Commission on the Status of Women 2004

Each year, for two weeks in March, women gather in New York for the annual session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). In this year's meeting, in addition to its regular discussions on Beijing + 10, the CSW will also focus on two thematic issues:

• The role of men and boys in achieving gender equality.
• Women's equal participation in conflict prevention, management and conflict resolution and in post-conflict peace-building.

The CSW was established in 1946 with the objective of promoting the principle that men and women shall have equal rights. In 1995, following the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, the General Assembly mandated the CSW to work on a follow-up process to the Conference. This process includes regularly reviewing the twelve critical areas of concern for women as identified in Beijing and spelled out in the Platform for Action, and developing a catalytic role in mainstreaming a gender perspective in United Nations activities. The Commission is responsible for monitoring the implementation of the Platform for Action, and is working to conduct a global review and appraisal of this implementation process in 2005 — Beijing + 10.

UNIFEM will participate in a variety of events and activities throughout the 48th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women. In addition, UNIFEM will co-organize the following events:

Tuesday, 2 March
1:15 – 2:45 pm — TIME FOR ACTION: ON THE CONTINUUM OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
Conference Room 8. Introduction of Amnesty International “Stop Violence Against Women” (Stop VAW) campaign, which will be launched globally 5 March 2004. Co-sponsored by Amnesty International and UNIFEM.
1:15 – 2:45 pm — MILLENNIUM PROJECT TASKFORCE ON EDUCATION AND GENDER EQUALITY
Dag Hammarskjöld Auditorium. Co-sponsored by UNDP, IANWGE, UNIFEM, World Bank and OECD-DAC

Wednesday, 3 March
1:15 – 2:45 pm — BOOK LAUNCH – LIBERIAN WOMEN PEACEMAKERS
Church Center, 2nd Floor. Organized by African Women and Peace Support Group. Co-sponsored by UNIFEM, US Fund for UNICEF, WILPF, and Women, Ink.
3:00 – 5:00 pm — GENDER PERSPECTIVES ON PEACE PROCESSES
Dag Hammarskjold Auditorium. Discussion of women’s participation in peace negotiations and the opportunities that peace processes create for women’s representation in post-conflict governance. Presentations of new reports and recommendations by the Council of Europe, the National Democratic Institute and the Women Waging Peace Policy Commission. Co-sponsored by UNIFEM, the Council of Europe and NDI.
3:00 – 5:00 pm — BUILDING PEACE & SECURITY FROM THE GROUND UP
Church Center, 2nd Floor. An interactive workshop featuring UNIFEM models for peace building. Organized by the NGO Committee for UNIFEM.

Thursday, 4 March
10:00 – 1:00 — LEARNING INSTITUTE ON GENDER, EARLY WARNING AND CONFLICT PREVENTION
Millennium Hotel, 44th St. &1st Ave., 2nd Floor, East Tower, Dag Hammarksjöld, Room B. Training seminar that includes introduction to conflict and its phases and how early warning can be used to refine the UN’s responses. Trainers are Felicity Hill of UNIFEM, and Sam Barnes and Stephanie Kuttner of UNDP. See http://www.undp.org/ohr/si/csw/ for further information. Co-sponsored by UNDP, UNIFEM and the Smithsonian Institute.

Friday, 5 March
1:15 – 2:45 pm — RETHINK! A HANDBOOK FOR SUSTAINABLE PEACE
Conference Room 3. Launch of a handbook by the Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation on lessons learned from 10 years of partnership with women’s organizations in using gender equality as a tool for conflict prevention and peace-building. Co-sponsored by the Permanent Mission of Sweden to the United Nations, the Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation and UNIFEM.

Tuesday, 9 March
1:15 – 2:45 pm — GENDER PERSPECTIVES ON DISARMAMENT, DEMOBILIZATION AND REINTEGRATION
Conference Room 2. Launch of UNIFEM’s “Gender Aware Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration: A Checklist”, as well as preliminary lessons learned from UNIFEM scan of UN DDR processes and presentation by Women Waging Peace of case studies of El Salvador and Sierra Leone. Organized by UNIFEM.

Ongoing
UNIFEM EXHIBIT
UN Secretariat Basement (next to Vienna Café). Visit the UNIFEM exhibit to view the UNIFEM portals on Women, Peace& Security and on Gender and HIV/AIDS and to review materials, collect information, ask questions and learn more about UNIFEM and its programmes in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, the Arab States, Europe and the CIS, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

More events are listed in the CSW Corner on our Web site and the CSW Side Events Calendar.

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Timor-Leste: Promoting Women's Post-Conflict Participation
Interview with Milena Pires, UNIFEM Programme Coordinator

As Afghanistan goes to the polls this year, there may be lessons or parallels to be drawn from the electoral process in Timor-Leste in 2001, widely regarded as a success, particularly in terms of women's participation. Without the use of quotas, 27 per cent of women (23 out of 88) were elected to the Constituent Assembly, which drafted a constitution that includes provisions recognizing full equality of men and women before the law — a significant achievement for the women of Timor-Leste. UNIFEM Programme Coordinator Milena Pires has been a member of the Timor-Leste Women's Network (REDE) and was elected to the Constituent Assembly. She rallied and campaigned with other women's organizations to ensure that women were not left out of the political process. Here she gives us an insight into the women's movement at the time.

Q: What in your opinion were the most important factors that led to the strong involvement of women in the process?

A: The most important factor was that the women's movement in Timor-Leste spoke with a common voice. At the first Congress of Timorese Women in June 2000, over 400 delegates from all 13 districts attended. A policy document — the Platform of Action for the Advancement of Timorese Women — was adopted to be used to lobby for women's rights. REDE, the women's network, comprising 14 women's groups, was established at the Congress to represent the voice of the women's movement. Another factor was the strong allies that we had in the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Sergio Vieira de Mello, the UN Transitional Authority (UNTAET), and UN agencies like UNIFEM and UNFPA. The gender affairs unit within UNTAET, together with UNIFEM, provided critical support to REDE to implement the Platform for Action. Finally, the education and training provided for women was invaluable — almost 200 women were trained by UNIFEM and UNTAET to help them understand the electoral process, put together platforms, and campaign as candidates. Training was also provided to identify and implement activities to increase women's voter participation.

Q: How difficult was it to get women to participate — were stereotypical perceptions among women themselves an obstacle?

A: Timor-Leste is largely patriarchal with rigid definitions of gender roles. Women's participation in and contribution to the resistance broke some of these stereotypes, and helped make it easier for women to involve themselves in the political process. However, now with independence, there is a growing tendency to relegate women once again to the home and traditional roles. As a product of their own societies, women often also help to maintain the status quo and perpetuate traditional gender stereotypes. Education cannot be over-emphasized, as it provides alternatives and helps to change attitudes with time. It must start in schools to promote generational change as well as target young women, professional and older women. And since decision-making and power often remains in the hands of men — education of boys and men is also vital.

Q: What was crucial to keep the momentum going, during the constitutional process and after?

A: Women must be aware of their potential for transformative leadership in order to make a real difference through their participation. Constituency building is extremely important before, during and after the elections to keep women candidates and incumbents accountable and in touch with their constituencies. This is critical to give continuity to voicing women's concerns and implementing the platform for action.

Q: How best can women's groups monitor the situation to ensure that the rights enshrined in the constitution are not just words?

A: All opportunities that the constitutional process throws up must be seized to ensure that provisions for women are included. Women must be well organized to influence the process. A succinct policy document should be developed — such as the ten-point women's charter drafted by the Gender and Constitution Working Group. A common forum where women can come together, as happened with the First Congress and the establishment of REDE, is crucial so that they agree on a common platform. Women's Caucuses that cross party lines are also important, as are strong links at the civil society level so that women's organizations can monitor implementation of the constitution through the legislation that will be developed to operationalize its principles. Finally, men must be considered partners rather than rivals if the equity principles in the constitution are to be carried out in practice.

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Men Tour Africa Against Gender Violence

Nelson Banda is a 28 year old journalist from Zambia. 58 year old Moses Mbugua is the head of United Way Kenya, a non-profit that provides support for community programs. In November last year, both men took part in the Men's Traveling Conference — a group of more than 100 men from Zambia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and South Africa who traveled across eastern and southern Africa to raise awareness and mobilize other men to support gender equality and end gender-based violence (GBV). The Traveling Conference was organized by the Men for Gender Equality Now Network, an initiative by FEMNET, the African Women’s Development and Communication Network. FEMNET’s programme on gender-based violence has been supported by the UNIFEM Trust Fund in Support of Actions to Eliminate Violence Against Women.

Aged 20 to 80, the Traveling Conference comprised faith leaders, policemen, lawyers, sportsmen, artists, students and persons living with HIV/AIDS. It was organized as part of the Sixteen Days of Activism — a worldwide campaign on ending violence against women that takes place each year from November 25th to December 10th. Billed as an advocacy and outreach event, participants traveled from their countries by bus to meet in Lilongwe, Malawi, stopping along the way to speak to thousands of people on issues of gender-based violence and HIV/AIDS. In each town they stopped at, the men used music, dance, drama and lively debate to captivate and involve their audiences. Buses were decorated with banners proclaiming "Peace in Africa Begins At Home: Men Fight GBV", and "Men Working to Stop the Spread of HIV/AIDS". Drums and megaphones helped to make the messages heard.

Speaking about his involvement, Banda says: "As men, we need to re-assess on how we have been socialized. Gender Based Violence is barbaric and serves nobody! We are in the Gender Revolution and as men we should take the lead and live by example."

Both Banda and Mbugua are active members of the Men for Gender Equality Now Network, which started in 2001 and has members from Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Somaliland, South Africa and Zambia. "When the network came up I joined immediately to continue in my campaign for gender equality," said Mbugua. "I have witnessed that when men talk to other men on gender equality they tend to pay more attention than when the same is coming from a woman."

FEMNET, the network’s initiator, has been working for more than a decade in Africa to mobilize groups of men to combat gender discrimination. Believing firmly that even in the most patriarchal of societies there are many men who believe that there can be no development, peace and justice if gender inequality persists and if violence against women continues, FEMNET targets men as partners who are critical to reach out to other men to build awareness, sensitivity, and to change attitudes about male identity and unequal power relationships between men and women. "Gender bias takes two," says Sara Longwe, former president of FEMNET. "If we use advocacy to combat it, then both sides, men and women, must be involved. When you stand up for something, and do it publicly, you can change things."

Contact: Njoki Wainaina, FEMNET, communication@femnet.or.ke. Web site: http://www.femnet.or.ke/

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UNIFEM Around the World

UNHCR and UNIFEM Join Forces to Benefit Colombian IDP Women. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and UNIFEM have signed an agreement aimed at improving assistance to women impacted by the conflict in Colombia. Efforts will focus on internally displaced persons (IDPs) and will include activities that strengthen women's organizations, develop leadership among female IDPs, and support the Colombian National Registry Office's documentation campaigns for IDP and vulnerable populations. Unofficial estimates put the proportion of adult women among IDPs at 58 per cent. In Colombia's capital, Bogota, recent studies found that the head of family in one out of three IDP families is a woman. Contact: Carmen de la Cruz, carmen.cruz@undp.org

UNIFEM to Participate in UN Joint Assessment Mission in the Sudan. UNIFEM will be part of a Joint Assessment Mission (JAM) to the Sudan. With peace on the horizon after 30 years of civil war, the mission is to assess the development situation and key challenges ahead. UNIFEM’s Regional Peace and Security Advisor and two gender experts will provide a gender perspective to the JAM and identify key challenges and opportunities for women and girls in the post-conflict period. UNIFEM has for several years worked extensively with Sudanese women's organizations, supported in large part through a partnership with the Dutch government. The efforts have been part of UNIFEM’s Regional Project on African Women for Conflict Resolution and Peace Building, which covers Sudan, Somalia and Rwanda. Contact: Nyaradzai Gumbonzvanda, nyaradzai.gumbonzvanda@undp.org, or Hodan Addou, hodan.addou@undp.org

Achieving the Millennium Development Goals in Peru. "Millennium Development Goals and Gender Equity. The Case Study for Peru" is the title of a paper that UNIFEM presented in December 2003. The paper presents a methodological approach towards introducing gender analysis into each goal. Using statistical analysis, it looks at proposed indicators for understanding the dynamics of the labor market, the relationship between the feminization of poverty and violence against women with a view to better understand the MDGs from a gender perspective. Contact: Diana Henderson, diana.henderson@undp.org

UNIFEM Executive Director Addresses Americas Summit. Speaking at the Summit of the Americas in Monterrey, Mexico, in January 2004, Noeleen Heyzer pointed to the critical role of women's leadership and participation in enhancing democratic governance. She urged governments to ensure full participation by all citizens, both men and women, in decision-making around the critical challenges of today, including the unequal impact of globalization, national fragmentation and insecurity and problems without borders, the spread of HIV/AIDS, and the increase in human trafficking. "In a world that is growing more complex, the development of a more inclusive society based on democratic governance enables all citizens to participate and shape policies and practices to bring about greater equality, peace and security. Women are the vital, but often missing, link in this process," she said. » Read the full press release.

Youth and Peace Films Selected for Film Festival. Five short films on "Youth and Peace," produced as part of UNIFEM's Southern Caucasus Women for Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding Programme, have been selected for a film festival competition in Finland. The films are the result of a competition held in Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia to explore issues of conflict resolution and peace building. Six hundred young people between the ages of 8 and 22 participated. Contact: Patricia McPhillips, patricia.mcphillips@undp.org, or Ilona Ter-Minasyan, ilona@undp.am

femTALK 1325 — New Magazine on Women and Peace. femLINKpacific, a women's media NGO that develops community media initiatives, will soon launch the first issue of femTALK 1325, a magazine on women's peace initiatives in the Pacific Island region. The community magazine is supported by UNIFEM Pacific. It will focus on the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1325, particularly in programme countries of UNIFEM Pacific's Women, Peace and Security Project for Melanesia–Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Bougainville (PNG) and Fiji. Contact: Sharon Bhagwan-Rolls, femlinkpac@connect.com.fj, or Amelia Siamomua, amelia@unifempacific.com

Disseminating Gender Budget Knowledge. UNIFEM is providing technical assistance to Colombia's Women's Council in implementing a gender budget initiative targeted at familiarizing budget directors and staff from ministries and national governmental institutions on gender budget concepts and uses. A commitment to work towards a gender budget has been included in the National Agreement for Equity. In Belize, UNIFEM recently facilitated a gender budgets workshop, organized by UNICEF and the Women's Issues Network (WIN-Belize), for participants from both government and women's civil society groups. Contact Diana Henderson, diana.henderson@undp.org

Cambodian Men Wear Ribbons Against Violence. During the 16 Days of Activism Campaign 2003, UNIFEM supported a national campaign launched by the Cambodian Men's Network, a UNIFEM partner since 2000. The campaign included a street march and the dissemination of 55,000 white ribbons, symbolizing an end to violence against women, which triggered very positive responses. One motor-taxi rider described to an activist what the white ribbon meant for him: "It will make people understand that domestic violence is against law. I want my daughter, my sister, and my wife and Khmer women to live in happiness. Violence does nothing more than just break up the family. I would like to have ribbons for my neighbours too, since I want those who commit violence to be conscious of their deed." Contact: Yukiko Kumashiro, yukiko.kumashiro@unifem.un.or.th

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Other News

UN Economic and Social Council Elects First Woman President. Finland's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Marjatta Rasi, has been elected president of the UN's Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), becoming the first woman ever to head the 54-member development coordinating body. » Read the full article. » Read Ambassador Rasi's opening statement.

UN Names Canadian Justice as Top Human Rights Official. Louise Arbour, a Canadian Supreme Court Justice and ex-prosecutor of United Nations war crimes tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, has been appointed UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, succeeding Sergio Vieira de Mello, who was killed in a terrorist attack in Baghdad last August. » Read the full article.

Development Gateway Launches Cross-Topic Special on Gender Equality. The Development Gateway, a portal of development information initiated by the World Bank in 2000, will be launching a cross-topic special issue on Gender Equality and Millennium Development Goal No. 3. Cross-topic specials are monthly cross-sectoral pages aimed at directing some 13,000 daily visits to the Gateway’s 35 permanent online communities. For 2004, specials will focus on how Gateway content relates to the Millennium Development Goals. "Gender Equality: The Cross-Sectoral Pathway to Poverty Reduction" will be posted on the Development Gateway March 1-22, 2004. Contact: Sona Panajyan, spanajyan@worldbank.org, or visit the Development Gateway.

1000 Women for the Nobel Peace Prize 2005 Project. Since 1901, 80 men, 20 organizations and 11 women have received the Nobel Peace Prize. Millions of women work day in day out to promote peace. They care for survivors, help with reconstruction and initiate a new culture of peace. To represent these millions, this project aims to lobby so that in the year 2005 a thousand women shall collectively receive the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts in pursuit of peace. This initiative, started by Ruth-Gaby Vermot-Mangold, a Swiss Parliamentarian and member of the Council of Europe, has gained international support and recognition and involves partners all over the world. Nomination forms will be available on their Web site — www.1000peacewomen.org — at the end of February 2004.