Activities and
Initiatives of Women Worldwide
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women’s advocacy around
paris declaration on aid effectiveness and UNITED NATIONS gender equality
architecture August 21, 2008 Joeyta Bose 1.
women organize to prepare for
forum to review paris declaration on aid effectiveness 2. debate on gender
equality architecture moves forward in the un |
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1. women organize to prepare
for forum to review paris declaration on aid effectiveness In anticipation of the Third High-Level Forum on Aid
Effectiveness that will take place in Accra, Ghana, from September 2 to 4,
2008, women’s rights organizations, advocates and activists will be gathering
at the Accra Women’s Forum on August 30 to articulate a coherent set of
recommendations and plan for women’s effective engagement. The High-Level
Forum will be a venue for donor and recipient governments to review the
implementation of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness over the last
three years and determine a fresh agenda for action on delivering and
managing aid. The Paris Declaration seeks to increase the impact aid has in
reducing inequalities, supporting growth, building capacity and accelerating
the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals which aim to halve world
poverty by 2015. Women’s groups involved in the debates and discussions
around the Paris Declaration have been promoting the perspective that neither
aid nor development policies can be successful unless gender equality, environmental
sustainability and human rights are recognized as crucial to the development
agenda. This is especially important because more than half the population
living in poverty are women who must confront the inequities of their
situation as well as entrenched gender inequalities. The Accra Women’s Forum
presents an opportunity for groups to debate the issues and frame precise
recommendations; strategize on advocacy opportunities and approaches; and
strengthen women’s participation and perspectives in the High-Level meeting. The forum is being organized by a consortium of women’s
organizations, including AWID, WIDE, DAWN and FEMNET. It will be held at the
Ellking Hotel in East Legon, Accra. Women who will be in Accra for the
High-Level meeting are encouraged to attend the women’s forum. For more
information, go to http://www.awid.org/eng/About-AWID/AWID-News/SAVE-THE-DATE!-The-Accra-Women-s-Forum
and/or contact Michele Knab at mknab@awid.org. |
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2. debate on gender
equality architecture moves forward in the un general assembly -
UN PAPER ON GENDER EQUALITY ARCHITECTURE &
GEAR CAMPAIGN ANALYSIS The
UN Deputy Secretary General (DSG) recently circulated a paper in the General
Assembly that explored and analyzed the four options that are being
considered as possibilities to strengthen the UN’s work on gender equality
and the empowerment of women. Part of the more comprehensive UN reform
process, this restructuring would particularly affect the four women-specific
entities: the United Nations Development Fund for Women, Office of the
Special Advisor on Gender Issues, the Division for the Advancement of Women,
and the International Research and Training Institute for Women. The four
structural options presented in the paper are (i) maintaining the status quo;
(ii) creating an autonomous fund/programme; (iii) creating a department
within the Secretariat; and (iv) creating a composite entity of all four
women-specific entities. In
response to the DSG’s report, the Gender Equality Architecture Reform (GEAR)
Campaign published an analysis to facilitate further discussion about the
options, especially because of the expectation that the General Assembly will
hold an informal consultation at the end of August or early September to move
the process forward with some type of resolution. The paper produced by the
campaign supports the options for an autonomous fund or a c0mposite entity
because these two seem to have the greatest likelihood of strengthening
gender equality activities on the ground – a primary point of advocacy for
the GEAR campaign. However, the analysis points out a critical need for
clarity and detail on how the options will function to strengthen the work on
gender equality in the UN, rather than just achieve better coordination. In
addition, this process must also be accompanied by strong advocacy for a
substantial increase in resources, especially at the country level. The DSG’s report can be found at http://www.wedo.org/library.aspx?ResourceID=279
while the GEAR analysis can be accessed at http://gear.collectivex.com/discussion/topic/show/86809 -
NEW WEBSITE SUPPORTS GEAR CAMPAIGN ADVOCACY The GEAR campaign has recently
published a website as a networking and communication tool for campaign
members and as an information point for those seeking to find out about the
campaign. The site includes basic information about the campaign and its
driving principles, a calendar of relevant events and a repository of past
statements and records of global and regional advocacy on the issue. To
access the website, go to: http://gear.collectivex.com/main/summary |
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