---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 2 Jul 2002 20:09:53 -0700
From: Carol D. McRoberts <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [WASAN] Fw: [women-csd] Forwarded on behalf of the Commonwealth
Women Network
FYI
Subject: [women-csd] Forwarded on behalf of the Commonwealth Women Network
> To: [log in to unmask] (World Summit on Sustainable Development
Info
> Mailing List)
>
> INVITATION
>
> JOHANNESBURG SUMMIT 2002
>
> JOHANESSBURG, SOUTH AFRICA, AUGUST 24TH -SEPTEMBER 7TH 2002
>
> The World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) and NGO Forum will be
held
> in Johannesburg, South Africa over the period August 24th to September 7th
> 2002. You are invited to join us in Johannesburg, where women seek a space
to
> voice, once again, their dreams for all humanity and particularly for all
> those who have been left out or left behind, and as the needs of humanity
are
> greater than ever.
>
> At the Earth Summit in Rio ten years ago, women came together-North and
> South, young and old, urban and rural, poor and rich-at Planeta Femea.
Across
> so many divides, they shared their stories, their successes and their
dreams
> for a better world. They left Rio energized and filled with hope.
>
> Ten years later the World Summit in Johannesburg will focus on evaluating
> progress since the 1992 Earth Summit and developing mechanisms to fully
> implement Agenda 21 and the Millennium Development Goals. This represents
a
> special opportunity to focus attention on the successful implementation
tools
> that women around the world have developed during the past ten years and
the
> critical role that they must play as both leaders and practitioners in the
> implementation strategies to come. Sustainable and equitable development
> requires the knowledge, experience, and leadership that women have to
offer.
> At the Multi-stakeholder Dialogues during Prep Com II, the Women's Major
> Group (led by WEDO) opened with the statement: "On the way to and beyond
> Johannesburg, we women demand practical mechanisms to provide women's
voices
> at all levels of decision-making on sustainable development."
>
> We have already put up a page on the INTERNET, which invites participation
at
> WSSD NGO FORUM, WOMEN'S TENT, PEACE TRAIN. This will also be a site at
which
> women from all over the Commonwealth may participate in our activities by
> sending their views, comments and proposals.
>
> NGOs are responsible for their own travel and accommodation expenses. The
> Network Secretariat in collaboration with the South African NGOs and WEDO
> will try to provide advice and assistance as required.
>
> COMMONWEALTH WOMEN NETWORK ACTIVITIES
>
> a.. WOMEN'S TENT : August 26th - September 4th
>
> COMMONWEALTH DAY AUGUST 31ST
>
> The Universe of Women: The Dream Place for all Humanity will be a place
> where women from all over the world can voice and create visual images of
> their dreams.
>
> The Women's Tent will be a space to share experiences, network,
strategize,
> and ensure that the vision of sustainable development that emerges from
the
> Summit integrates a gender perspective and reflects the voices of all the
> world's women. An estimated 65,000 participants from around the world will
be
> in Johannesburg for what will prove to be the largest conference ever held
on
> the African continent. The Women's Tent will be an integral element of the
> NGO Forum, which is being held concurrently with the Summit.
>
> Women from all over the Commonwealth will have the opportunity to
> participate in this activity by sending their views, comments and
proposals
> by e-mail and through a list-serve. The NETWORK is keen to use electronic
> communication networks to facilitate the participation of as many women as
> possible on the theme of the WSSD. The use of the Internet and other tools
> will be modeled on the work done by the Women's Networking Programme which
> project managed such networks for the Beijing FWCW and Huairou NGO Forum.
>
> Women from all Regions of the Commonwealth will facilitate the women's
tent
> activities as well as identify women who will promote and carry on the
> networking among women in their Region. Among these facilitators, the
NETWORK
> has included women with technological and training expertise so that in
the
> months and years following the summit, there will be opportunities for the
> diffusion of information and skills upgrade among women NGOs.
>
>
> b.. WOMEN'S PEACE TRAIN
>
> Leaves Kampala, Uganda on July 13th stopping in seven countries to
arrive
> in Johannesburg on August 23rd 2002. Women are invited to join the train
at
> the scheduled stops along the way. For more information on the schedule of
> the Train, please visit our website at www.tntol.com/cwn. Please suggest
any
> idea you would like to see on the Train.
>
>
> c.. STAKEHOLDERS FORUM IMPLEMENTATION CONFERENCE AUGUST24-26
>
> The Network will collaborate with Stakeholders Forum for this event,
which
> will identify best practice renewable energy projects and how we can
possibly
> replicate them through partnerships, and secondly how we can strengthen
> information networks in terms of making them more inclusive, transparent,
> user friendly and quality information.
>
>
> d.. COMMONWEALTH WOMEN'S NGO NETWORK CAUCUS
>
> The women's caucus will meet daily and will prepare statements to be
> presented to the WSSD delegations.
>
>
> STRATEGIES FOR NGO/STAKEHOLDER PARTICIPATION
>
> The following strategies are therefore being proposed by the NETWORK in
> relation to this meeting.
>
> 1. Approach your Minister responsible for the environment/sustainable
> development or foreign affairs with an offer to help in whatever way
possible
> with the preparations for the Summit.
>
> 2.. Lobby to be included on the Government delegation to the meeting in
> Johannesburg South Africa. Lobby also for inclusion in the delegation of
> representatives of the stakeholder groups i.e. women, youth, business,
labour
> and Indigenous Peoples.
>
> Please communicate to the NETWORK any responses positive or otherwise to
the
> above proposals. NGOs are being asked to share this information with other
> women and women's organizations including electronic conference and
bulletin
> boards, and let the NETWORK have some feedback as soon as possible.
>
> For further information you may contact the Network Office in Trinidad and
> Tobago.
>
> Please send your responses to us by mail, Tel/fax 868-628-9655 or e-mail
> [log in to unmask] as soon as possible. We look forward to seeing you in
> Johannesburg.
>
>
> HAZEL BROWN
>
> Secretary General
>
>
> Background to Network
>
> In September 1991 Women's NGOs from various regions of the Commonwealth,
> attending a conference of Commonwealth Women, established an NGO
Commonwealth
> Women's Network. That initial meeting was made possible with the
assistance
> of the Commonwealth Secretariat.
>
> This NGO Commonwealth Women's Network is a pioneering body within the
realm
> of the Commonwealth community and is aimed at improving the quality of
life
> of women throughout the Commonwealth.
>
> The Network is sensitive to the national and regional concerns of its
members
> and aims at bringing existing organizations and networks in the
Commonwealth
> together. A secretariat was established in Trinidad and Tobago with the
task
> of maintaining contacts and linkages with women's organizations throughout
> the Commonwealth and assisting organizations where possible in their
> preparations for the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women and
> their input into the Commonwealth Plan of Action. The executive Committee
> comprises twelve members , one delegate and one alternate from each region
of
> the Commonwealth. The chair of the Committee resides in Trinidad and
Tobago.
>
> The Purpose of the Network
>
> * to create and strengthen relationships among women in the Commonwealth
> * to create and strengthen links with policy-makers in the Commonwealth
> * to create and strengthen links among women NGOs in the Commonwealth
>
> NGO Commonwealth Women's Network Mission Statement
>
> The Network recognizes and supports the historical statements of the
Women's
> movement found in the following documents;
>
> * CEDAW ( Convention on the elimination of all forms of Discrimination
> Against Women)
> * Beijing Platform for Action
> * ILO Instruments
> * The Commonwealth Plan of Action.
>
> The Network respects the diversity of the Commonwealth Community on the
basis
> of Nationality, Race, Culture, Religion, Gender, Ability, Class, Economic
> Status.
>
> The Network works toward establishing an alternative global order, which
will
> ensure:
>
> * that the rights of aboriginal peoples are respected
> * the elimination of violence against women
> * an economic order which results in an improved quality of life, through
a
> holistic approach to development, incorporating the full participation of
> women.
>
> The Network works toward ensuring that governments treat women's issues as
> priorities on their agendas, and that the needs of grassroots women in our
> societies are articulated both nationally and within Commonwealth
structure.
>
> Goals/Objectives of the Network
>
> 1. to work towards the elimination of poverty,
>
> 2. to work at devising new strategies in all areas - economic social,
> cultural, and thus offer alternative for sustainable development,
>
> 3.. to encourage new relationships between women from the North and
South,
> 4. to encourage women to run for public office and there by participate in
> decision-making at all levels, so as to affect structural and systemic
change.
>
>
> Network Activities to date
>
> At the first Meeting of the NGO Commonwealth Women's Network , which was
held
> in Cyprus in 1993 at the time of the Commonwealth Ministers for Women's
> Affairs, an Action Plan was agreed upon to facilitate the participation of
> women from the Commonwealth at the Fourth World Conference on Women in
> Beijing in 1995. This plan also included holding the second general
meeting
> at the NGO Forum in Beijing.
>
> The Network was accredited to the FWCW and the NGO FORUM in Beijing as
well
> as the Social Summit and HABITAT. The Network organised an NGO Forum
parallel
> to WAMM5 in Trinidad and Tobago in 1996. The Network also participated in
the
> Commonwealth Peoples Forum held at CHOGM in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1997
and
> Durban, South Africa in 1999.
>
> Because of lack of resources, the secretariat adopted a strategy of
> piggybacking on already scheduled meeting, both regional and international
> wherever women from the Commonwealth were gathered. Over 500 women
> representing over 100 organizations and Networks in all countries and
regions
> of the Commonwealth were reached this way.
>
> These meetings provided a wealth of ideas and information, about what
women
> NGOs were doing in all regions of the Commonwealth, and what they expected
> from the NETWORK. It also generated a great deal of networking among those
> women who were present.
>
> *********
> Marianne Mollmann
> Programa de Derechos Humanos
> Centro de la Mujer Peruana Flora Tristan
> www.flora.org.pe
> Parque Hernan Velardo 42
> Lima 1, Peru
> Telefono: +51 1 433 27 65, Fax: +51 1 433 9500, Celular: +51 1 912 8773
> [log in to unmask]@yahoo.com
>
>
> This is a listserver set up by the CSD Women's Caucus, a global group of
women and men working on gender & sustainable development issues. It has
been established to circulate information in preparation for the UN
Commission on Sustainable Development Sessions and Earth Summit 2002
(officially the World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg, South
Africa, Sept. 2002).
> To learn more about the CSD Women's Caucus activities, check the web-site
at www.earthsummit2002.org/wcaucus/csdngo.htm.
>
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>
>
Next WASAN meeting is Wednesday, June 26, 2002. Location: Safeco Jackson Street Center, E Main between 23 & 24, Suite 200, Seattle
7:30 PM WASAN business meeting. Everyone is welcome.
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