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June 2007 – In This Issue:
Towards Ghana 2008: UNIFEM Positions Gender Equality as Central to Aid Effectiveness
At a time when the international community is exploring new aid modalities to increase the effectiveness of development assistance, UNIFEM has been at the forefront of promoting increased investments in gender equality as a key to turn aid effectiveness into development effectiveness. Recent years have seen a reshaping of the structures and financing of development cooperation. The Paris Declaration outlined a new vision of aid allocation increasingly driven by partnership between donor and recipient countries, and ownership of the process by recipients of aid. This presents challenges and opportunities, which UNIFEM has harnessed to reignite momentum for progress in improving the lives of women worldwide.
Underscoring the significance of focusing development efforts on advancing gender equality, UNIFEM Executive Director Noeleen Heyzer cautioned that failure to do so would result in "slow or stalled progress on eradicating poverty and hunger, reducing maternal and child mortality and reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS." Addressing the "High Level Forum on Gender Equality and Rights-Based Development Planning and Budgeting in the Commonwealth of Independent States" in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on 20 May 2007, she emphasized the need for cross-cutting issues such as gender equality and human rights to "find strong expression in the new aid environment." This conference, organized jointly by UNIFEM and the Government of Kazakhstan, united senior government officials, parliamentarians and women's groups from the region, as well as representatives of bilateral and multilateral donors.
The conference is one of a series of five regional consultations UNIFEM is holding to build knowledge, capacity and partnerships to ensure that a gender perspective informs the aid effectiveness agenda. These consultations are geared towards tracking progress in the lead-up to the 2008 "High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Ghana" that will review the Paris Declaration.
This work will also feed into the 52nd session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), to be held from 25 February to 7 March 2008, which will consider "Financing for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women" as its priority theme.
Read the complete story.
Read the Conference Declaration.
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UNIFEM around the World
UNIFEM Launches Community-Based Programme to Support Women in Peacebuilding and Sexual Violence Prevention
UNIFEM has embarked on a two-year initiative to support women in their communities to build peace and prevent sexual violence during and after conflicts. The programme, "Supporting Women's Engagement in Peacebuilding and Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict: Community-Led Approaches," was launched at a workshop in Lira, Uganda, held from 16 to 20 April 2007. The programme is funded through a US$6.5 million grant from the United Kingdom's Department for International Development (DFID) and will cover six countries representing a range of conflict and post-conflict contexts: Afghanistan, Haiti, Liberia, Rwanda, Timor-Leste and Uganda. Read the complete story.
 Spain – A Strategic Partner in Making Women's Rights Reality
In the largest contribution ever made to the UNIFEM-managed United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, the Government of Spain has donated Euro 3 million (US$3.9 million) to support a vigorous response to this widespread violation of women's rights. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed on 15 March 2007 in Madrid by Leire Pajin Iraola, Secretary of State for International Cooperation of the Government of Spain, and Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Director of UNIFEM. Read the complete story.
CEE/CIS
Joint Mission to fYR Macedonia to Gauge Women's Rights in the Workplace
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the International Labour Organization (ILO), and UNIFEM conducted a stakeholder seminar in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia from 22 to 27 April 2007 in preparation for the "Advancing Implementation of Gender Equality Legislation Programme" (GEL). The five-year regional programme aims to enhance women's rights in the workplace and increase the potential of women and men to contribute to the economy in Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina and fYR Macedonia. UNIFEM will be the lead agency overseeing implementation in fYR Macedonia. The programme plans to review the legal framework; build the capacity of civil servants to ensure implementation of gender equality legislation; improve data collection; and enhance the capacities of labour market institutions and civil society partners to increase public awareness of women's rights in the workplace. For more information, contact Flora Macula, flora.macula[at]unifem.org
Serbian Guidebook on Gender-Responsive Budgeting Launched
The Gender Studies Centre in Novi Sad, Serbia, introduced a new Guidebook on Gender-Responsive Budgeting at three launch events held throughout Serbia in April 2007. The guidebook, published and disseminated with UNIFEM support, is the first resource on gender-responsive budgeting in the Serbian language. For more information, contact Flora Macula, flora.macula[at]unifem.org
AFRICA
UNIFEM Receives US$3 Million to Boost Burundian Women's Role in Peacebuilding
On 20 June 2007, UNIFEM received US$3 million from the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund in Burundi to implement a project for women entitled, "Restoring the Role of Women in Reconciliation and Community Reconstruction." UNIFEM has been closely involved in the development of this joint initiative between the Government of Burundi and the United Nations Integrated Office in Burundi (BINUB), through the provision of technical support to the Ministry for Gender. The project aims to enhance women's economic autonomy, support reconciliation initiatives by women's organizations and increase their protection from sexual and gender-based violence, in order to promote their free and active participation in the peace consolidation process. Over the course of its one-year duration, the project will focus on areas most affected by armed conflict, where women have continued to work for peaceful coexistence. Read the complete story.
UNIFEM Encourages Gender-Sensitive Media Coverage of Elections in Cameroon
In the lead-up to Cameroon's municipal and legislative elections in July 2007, UNIFEM supported the training of 30 key journalists to equip them to bring a gender perspective to media coverage. The journalists explored rights-based approaches to promoting women's political participation, as well as strategies for avoiding their misrepresentation and the marginalization of their priority concerns in the media. The training, held in collaboration with the Network for More Women in Politics, resulted in a communications strategy, which includes a gender checklist to assist media representatives in their analysis and presentation of candidates' political platforms. For more information, contact Irene Zirimwabagabo, irene.zirimwabagabo[at]unifem.org
Linking HIV/AIDS Responses to Human Rights Commitments
"Gender Dimensions of HIV/AIDS: Links to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Protocol to the African Charter on the Rights of Women" was the title of a UNIFEM training workshop held in Pretoria from 24 to 27 May 2007. Participants from nine African countries decided that upon returning to their respective countries, they would develop an action plan to address challenges in linking their HIV/AIDS responses to women's human rights standards. Submission of these plans has already begun. For more information, contact Kamogelo Lekubu-Wilderson, kamogelo.lekubu[at]unifem.org
 Kenyan Women Call for Affirmative Action ahead of Elections
"Women do not go to sleep; you have to fight and struggle to get us there" — more than 10,000 Kenyan women chanted this Swahili song at a gathering to celebrate African Women's Day at the Railway grounds in Nairobi on 25 May 2007. Women presidential candidates, aspirants to Parliament and local government office, political party leaders and activists called for an increase in women's participation, both as candidates and voters, in the upcoming general elections in Kenya later this year. The UNIFEM-managed Gender and Governance Programme in Kenya is assisting presidential candidates to sensitize Kenyans to the power of their vote and to push for affirmative action to achieve at least 30 percent women at all levels of governance. Read the complete story.
UNIFEM Engages with ECOWAS on Migration
UNIFEM participated in a meeting of officials of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Ghana from 14 to 16 May 2007, to review the ECOWAS Common Approach on Migration. In light of the growing number of migrant women and their crucial role in economic and social development processes, UNIFEM was invited to the meeting to ensure that the gender dimensions of migration are included in this policy on free movement in the West Africa sub-region. It was also recognized that women and children are the most frequent victims of trafficking and require support and protection from exploitation. The meeting closed with a recommendation that UNIFEM be accredited to ECOWAS to bring a gender perspective to future events and meetings. For more information, contact Ikechukwu Attah, ikechukwu.attah[at]unifem.org
Towards Sustainable Peace in Burundi: Restoring Women's Role in Reconciliation
To reinstate positive norms and values native to Burundi, UNIFEM launched a training programme on 4 May 2007 to strengthen the capacity of local leaders to restore women's role in transitional justice, and to enhance their understanding of women's rights and gender equality norms. According to tradition, women in Burundi played key roles in maintaining peace, which were displaced by the chaos of armed conflict. The leaders chosen for this training are vested with the authority to resolve community disputes and publicly censure perpetrators of gender-based violence, and are hence a particularly strategic group in shaping opinions and behaviour. For more information, contact Irene Zirimwabagabo, irene.zirimwabagabo[at]unifem.org
From Peace Caravan to Peace Treaty: Ugandan Women Push for Inclusive, Sustainable Peace
The signing of an Agreement on Comprehensive Solutions to the Causes of War by the Government of Uganda and the Lord's Resistance Army on 2 May 2007 in Juba, Sudan, has been hailed as the first step towards a final peace agreement to end more than 20 years of bloodshed in the nation's North. Of particular significance for women is the inclusion of commitments to gender equality and women's human rights in the agreement, such as a reaffirmation of the new Equal Opportunities Law. UNIFEM has consistently supported women in Northern Uganda to develop a common platform and make their voices heard. In November 2006, hundreds of women embarked on a five-day journey from Kampala to Juba. Their demands for peace and the inclusion of women in the negotiation process had previously been expressed in UNIFEM-supported consultations in Northern Uganda. Read the complete story.
 Progress in UNIFEM Partnership with Rwandan Police
On 23 April 2007, the Rwandan National Police and UNIFEM signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at harmonizing and strengthening efforts to combat gender-based violence. This new commitment reinforces the work of the Gender-Based Violence Desk Office at Rwandan National Police Headquarters, established through joint support from UNIFEM and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) to improve the response to cases of sexual and gender-based violence. Today, a specifically designated interview room allows women to speak in confidence with a trained officer, and incidents can be reported through a nationwide toll-free hotline. Motorcycles, provided by UNIFEM and UNDP, allow for the fast dispatch of officers, especially in rural areas. Read the complete story.
AMERICAS
 Ecuadorian Indigenous Leaders Travel Far to Receive UNIFEM Training
Twenty-five women community leaders from rural Ecuador travelled to Quito from around the country to participate in a training workshop held from 28 May to 1 June 2007. The workshop was organized by UNIFEM in cooperation with MASHAV Center for International Cooperation (Israel). Renowned experts from MASHAV provided training on community leadership and the empowerment of women, as well as sustainable agriculture. Workshop participants are active members of AMJUPRE, an association of women leaders from rural districts in Ecuador, which was created with UNIFEM's support in 2005 and brings together more than 250 women leaders from around the country. For more information, contact Caroline Horekens, caroline.horekens[at]unifem.org
Reducing the Impact of HIV/AIDS and Violence against Women in the Andean Region
UNIFEM hosted a "Regional Workshop to Exchange Best Practices among Organizations Working on the Linkages between HIV/AIDS and Violence against Women" from 26 to 28 March 2007 in Cayambe, Ecuador. The workshop provided a forum in which members of health ministries, national women's ministries, civil society organizations, and representatives from the five Andean countries of the International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS (ICW) came together to develop joint strategies, tools, and national action plans to ensure a more comprehensive and multisectoral response to the twin pandemics of HIV/AIDS and violence against women. For more information, contact Verónica Burneo, veronica.burneo[at]unifem.org
ARAB STATES
UNIFEM-Supported Programme Empowers Women to Succeed in Syrian Politics
During the parliamentary elections in Syria from 22 to 23 April 2007, 31 of the 250 parliamentary seats were won by women, one more than the previous legislative session. Of the 31 newly elected women Members of Parliament, 17 have participated in the regional project Arab Women Parliamentarians, which is implemented by the Syrian Commission for Family Affairs and the General Women's Union, in collaboration with UNIFEM. The project's aim is to empower Syrian women parliamentarians to act as agents of change and equip them to grow as leaders. For more information, contact Aref Sheikh, aref.sheikh[at]undp.org
ASIA
‘I Can’ Campaign Celebrates Women's Political Potential in Timor-Leste
Continuing the commitment to women's participation in all spheres of public life in Timor-Leste, UNIFEM has launched the Hau Bele (‘I Can’) campaign. Through public advocacy, this campaign — featuring posters, a theme song and a televised public service announcement — aims to achieve popular support for the message of gender equality and women's rights throughout Timor-Leste. The campaign is part of UNIFEM's Integrated Programme for Women in Politics and Decision Making (WIP) and coincides with Timor-Leste's parliamentary election period, yet its relevance reaches far beyond the country's Election Day, 30 June 2007. Leading up to the elections, UNIFEM, together with the University of Timor-Leste, also organized two public debates addressing the urgent need to curb violence against women and strategies to champion women's political participation. Read the complete story.
Peer Learning Advances CEDAW Reporting and Implementation in South Asia
At the request of the Government of Pakistan, UNIFEM facilitated the "South Asia Peer Learning Meeting on CEDAW Reporting and Implementation," held on 5–6 April 2007. Strategically timed, the meeting took place just prior to Pakistan's reporting to the CEDAW Committee at UN Headquarters in New York. Some key recommendations that emerged were: to include sex-disaggregated data to substantiate statements, maintain a continuous dialogue with NGOs, and bring an impact assessment on new initiatives to the CEDAW reporting session. For more information, contact Gitanjali Singh, gitanjali.singh[at]unifem.org
Local Election in Cambodia Nearly Doubles Women's Representation
Women's representation at the communal level has almost doubled after the 1 April 2007 election: from 8 percent in 2002 to some 15 percent today. This momentous result follows UNIFEM-supported advocacy by the Cambodian Committee to Promote Women in Politics (CPWP), which targeted their efforts at voter education, capacity-building for women candidates, and convincing three major political parties to place women candidates in top slots. Electing women as commune councillors is expected to usher in a new era of addressing Cambodia's pressing social problems and women's priority concerns, including health, education, gender-based violence and discrimination. For more information, contact Ms. Kunthea, kunthea[at]silaka.org
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Recent Resources
 CEDAW and the Human Rights Based Approach to Programming: A UNIFEM Guide. This publication is a practical guide to the human rights-based approach (HRBA) to programming for UNIFEM staff as well as partners, with a particular focus on the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). It highlights concrete implications for programming of applying the HRBA and provides detailed background information on CEDAW and other human rights treaties. more »
 Investing in Women's Needs: Gender-Responsive Budgeting in Mysore, India (Video). UNIFEM believes that incorporating a gender perspective in government budgets can ensure that resources are allocated towards women's priorities to eliminate gender gaps. This can be achieved through women's participation in budget policy-making and gender budget analysis. This video shows the approach working in practice in Mysore, India. more »
 Let's End Violence against Women (Video). London-based advertising agency Leo Burnett produced this public service announcement (PSA) for UNIFEM. Through a striking series of images, it reveals that violence against women is one of the most common forms of violence in the world. more »
 A Life Free of Violence Is Our Right! (Video). This video introduces the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, which is managed by UNIFEM. The Trust Fund supports local groups in the developing world that help to change laws and attitudes, provide shelter and social services, and offer protection and legal support to women. more »
 Mainstreaming Gender Equality into National Response to HIV and AIDS: Nigerian Case Study. This book describes the successful effort to mainstream gender into the Nigerian National Strategic Framework (NSF) to respond to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. It describes the processes employed and steps taken to incorporate gender concerns into the NSF, and highlights the achievements, challenges and lessons learned from the Nigerian experience. more »
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