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IWTC WOMEN’S GLOBALNET
#354
ACTIVITIES & INITIATIVES OF
WOMEN WORLDWIDE
WOMEN CALL FOR ACTION ON
EMPOWERMENT, LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT AND INTERNATIONAL PEACE AND SECURITY
March 24, 2009
Mavic Cabrera Balleza & Helena Gronberg
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Bringing together over a
thousand women (and men) from all over the world, the International
Colloquium on Women’s Empowerment, Leadership Development and International
Peace and Security, held in Monrovia, Liberia on March 7-8, 2009 culminated on International Women’s Day
with the adoption of the Monrovia Declaration, a new global call to action
for women’s empowerment. This Women’s
GlobalNet presents (1) key points of the Monrovia Declaration, a document
that pulls together the outcomes of the seven thematic discussions; and (2)
more specific recommendations, emerging from the thematic sessions and break
out groups. The recommendations
relating to Security Council Resolution (SCR) 1325 including the Call to
Action on the Resolution are elaborated upon in GlobalNet #351.
1.
THE MONROVIA DECLARATION
This is a summary
document that consolidates all the recommendations of the Colloquium. Among
the specific actions it proposes are:
- Call on leaders of the G20 countries who will be
meeting in London on April 2, 2009 to earmark funds for women in all
responses to the financial crisis including recovery and stimulus
packages; and ensure that appropriate delivery mechanisms are in place
and functioning to channel trade financing to women;
- Increase women’s representation in the European Union
to 50 percent of decision-makers;
- Remove barriers and increase women’s access to trade
and business activity through better access to information and
improvements in infrastructure and services, particularly for women with
disabilities, as well as social protection systems, especially in times
of economic crisis and recession;
- Make a particular commitment to women’s participation
in the global climate change summit in Copenhagen in December 2009 and
to the incorporation of gender considerations in the new agreement and its
implementation;
- Support a gender equality approach to migration
management in order to better protect women and girls who are displaced;
- Inclusion of young people in decision making
processes and leadership as well as processes that work towards
achieving the MDGs; and
- Commit to unite and mobilize collective leadership to
end violence against women and especially young women and a call for
safe environments for those who have experienced violence and abuse.
3. RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THEMATIC SESSIONS AT
THE COLLOQUIUM
Following are selected
recommendations taken from the reports of each of the thematic sessions at
the Colloquium that offer more specificity to issues raised in the Monrovia
Declaration:
Women’s
Leadership:
- Continued efforts to bring women into leadership and
decision-making positions
- Ensure that women in leadership positions carry out
the agenda of women
- Need to finance women’s leadership and link women in
business with women in politics
Millennium
Development Goal 3:
- Develop and implement bottom up strategies to assist
women entrepreneurs
- Fully implement the Maputo Plan of Action on Sexual
& Reproductive Health and Rights
Economic
Empowerment and Decent Work:
- Establish effective trade support institutions and
mechanisms for women’s economic empowerment
- Current aid flow must be maintained if not increased
and ensure that women benefit from such aid
- Implement targeted employment schemes for women
Migration:
- Governments must see migration and reintegration as a
process and must ensure full assistance to returnees
- Migration must be seen as an extensive issue,
especially in the African context, that requires collaboration between
Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Health, Internal Affairs and Social
Welfare
- Governments must acknowledge the social and economic
role of the Diaspora and recognize the need to bridge the Diaspora
community and national machineries
- Young potential experts should be offered year–long
opportunities for training in government ministries
Youth issues:
- Educate young people of their rights and
responsibilities in society
- Protect youth, especially girls against violence and
abuse by educating them about their rights
- Reaffirm young people’s role as leaders of today and
tomorrow and ensure their participation in decision-making
- Ensure young people’s, especially girls’ access to
education
- Protect young people who have been forced to leave
their homes during conflict
Climate Change:
- Involve women fully and equally in risk prevention
and mitigation of the impact of climate change
- The UN, international organizations and financial
institutions should support the new Copenhagen agreement
- Funds and appropriate technology must be made
available for men and women
For electronic copies of
the Monrovia Declaration and the Call to Action on UNSCR 1325 go to http://womenscolloquium.org/index.html.
This site will also have the complete final reports from the thematic working
group on climate change and youth.
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