yours in disability,

savina

Justine Mbabazi, Esq

I work as Programme Officer “Women’s Access to Land” for the International land Coalition, a global coalition of NGOs and international organisations. I am very interested in finding out more about the event you are planning and would like to explore how ILC members working on women’s access to and control over land and other natural resources could bring in some of their knowledge and experiences.

Is it possible that we link up by e-mail or phone?

Thanks for your time,
Sabine

Letter to the Editor
New York Times Magazine

I am convinced that women are the solution to changing the world, and that the will and numbers to bring about a tipping point will be accelerated through a United Nations women’s world conference. The last one, Beijing 1995 was remarkable in setting the agenda (the Beijing Platform for Action). Hillary Clinton’s galvanizing speech, “Human Rights are Women’s Rights, Women’s Rights are Human Rights” is still the cause of our time. With the administration change, Hillary as Secretary of State and Susan Rice, US ambassador to the UN, support for a 5th UN World Conference on Women (5WCW) is possible. It would bring together non-governmental organizations working on behalf of women and girls, influence the nations of the UN, especially those on the Commission on the Status of Women, and raise awarenness world-wide about unconscionable conditions and solutions. The 21st century is an era of communication: the networking via emails and websites, video coverage, satellite broadcasting would make this equivalent to following the Olympics, only with more significance. When a critical number of people change their perceptions and attitudes at the grassroots, leaders at the top come around, and real change happens. At the edge of an era change, this would be a tipping point.

Jean Shinoda Bolen, MD
Mill Valley, California

http://jeanbolen.com
http://5wcw.org

I have organized a group called Nc committee for CEDAW/CSW and registered as WomenNc.org.

We have two goals:1- to help the ratification of CEDAW by US. 2- To facilitate the participation of college students in next CSW. We believe that we need to engage the younger generation in our movmenet and also we need to educate American people on grass root level on CSW and CEDAW and UN.
I need your advice for lodging of six students that we are planning to send to NYC. We are currently conducting a fund raising for their trip. But our budget is very limited and we are looking for a reasonable place to stay.

with my best regards
Beth Dehghan

Purpose
The purpose of the forum is to celebrate Beijing and link directly into the work of the 54th Commission on the Status of Women.

Program
The draft program below is based on input from NYC brainstorming meetings beginning in December 2008, 4 caucuses held during the 53rd Commission on the Status of Women in March 2009, and meetings/communications of the Coordinating Committee (composed of the leadership of the NGO CSWs in Geneva, New York and Vienna). Due to the uncertainty in the current climate of economic crisis, the NGO CSW/NY plans to incorporate its Consultation Day for CSW 54 into the 2-day program. The program is still in development. NOTE CHANGE IN DATES.

Proposed program draft overview:
27 February 2010
9:00am Opening Ceremony: A Call to Action
10:00am First Plenary- Heads of State from each region
12:00pm Lunch
1:00pm Panel: Successes and Challenges, NGO Regional Reports
ECE, NGO Forum for Beijing + 15 (Europe and North America)
ECLAC, NGO Forum for Beijing + 15 (Latin America and the Caribbean)
ESCAP, NGO Forum for Beijing + 15Asia and the Pacific
ECA, NGO Forum, Africa
ESCWA, NGO Forum, Western Asia
3:30pm Open Discussion, Q & A
5:00pm Adjourn
6:30-9:30pm Reception

28 February 2010
9:00am Panel: Prevention and Proactive Measures
UNFPA
CEDAW Experts: Older Women
MDG Goals: UNDP
Men’s Organizations
Youth: NGO Committee on UNICEF

11:00am Keynote Speaker:
Women NGOs
Nobel laureate

Noon Lunch

1:00pm Breakout Sessions on BPfA: Poverty, Health, Education, Violence, Armed Conflict, Economy; Beijing + 5: Older Women, Rural Women

2:30pm Breakout Sessions on BPfA: Decision making, Human Rights, Media, Environment, Institutional mechanisms, The Girl Child; Beiing + 5: Migrant Women, Disabled Women, Female Household heads

4:00pm Closing Ceremony: Future Work

5:30pm Adjourn

Venue
The Forum will take place in New York City, however the venue for the Forum has not yet been set and will depend on the number of participants. Possible venues include New York University and the Javits Convention Center. Anyone with connections to potential venues, please contact the NGO CSW/NY office.

Reports/Reviews
In the past, reports in preparation for the review were gathered and incorporated into a single document. The Coordinating Committee is inquiring to see whether the organization that did that work in the past would do it again. It is hoped that such a report would be available by January 2010. It is expected that some regional reports will be sent to the Coordinating Committee. The goal is to compare NGO reports with government reports.

Regions are taking the lead in disseminating a questionnaire to governments and some NGOs, however the details of this process are unknown.

Outreach
Social Media and other technology such as Facebook, Twitter and blogs may be used to connect with younger generations.

Other Events Planned
Some type of event will be planned for the actual Beijing Anniversary in September 2010.

Regional Activities

The Forum is shaped by contributions from the regions but the regional meetings have their own priority issues and processes. The next issue of the IWTC’s Women’s Global Net will have information about organizing in the regions.

Asia Pacific
The Asia-Pacific Region will hold an NGO Forum on Beijing +15 from October 22-24, 2009 in Quezon City, Philippines. The theme for the Forum will be “Weaving Wisdom, Confronting Crises, Forging the Future.” Workshops planned on Women and Armed Conflict will be linked to a 1325 + 10 event in October 2010.
More information about this NGO Forum can be found online here: http://apngo2009.mc.edu.ph/

A High Level governmental meeting will take place in Bangkok following the NGO Forum.

Africa
Africa regional networks FEMNET and Eastern African Subregional Support Network for the Advancement of Women have been organizing for Beijing +15. Eastern African Subregional Support Network for the Advancement of Women is focusing specifically on 2 areas: 1. Women’s Health and Reproductive Rights 2. Women & Armed Conflict. At this time, there is no regional intergovernmental meeting finalized for Africa.

Planning Sub-Groups Formed:

1. Media
2. Venue/Event Facilities
3. Partnerships & Financial Support
4. Honorary Board
5. Outreach- Grassroots Participation

Comments
-Focus on Equality, Development, Peace
-3 paths for the Forum: 1. Celebrate, 2. Address Beijing, 3. Decide how to move forward
-If reports are developed as part of the Beijing +15 activities, to whom will they be presented?
-There must be a space for women who don’t know about Beijing and the UN to participate in the Forum
-How is this conference different from other Beijing conferences?
-There is concern that the event will be too NY or US focused.
-This is not a conference, it is a review of the Beijing Conference.
-It is important to incorporate the UN Gender Equality Architecture reform process into the Forum.
-There is concern that there not be a corporate presence at the Forum- reach out to more groups of women instead.
-1325 and 1820 should be wrapped into the Forum
-Peace should be included in the Forum
-Include Violence Against Women and need for Women in Decision-Making Positions
-Incorporate the outcome regarding reproductive rights of the September NGO Forum in Berlin on the Cairo Conference on Population and Development
-The Center for Women’s Global Leadership will have a Beijing Review Symposium in NYC on March 6.
-Maternal mortality is an issue that should be included.
-The proposed program is heavy with input from experts- could it go from regional reports into breakdowns?
- Could the program be more collaborative if designed differently?
-Breakout sessions should be connection-oriented
-It is important that the voices of human rights advocates on the ground around the world can be heard in this process. This is important because many NGOs don’t represent community-based groups.
-Is there a way to get support for ensuring grassroots groups’ participation? This could happen through technology- through computer communications.
-Move the breakout groups to Day 1
-Develop a report that combines information on legislation, conventions and international agreements relevant to the topic of the Forum
-How can this Forum be linked to other processes and spaces for women in 2010?
-One of the Keynote speakers should be a grassroots speaker
-The Forum should end on a note of strong demands- perhaps have one woman from each region present the 10 most pressing needs from her region based on the collaboration of women’s organizations from each continent
-There is concern about participation coordination in the Africa region
-Radio is a powerful tool for outreach in some parts of Africa