UN-INSTRAW News / Noticias del UN-INSTRAW / Nouvelles de UN-INSTRAW
E-Newsletter - October 2007
Current UN-INSTRAW work/activities
Gender, Governance and Women’s Political Participation Programme
From 8 to 31 October 2007, UN-INSTRAW hosted the Virtual Forum “Women and the Debating Community” within the framework of its project “Strengthening Governance with a Gender Perspective and the Political Participation of Women at the Local Level,” which is financed by the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation (AECI). The project aims to analyze governance processes, the obstacles encountered by women exercising political power and the strategies used to overcome them. The Virtual Forum debates focused on three interlinked themes: Gender Equality Laws, Quota Laws and Laws Against Harassment and Political Violence, which are among the wide range of norms protecting and regulating women’s participation in politics. The participants in this Forum expressed their concern about the creation of governing bodies that will regulate women’s participation in positions of power and in the electoral system, recognizing that the Quota Law cannot work independently. Unanimously, the women participating in this event agreed that it is necessary to legislate against harassment and political violence, therefore making these issues public, since within the judicial system there is no authority or mechanism that legislates to make these actions punishable. Read more ………………………………………………………………………
Gender, Migration and Remittances Programme
UN-INSTRAW was invited to present the results of its research focusing on the gender aspect of remittances at an event organized by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on 4 October 2007 in Guatemala. The main objective of the meeting was to make known the results of the IOM Survey on Remittances for the year 2007. Under an agreement signed with IOM-Guatemala, UN-INSTRAW collaborated on the inclusion of the gender perspective in the design of the questionnaire that IOM-Guatemala used in its survey on remittances for the year 2007. UN-INSTRAW provided its Theoretical Framework on the integration of the gender dimensions in remittances and also made recommendations for highlighting the economic, social and political role of women migrants. The IOM report for 2007 presents the analysis of the migratory phenomenon, highlighting issues such as statistics on the volume of remittances, beneficiaries, mechanisms for money transfers, frequency, destiny and the extent to which banking institutions are used for the receipt of remittances. The recommendations formulated by UN-INSTRAW focus primarily on certain aspects which should be taken into consideration when analyzing the impacts of remittances sent by women migrants to Guatemala, such as migrant women’s new economic, social and political roles, the collection of data disaggregated by sex, the development of new indicators that will reflect the different needs of men and women migrants, how the flow of remittances is conditioned to women's access to the labour market and their income, and how migration and labour policies impact women’s labour insertion. Read more …………………………………………………………………………
Gender, Peace and Security Programme
Preventing and Confronting Disasters with a Gender Focus - UN-INSTRAW, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Office of the National Administrator of European Development Funds (Oficina del Ordenador Nacional para los Fondos Europeos de Desarrollo -ONFED) and the European Union Delegation in the Dominican Republic organized a gender training workshop under the framework of the Programme ”Prevention and Preparation to Confront Disasters” which took place at the headquarters of the National Emergency Commission, on 24 October 2007, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The Programme is an initiative of the Dominican Government, financed by the European Union and coordinated by the UNDP. The workshop aimed at reducing the Dominican Republic’s vulnerability by, incorporating women’s participation and decision-making in managing, evaluating, alerting, and disseminating information when facing the impact of natural disasters. UN-INSTRAW will offer training with a gender perspective to Dominican governmental institutions associated to the Programme, so that women and men may give a more adequate response to all citizens affected by natural disasters. Read more …………………………………………………………………
Argentina Elects its First Woman President
UN-INSTRAW is honoured to congratulate Ms. Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, on her election as the first elected female head of State of Argentina. Ms. Fernández won the elections with almost 45% of the vote, surpassing her rivals Elisa Carrió of the Civic Coalition and Roberto Lavagna, former Economy Minister, who received 23% and 17% of the vote, respectively. Ms Fernández, who has received significant support from the working and poorer classes in Argentina, will have to address the challenge of gender inequality and the demands of Argentinean women for improved reproductive and health services, prevention and attention to domestic violence and greater support to women who face decreasing salaries and rising inflation. UN-INSTRAW works to support women in politics and achieve gender parity in political representation. The election of Cristina Fernández to the presidency is another step towards increasing women’s participation in strategic political positions. Read Press Release ……………………………………………………
Global Gender News
Economic and Political Institute for Women
In 2008 The Network of East-West Women/Polska (NEWW) will initiate a two-year project called "Women’s Economic and Political Institute" aimed at contributing towards expanding an underdeveloped area of economic justice for women in Central and Eastern Europe and the Newly-Independent States (CEE/NIS). The overarching objectives of the Institute are to articulate regional and country-level economic justice strategies to improve women’s situation, build the capacity of women NGO activists and politicians at regional and national levels, provide support to ongoing projects in CEE/NIS on the issue of economic justice and to facilitate strategic relationships among women’s groups involved in economic justice projects in the region. Read more …………………………………………………………………………
Increase Women’s Role in Peace and Security
In a meeting held by the United Nations Security Council on 23 October 2007 the importance of women’s participation in decision-making and formal peace processes was highlighted and recommendations made on specific steps to protect women and girls from gender-based violence during conflicts. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon referred to the importance of “…giving women equal participation and full involvement in peace and security matters and the need to increase their role in decision-making,” and “appointing more women in leadership positions in UN peace operations”. He also urged the Security Council to establish a mechanism for monitoring violence against women and girls. Among other steps suggested by participants on combating gender-based violence in conflict situations were: encouraging local women to participate in the development of national protection systems, the approval of “laws that incorporate women’s rights and judicial systems accessible to victims of sexual violence,” women’s participation in post-conflict reconstruction, and better protection of women and girls in conflict zones. Read more ………………………………………………………………………….
Evaluating Police Response to Rape and Sexual Assault
The Women’s Justice Center has published a Form for Evaluating Police Response to Rape and Sexual Assault, designed for use by victims of rape and sexual assault, advocates, and law enforcement. The form is intended to help victims in evaluating the police response to their individual rape or sexual assault case, and as a means to provide feedback to their police department and their communities on how police response to rape and sexual assault can be improved. This form can be photocopied and distributed freely, as long as the text is kept intact and credit is given to the source: Copyright © Marie De Santis, Women's Justice Center Read more - Also available in Spanish ………………………………………………………………………… Events
Center for Asia Pacific Women in Politics (CAPWIP) Institute for Gender, Governance & Leadership – Making Governance Gender Responsive (MGGR), 12-19 November 2007, Manila, Philippines. Objectives: Enhance understanding of Gender and Development and Governance Concepts; Identification of gender biases in Governance; Acquisition of skills in identifying and analyzing gender biases and concerns; Identification and formulation of gender biases in Governance. Read more ………………………………………………………………………………
European Feminist Forum 2008 The Forum will be held on 13-15 June 2008 in Warsaw, Poland. The three important issue areas will provide the basis for discussions at the Forum: a) Economic change in Europe: changes in the economy, the labour market, migration and feminist alternatives; b) Women’s physical and sexual integrity: women’s bodies, abortion and the politics of ending violence against women; c) Our movement: feminist resource mobilisation and building political power. Read more …………………………………………………………………………………
The Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID) - 11th International Forum on Women's Rights and Development - The Power of Movements - will be held November 14-17, 2008, in Cape Town, South Africa. Read more - Call for Proposals
|