Subject: [fem-women2000 106] WomenAction Website - Press release
From: lalamaziwa <lalamaziwa@jca.apc.org>
Date: Fri, 26 Nov 1999 06:02:42 +0900
Seq: 106

 From: Karen Banks <karenb@gn.apc.org>
 Date: Wed, 24 Nov 1999 22:50:18 +0000 (GMT)
--

FIVE YEARS AFTER BEIJING WOMEN USE THE INTERNET TO HOLD GOVERNMENTS ACCOUNTABLE

WomenAction 2000
http://www.womenaction.org


                              For further information:
                              English
                              email: info@womenaction.org
                              email: pugh@iiav.nl
                              http://www.iiav.nl/european-womenaction-2000

                              French
                              email: penelope@planete.net
                              http://www.mire.net/penelopes


FIVE YEARS AFTER BEIJING WOMEN USE THE INTERNET TO HOLD GOVERNMENTS ACCOUNTABLE

Global WomenAction 2000 network web site will be launched on November 25th
1999. WomenAction is a global coalition of international and regional
information, communication and media networks. It aims to enable NGOs to
actively engage in the Beijing+5 review process for women's empowerment,
with a special focus on women and media.

The WomenAction Global website provides women's organisations with a
platform that links regional activities strategizing around the Beijing
Platform of Action review process. It has a special focus on Women and
Media (Section J of the Beijing Platform For Action) with information on
how NGOs can get involved in online critical discussions, create an
alternative global report on Section J and highlight the work of women's
groups to redress women's portrayal and position in the media.

The website is hosted and managed by the WomenAction Network. Content is
provided by the national and regional members of WomenAction 2000
including AWORC (The Asian Women's Resource Exchange), FLAME (African
Sisters Online), European WomenAction 2000, ALAI (Ecuador) and ISIS Chile.

WomenAction is co-ordinated by the International Women's Tribune Centre
(IWTC) and the Association For Progressive Communications Women's
Networking Support Programme (APC WNSP). WomenAction Steering committee
members include ALAI/Ecuador; APC/WNSP/Africa/Canada/Latin America/UK;
AWORC/Manila/Tokyo; IIAV/Netherlands; Isis International/Philippines;
Isis Internacional/Chile; Isis-WICCE/Uganda IWTC; WFS/India.

Financially the global WomenAction 2000 network is made possible through
generous contributions from WomenWatch (the UN interagency gateway for the
advancement and empowerment of women coordinated by UN-DAW, UNIFEM and
UN-INSTRAW) and the Shaler Adams Foundation.
(http://www.womenaction.org)
--
Hivos, IDRC South Africa, Rockefeller, Ford Foundation and Novib have
contributed funding to the African regional B+5 initiative, FLAMME/FLAME.
(http://www.flamme.org)
--
The European Community, the Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs and the Soros
Foundation contributed funding to European WomenAction 2000
(http://www.iiav.nl/european-womenaction-2000/)
--
UNIFEM (New York Office, East and Southeast Asia Office, South Asia
Office), Mama Cash, Japan Foundation and UNDP Asia-Pacific Regional Gender
Programme contributed funding to the Asian Women's Resource Exchange B+5
initiative.

Other contributions are through the participating organizations and
through the project workers themselves , many giving voluntary
time.

-----------

Context

In June 2000, the United Nations will review the agreements made at the
4th World Conference on Women. This is the so-called Beijing + 5 review.
The Platform identified 12 Critical Areas of Concern for women's
advancement and empowerment: Poverty, Education & Training, Health,
Violence, Armed Conflict, Economy, Decision Making, Institutional
Mechanisms, Human Rights, Media and Environment.

In March 1999, at the first PrepCom for Beijing Plus Five in New York,
three NGO working groups were formed to discuss;

- the Beijing Plus Five overall framework;
- NGO access and participation problems;
- NGO alternative or shadow reports on the implementation of the Beijing
  Platform for Action.

Concurrently, women's media networks, both global and regional, met as a
Global Communications Forum with many NGOs, and discussed ways in which
women could remain in touch once they returned home to their regions and
countries, and be able to participate fully in the review process. Out of
this Forum came the initial plans for this WomenAction 2000 Network.

The Beijing Platform for Action was made possible by the continued efforts
of women around the globe to advance the position of women. Using all
technologies and facilities at their disposal, from street rallies to
political lobbies, from spreading information through magazines to
organising conferences, women have worked to improve their lives and those
of their sisters. Now, at the end of the millennium, they have called on
global women's information and communication networks to develop a
platform on which they can continue this work using the latest in
communications technology.