win fantastic Early Bird Prizes.

For more information and entry forms visit our website www.iwda.org.au or email peace@iwda.org.au

INTERNATIONAL MUSEUM OF WOMEN : Focus on WOMEN, Culture and Conflict.
How are women affected by current conflicts around the world-- and how do they actively participate? Do religious values conflict with women’s human rights?

Visit the International Museum of Women "Imagining Ourselves, A Global Generation of Women", online exhibit during May 2006 for fascinating perspectives on women, war and culture. Young women from virtually every hot spot in the world speak , giving you access to on-the-ground perspectives behind the headlines. Follow a groundbreaking dialogue between young women in Yemen and in the U.S., taking about the war in Iraq. Be moved by Russian born filmmaker Irina Patkanian's beautiful, gripping film, a lullaby about how boys for generations have always become soilders.

For more information, visit the international museum of women online at http://www.imow.org

The Dutch Women in Conflict Situations and Peacekeeping Taskforce presents: the 1325 Award 2006

This award aims to honour and encourage an individual or a civil society organization in a conflict country or region that has developed groundbreaking and effective initiatives to promote the rights of women and to increase their participation at decision-making levels in peace processes. The Women in Conflict Situations and Peacekeeping Taskforce monitors and enhances the implementation of resolution 1325 in the Netherlands. With the 1325 Award the Taskforce wants to honour the important work of civil society women in conflict resolution and peace movements. Women in conflict areas are the first to raise the issue of conflict-related gender problems and bear the greatest risks in forwarding an agenda of peace.

The 1325 Award is a one-off prize granted to an individual or a civil society organization that has effectively and innovatively contributed to the promotion of women’s rights and the increase of their participation at decision-making levels in peace processes.

In short, the 1325 Award aims to reward those who have contributed to the implementation of Resolution 1325.

WHO MAKES THE NEWS? CAMPAIGN
From 16th February until 8th March 2006, the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) is organising 'Who Makes the News? Three Weeks of Global Action on Gender and the Media.'

The Who Makes the News? campaign is based on the findings of the Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) 2005 which brought together hundreds of gender and media groups in 76 countries in February 2005 to monitor the representation of women and men in the news media. Endorsed by both UNIFEM and UNESCO, the Who Makes the News? campaign aims to promote gender equality in the media by challenging the news media to take substantial and immediate action to ensure that they represent women and men in a fair and balanced way.

For more information on this campaign please visit http://www.whomakesthenews.org/

Call For Nominations: "Prize for Women's Creativity in Rural Life"
March 2006, The Women's World Summit Foundation
The Women's World Summit Foundation WWSF cordially invites you to submit nominations for the annual "Prize for Women's Creativity in Rural Life" Award, honoring creative and courageous women and women's organizations working to improve the quality of life in rural communities around the world.

Since inception in 1994 of the prize program, 303 Laureates have been honored with a cash donation of US$ 500 each. Their names and profiles are posted on our website: http://www.woman.ch/home.asp

Twenty or more Laureates will again be selected in 2006 and given your experience, interest and perspective with regard to issues of development, human rights, micro-credit and empowerment of women, we would greatly appreciate your participation in this initiative and thank you in advance for sending us your candidates.

Your nomination, using the guidelines, should arrive by mail by 1 March 2006.

For more information please contact:
Mélanie Giovannoni, Program coordinator - Prize for Women's Creativity in Rural Life
E-mail: wrwd@wwsf.ch

For information and for nomination guidelines, please visit: http://www.woman.ch/home.asp

Global Call For Peace: Women Say No To War
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, please click here

Gifts from women in zones of conflict
Amber Chand, December 2005
During this gift-giving season, you are invited to support talented craftswomen in Israel and Palestine who have created "The Jerusalem Candle of Hope" and chosen to send a message of hope over despair, healing over hatred, and peace across fragile borders.
As you turn your thoughts to meaningful gifts this holiday season, please consider “The Jerusalem Candle of Hope” as one of your choices, knowing that it sends a ripple of hope to families who are deeply affected by conflict in their region and furthers the cause of peace, through women's hands.
For more information, please click here

Statement on the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights relating to Women’s Rights in Africa
Women in Law and Development in Africa (WILDAF) / Femmes, Droit et Dévelopment en Afrique (FEDDAF)
This 25 November, 2005, the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights relating to Women's Rights in Africa enters into force.It is with a great delight that we celebrate the event, which marks a significant turning point in the history of African women’s struggle for the recognition and the respect of their basic human rights. From this 25 November, 2005, date that we wish to engrave in gold lettering in the history of our continent, this instrument likely to do justice to women and girls of the continent will apply from now on.
On this occasion, WiLDAF would like to pay a deserved tribute to all women wherever that they are, and to women's rights activists in general, for the work, the support, courage and perseverance they showed during these last ten (10) years so that the protocol relating to women's rights has today legal existence and has force of law.

Who can change the world... in 88 days?
Campaign 88 Days is an effort to raise awareness, take action and mobilise resources for women's rights worldwide. In the 88 days between December 10, 2005, International Human Rights Day and March 8 2006, International Women’s Day, you can help keep women safe from domestic and sexual violence, guarantee them equal treatment in the work force, push governments to do what’s right for women, and support groundbreaking initiatives. Together with you support we can change the world in 88 days. Because women’s rights are human rights…read the facts.

For more information, please click here

“Toward a Planetary Ethic: Shared and Individual Responsibility”
International Institute on Peace Education, July 30 - August 6, 2006, San Jose, Costa Rica
The 2006 International Institute on Peace Education (IIPE) is being co-organized by the Peace Education Center of Teachers College Columbia University (New York) and the UN Mandated University for Peace (Costa Rica). IIPE, founded in 1982 by Betty Reardon and faculty colleagues at Teachers College, has been held annually in different parts of the world. It is an intensive multicultural and cooperative learning opportunity in which participants learn from and with each other about substantive peace issues and interactive teaching approaches. The IIPE is also an opportunity for networking and community building among those who educate and work for a culture of peace in the host region and around the world.

For more information, please click here

The 1325 Award
The Dutch Women in Conflict Situations and Peacekeeping Taskforce presents: the 1325 Award.
This award aims to honour and encourage an individual or a civil society organisation in a conflict country or region, that has developed groundbreaking and effective initiatives to promote the rights of women and to increase their participation at decision-making levels in peace processes.The 1325 Award was officially launched in the Netherlands during a press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 27 October 2005, close to the 5th anniversary of Resolution 1325 (31 October, 2000).

Governments, non-governmental organizations, UN affiliated organizations, civil society organizations and embassies are invited to nominate individuals or organizations before the deadline of 15 January 2006.

For more information on the Award and the nomination process, please click here

Journal of International Women's Studies: Call for Papers
For this special issue of the Journal of International Women's Studies we are seeking contributions in a range of genres from women who have direct experience with organizing or attending one or more of the World Social Forums or regional/local forums organized under the auspices and according to the principles of the Fórum Social Mundial.

Submissions might include theoretical or analytical essays, reflective narratives, activity reports or evaluations, manifestos, press releases, posters or other ephemera. JIWS's intention is to collect materials documenting the range of experiences and activities occurring under the tent of the WSF so that feminist practice within the Social Forums can gain in effectiveness. We also believe it is important to begin to archive this activism as it happens.

Please submit your contribution to the editors no later than April 30, 2006 following the guidelines posted on the JIWS's website at: http://www.bridgew.edu/soas/jiws/

JOIN THE16 DAYS CYBER DIALOGUES 2005
You are cordially invited to participate in the cyber dialogues during the Sixteen Days of Activism on Gender Violence from 24 November to 9 December. These will begin with a face to face panel discussion with experts and decision-makers from 12h00 to 13h00 at the City of Johannesburg (158 Loveday Street), Msunduzi Metro Council, (Sinodale Centre, 345 Burger Street) and at MPCCs. The debates will be followed by “chats” on the internet that will link centres across the country, and on the five days highlighted in the schedule below across Southern Africa.

You can participate in the discussion anywhere with an Internet connection by logging on to the cyber dialogues from 13.00 to 14.00; follow instructions to the English, Zulu, Sotho, Creole, Portuguese, kiSwahili, Shona, Afrikaans and Chichewa chat rooms. If you have access, try to facilitate access for someone who does not!

White Ribbon Campaign (WRC)
In 1991, a handful of men in Canada decided to speak out against violence against women. Wearing a white ribbon is a symbol of men's opposition to men's violence against women. Wearing a white ribbon is a personal pledge never to commit, condone nor remain silent about violence against women. Each year, we urge men and boys to wear a ribbon for one or two weeks, starting on November 25, the International Day for the Eradication of Violence Against Women. (In Canada we wear ribbons until December 6, Canada's National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.)

ADOLESCENT GIRLS AFFECTED BY VIOLENT CONFLICT: FaCT SHEET for distribution
Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children, and the Gender and Peacebuilding Working Group of the Canadian Peacebuilding Coordinating Committee

November 25, 2005 - Today, on the International Day Against Violence Against Women, we urge you to recognize the specific situations of adolescent girls affected by violent conflict and to support adolescent girls’ participation in conflict prevention, peacebuilding, and community development. In armed conflict situations, adolescent girls have distinctive experiences that are often different from those of older women, younger children and adolescent boys. Yet, adolescent girls tend to fall through the cracks of programming, in part because they are not women, and not children. In producing this fact sheet on Adolescent girls affected by violent conflict, the Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children, and the Gender and Peacebuilding Working Group of the Canadian Peacebuilding Coordinating Committee, urge you to recognize the roles and capacities of adolescent girls and to give increased policy and program attention to adolescent girls as a distinctive group. Doing so will help to protect girls from violence and its effects, and foster their participation in conflict prevention, peacebuilding, reconstruction and development processes.

We ask that you distribute this fact sheet widely and post (wherever possible) to your website.

Surendrini Wijeyaratne, on behalf of the Gender and Peacebuilding Working Group
Working Group Coordinator, Canadian Peacebuilding Coordinating Committee
Comité coordinateur canadien pour la consolidation de la paix
Ottawa, Ontario, CA.
Tel: (613) 241 - 3446
E-mail: surendrini@PEACEBUILD.CA
http://www.peacebuild.ca/

16 DAYS of activism against gender violence
November 25 - December 10, 2005
Violence against women is traumatic to the body, mind, and spirit and can prevent women from being fully active participants at home and in the world. This year's 16 Days campaign theme, as a continuation from 2004, emphasizes the connections between women's human rights, violence against women and women's health, and the detrimental consequences violence against women has on the well-being of the world as a whole.

For more information please Click here

Call for Papers on Women's Rights
Journal of Global Ethics, University of Biringham
15 November 2005
We are pleased to announce that there will be a Special Issue of the Journal of Global Ethics focusing on Women's Rights to be published in December 2006. Rebecca Shah and Audrey Guichon will be the two guest editors of this volume. The Journal of Global Ethics is peer reviewed and published by Taylors and Francis.

openDemocracy 1325 On-Line Debate
"Women making a difference" Fighting violent conflict - an online conversation
openDemocracy
October 2005
openDemocracy – the online magazine of politics and culture - launches a major debate this October to mark the fifth anniversary of UN Resolution 1325. How does it affect us? Has it made any difference and what difference could it make? In 2000, Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security called for full and equal participation of women in conflict prevention, peace processes and peace building, as decision-makers in international organisations, in the deliberations that form the basis for democracy – women in areas often reserved for men.

Participate in UN-hosted online dialogue on violence against women
The United Nations Division for the Advancement of women (DAW)
September 26 - October 14, 2005
The United Nations Division for the Advancement of women (DAW) is hosting a 3 week dialogue to galvanize action to combat violence against women as a contribution to the Secretary-general's study on violence against women. The three-week online discussion begins Monday, 26 September, and will conclude on 14 October 2005. Those who wish to participate in the discussion must pre-register. Participants may contribute to the discussion in English, French or Spanish.

For more information and registration, please click here

For more information on the UN Secretary-general's study on violence against women please click here

THE "1000 WOMEN FOR THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE" PROJECT
The "1000 Women for the Nobel Peace Prize 2005" Project
September 2005
The Project "1000 Women for the Nobel Peace Prize 2005" has nominated 1000 women to collectively receive the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts in pursuit of peace. These women represent the millions of women around the world engaged daily in promoting peace and acting on behalf of their communities' well-being. They call for reconciliation, demand justice, and rebuild what has been destroyed. They transform conflicts. They fight against poverty and for human rights. They create alternative sources of income, and they strive for access to land and clean water. They educate and heal. They reintegrate HIV patients. They find solutions to a great many forms of violence and they condemn the genital mutilation of girls. As their work is taken for granted and is usually unspectacular, it is neither acknowledged nor remunerated. The project aims to show that this work is valuable and exemplary by publicizing the life stories, visions, methods, strategies and networks of these 1000 women. It is hoped that with this recognition, they should receive both encouragement and gratitude for their commitment.

For more information on this project, please click here

The 1000 women nominated include 20 who are members and/or officers of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. Please click here for profiles of these WILPF women.

The 2005 Peace Building Cyberdialogues on UNSCR 1325: Linking New York, Kampala, Monrovia, Oslo, Dili, Bougainville, Bangkok and more
The Interntaional Women's Tribune Centre
October 27 - 30, 2005
The International Women’s Tribune Centre, in collaboration with partner organizations, is planning to convene two, possibly three cyberdialogues that will bring the voices and views of women on issues of peace and security to the attention of government officials at the national and international level.

Drawing upon the experiences of women from different world regions, a major focus of the cyberdialogues will be women's efforts to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and analysis of the gaps and challenges in the implementation process.

The cyberdialogues will take place during the 10th International Forum convened by the Association of Women1s Rights in Development (AWID) to be held from October 27-30, 2005 in Bangkok, Thailand. At this event, which is expected to draw over 2,000 participants, academics, policymakers, and programme planners from around the world, IWTC will host a cyberdialogue, an interactive workshop using Internet voice chat and/or audio visual teleconferencing to connect women attending the Bangkok conference with the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security at UN headquarters in New York and with women involved in peace building processes in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Middle East, and Europe. Screens and speakers will be set up in Bangkok and other cyberdialogue sites to allow for greater audience participation. At the present time, 6 to 8 dialogue sites are being considered. If time and facilities allow, two cyberdialogues will be held during the AWID Forum.

contribute to report on women preventing violence, war, genocide and armed conflict
The Global Action to Prevent War (GAPW) Coalition
GAPW is a transnational network of organizations and grassroots activists, active in over 53 countries. The coalition grounds the goal of conflict prevention in specific integrated phases of conflict prevention, peacekeeping and disarmament over a three to four-decade period, and has included Resolution 1325 as a crucial element of preventing conflict since it was adopted in 2000. For more information please visit www.globalactionpw.org

GAPW is currently collecting information for a report on what women are doing around the world to prevent violence, war, genocide, and armed conflict.

GAPW is contacting grassroots activists around the world to speak with them regarding women and gender-sensitive initiatives to prevent war, genocide, and internal armed conflict- including what strategies and best practices they have used and what the outcomes have been thusfar.
The report is to be published for the fifth anniversary of Resolution 1325 this October 2005. Because of this, GAPW is working under tight deadlines to collect information, and is trying to get in contact with people as soon as possible.

The deadline for contributions is the first week of September 2005. To participate or refer a contact please e-mail or call Anjalina Sen at anjalina@globalactionpw.org or Tel: + 1.212.818.1861.

Defending Women Defending Rights
International Coordinating Committee
25 November – 18 December 2004
The launch of the International Campaign on Women Human Rights Defender, a campaign for the recognition and protection of human rights defenders, particularly women,who are activists advocating for the realisation of human rights for all. International Coordinating Committee (ICC) will coordinate this campaign. The ICC members are representatives of network organisations and women’s and human rights groups working on the concerns of WHRDs. For more information visit: www.defendingwomen-defendingrights.org

International Gathering of Women for Peace Building
Organizacion Femenina Popular
October 2004
Representatives from twenty countries will come to Barrancabermeja to further strengthen the Social Movement of Women Against War within the framework of the proceedings established to strengthen the Social Movement of Women Against War in Colombia. The seminar will take place from 3-6 October in Barrancabermeja

Domestic Violence Awareness Month: October
Amnesty International
September 2004
For information about Domestic Violence Awareness Month and ideas for related activities, visit the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Also, check out the Women's Human Rights Program's fact sheets on domestic violence as torture and domestic violence in LGBT communities.

International Conference on Family Violence
Amnesty International
September 2004
The Family Violence and Sexual Assault Institute presents "Advocacy, Assessment, Intervention, Research, Prevention, and Policy". The conference will take place from September 17-22, 2004 in San Diego, CA. For more information or to register, please visit their website.

Ciudad Juárez: Femicide and International Caravan for Justice
Amnesty International
September 2004
Alma Brisa Molina Baca was a 34-year-old factory worker who was abducted, sexually assaulted, and murdered in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico on July 24. Her murder appears to fit the pattern of violence against women that has persisted there for over a decade. Amnesty International is concerned for the safety of women and girls in Ciudad Juárez and Chihuahua City. For more information on this issue and/or to take action, please click here.
Also, the International Caravan for Justice will be in Juárez and Chihuahua from October 20 to November 1. The caravan of activists will cross from the United States into Mexico, calling for an end to the femicide that has left almost 400 young women dead in Juárez and Chihuahua City and demanding justice for their families. For more information, please visit their website.

Anniversary of Violence Against Women Act
Amnesty International
September 2004
Urge Attorney General Ashcroft to mark the tenth anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act on September 13 by granting protection to Rodi Alvarado Peña and other women and girls fleeing gender-based violence. Rodi Alvarado Peña, a Guatemalan woman, has survived ten years of horrific domestic violence. Her husband, a member of the Guatemalan army, raped her repeatedly, dislocated her jaw, tried to cut off her hands with a machete, used her head to break windows, and attempted to abort their second child by kicking her in the spine. Ms Alvarado sought protection from the Guatemalan police and the courts, but her requests were denied. In 1995, she applied for asylum in the United States. She was forced to leave her two small children behind. Asylum represents an important tool to protect women like Rodi Alvarado, whose human rights have been violated. Take action by clicking here. http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=636501&l=9779. For more information about gender-based asylum, please click here.

Empower Rural Women through Capacity Development
Ashoka Innovators for the Public
Mexico
Many of the 600 communities dispersed throughout the Sierra Gorda are extremely poor. The most affected group is Campesina women (rural women) in the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve, due to the high rate of male migration & lack of productive alternatives. The perception and treatment of women in many rural communities in Mexico also contributes to the problem. The empowerment of rural women project provides the necessary tools to overcome this barrier. Currently, 27 communities are participating in the program, with an average of 20 women in each. The program provides the tools needed for women to create healthier lives for themselves, their families, & the environment, while slowly improving their economic situation & lifestyle. The current project need is $5,500, to learn more or donate to this project, please click here. Project Contact: Margarita Pedraza Muñoz,
Community Improvement Chief, Arroyo Seco ·306, Col. Estrella, Santiago de Quere, Juarez No. 9, Centro, Jalpan de Serra, Qro., Santiago de Queretaro, Queretaro 76030, Mexico. Tel: +52-441-2960229.

Preventing Family Violence Through Storytelling
Ashoka Innovators for the Public
United States
Research reveals that between one fourth and one half of women experience at least one type of abuse or violence in their lifetime. In a survey of Dorchester civic associations, 40% of respondents said they knew a DV victim. 70% said they believed DV could be prevented if family and friends had more information about how to respond. With 92,115 residents, Dorchester is the largest neighborhood in Boston. A majority of the families in Dorchester are low to middle income. “Close to Home” plans to implement a Digital Storytelling workshop-creating short videos using text, voice-over, pictures, and music-with men in Dorchester. Participants use this multimedia tool to tell their story about domestic violence. The digital stories created will be shared across the community at civic meetings, neighborhood events, and on cable television. These stories will generate dialogue that will help change social norms and prevent domestic violence. To learn more and/or to contribute to the project’s $60, 000 need, please click here. Project Contact: Aimee Thompson, Executive Director, 42 Charles Street, Suite E, Dorchester, MA 02122, United States, Tel: 617-929-5151.

Mongolian Women Dairy Produce Self-Sufficiency Project
Women's Funding Network
Mongolia
In poor rural areas of Mongolia, an increasing number of females are heads of households (in Gobi-Altai 44.5% of families), who often lack the skills to financially support their families. Training women to process milk increases the economic livelihood of families, while also alleviating milk waste. Women learn how to manufacture 28 types of milk products, such as yogurt, butter, condensed milk and cheese that they market to hospitals and schools that often go without calcium enriched dairy. 120 women from Arhangai, Gobi-Altai and Zavkhan use innovative strategies and modern technology to make dairy products from fresh and sour milk. Three community associations organize to market dairy products locally to generate long-term incomes. Through this project, jobs will be created for impoverished female heads of households. Raw dairy that is usually wasted will be used, providing quality dairy products to rural inhabitants, and profits for the women who make them. To learn more about this project and/or contribute to their present need of $13,737, please click here. Project Contact: Ms. Naidandorj Chinchuluum, Founding Director, Mongolian Women’s Fund, Baga Toiruu- 44, Sukhbaatar district, Box 280, P.O. 46A, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Tel: 976-11-317904.

Labor Rights for Females in Mexican Factories
Women's Funding Network
Mexico
Economic conditions worsen on the Mexican border and factory laborers suffer from deteriorating job conditions. To support their families women supplement their income by taking piecework home, purchasing their own materials and waiting for reimbursement. Results are lower wages, no benefits, and little protection under labor laws (including from sexual harassment). Educating and training female laborers helps women in Tijuana, Tecate and Chihuahua have safer and healthier work environments. $20 pays for 1 woman to attend weekly laborers’ meetings to learn the value of her work and time; $75 creates the flier “Working Women: Sexual assault in the workplace is illegal. Denounce it!”; $100 circulates a newsletter with free legal resources. With your support, these outreach activities will be able to provide female laborers with the resources needed to defend their labor and reproductive rights, resulting in healthier women, stronger families, and safer work environments. To learn more and/or contribute to the project current need of $22,000, please click here. Project Contact: Maria del Carmen Morales, Program Coordinator, Tamaulipas 66 Planta Alta, Colonia Condesa, DF 06140, Mexico, Tel: 52-55-5553-2900.

Get Out Her Vote Campaign
Feminist Majority Foundation’s
August 2004
This election in America will decide the fate of issues central to women’s lives: reproductive rights, civil rights, human rights, global peace and national security, global trade and economic policies, women’s economic equality, and the protection of our environmental resources. A survey conducted by Lifetime Television in July found that fewer than 10 percent of women feel that either President Bush or Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry understands them well. Now, young women have the potential to be a powerful force for change in this country. In 2004 women's voices must be heard. Click here to join the campaign and/or learn more.

Stop the Global Gag Rule from Killing More Young Women
Feminist Majority Foundation
Rather than repealing the Global Gag Rule, which is responsible for the deaths of young women in developing countries, the Bush Administration is now trying to extend the Gag Rule’s reach. The US State Department has halted government funding for an HIV/AIDS program serving African and Asian refugees on the grounds that Marie Stopes International, one of the partners in the program, works with the United Nations Population Fund in China. Despite admitting there was no evidence linking the family planning and abortion services group Marie Stopes International (MSI) or UNFPA with forced abortions and sterilizations in China, State Department officials insisted the organization's collaboration with the Chinese government and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) was sufficient reason for the move. Bush's decision - which defied even the advice of his own fact-finding investigative team - was made based on unsubstantiated claims that originated from the anti-abortion organization Population Research Institute (PRI) - founded by Human Life International. Express your outrage at the Bush Administration’s recent move to extend the Global Gag Rule by e-mailing President Bush and Secretary of State Powell today. You can do so at this link.

The Campaign Against Domestic Violence (CADV)
London, August 2004
CADV has drawn up a 12 point action programme which outlines the reforms which they believe must be implemented in order to tackle domestic violence. They are campaigning to ensure that our 12 points are incorporated into the U.K. government's strategy to end violence against women. They welcome the support of as many organisations and individuals as possible to help them achieve their aims. To contact them, please write to CADV, PO Box 2371, London, E1 5NQ, United Kingdom, email enquiries@cadv.org.uk, call 020 8520 5881, or visit their website.

Wednesday Vigils
Women in Black, London
18 August 2004
Silent Vigils are again held on every Wednesday, 6-7 pm at the Edith Cavell Statue, St Martins Place, London WC2 (opposite National Portrait Gallery). Each Wednesday Women in Black focuses on a different area of conflict and urge the British governement to take responsibility for their role in it. This will be the focus for the next few weeks:
18th Aug, Iraq
25th Aug, Militarism and War
1st Sept, Palestine / Israel
8th Sept, Africa: Darfur
More information and worldwide peace vigils are noted on their website, most recent leaflets can also be downloaded there.

One Million Women Challenge
Women’s Edge Coalition
2004
The Women’s Edge Coalition has launched a nationwide effort to challenge one million American women to call for a safer, better world. We hope that you will take the challenge and let your elected officials and candidates know that you care about international women’s and national security issues. Learn more about 12 of the most pressing international issues—from women in Iraq to non-military alternatives—all covered in the Global Issues Guide, available on the website. Use the Action Toolkit to get started. To order the Global Issues Guide and Action Toolkit, email challenge@womensedge.org or call (202) 884-8396. Take the challenge and voice out about critical international issues mpacting women around the world. To view the website, please click here.

Promoting Women's Equal Participation in Peace & Security Processes Working Conference
November 18-20, 2004
The Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice (IPJ), with the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the Canadian Committee on Women, Peace and Security (CCWPS), and the Boston Consortium on Gender, Security and Human Rights, is convening a working conference on advancing the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 November 18-20, 2004 in San Diego, California. The event will also commemorate the launch of International Alert and Women waging Peace Toolkit on Women, Peace and Security. The international community is invited to recommend representatives from government, civil society, and I/NGO leaders working on peace and security issues for participation in the conference. Building on recommendations from the October 2004 UN Resolution 1325 4th anniversary report and alternative reports on efforts to implement Resolution 1325, attendees will be working face to face on next steps for greater engagement of women in conflict early warning and early response, peace processes, peacekeeping operations, and post-conflict peacebuilding. All plenaries and working sessions will be conducted in English. For more information on the conference, please visit the IPJ website or to support the attendance of women peacemakers from contlict-affected countries, contact conference coordinators at