Subject: [fem-women2000 779] Women's Globalnet #190: Women Worldwide Celebrate IWD 2002
From: iwtc <iwtc@iwtc.org>
Date: Wed, 10 Apr 2002 17:11:00 +0000
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IWTC WOMEN'S GLOBALNET #190 Initiatives and Activities of Women Worldwide By Anne S. Walker April 10 2002 WOMEN WORLDWIDE CELEBRATE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY 2002 PLEASE NOTE: This issue of IWTC Women's GlobalNet consists of information from the UNDP Gender in Development Programme (GIDP) Gender Beat #34. If you would like to receive Gender Beat in the future, please contact Asako Osaki at asako.osaki@undp.org. We thank UNDP/GIDP and congratulate them for their efforts to disseminate information on women and development activities. __________________________________________________ Countries around the world observed International Women's Day (IWD) on 8 March 2002. Here are some exciting reports from UNDP's field-based colleagues on how their countries celebrated the IWD 2002. We wish to extend our appreciation to those who contributed to this issue! Highlights of the UN events can be found at: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/confer/events/IWD2002/ ***Asia and the Pacific*** Bhutan ART, ESSAY AND POETRY COMPETITION AS WELL AS LAUNCHING OF GENDER PORTAL SITE: The UN System in Bhutan organised a nation-wide art, essay and poetry competition on the topic of "Women in Bhutan" in collaboration with the National Women's Association of Bhutan. More than ninety entries were received from across the kingdom, and the winners were selected based on originality, composition, technique and overall impact. The winning entries were displayed at an art exhibition in the capital, Thimphu, where Her Majesty the Queen Ashi Sangay Choden Wangchuck, UNFPA's Goodwill Ambassador in Bhutan, was the guest of honour. Another highlight of the festivities was the launching of the Gender Portal Site in Bhutan entitled, "Pho Mo Dra Nam" which means gender equality in the national language, Dzongkha. The website (www.undp.org.bt/gender) is a one-stop shop for the UN's gender activities and initiatives and provides useful links to gender and development related sites. Six women trainees, who were trained in the creation of a health portal site under the project "Information Network for Good Governance", designed the website. For more information, please contact: Seeta Giri at <seeta.giri@undp.org> Fiji CELEBRATING FIJI'S ACCOMPLISHMENT AS THE FIRST PACIFIC ISLAND COUNTRY TO REPORT TO CEDAW: Fiji presented its first report to the CEDAW Committee on January 16th, 2002. Thus, Fiji became the first Pacific Island Country to report to the Committee a truly historic event for women's rights in the Pacific! The celebration began with a devotion, hymn and official opening address by Adi Lady Lalabalavu Mara, former First Lady of Fiji and President of the Soqososo Vakamarama, the association for Fijian women. A number of other speakers representing the government and the UN spoke about the essential role women play in efforts to support good governance in South Pacific Forum member countries. Also held on March 8 was a lunch sponsored by the Fiji Women's Rights Movement and the Fiji Association of Women Graduates. At the lunch, the NGO representatives to CEDAW in New York talked of their experience in presenting Fiji's CEDAW Shadow Report. They gave an excellent overview of the role of NGOs in the reporting process and noted the importance of having an NGO delegation present in order to lobby members of the Committee of Experts for CEDAW. Members of the NGO delegation intend to share their experiences with others who are beginning to write their country's CEDAW reports. The Fiji Women's Crisis Centre staged a candlelight vigil for survivors of sexual assault and a panel discussion with open forum on Marital Rape. The panel provided a range of legal, institutional, and personal perspectives on the subject. All in all, the events held to commemorate IWD this year demonstrated that women in Fiji, like women around the world, refuse to sit back and be victimised by discrimination. They know there is a lot to do, but they are clearly up for the challenge. For more information, please contact: Sarah Whitfield (sarah.whitfield@undp.org) India POTPOURRI OF EVENTS TO CELEBRATE IWD AND TO PROMOTE GENDER AWARENESS: The UN Interagency Working Group on Gender & Development organised IWD around the international theme of "Afghan Women: Opportunities & Responsibilities" as well as this year's theme, "Women for Peace and Development." Highlights included: * Expressions for Peace of children from formal and non-formal schools, college students, NGOs and agencies. Some wrote; others painted... * Street plays featuring pertinent issues related to women and girls by children from Prayas and members of Alanar. * Posters focusing on women displayed on the UN lawns by the various participating agencies. * White Ribbon Day -- promoting a world where women and girls can live free from fear of violence; white ribbons were distributed to all participants with a short write-up on its significance. The finale for the day was the screening of "Kandahar" directed by Moshen Makhmalbaf and based on the real life experiences of a young Canadian-based Afghan journalist. The film was followed by a panel discussion. For more information, please contact: Chinnamma Varghese (chinnamma.varghese@undp.org) Iran FUNDING FOR INCOME-GENERATING PROJECTS FOR AFGHAN WOMEN: The message of the UN Secretary General was read at three public gatherings by the UNIC Representative. Also, UNDP along with other UN agencies contributed funds to recruit an NGO that will initiate income-generating projects for Afghan refugee women in Iran in the context of the UN Theme Group on Gender and Development. Each member agency of the Theme Group will contribute US$500. For more information, please contact: Ahmad Salari (ahmad.salari@undp.org) Nepal CELEBRATING THE PASSAGE OF AMENDMENT 11 AND WORKING TOWARD THE GENDER EQUALITY ACT: For the first time, the Government of Nepal and the UN System in Nepal jointly celebrated IWD. Under the theme of "Women's Rights and Peace," a mass rally was organised and a function at City Hall in Kathmandu. The function honoured the first Nepali women in the following categories: the first headmistress of a school, the first woman to join the HMG/Civil Service (officer level), the first woman to join the military and the first disabled (blind) woman to pass the school-leaving certificate exam. Three individuals were recognised for their continued work on gender equality and the advancement of women; the honourees included a male journalist at the national daily newspaper and two women, one a social worker and the other an elected woman ward representative. The day was complemented by an exhibition of Nepali goods and handicrafts produced by women and displayed outside the auditorium of the City Hall. At the district level, rallies were held along with an essay competition on the theme of Women's Rights and Peace. The government announced the formation of a Women's Commission, and the House of Representatives passed the 11th Amendment, guaranteeing equal property rights and conditional abortion to women by a majority vote of 147 to 1. The passage of this legislation has taken 8 years. For more information, please contact: Bharati Silawal (bharati.silawal@undp.org) ***Latin America*** Chile PRESS CONFERENCE WITH THE MINISTER OF WOMEN TO CELEBRATE IWD: The eight UN Agencies represented in Chile organised a joint press conference with the Minister of Women. The UNDP Resident Coordinator gave an overview of the status of women in both Chile and the world and mentioned how important it was for Chile to ratify the Optional Protocol to CEDAW. FAO made a presentation on rural women in Chile and Latin America, and the Regional Director for the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean spoke about the work being done in Afghanistan on gender issues. There was a wide array of government activities during the entire week prior to March 8, which included meetings with business women and visits to women working in the fishing industry. For more information, please contact: Claudia Corvalan (claudia.corvalan@undp.org) ***Africa*** Malawi IWD ACTIVITIES FOCUS ON WOMEN PROACTIVELY RESPONDING TO FOOD CRISIS: With Malawi in a state of food insecurity, IWD events focused on children in hospitals where malnutrition and food-deficiency related illnesses are on the rise and, in some cases, have reached crisis proportions. The UNDP Resident Coordinator together with the Deputy Minister of Health and Population and two women Cabinet Members, distributed fortified meal flour, known in Malawi as 'Likuni Phala,' and maize flour to paediatric units at the hospital. Malawi also held exhibitions of women's economic activities as well as local women's success stories. The displays were in the form of drama, poem recitals and songs promoting and espousing the national theme, which was "Economic Empowerment of Women: Promoting Women's Full Access to and Control over Productive Resources." On the eve of 8th March, the First Lady and the President issued a national broadcast about the significance of IWD whose events were widely covered by the print and electronic media. For more information, please contact: Esnath Kalyati (esnath.kalyati@undp.org) *** Arab States *** Jordan SUCCESS STORIES BOOST THE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY FESTIVITIES: Six women from various parts of Jordan, each of whom has made a difference in their communities by becoming professionals in traditionally male-dominated jobs, addressed government and NGO representatives who gathered at the Greater Amman Municipality. Highlights included: * The first athlete to win a gold medal for Jordan in the Paralympics, who said: "My aim was to eliminate the shame and disgrace some families feel towards their disabled children. I wanted to demonstrate that disabled people are as capable and determined as everyone else in our society." * The first woman public university vice-president and dean spoke of her role in founding a nursing school that put Jordan on the medical map. * A cardiologist and three women activists received accolades for their tireless efforts in fighting poverty, and for establishing a development project at a refugee camp in Madaba and setting up a community development centre in Shobak. Her Royal Highness Princess Basma, who acted as patron of the event, said: "Let us see this day as a celebration of the magnitude of women's potential. It is a time to realise that women's issues are no longer marginal." The event concluded with an exhibition on "Businesswomen and Women Entrepreneurs" and an art exhibition by women entrepreneurs. For more information, please contact Amal Tartir (amal.tartir@undp.org) ***Europe and the CIS*** Uzbekistan UZBEKISTAN CELEBRATES THE PUBLICATION OF GENDERED NATIONAL STATISTICS AS WELL AS A GENDER MAINSTREAMINING HANDBOOK: In Uzbekistan, the 8th of March is an official holiday. This year, UN agencies devised a joint advocacy action that included a round table to honour Uzbek women. It was attended by parliamentarians, Deputy Prime Minister of Women's Affairs, NGOs, academics, and the media. The round table proved to be the perfect opportunity to present the collection of newly released statistics entitled "Women and Men of Uzbekistan" produced by the State Department of Statistics with joint support from the Asian Development Bank and UNDP. Also presented was the UNDP RBEC Gender Mainstreaming Handbook. The event received wide coverage in the national and local media. 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