Focus on 1325 & CEDAW

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Issue:

1. EDITORIAL
The PeaceWomen Team

The report on the 35th session of the Committee on the Convention on the Elimination of All forms Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) outlines key women peace and security themes that were raised during the session and underscores the relevance of SCR 1325 to the committee's deliberations. More specifically, the featured analysis of Bosnia and Herzergovina's report to the CEDAW committee illustrates the capacity of SCR 1325 to support and reinforce commitments to CEDAW and provides a possible framework for monitoring the convention's implementation in post-conflict states. Such analyses could greatly inform state and NGO reporting as the Committee gears up for its 36th session in August 2006, which under new working procedures, will be held in parallel chambers in order to review a larger number of state party reports.

Women and women's organizations have long played a crucial role in promoting global disarmament. The report on WILPF's initiatives in this area highlights the importance of applying gender perspectives to disarmament and nonproliferation, as evidenced by the recognition of SCR 1325 in a recently released report on Weapons of Mass Destruction.

Also highlighted in this edition is a new partnership of women Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, and their efforts to reduce current tensions between the US and Iran. These and other women's initiatives illustrate once more the importance of including women's voices and perspectives in the search for non-violent solutions to global crises. In all cases the provisions of SCR 1325 can bolster demands for women's participation in conflict resolution and peace processes.

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As always we welcome your contributions to the newsletter's content. The newsletter is sent out at the end of each month. We will feature the deadline for submissions for the next edition in each newsletter. Contributions for the July edition should be sent to enewssubmissions@peacewomen.org by Thursday 20 July 2006.

BAHRAIN'S FIRST WOMAN DIPLOMAT TO LEAD UN ASSEMBLY
June 6, 2006 - (Reuters) Bahrain's first female diplomat, Haya Rashed Al Khalifa, will be formally elected on Thursday as the next president of the UN General Assembly, UN officials said.

pacific REGION: GENDER ISSUES IN PEACE AND SECURITY POLICY
June 15, 2006 - (Pacific) “The attainment of peace and security in our region is as much about protecting the rights of all our people to live stable and socially safe lives, as it is about anything else," declared Forum Secretary General, Greg Urwin. "Gender issues cut across all aspects of human and political security and demands our policy attention," he added.

THIRTY-TWO WOMEN AMONG KUWAIT ELECTION CANDIDATES
June 4, 2006- (Reuters) - Thirty-two women will be among 402 parliamentary candidates standing for election in Kuwait on June 29, the first time in the history of the Gulf Arab state that women will be allowed to seek office.

eu: WOMEN IN PEACE BUILDING (DE KEYSER REPORT)
June 1, 2006 - (European Parliament) I very much welcome this debate and congratulate Ms De Keyser for her excellent report. The Commission is working hard to put the principles to which we're committed into practice – and the European Parliament's sustained commitment to these issues is vital to achieving that. We are fully committed to implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1325 of October 2000 on women, peace and security. And we've restated this commitment in the new Commission Communication “Roadmap on gender equality”.

CENTRAL AMERICA TO PROMOTE WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP IN LOCAL POLITICS
May 29, 2006 – (INSTRAW) Last Friday in Panama, Ministers from Central America and the United Nations Institute for the Advancement of Women signed an agreement to strengthen women's participation in decision making in local politics within the framework of a project supported by Spanish cooperation.

YEMEN: IN THE RUN-UP TO ELECTIONS , WOMEN CAMPAIGN FOR CANDIDATURE
May 25, 2006 - (IRIN) “Politicians want women as voters only,” said Rasheeda al-Hamdani, chairwoman of the National Women's Committee, lamenting the decrease in the numbers of women nominated to run in upcoming elections to be held in September.

NIGERIA: WOMEN GROUPS MEET ON ARMS PROLIFERATION
June 13, 2006 – (AllAfrica) Women groups under the aegis of Women in Peace-building program (WIPNET) of the West Africa Network for Peace-building (WANEP) have called on the Federal Government to enact a law making un-approved arms importation into Nigeria a criminal offence; and to enact a bill to monitor accountability in arms transaction in government security agencies.

TUTU REGRETS ZUMA'S TRIAL LEGACY
May 24, 2006 - (BBC) Archbishop Desmond Tutu has said the rape trial of ex-Deputy President Jacob Zuma was "one of the worst moments" in the life of South Africa's democracy. Mr Zuma was acquitted of rape two weeks ago, in a trial that revealed problems about HIV awareness and the treatment of rape complainants in South Africa.

GUATEMALA PRESSED TO INVESTIGATE SURGE IN KILLINGS
June 12, 2006 - (WOMENSENEWS) A U.S delegation is traveling to Guatemala this summer to raise awareness of the murders of 2,000 women since 2001. Rights advocates draw parallels to the widespread killings of women in Juarez, Mexico.

ZELENOVIC SENT TO HAGUE FOR WAR CRIMES TRIAL-REPORTS
June 10, 2006 -(Reuters) Serb war crimes suspect Dragan Zelenovic arrived in The Hague on Saturday to face trial at the U.N. war crimes tribunal for rape and torture during the Bosnian war, the tribunal said.

OSCE CENTRE SUPPORTS MEETING ON CRISIS CENTRES IN TAJIKISTAN FOR WOMEN VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE
May 24, 2006 -(OSCE) Representatives of the OSCE Centre in Dushanbe, local authorities, international experts and civil society met today to discuss the work of crisis centres and shelters in remedying and preventing violence against women.

A DIFFERENT SHADE OF RED IN NEPAL
June 9, 2006 - (WUNRN) With Nepal at a crossroads for peace, women have a vital role to play in rebuilding the country – but will they be shut out? Rosemary Bechler meets Lily Thapa, a woman determined to make a difference. Events are moving so fast in Nepal that Lily Thapa decided to leave London early. With a Code of Conduct being drawn up between the new government coalition and the Maoist insurgents, as she says, "If they need me and my experience, I will be there!" So far the Maoist negotiators have one woman on their team: the government, none. She is not convinced this will change. But she is campaigning for a seat at the peace table nevertheless, on behalf of the widows and wives of the missing, who make up many of the surviving victims of a conflict which has claimed over thirteen thousand lives in the last decade.

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For more country-specific women, peace and security news, CLICK HERE

For more international women, peace and security news, CLICK HERE

35th Session of the CEDAW Committee: PeaceWomen Project Report
May 15 – June 2, 2006

The 35th session of the Committee of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against women (CEDAW) was held between May 15 and June 2 2006. Eight countries presented their state party reports to the CEDAW Committee, outlining steps taken and progress made in eliminating discrimination against women and achieving gender equality. Major themes running through the country reports and the committee's deliberations included the impact of different forms of violence against women, the low levels of women in decision making positions and the absence of strong political, legal and administrative mechanisms to guarantee women's equality in various sectors of life.

In examining the State report of Bosnia and Herzegovina the committee expressed concern at the absence of support mechanisms for victims of sexual violence during the nation's conflict in the 1990s and recommended the formal recognition of rape survivors as victims of war for purposes of financial and medical assistance. The Bosnian delegation admitted the existence of gaps in the state's response to gender-based violence but noted steps underway to develop a comprehensive Gender Action Plan that would among other things, ensure assistance to victims of sexual violence and incorporate provisions of CEDAW and Security Council Resolution 1325 on women peace and security.

Reviewing the Guatemalan report, the committee pressed the delegation on the government's inadequate response to the large number of cases of murdered women, its seeming inability to protect women from violence and the apparent impunity enjoyed by perpetrators of this violence. The Committee called on the Guatemalan government to exhibit political will and determination to end the alarming increase in violence and killing of women.

St Lucia's submission of its CEDAW report was based on a request of the Committee in accordance with its incremental measures for encouraging States with long overdue reports to submit them. Concerns highlighted by the committee with regard to St. Lucia's report included the high rates of sexual exploitation of women and girls and the low levels of women's participation in governance. The Cyprus state party report mentioned the latest initiatives by the UN Secretary-general for a peaceful settlement of the Cyprus question and highlighted the role of women in creating a culture of peace on the Island. In this regard the Committee recommended that the Cypriot Government introduce special measures to ensure an appropriate number of women in all peace talks and negotiations.

Other state reports examined during the Committee's 35th session were those of Malaysia, Malawi, Poland and Turkmenistan.

Non-governmental Organizations from the 8 reporting countries presented shadow reports during the session, providing insight into the status of government efforts to promote and protect women's rights. Speaking at the end of the session, the chairperson of the Committee observed that NGOs had made a significant contribution to the work of the Committee, and applauded their continuing and sustained advocacy for the implementation of the Convention in their respective countries.

For more information and documentation on the CEDAW session visit
http://www.peacewomen.org/un/ecosoc/CEDAW/35th_Sesssion/35th_session.htm

Open Letter from WILPF and other NGOs on Proposal to move CEDAW to Geneva
April 2006

To:
Ms. Maria-Francisca Ize Charrin, OHCHR, Treaties and Commissions Branch
Ms. Jane Connors, OHCHR, Treaties and Commissions Branch

Copy:
Ms. Dutima Bhagwandin, OHCHR, Gender Unit

The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom and the organizations listed below support the proposal of the High Commissioner on Human Rights to bring CEDAW to Geneva, as we believe that the transfer would have a positive impact on women's rights. We congratulate the High Commissioner for prioritizing the centrality of women's rights to human rights. However we would like to offer some cautionary suggestions on the motives and modalities of this transfer.

We appreciate CEDAW's remarkable achievements working with DAW, but note that the current geographic separation between CEDAW committee sessions and the rest of the treaty bodies could result in the marginalization of gender issues within the human rights arena. This is the reason why we believe that bringing CEDAW closer to the other human rights bodies would contribute towards the goal of ensuring that women's rights are viewed as central to human rights.

What is more, centralizing the physical location of treaty bodies would consolidate them and allow the OHCHR to strengthen its services to them, benefiting the human rights machinery as a whole. We expect that this move will help harmonize and streamline treaty body reporting, ensuring coherence and common jurisprudence. Furthermore, we believe that the current gender mainstreaming project within treaty bodies could only be strengthened by having a body focused on gender issues such as CEDAW in Geneva. This would facilitate the cross-fertilization of gender insights among treaty bodies and invite CEDAW to engage with UN agencies working on social and economic rights.

And finally, NGOs participating in the Committee would benefit from being close to the Human Rights machinery, as they would have access to other conferences, discussions on human rights topics that often happen in Geneva. This could also facilitate dialogue with other bodies, human rights NGOs and organizations working in related fields. On a more practical note, it would be easier for people of all nationalities to be granted visas to participate in the Committee in Geneva.

Having said that, we encourage the OHCHR to bear the following in mind when making their decision:

Our concern is in the fact that CEDAW's relocation might be a first step towards a possible unified treaty body and we believe that this carries the danger of undermining CEDAW and its specificity on women's rights. We would like to emphasize that any steps towards harmonizing the work of treaty bodies must be done without marginalizing women's rights, or losing the expertise and positive gender-specific achievements of the Committee.

Moreover, we believe that transferring CEDAW must be seen within a wider context as a first step towards bringing gender to the center of the OHCHR.

In addition, we encourage the OHCHR to consult with the members of CEDAW about the move and take their concerns into consideration in the decision making process.

We stress that, should CEDAW be relocated in Geneva, the OHCHR ought to provide appropriate support structure and technical capacity at the same standards as that currently enjoyed by CEDAW in New York.

Overall, we support the proposal to bring CEDAW to Geneva to have women's rights considered under all human rights structures, providing that this transfer does not jeopardize expertise and positive achievements in women's rights.

Signed

The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, and
Femmes Africa Solidarité
The Inter-African Committee on traditional Practice
The International Alliance of Women
The International Council on Social Welfare
The International Council of Women
The International Movement for fraternal Union among Races & People
The Pan Pacific and South East Asia Women's Association International
Solar Cookers International
Soroptimist International
The Women's International Zionist Organization
The World Movement of Mothers
The World Wide Organization for Women
The Women's World Summit Foundation
The World YWCA
The ZHO Foundation

SCR 1325 and CEDAW: Combating gender-based discrimination and violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina
A PeaceWomen Project Analysis, June 2006

The state report of Bosnia and Herzegovina presented to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination of Women (CEDAW) at its 36th session raises serious problems concerning women, peace, and security in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

This article highlights the specific ways SCR 1325 can support and reinforce Bosnia and Herzegovina's commitment to the requirements of CEDAW. It addresses three issues raised in the 2006 Country Report of Bosnia and Herzegovina presented to CEDAW, which are relevant to SCR1325, Participation in Public Life, Female Refugees and Displaced Persons, and Violence Against Women. It concludes with a section on how 1325 is currently being used as a tool to promote women's equality in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Introduction
The post-war period in Bosnia and Herzegovina is always plagued by financial and social debts which are difficult to overcome. However, without the state's active commitment to ensure women's full socio-economic and political rights and equal representation in decision-making positions, the process of reconstruction will inevitably perpetuate or exacerbate gender-based inequality and discrimination. Women and girls, both during and post-conflict, face specific forms of violence and oppression and require special accommodations and protections. Both CEDAW and Security Council Resolution 1325 oblige state parties to develop mechanisms that ensure women's equality and reduce discrimination and violence against women. With respect to conflict resolution, reconstruction and reintegration, the guidelines of SCR 1325, further uphold the states obligation to address the specific needs of women in a post-conflict situation and to ensure their equal participation in decision-making.

The Bosnia and Herzegovina government has taken a number of steps to comply with CEDAW. It created an Agency for Gender Equality, as well as regional and municipal commissions, developed a new requirement for gender disaggregated data, and made attempts at gender mainstreaming. However, there is little evidence that such reforms have had an impact on the day to day reality of women in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Furthermore, while there has been some progressive legislation, such as the 2003 Gender Equality Law, the government has failed to update laws at all levels to recognize reforms in national and international law.

This article sets out three areas in which the provisions of SCR 1325 speak to the needs of women in Bosnia and Herzegovina as highlighted in the country's 2006 CEDAW state party report.

Research and Analysis by Sophie Wittenberg, PeaceWomen Project Intern

For the full article please visit:
http://www.peacewomen.org/un/ecosoc/CEDAW/35th_Sesssion/SCR1325_CEDAW.html

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For further resources on Bosnia & Herzegovina please visit:
http://www.peacewomen.org/resources/Bosnia%20and%20Herzegovina/bosniaher...

For further news on Bosnia & Herzegovina please visit:
http://www.peacewomen.org/news/BosniaHerzegovina/news.html

For a list of organizations working on women, peace and security issues in Bosnia and Herzegovina please visit:
http://www.peacewomen.org/contacts/europe/bosnia/bos_index.html

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For NGO and civil society reports, papers and statements, UN and government reports, and books, journals and articles on women, peace and security issues,
please visit: http://www.peacewomen.org/resources/resourcesindex.html

6. FEATURE INITIATIVes

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.

Visit: http://www.peacewomen.org/campaigns/global/nobel_statement.htm 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.

For the final statement issued after this visit:
http://www.peacewomen.org/campaigns/global/PDF/Statement_for_Peace.pdf

For news on the delegation's visit to Vienna:
http://www.peacewomen.org/news/Iran/June06/Iranian_and_us_women.html

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

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Gender and Disarmament: WILPF's Work for Disarmament:

"In particular, women's organizations have often played a vital role--from the Hague peace conferences of the 19th century to the present time. The role of women in the maintenance and promotion of peace and security was recognized by the Security Council in Resolution 1325 (2000). Women have rightly observed that armament policies and the use of armed force have often been influenced by misguided ideas about masculinity and strength. An understanding of and emancipation from this traditional perspective might help to remove some of the hurdles on the road to disarmament and nonproliferation."

Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission, chaired by former UN weapons inspector Hans Blix, in Weapons of Terror: Freeing the World of Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Arms
p 160, June 1, 2006.

Complete, transparent, and democratic disarmament has been one of the goals of WILPF since it's inception in 1915. WILPF has played an integral role in the Special Sessions on Disarmament, in the Non Proliferation Treaty conferences, and in the Conference on Disarmament.

Within the overall framework of Building a Culture of Peace, one of WILPF's three main interlinked areas, developed with a gender perspective, is the promotion of peace and security through Disarmament, Demilitarization, and Global Governance. WILPF has long recognized the connection between gender, patriarchy and militarism.

As noted by the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission (WMDC) and the UN Department for Disarmament Affairs, women play a crucial role in promoting global disarmament, and gender perspective affect the way society views weapons, war and militarism. The WMDC investigated ways of reducing the dangers posed by nuclear, biological, chemical and radiological weapons, and found the most effective way of reducing those dangers is eliminating and outlawing the weapons. It released its report on June 1, 2006 at United Nations headquarters in New York City. WILPF member Carol Cohn, with Reaching Critical Will founder Felicity Hill and Sara Ruddick were commissioned to write a paper on this connection for the WMDC, and produced the excellent "The Relevance of Gender for Eliminating Weapons of Mass Destruction." Reaching Critical Will, with its civil society partners, has produced a summary of the Report and will be producing a longer analysis over the summer. See http://www.wmdreport.org

WILPF's Reaching Critical Will project provides information services that better inform and enable women to contribute to some of the most inaccessible and technically challenging fora in international peace and security- the negotiations on weapons. This role of Reaching Critical Will is in accordance with Security Council resolution 1325, which recognized the under-valued and under-utilized contributions women make to conflict prevention, peacekeeping, conflict resolution and peace-building, and stressed the importance of their equal and full participation as active agents in peace and security. It is in this vein that we seek to promote women's involvement in the Non-Proliferation Treaty reviews and other major disarmament fora.

For information and resources on gender and disarmament please visit:
http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/social/genderdisarm/genderindex.html

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For more women, peace and security initiatives – in country, regional, global and international, visit: http://www.peacewomen.org/campaigns/global/index.html

Call for nominations: Advocacy on Women, Peace and Security at UN Headquarters

October 2006 will mark the sixth year anniversary of the adoption of Security Council resolution 1325 (SCR 1325) on women, peace and security. Over the past six years, women and gender have become an increasing focus for the peace and security work of the Security Council, other UN bodies and Member States.

The NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security is calling for nominations of women peace-builders who have been actively working on SCR 1325 and related women, peace and security issues, in areas affected by violent conflict, to participate in our 2006 Advocacy Program at United Nations Headquarters in New York.

The objective of the Advocacy Program is to ensure that women's experiences in, and concerns in relation to, conflict affected areas are brought to and heard at UN Headquarters. Advocates will develop concrete recommendations on issues of women, peace and security for the work of the Security Council, UN Agencies, Member States and civil society. These recommendations will be communicated to audiences at strategic events, panels, and meetings at UN Headquarters.

The Advocacy Programs will occur during October (with some possible activities in July or August) and will run for 10-12 days. Selected participants will be provided with travel, accommodation and a per diem stipend for the duration of the program.

Criteria for Candidates

• Involved in work relating to women, peace and security in areas of violent conflict, post-conflict or areas where there is escalating violence and/or militarization.

• Have used SCR 1325 or its provisions in work at the local, national or regional levels.

• Experience working with local/grassroots groups, including women's organizations.

• Experience in public speaking, advocacy and fluency in at least one of the UN languages.

• Available to spend 10-12 days at the end of October in New York for the program.

We welcome nominations for this important advocacy program at UN Headquarters.

Please submit a resume and letter of interest (e-mail or fax preferred) by 15 July to:

NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security
777 UN Plaza, 8th Floor
New York, NY 10017

Rebecca Chiarelli, Program Assistant
E-mail: rchiarelli@womenpeacesecurity.org
Fax: (+1) 212.682.5354

The NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security (NGOWG) was established in May 2000 to call for a United Nations Security Council resolution on women, peace and security. Following the unanimous adoption of resolution 1325 in October 2000, the group began the difficult work of pressing for its full implementation. The NGOWG currently consists of Amnesty International, Femmes Africa Solidarité, Gender and Security International Research Network, Hague Appeal for Peace, International Alert, International Women's Tribune Center, Women's Action for New Directions, the Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children, Women's Division of General Board of Global Ministries, United Methodist Church, Women's Environment and Development Organization, and Women's International League for Peace and Freedom.

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For more information about the NGOWG, CLICK HERE.

Launch Of Joint UN–Civil Society Partnership Against Sexual Violence In Conflict And Crisis Settings
19 June, 2006

United Nations, New York — United Nations organizations and civil society groups today announced a Joint Partnership to tackle sexual violence in conflict and crisis situations around the world. This Joint Partnership builds on existing initiatives and will address not only the threat that sexual violence poses to life and livelihood of survivors, but also the longer-term impact on community and national development.

Focusing on country-level efforts to combat sexual violence, the partnership will reach out to military and security communities to engage them, work to strengthen prevention through rule-of-law and access to justice, and expand services for survivors in the areas of health, psycho-social support and rebuilding dignity and livelihoods. The partnership will also develop a comprehensive evidence base for action through violence monitoring and tracking systems and dissemination of data analyses.

The need for stronger collaborative efforts to deal with gender- based violence is extremely urgent, UNIFEM Executive Director Noeleen Heyzer said, speaking at the launch of the partnership at the Swedish permanent mission in Geneva. Ceasefires are violated, and countries can slip back into violence — requiring constant monitoring. The massive and growing rates of sexual violence in conflict and crisis situations are a clear emergency, she said, and yet not enough is being done — to prevent violence, assist survivors, or even find out exactly how many women and children are affected.

The Joint Partnership will build on and strengthen existing collaboration within the United Nations on the issue, including guidelines developed by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), the primary mechanism for inter-agency coordination of humanitarian assistance, that brings UN and non-UN humanitarian partners together, as well as the lessons and experience derived from the UN Trust Fund to Eliminate Violence against Women, which UNIFEM manages. It will be the first initiative to combat gender-based violence that includes joint UN and civil society governing structures and resource mobilization processes. This is intended to significantly enhance and deepen partnerships, linkages and resources at local, national, regional and global levels to eliminate violence and provide much-needed assistance to those threatened by such violence.

For more information on violence against women in conflict, please visit the UNIFEM Women, War, Peace Portal: http://www.womenwarpeace.org/issues/violence/violence.htm or http://www.unifem.org.

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UNIFEM's Web Portal on Women, Peace and Security, CLICK HERE

World Peace Forum 2006
June 23-28, 2006, Vancouver, Canada
The World Peace Forum 2006 is an international gathering of individuals, groups and civic governments from cities and communities to envision a living culture of peace and sustainability in our lifetimes. World Peace Forum will promote partnerships between cities and the anti-war and peace communities to build the transnational and intercultural capacity to communicate, coordinate and act on a global scale to stave off wars and create a world of peace and justice. WPF 2006 will include multiple tools to assure people can engage with the process and event in a personal, participatory and respectful manner. As part of the forum, it is likely that there will be a number of conferences of strategic partners; this we welcome and will try to facilitate. We will create spaces for dialogue whether it take the form of small-scale workshops, interactive theatre, or large public meetings with keynote speakers.

For more information on the forum and registration requirements, please visit: http://www.worldpeaceforum.ca/

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The International Symposium on Sexual Violence in Conflict and Beyond
June 21-23 in Brussels, Belgium
This will be the first major international assembly dedicated exclusively to the issue of sexual violence among war-affected populations.

Sponsored by the Government of Belgium and the European Commission, and convened by UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, the three-day meeting will raise awareness among international actors and the public about the enormous impact of such war-related violence by highlighting the social, cultural and development costs of sexual violence and the benefits of prevention and care.

For more information on this event, please visit:
http://www.peacewomen.org/frame/calendar/events/Brussels.symposium.html

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Panel during the Human Rights Council: Women's Human Rights at a Cross Roads
23 June 2006 Palais des Nations, Geneva
The Women's Internaitonal League for Peace and Freedom invites you to attend this conference from 1pm to 3 pm. Topics to be dicussed include Women's Right to Economic Empowerment, the Significance of Gender Equality in the Globalising Information Society, Right to be Born and Survive in Dignity and Increasing Violence Against Women's Sexuality.

For more information on this event, please visit: http://www.peacewomen.org/frame/calendar/HRCPanel.html

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Gender and Conflict Transformation Online Learning Course
26 June- 23 July 2006
This course brings together worldwide expertise on the relationship between gender and conflict transformation. This course will empower women to become key agents in conflict transformation. The course uses a variety of interactive methods that stimulate thinking and exchange.

Please visit the demonstration site at www.netuni.nl/demos/genderconflict

There are a limited amount of partial scholarships available.
For more information and registration details please visit: www.netuni.nl, register at www.netuni.nl/courses, or contact Bart Overbeek at conflict@netuni.uva.nl

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Women, Mobility and Conflict
5 – 7 July 2006, Manchester, United Kingdom
As part of this three day conference there will be a Special One Day Conference jointly hosted by CSIP-NIMHE and BPS – POWS on 5 July called ‘Domains of Violence and Abuse' particularly targeting service users & caregivers, practitioners and academics. The day aims to consider violence and abuse as a global and international, as well as a national and local concern. A range of interactive workshops will be available throughout the day. In addition, a series of interactive workshops will address the theme of the day, with a range of focuses and perspectives, including Domestic Violence, Sexual Abuse, Young Women, Older Women, Women who self injure, Women who harm children, Women who work as street workers/prostitutes.

For further information on this event, please visit: http://www.powconference.org.uk/

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International Women's Peace Conference
10-15 July, 2006, Dallas, Texas
The conference agenda includes multi-international programs, keynote speakers, plenary sessions, and workshops on the essentials of peace: the Challenges, the Process, the Solutions Included in the conference deliverables are the development of specific peace skills and the formation of a global network to support peace programs throughout the world.

Editorial:

SCR 1325 has played a critical role in heightening global awareness on the importance of gender perspectives in all areas of peace and security. As part of the UN's multilateral framework for the promotion of peace and women's rights, SCR 1325 complements other international and national instruments that give women and peace activists a wide range of tools to advance their work. This edition of the newsletter highlights many exciting ways in which 1325 can or has been used to move towards the goal of a peaceful and just world.

The report on the 35th session of the Committee on the Convention on the Elimination of All forms Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) outlines key women peace and security themes that were raised during the session and underscores the relevance of SCR 1325 to the committee's deliberations. More specifically, the featured analysis of Bosnia and Herzergovina's report to the CEDAW committee illustrates the capacity of SCR 1325 to support and reinforce commitments to CEDAW and provides a possible framework for monitoring the convention's implementation in post-conflict states. Such analyses could greatly inform state and NGO reporting as the Committee gears up for its 36th session in August 2006, which under new working procedures, will be held in parallel chambers in order to review a larger number of state party reports.

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