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IFOR's Women Peacemakers Program believes that programs that specifically empower women peacemakers, and encourage women and girls to become involved in peacebuilding and civil society building, are essential for development. (mission)

 

 

 

News and Announcements from the WPP:

Read more news from the WPP here

Jun 9-11, 2011: “Strategic Conversation on the Intersections of Militarism and Violence Against Women"

IFOR's WPP Program Manager Isabelle Geuskens joined feminist activists, academics, and experts from around the world to participate in a “Strategic Conversation on the Intersections of Militarism and Violence Against Women” organized by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership (CWGL). Read the report here.

Clingendael Policy Brief: Increasing Security in DR Congo: Gender-Responsive Strategies for Combating Sexual Violence

After completion of the WPP ToT on gender, masculinities, peacebuilding and nonviolence, the participant from the DRC established the "Congo Men's Network". This network is working on the eradication of violence against women, and gender justice in the DRC.

Its members provided extensive input and expertise into Clingendael's latest Policy Brief, entitled "Increasing Security in DR Congo: Gender-Responsive Strategies for Combating Sexual Violence". Read the policy brief here

May 26 2011: Int'l Women's Day for Peace and Disarmament: Religion: a threat for women’s rights or a driving force for social change and women’s peace activism?

On May 26, 2011, IFOR’s WPP and its partners discussed faith-based and interfaith peace building, women’s roles in this and strategies to deal with the obstacles women face in their peace work, to celebrate the International Women’s Day for Peace and Disarmament! Read more.

May publication "Faith-based peacebuilding: The need for a gender perspective".

This May 24 Pack looks at the point where religion, women’s rights and peacebuilding intersect. Here, the Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID) shares the outcomes of its research on religious fundamentalism and how that impacts women’s rights worldwide. Women peace activists and women religious leaders from different corners of the world share their stories of frustration as well as inspiration, and tell of the need to be creative and patient in terms of changing the patriarchal features of religions. Several of the women featured in this May 24 Pack share how progressive male allies have been crucial in terms of supporting and sustaining them in their work for peace and justice in faith-based settings. Download the pack

(Inter)faith peacebuilding: The need for a gender perspective: An International Consultation: Sept 13-15 2010 - Report Available

September 2010, the WPP brought together 35 women activists from 21 different countries, representing a variety of religion-inspired and secular organizations. The group consisted of a mix of progressive female theologians, women’s-rights activists and grassroots peacebuilders. The main goal of the Consultation was to create a safe space for the women to formulate their own analysis as well as to come up with recommendations in terms of advancing a gender perspective in faith-based peacebuilding. Read more and download the report

Training of Trainers "Together for Transformation: Gender-sensitive Nonviolence for Sustainable Peace" in the Middle East

IFOR’s WPP has closed its Call for Applications for the upcoming Training of Trainers in the Middle East, entitled “Together for Transformation: Gender-sensitive Nonviolence for Sustainable Peace”. The purpose of the IFOR Women Peacemakers Program (WPP) Training of Trainers (ToT) is to train male and female peacebuilders from the Middle East region in gender-sensitive active non-violent peacebuilding. The WPP is currently finalizing the selection process.

30 March -5 April: Online Dialogue: “Joining Forces: Engaging men as allies in gender-sensitive peacebuilding"!

In collaboration with the New Tactics in Human Rights, the WPP organized an online dialogue on the topic "Joining Forces: Engaging men as allies in gender-sensitive peacebuilding"from March 30 to April 5, 2011. Read the report on the dialogue

Overcoming Violence - Exploring Masculinities, Violence and Peace: Report and Video of the ToT available

Gender lies at the root of war and peace and it is increasingly being recognized that issues of masculinitiesneed to beaddressed in the field of peacebuilding and active nonviolence. WPP is convinced that in order to transform cultures of war and violence, women peace activists need to work together with male allies on these issues. The WPP organized a Training of Trainers Program “Overcoming Violence - Exploring Masculinities, Violence and Peace” for 19 pioneering activist men, from 17 different countries.

The training focused on gender-sensitive active non-violence, the theory of masculinities and its relation to violence, and participatory and gender-sensitive facilitation.

Download reports of the training blocks, and view the short video (9:26 min) on the ToT here:

View the longer video (23:23 min) on the ToT, its backgrounds and development below:

For a direct link to the video click here

 

News and Announcements from the field of Women, Peace and Security:

Read previous newsitems here

The UN Secretary-General’s annual report to the Security Council on women, peace and suecurityhas been released

The report covers findings in five areas of the women and peace and security agenda — prevention, participation, protection, relief and recovery, and coordination and accountability for results — and provides baseline data on several of the indicators presented in the Secretary-General’s report to the Security Council last year. It also includes information on the strategic results framework developed by the UN system as a tool to support national efforts to address implementation gaps and challenges.

The report shows that more needs to be done!

To read the full report, please click here

Statement of South Korean women's organizations on sexual crimes against teenage girls by U.S. military personnel stationed in South Korea

A teenage girl was raped by a U.S. soldier in Seoul on September 17th, 2011 and another teenage girl was heinously raped for four hours by another U.S. solider in Dongducheon, Gyunggi Province on September 24th, 2011.

Those crimes were so brutal that it called for South Korean police to detain the suspects for investigation. However, South Korean police could not arrest them because of the Status of Forces Agreement between the Republic of Korea and the U.S. (SOFA), which contains a clause stating that South Korean police cannot detain U.S. servicemen for questioning, unless the criminal was caught in the very act. Read more

30 August 2011: Statement by Women's Action Network on the recent attacks on women, impunitty and the lack of the rule of law - Sri Lanka

In the month of August 2011 many women in the north and the east have been attacked individually, and the female population terrorized more generally, by unidentified men, attackers now colloquially referred to as ‘Grease Yakas’. Read more

August 14 2011: Azerbaijna: Destruction of houses of activists

IFOR/WPP is highly concerned by the news we received from Leyla Yunus, Director of the Institute of Peace and Democracy in Azerbaijan. The building housing of the Institute of Peace and Democracy as well as of two other important NGOs , the Azerbaijan Campaign to Ban Landmines and the Women's Crisis Center – which, was the only shelter available to women in crisis, including victims of violence, in the Azerbaijan capitalas have been destructed.

Please send a a Call for Action for people to write letters of
protest to the President of Azerbaijan. Please send letters of Protest to:

- President Office: E-mail: office@pa.gov.az ; Baku meriya: apparat@bakucity.az
- Ministry of Foreign affairs: katiblik@mfa.gov.az
- General Prokuror: z.qaralov@prosecutor.gov.az
- the Azerbaijan Embassy in your own country

Please read the following documents:

-Press Statement Institute of Peace and Democracy

- Briefing notes on Azerbaijan from Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Rupert Colville

- Statement from the Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition

- Our Enemy Corruption is in the State Agencies! The Enemy Will Not Advance! from Leyla Yunus

- AWID Statement On Demolition Of The Home Of Leyla Yunus In Azerbaijan

International Seminar: War Profiteering and Peace Movement Responses (September 29 – October 2, 2011)

Justícia i Pau (Centre Delàs), Fundació per la Pau, War Resisters' International and the European Network Against Arms Trade invite you to the seminar: “War Profiteering and Peace Movement Responses” to be held in Barcelona between 29 September and 2 October, 2011.

War profiteering is one of the main pillars that support war. The military-industrial complex has a long record of pushing for the development of a war industry and of battlefields to test its products. Read more

08 July 2011: NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security: statement on the Democratic Republic of Congo

The NGO Working Group on Women Peace and Security is alarmed at the latest reports by its member organizations and the United Nations of mass rape and other crimes against civilians perpetrated in the Fizi area of South Kivu by troops of the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Read more

03 July 2011: Appeal for Food Assistance to the DPRK

"The international community should only be respond to and considered humanitarian principles. We dare to say that this is what the most of Koreans would want. Humanitarian food aids from international society for North Korea likely influence the hardline policy of the current South Korean government. South Koreans will do our best to help 6 million, vulnerable North Koreans suffering from hunger. We strongly urge that the international society will also be apart of humanitarian aid to help feed North Koreans." Read more

25 June 2011: Ban's Second Term: The Case for a Woman Secretary-General

"And the most important 'reform' that is needed for the choice of the U.N. leader is in the mindset of the member-states. At this point of time in human progress, it is a shame that in the 65 years of its existence, the U.N. was not able to elect a woman to lead. Not only that, there has been no candidate even nominated to be considered for election.

Notwithstanding all the U.N. resolutions, treaties, declarations and pronouncements asserting the equality of women, it is a pity that the U.N. has kept 50 percent of humanity out of consideration for its highest position. The organisation is undoubtedly poorer as it restricted its choice only to half of the potential candidates.

This is absolutely necessary to rectify the past discrimination against women and to realise de facto equality according to General Recommendation No. 25 of the Convention on the Discrimination against Women." Read more

24 June 2011: Draft 1325 National Action Plan Korea

On 24 June 2011 IFOR Affiliate Women Making Peace and the Korean Women’s Association and submitted a statement in support of the draft National Action Plan for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325) on Women, Peace and Security in South Korea by 32 members of parliament. Read more

10 June 2011: Iraqi Human Rights Activists Are Sexually Assaulted and Beaten

Pro-democracy activists who gathered in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square were brutally attacked by un-uniformed forces. The Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq (OWFI), states that activists who gathered in the square to continue their weeks of protests for democracy, jobs and an end to corruption were beaten by armed men who were unleashed to disperse the protests. Read more

01 June 2011: Policy Advocacy Handbook: Peace Talks: Localizing UNSCR 1325 in our Pacific Region

On June 2011 the Pacific Media and Policy Network on UN Security Council Resolution 1325 launched the network’s policy advocacy handbook: “Peace Talks: Localizing UN Security Council Resolution 1325 in our Pacific Region. Read more. Keep track of the FemLINKPACIFIC website for a downloadable version of the handbook.

24 May 2011: Nepal Women's Campaign for Democratic and Progressive Constitution: Women Human Rights Defenders Thrashed and Detained

This morning, the government declared the areas around the Constituent Assembly as "a Prohibited Zone".  No one is allowed to organize any forms of protest around the area.  Around 11 AM, as a part of the regular campaign activities, the women activists entered the zone, and continued their protest peacefully stating that the Constituent Asssembly cannot be dissolved, and the Constitution has to be promulgated on stipulated time. However, the Police intervened, and started abusing the women in foul languages; one of the activists claim that" it was a way to destroy our spirit, and insult and harass us for just being women." Read more and view the video on the protests

12 May 2011: Egypts Revolution's women participate in march against "sectarian strife"

A large number of Egyptian women participated in a march entitled "No to sectarian strife" which appeared with its ugly face in the district of Imbaba. ECWR thought that women's participation in this march came to affirm their refusal to be used, and to affirm their refusal to use the religion in their name in terms of trading with religion by the two sides. Read more

10 May 2011: IFOR Europe Branches: High Wycombe Statement on the Situation in the Arab Region

We, representatives of European branches of the International Fellowship of Reconciliation* meeting from April 29 - May 1, 2011 in the Wycliffe Center near High Wycombe (UK),are impressed by the nonviolent revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt and note that their success was in no small part due to the work that had gone on in previous years by civil society. Read the full statement.

02 May 2011: the Philippines: PAKISAMA Statement: Condemning the Assassination of Another PAKISAMA Leader, Florita “Nang Flor” Caya

Nang Flor is the third national leader of PAKISAMA, all hailing from Mindanao, gunned down by assassins in a span of two and a half years. Read the press statement. Read the fact sheet related to this case.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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