Subject: [fem-women2000 233] Commonwealth Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Women's Affairs, New D (fwd)
From: lalamaziwa <lalamazi@jca.apc.org>
Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2000 00:15:01 +0900 (JST)
Seq: 233
４月中旬開催のコモンウェルス女性問題担当大臣会議への参加呼びかけ。
参考までに転載します。//lalamaziwa
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2000 07:26:01 -0700
From: congo <congongo2@aol.com>
To: beijing5update@igc.topica.com
Subject: Commonwealth Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Women's Affairs, New D
CONGO has been asked to forward the following information about the
upcoming meeting of the Commonwealth Ministers Responsible for Women's
Affairs 17-20 April in New Delhi, India.
If you have any questions, please contact Amrita Dasvarma.
CONGO Communications Office
---------
NB: JUST IN CASE YOU'VE NOT RECEIVED THE FULL INVITATION! PLEASE SHARE
IT WIDELY WITH YOUR NETWORK MEMBERS - WITH LUCK, YOU MIGHT FIND YOURSELF
OR YOUR MEMBER ON SOME DELEGATION! IF EITHER OF YOU DOES, PLEASE TAKE
ALONG YOUR BEIJING+5 NGO SHADOW REPORTS & NGO WOMEN'S PERSPECTIVES TO
INDIA!
IN FACT, EVEN IF YOU DON'T GET TO INDIA, YOU COULD ASSIST IN SHARPENING
THE WOMEN'S PERSPECTIVE NOW - BY JOINING THE LISTSERVE ON WAMM6 - SEE
LAST MESSAGE BELOW, FROM Amrita Dasvarma" <amritadasvarma@hotmail.com.
POWER TO THE SISTERHOOD!
SARA LONGWE
FEMNET CHAIRPERSON
INVITATION
COMMONWEALTH MINISTERS RESPONSIBLE FOR WOMEN'S AFFAIRS,
SIXTH MEETING, (WAMM 6) 17-20 APRIL 2000, NEW DELHI, INDIA
COMMONWEALTH WOMEN NGO FORUM
The 6th meeting of Commonwealth Ministers responsible for Women's
Affairs (WAMM) is being held in New Delhi, India from 17-20 April 2000
and the Commonwealth Women's NGO Network has been invited to attend as
an Official Observer. The Opening Ceremony will be on 17th April
followed by working sessions from 17-19 and a field trip to the Taj
Mahal on the 20th.
The theme of WAMM6 is 'Advancing the Commonwealth Agenda into the New
Millenium'. The provisional agenda including the strategic objectives
are attached.
NGOs are responsible for their own travel and accomodation expenses.
The Network Secretariat in collaboration with the Indian NGOs will try
to provide advice and assistance as required.
COMMONWEALTH WOMEN NGO FORUM ACTIVITIES
The COMMONWEALTH WOMENS NGO NETWORK will hold an NGO Forum parallel
to the WAMM 6, starting on Friday April 14th to Monday 17th 2000.
The COMMONWEALTH WOMEN'S NGO NETWORK is accredited to the WAMM and
will prepare daily statements and position papers to be presented to
the WAMM at their workshops and plenaries.
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 WAMM. 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.
The NETWORK has already put up a page on the INTERNET which invites
participation at the NGO Forum. This will also be a site at which women
>from all over the Commonwealth may participate in this activity by
sending their views, comments and proposals.
Women from all Regions of the Commonwealth will facilitate the Forum
Workshop sessions 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 forum, there will be
opportunities for the diffusion of information and skills upgrade among
women NGOs.
The Agenda of the NGO Forum will include:
(a) Women's Human Rights, Political Participation and Peace: New
challenges
(b) Gender, Globalisation and Macro Economic Policies
(c) Networking using appropriate technology - Hands on Workshop
(d) Reviewing the Mandate of the Network Secretariat and developing a
Work Plan.
Strategies for NGO Participation
It is to be noted also that the latest Draft Agenda of the Meeting does
not at this time, include any item involving input from NGO's.
The following strategies are therefore being proposed by the NETWORK in
relation to this meeting which comes five years after the endorsement of
the Commonwealth Plan of Action by our Heads of Government and months
before the UN General Assembly Special Session - Beijing+5, which is
carded for June 2000 in New York.
(i) Approach your Minister responsible for Women's Affairs with an
offer to help in whatever way possible with the preparations for the
meeting eg preparatioon of papers or reports. In some cases you may
wish to go directly to the Prime Minister who may have been to the
(CHOGM) or the Head of the Women's Bureaux, who may have the
responsibility to deal with this matter and make recommendations.
(ii) Lobby on the basis of your offer of assistance to be included on
the Government delegation to the meeting in New
Delhi, India.
(i) Lobby also for inclusion on the Meeting Agenda of NGO
presentations. These
proposals would usually be made to the Commonwealth Secretariat by
member delegates.
(iv) Communicate to the NETWORK any responses positive or otherwise to
the above proposals.
The NGO Forum will also prepare a statement to be presented to the
WAMM.
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, fax 868-628-9655 or e-mail
network@wow.net as soon as possible. We look forward to seeing you in
New Delhi.
..............................
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 eh 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.
----------
From: Network
Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2000 7:25 PM
To: nacec1@web.net
Subject: Invitation to Meeting in India
The Network of NGOs of Trinidad and Tobago
for the Advancement of Women
5B, Bergerac Road, Maraval
Trinidad and Tobago
P.O. Box 410, Port-of-Spain,
Trinidad
Tel/Fax: 1-868-628-9655
Email: network@wow.net
----------
From: Amrita Dasvarma
Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2000 5:18 AM
To: cmwlth_womens_ngos@onelist.com
Subject: [cmwlth_womens_ngos] Hello from Amrita in Australia
From: "Amrita Dasvarma" <amritadasvarma@hotmail.com>
Hello everyone,
I hope by now everyone has received the introductory message for the
Commonwealth Women's NGO's listserv - I must start by apologising for
the spelling mistakes in the introduction ('suesful'??? It was meant to
be 'useful'!) But we live and learn and I have learnt never to send
something out so publicly without proofreading it!
Anyway, I hope everyone has recovered from the exhausting three weeks
of CSW and is looking forward to the next few months before Beijing + 5.
For those of you who were able to make the meeting for Commonwealth
NGO's at CSW on Friday, March 17, I volunteered to set up an e-mail list
for this group and here it is. For those of you who were unable to make
the meeting, my name is Amrita Dasvarma, I am the NGO Coordinator for
the Beijing + 5 process for Australia. The idea to work together with
NGO's from Commonwealth countries arose out of conversations I had with
a few other women, and so I organised the meeting on Friday. I will
also send out a contact list (names and organisations) of everyone who
is on this list - please e-mail Hazel Brown who is Secretary General of
the Commonwealth Network of NGO's on hazelb@wow.net.
I hope we can start sharing ideas and information right away - I have a
few questions regarding the Women's Affairs Ministers Meetin being held
in April in New Delhi - Hazel, could you please tell us what the exact
agenda items are for the meeting? Could any of the Indian NGO's on this
list let us know what NGO activities are scheduled for the meeting?
Thanks everyone and looking froward to working with all of you - Amrita
-------
The Conference of NGOs (CONGO) is an international, not-for-profit membership association that facilitates the participation of NGOs in United Nations debates and decisions. Founded in 1948, CONGO's major objective is to ensure the presence of NGOs in exchanges among the world's governments and United Nations agencies on issues of global concern. For more information, contact:
CONGO
777 United Nations Plaza, 8th Floor
New York, NY 10017
212-986-8557 (tel)
212-986-0821 (fax)
congongo@aol.com
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