Marraskuun WILPFin Uutiskirjeessä kerrotaan päivitettyä tietoa mm. rauhanedistämispalkinnosta, 100-vuotispäivän vietosta, sekä WILPFin toimintaohjelmista: Peace Women, Human Rights ja Reaching Critical Will sekä monista muista asioista. Tilaa uutiset itsellesi suoraan tästä linkistä http://wilpfinternational.us4.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=3dd6452f9e1ff139d4e528371&id=2d890473d3.
WILPF’s work recognised by Peace in Progress Award
This past month, WILPF was unanimously awarded the 2014 Peace in Progress award by the International Catalan Institute for Peace “for its century-long involvement in the work of women for peace, its commitment to disarmament, the defense of human rights and the persistence to obtain the recognition of the role of women in the building of peace.”
The award, which consists of a sculpture made by Nobel Peace Prize winner and sculptor Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, as well as a financial donation of 4,000 euros, will be presented in 2015 in Barcelona. WILPF is honoured to be recognised for its role in the creation of internationalist pacifist feminism and the advocacy of women’s initiatives for peace, especially amongst such notable human rights defenders. We applaud ICIP’s work to promote a culture of peace, and to endorse peaceful solutions and conflict resolutions.
Read the full article on our website.
Update from the Anniversary
Portrait Gallery
The Anniversary History Working Group is calling on all WILPF Sections to submit portraits of women from their Sections who they would like to honour at the International Peacemakers’ Conference in the Hague. We would like to learn more about the history of all Sections and their foremothers who deserve the international spotlight by putting together a beautiful exhibition at the Conference.
Please make sure submissions are made online. We have extended our deadline until the end of this week, 7 November. If you still need more time, please let us know so we can make sure that your story will be featured.
Update from Crisis Response Programme
Women Organising for Change in Bosnia and Syria project
Women Organising For Change has launched its new website!
Have a look at Women Organising for Change’s new website, available both in English and in Bosnian, to learn how women are affecting change in conflict.
MENA Agenda 1325 project
WILPF Delegation to the Security Council debate on Women, Peace and Security
On the 14th Anniversary of UNSCR 1325, WILPF took action to amplify the voices of grassroots women’s peace activists at the UN and demanded the international community take action to move from commitments to accomplishments.
We hosted a delegation of leaders from the MENA region including Iraq, Libya, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan between 26 – 31 October at the UN Headquarters in New York. These leaders shared their experiences on challenges and opportunities, cultivated partnerships, and provided recommendations to the international community on action to strengthen accountability on the Women, Peace and Security agenda in the MENA region.
WILPF Sections and MENA partners participated in a day of workshops and cross-learning, spoke at WILPF UN side events, and engaged in advocacy meetings during the week of UNSCR 1325’s anniversary, a key advocacy time for women peace activists from around the world.
Workshop for Syrian grassroots organisations to follow up on CEDAW committee concluding observations
For over two years, WILPF has been engaging with Syrian women groups in their efforts to call for peaceful transition and ensure women’s effective participation on every level of decision-making during and after the transition, to reach our common aims of freedom, equality, peace and democracy. In May 2014, WILPF held a workshop for 28 representatives from Syrian women civil society organisations in collaboration with MADRE and other international experts in Beirut. This workshop came in response to the request of the Syrian women groups who highlighted the need for an intensive training to engage in the CEDAW review process that was due to take place in July 2014.
After the workshop, the Syrian women drafted a shadow report that was translated and submitted to the CEDAW Committee members as well as other stakeholders. WILPF invited a delegation from the women who participated in the drafting process to attend the committee review in Geneva. During the delegation visit, WILPF arranged for high-level meetings with member states and the CEDAW Committee members.
In response to the request of the Syrian women who participated in the reporting and advocacy process, WILPF will hold a follow up workshop in collaboration with MADRE to set a plan for further advocacy work and ensure the implementation of the committee’s concluding observations. the workshop will take place in Istanbul between 19 – 22 November and will involve in addition to setting the action plan a meeting with Mr Di Mistura the new UN envoy to Syria (TBC) and an intensive IHL training.
No Women, No Peace in Iraq
As a member of the Stop Rape in Conflict Campaign, WILPF fully supports its release on the importance of prioritising the end of widespread sexual violence by ISIL and other militant groups in Iraq.
Secretary General Madeleine Rees stated, “In Iraq, there was rape, honour killings, kidnappings, trafficking and sexual exploitation before ISIL gave it ideological underpinning…If you don’t address violence against women and have a society that accepts it, you get an ISIL. The dividing line is thin—so thin that for women, its difficult to see the difference between war and so-called peace. The lesson must finally be learnt that there is no alternative but to have women in decision-making, or there will be no such thing as real protection or real security.”
Also check out our open letter on women’s rights in Iraq.
Update from PeaceWomen
News from the General Assembly
PeaceWomen and Reaching Critical Will monitored the 69th session of the General Assembly’s General Debate from 24 – 30 September 2014 on ”Delivering on and Implementing a Transformative Post-2015 Development Agenda”.
Now it is up to you to hold your governments accountable to their commitments! See what was overheard at the UN General Assembly, find out what your government said on gender or disarmament, and demand that they be move from words to action.
From Local to Global: 1325 +14
PeaceWomen was thrilled to welcome the WILPF delegation to New York to mobilise, advocate, and strategise around the 14th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 in the last week of October. Women from Cameroon, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Jordan, Lebanon, Nigeria, and Syria joined together to demand action in strengthening women’s participation and rights for peace. Read about our delegation and workshop and add your voice in solidarity to demanding action for gender equality and peace!
Update from the Human Rights programme
In October, WILPF’s Human Rights Programme welcomed Maria Rita Patiño Uriona from WILPF Bolivia and Viola Giuliano from WILPF Italy, and assisted their participation in the pre-session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of their respective countries.
It then attended and monitored the UPR sessions of Italy and Bolivia, as well as the review of Ghana by the CEDAW Committee.
The Human Rights programme also had the pleasure of welcoming Patrizia Sterpetti from WILPF Italy, who came to Geneva to attend the UPR of Italy, as part of WILPF Italy’s small grants project.
In November, the Human Rights Programme will be monitoring the UPR of Iraq and Egypt, and will participate in the 61st pre-session of the CEDAW Committee to provide input on Bolivia and Spain.
The Human Rights team is also preparing the UPR pre-session of Spain and Sweden that will take place in December.
Follow the Human Rights Programme’s activities by subscribing to their newsletter.
Update from Reaching Critical Will
NGO Forum – Beijing +20 UN Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) Regional Review
Reaching Critical Will participated in this year’s NGO Forum “Beijing +20 UN ECE Regional Review” as a lead up to the UN ECE regional review meeting on 6-7 November.
Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) 2014 Meeting of the States parties
The CCW Meeting of States Parties will meet 13-14 November 2014 in Geneva. Reaching Critical Will, as always, will provide reporting, analysis, and documentation archives from the meeting. To find more information go to our website and subscribe to our CCW report to make sure you receive the information you need.
For real-time updates during the meeting please follow us directly on Twitter with @RCW_, @bankillerrobots, #CCWUN and #killerrobots.
United National General Assembly (UNGA) First Committee
From 4 October – 5 November 2014, Reaching Critical Will attended the UNGA First Committee, which annually meets and covers all issues related to disarmament and international security. As always, RCW provided real-time reporting, analysis, and documentation archives from the First Committee. Go to our website to find all relevant information from this year’s First Committee,
This year we also co-hosted the third annual humanitarian disarmament campaigns forum and delivered the first ever Civil Society Statement to the Committee on the Gender and Disarmament.
ICAN Civil Society Forum
On 6 – 7 December 2014, RCW will participate in ICAN’s Civil Society Forum in Vienna ahead of the next conference on the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons. This is going to be the chance for civil society to inspire and be inspired, teach, and learn and tip the momentum for a treaty banning nuclear weapons over the edge. Registration is now open!
Despite the compelling call of the humanitarian initiative, nuclear-armed states continue to cling to their inhumane weapons. Governments will gather at the Third conference on the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons on 8-9 December, shortly after the Civil Society Forum.
Update from the Academic Network
Interested in learning more about gender and militarism from an engaging and distinguished speaker?
Professor Cynthia Enloe, feminist scholar and member of the WILPF Academic Network, delivered the Manchester Annual Peace Lecture, titled ”Militarisation ’Over There’ and ’Close to Home’: It’s Masculinised, But Depends on Women”. Check it out on Youtube.
Upcoming Events
6 – 7 November, UN ECE regional review meeting
13 November, KOFF Roundtable with Madeleine Rees on Women’s Empowerment in Eastern Europe: A Precarious Journey? 14:15-17:00 at swisspeace, Sonnenbergstrasse 17, Bern
13 – 14 November, 2014 Meeting of the States Parties to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons
19 – 21 November, Conference on defying extremism, Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice in San Diego, USA
19 – 22 November, follow-up workshop on the CEDAW omitted concluding observations on Syria for 30 participants from Syrian grassroots women’s groups
25 November, International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
25 November – 10 December, 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence Campaign
6 – 7 December, ICAN Civil Society Forum, Vienna