All posts by CPNN Coordinator

About CPNN Coordinator

Dr David Adams is the coordinator of the Culture of Peace News Network. He retired in 2001 from UNESCO where he was the Director of the Unit for the International Year for the Culture of Peace, proclaimed for the Year 2000 by the United Nations General Assembly.

France: Citizen vote against nuclear power

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

An article from La Depeche

From March 11 to 18, 2018, the members of the action group France Insoumise have launched several demonstrations against nuclear power.

Following the three themes, defined at the convention led by Jean-Luc Mélanchon in Clermont Ferrand, this group of 22 members have elevated the debate to a national level. “We are a political movement and not a political party. We are the leading opposition force on the Left, “claims Jean Bech, one of the leaders of the action group.

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(Click here for the french version of this article.)

Question related to this article:

Is there a future for nuclear energy?

(article continued from left column)

The arrival of the former Japanese minister, stationed during the Fukushima accident, precipitated the program. “Our goal is to make the French aware of the danger of nuclear power. There are alternative solutions, and we should seek them ahead of the next deadlines of nuclear power plants. We must act now.”

Locally, Jean Bech and its members will be present on the markets of Tuesday and Saturday with urns for a citizen vote. Without being official, it will allow people to express themselves. A ballot box will receive the ballots whose main indication will be “yes or no to exit from nuclear power.”

A stand will also be built during the festival “printemps des Plantes” on March 18. “There will also be a distribution in mailboxes, and people can also express themselves via the website. An ID will be just requested. We want this vote to be as wide as possible, while keeping a genuine aspect. “All this information will be sent back to the national level, there will be a follow-up of the results. Our actions will continue during the year with different themes to be decided, depending on current events. Among the priorities for 2018 will be the fight against poverty in all its forms and the fight against tax evasion. Website: https://nucléaire.vote

Europe, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

USA: Enough! A Million Students Walk Out of Schools to Demand Action on Guns in Historic Day of Action

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

An article from Democracy Now (reprinted according to terms of Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License)

In a historic day of action, more than a million students from over 3,000 schools walked out of classes to protest gun violence on Wednesday [March 14]. Walkouts occurred in all 50 states as well as some schools overseas. The nationwide student walkouts occurred one month after 17 students and staff were shot dead at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. At many schools, students walked out for 17 minutes—one minute for each person murdered in Parkland. The students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School are now organizing a massive March for Our Lives on March 24 in Washington, and solidarity marches are planned across the country. We air moments from marches in New York and talk with Luna Baez and Citlali Mares, two students in Denver, Colorado, who helped organize their school’s walkout for gun reform Wednesday.


Video on Democracy Now website

Transcript

NERMEEN SHAIKH: In a historic day of action, more than a million students from over 3,000 schools walked out of classes to protest gun violence on Wednesday. Walkouts occurred in all 50 states, as well as some schools overseas. This was the scene outside one school here in New York City.

PROTESTERS: No guns, no violence! No guns, no violence! No guns, no violence! No guns, no violence! No guns, no violence! No guns, no violence! No guns, no violence!

CHELSEA: My name is Chelsea. I go to the High School of Fashion Industries. And today we’re here to protest against what happened at Parkland. We’re here to stop gun violence in schools and everywhere.

PROTESTERS: I’m a student, not a target! I’m a student, not a target! I’m a student, not a target! I’m a student, not a target!

LAURA RICHMOND: My name is Laura Richmond. I go to High School of Fashion Industries. And we’re here protesting gun violence all across America. Guns don’t solve problems, they create problems. And obviously, as you can see, we all feel strongly about this. This is something that’s been going on for far too long. And if people—if adults aren’t going to take action, we need to take action.

PROTESTERS: No guns, no violence! No guns, no violence! No guns, no violence! No guns, no violence!

KAYLA CONCEPCION: My name is Kayla Concepcion. I go to the High School of Fashion Industries. We are protesting to disarm the NRA and the mass school shootings that has happened across the country. It has to end now. And it starts with every school protesting. And we are here today to stop this shooting! Today! Every school should walk out right now and go and protest!

PROTESTERS: Disarm the NRA! Disarm the NRA! Disarm the NRA! Disarm the NRA! Disarm the NRA!

AMY GOODMAN: The nationwide student walkouts occurred one month after 17 students and faculty were shot dead at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. At many schools, students walked out for 17 minutes—one minute for each person murdered in Parkland. The students at Majory Stoneman Douglas High School are now organizing a massive March for Our Lives on March 24th in Washington, D.C. Democracy Now! will be there, broadcasting live the entire march. Solidarity marches are planned for across the country. In Brooklyn, New York, a walkout occurred at Edward R. Murrow High School.

ANASTASIA BEIRNE-MEYER: We are standing here today, halting our education to show that we will not be living in fear of a school shooter. We will not be next. We will not sit in our classrooms wondering why Congress is not working as hard as we are. We will not overlook the fact that it is the students’ responsibility to speak out against the dangers of guns. And I’m not just talking about mass shootings. I’m talking about the militarization of our law enforcement and the normalization of these weapons in our communities. We will not let our future be dictated by the millions of dollars from the National Rifle Association that prevent stronger gun laws.

AMY GOODMAN: We begin today’s show in Denver, Colorado, where we’re joined by two organizers of a student walkout at Kunsmiller Creative Arts Academy in Denver, Colorado. We’re joined by Lali Mares and Luna Baez. Luna is the daughter of the undocumented activist Jeanette Vizguerra, who’s one of the founders of the Metro Denver Sanctuary Coalition. Jeanette Vizguerra took refuge, sanctuary, in Denver, but now is now out, because there is a private bill that protects her.
Luna Baez and Lali Mares, we welcome you both to Democracy Now! Luna, let’s begin with you. Talk about what happened yesterday at your middle school.

LUNA BAEZ: What happened yesterday at our middle school was we walked out in support of better gun laws and for the 17 that fell during the Parkland school shooting.

NERMEEN SHAIKH: You talk about what kind of response you and Luna received when you started to organize this protest. What did teachers and students at your school say to you?

CITLALI MARES: Some of our teachers were very hesitant about the walkout. A lot of them supported us, but we knew that there are some that weren’t going to be able to help us to the maximum we needed. And then the students felt like it was very important, and it was important for them to walk out with us, because they knew that it affected them in a very big way.

NERMEEN SHAIKH: And what about your school principal and other school administrators?

CITLALI MARES: We didn’t hear much about our principal. Our vice principal was out there while we were walking out. So, it was good to have that kind of support while we were there.

AMY GOODMAN: Luna, can you talk about why you chose to be one of the organizers of this protest? And what grade are you in?

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Question related to this article:

Do you think handguns should be banned?, Why or why not?

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LUNA BAEZ: I am in eighth grade. And the reason I chose to be one of the organizers was because from what I know. Me and Lali had a bit more experience than the other children—

AMY GOODMAN: In organizing?

LUNA BAEZ: —and the other students. Yes.

AMY GOODMAN: And would you say that experience comes from organizing around your mom, Jeanette Vizguerra?

LUNA BAEZ: Yes.

AMY GOODMAN: And do you see these issues as linked? Can you talk about your mom just for a few minutes? I visited her in Denver at the Unitarian Church, where she had taken sanctuary, before she was able to come out because she’s protected by a bill that was passed in Congress.

LUNA BAEZ: So, I would say it would be linked, because my experience with media and all things related to that are from my mom’s process.

AMY GOODMAN: And, Lali, why did you choose to help organize this student walkout? And what demands are you making of President Trump, of Congress, of the NRA?

CITLALI MARES: I chose to organize, to help organize the walkout because I knew that this wouldn’t just affect us as a school, it would affect everyone in the United States and out of the United States, because this is something that’s bigger. And with a bigger group of students, it can allow us to create a bigger impact.

And I would just want the president to pass something that says that we can—we have better laws about guns, not necessarily taking away the guns, but nobody needs that type of weapon in their house, where somebody who doesn’t need that has it in their hands and something like Parkland can happen.

NERMEEN SHAIKH: And, Lali, how many students participated from your school in the walkout? Were you surprised by how many did or how many didn’t?

CITLALI MARES: Yes, we expected maybe 20, 25, 30. We didn’t expect that big of a group, and we thought it would just be eighth graders walking out with us. As Luna and I were walking the halls, we noticed that high schoolers were joining some of the sixth and seventh graders. So, I would say about 70, 80. It wasn’t a big a—like a big size, but it was large for us as our first walkout.

AMY GOODMAN: And, of course, 2,000 Denver-area students also walked out all over, many marching to the state Capitol. I want to thank Luna Baez and Citlali Mares for joining us from Kunsmiller Creative Arts Academy in Denver, as we go back to more voices from the nationwide student walkout on Wednesday.

PROTESTERS: No more silence! End gun violence! No more silence! End gun violence!

AHRIANA MERRYWEATHER: All these people have come together today so that they can express how they feel about gun violence and all these things and how kids don’t feel safe in their schools, which is the one place we should feel safe, because that’s where we spend most of our time.

REEM ARAJAI: I hope that the president will step up, stop accepting money from the NRA, because if all of the deaths that have occurred aren’t enough to convince him, then I guess it just has to be us protesting right now.

SIMONE HICKS: If you can protect guns this much and don’t have the same regard for the people who are going to create your country in the future, then we’re in trouble. The kids are the future. If you’re not protecting the kids, then what’s left?

PROTESTERS: I call BS! I call BS! I call BS!

NUPOL KIAZOLU: My name is Nupol Kiazolu. I’m 17 years old, and I’m president of the Youth Coalition for Black Lives Matter New York. I’m out here also because I lost my father to gun violence, and I lost many family members and friends to gun violence. Gun violence is not a new issue. It affects our communities every single day, and it affects black and Latino communities disproportionately. I came here to give honor to those 17 lives that were lost, because those people were heroes. But we don’t need any more martyrs. We need justice. And that starts here and now.

PROTESTER 1: This is about people—gay, straight, black, white, religious, nonreligious—coming together so their kids don’t have to be afraid to go to school.

CAROLINA THOMAS: Hi. My name’s Carolina Thomas, and I’m 12 years old. And I’m here today because I’m sick and tired of hearing that someone has died at school innocently. I am sick and tired of hearing that someone has been killed at school while learning how to read or write. Why are we fighting for something that the adults should be fighting for? Why are we here marching and walking out of school, when the people of Congress should be protecting us?

PROTESTER 2: It makes sense to me that the only problem is the guns. Get rid of the guns, get rid of the violence. We have the most guns than any country on the face of this world. We’re the richest country that’s ever existed on the planet, and we can’t deal with these issues? It doesn’t make any sense.

PROTESTERS: Donald Trump, Mike Pence, gun control is common sense! Donald Trump, Mike Pence, gun control is common sense!

MARIA LOPEZ: As students, we’re here uniting our voices to advocate for like more stricter gun laws and for a safer school environment, because that’s why we come here. We come here for an education, and we don’t come here to be worrying, “Am I going to go home or not?”

JOEY ZARATE: In order to get our stronger message across, we needed to hold it here, where everyone gets to hear that we are together, we are one, we are with Florida. At the end of the day, we just want our schools to be safe and never be shot up again. That’s why we say, “Never again.”

PROTESTERS: Enough is enough! Enough is enough! Enough is enough!

PROTESTER 3: We grow guns. We place them in the hands of Americans and say, “Go play.” The inevitable senseless violence that follows is succeeded by senseless silence.

AMY GOODMAN: Voices from the nationwide student walkout on Wednesday. It’s estimated about a million people walked out, not only in the United States, but calling for gun control all over the world, in solidarity with the students at Parkland.

This is Democracy Now! We’ll be in Washington, D.C., on March 24th, covering the March for Our Lives, organizing the student survivors of Parkland, organizing around the Valentine’s Day massacre, calling for comprehensive gun control.

This is Democracy Now! When we come back, we go to Alabama to hear about another school shooting, just a few weeks after Parkland, that hasn’t gotten anything like the attention of what happened in Florida. Stay with us.

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, North America

World Social Forum opens in Salvador de Bahia

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

Information from Radio Reloj Cuba, Prensa Latina and Prensa Latina

On March 14, with the cry of Fora Temer replicated in tens of thousands of voices, the Brazilian city of Salvador de Bahia opened its doors to the thirteenth World Social Forum.

The traditional march opened the meeting officially, with an intense program for which more than 1600 self-managed activities by groups, organizations and entities were registered.


(Click on photo to enlarge)

This Friday, the World Assembly of Women will take place, with more than twenty thousand participants and from which it is intended to constitute a single front to defend women´s rights and face machismo and violence.

Mariana Dias, President of the National Union of Students, pointed out that the meeting takes place in the midst of a difficult situation in Brazil and Latin America, marked by setbacks from the social and political points of view.

The conference began on Tuesday, March 13th and runs until Saturday, March 17th. . . .

Even before the opening march, the first denunciation launched here today at the World Social Forum was against the attempts of Michel Temer”s government to leave Brazilian civil society without a voice.

The denunciation was made at a press conference, after the public media network Brazil Communication Company (EBC) announced that it will not cover the event because its board did not authorize correspondents to travel here.

Shortly after taking the Presidency of the Republic, Temer eliminated the Curator Council of the EBC, appointed a new director by decree and changed the functional structure of the company.

On the importance of this 13th World Social Forum (WSF), President of the National Union of Students (UNE) Mariana Diasin told the media that the event is taking place in the middle of a difficult situation, not only in Brazil, but in Latin America and the world.

She said that in recent years there have been historical setbacks, from the social and political points of view, as a result ‘there is a perverse withdrawal of rights’, which were achieved after many years of struggle.

(Article continued in right column)

Question for this article:

World Social Forums, Advancing the Global Movement for a Culture of Peace?

(Article continued from left column)

She said that Brazil is living a very delicate time after the interruption of the democratic process (with the parliamentary-judicial coup d’etat carried out in 2016 against constitutional President Dilma Rousseff) and currently a neoliberal agenda is implemented without taking into account the opinion and willingness of the people. . . .

This is the seventh time since its creation in 2001 that Brazil welcomes thousands of participants at the World Social Forum. . .

With a birth certificate in Porto Alegre, where it was held again in 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2012, the great meeting of social, people’s and trade union movements was also organized in 2009 by another Brazilian city, Belem.

Besides Brazil, another five nations were already witness to these events: India, in 2004; Kenya, in 2007; Senegal in 2011: Tunis, in 2013 and Canada, in its more recent edition of 2016.

In its Salvador de Bahia event, starting today with a grand march from Cmpo Grande until the Castro Alves square, in the ancient center of the city, the World Social Forum ‘has everything to i9mpact politically in the present situation’, valued the member of the Facilitating Group, Carlos Tiburcio.

For the journalist and director of the web Radio Democracia en el Aire – Red de Resistencia Democrática, there are strong reasons for this global venue to become a great trench of resistance to the offensive of international capital, and will also have special importance for tje social and political Brazilian forces.

According to the also founder of the Forum, over 1300 self-paid activities were already registered for the event, whose fundamental nucleus will take place in Campus Ondina, of the Federal University of Bahia.

The Forum’s program includes, among others, a colloquium on March 14 on the state of exception in Brazil and inequalities, democratic fragility and power of elites.

Work sessions of the meeting will start with the panel ‘Tutoring democracies: media, power and manipulation’, in charge of journalists Ignacio Ramonet and Martin Granovsky.

Other issues to be debated there are judicialization of politics or the politicization of justice; Inequalities: which, why and until when?; Racism, violence and discrimination: human rights in the coup d’état Brazil.

The colloquium will conclude with a debate about the left’s challenges: the fight for unity in an uncertain future, for which he announced the presence of director of the Center of Social Studies of Portugal, Boaventura de Sousa Santos.

As part of the program there will also be the World Women and Peoples Assemblies, Movements and Territories in Resistance, as well as the so-called convergence activities, the self-managed ones and others of political-cultural nature.

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin America

Mexico: Tlalnepantla hosts the “Encounter of Women for Peace”

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

An article by Lauro Galicia for Acustiko Noticias

In the ‘Encounter of Women for Peace’ in Tlalnepantla, State of Mexico, successful women shared local and international experiences to counter scenarios of violence and insecurity .


(Click on photo to enlarge)

In leading this meeting, the mayor Denisse Ugalde Alegría recognized the work of Rosa Cristina Parra Lozano, specialist in communication for development and citizen activism, as well as Margarita Solano Abadía, promoter of peace journalism, who participated as speakers and have been leaders in their respective areas.

She emphasized that each women of this municipality, whether operating in the field of politics, business, restaurant, sports and social, can lay the foundations for peace building and make a difference in their community.

She recalled that in order to make a common front against violence and crime, in Tlalnepantla the Neighborhood Networks of Security program was launched, an initiative that engages the citizenry in the construction of safe and peaceful environments.

(Article continued in the right column)

(Click here for the original in Spanish.)

Question for this article

Do women have a special role to play in the peace movement?

(Article continued from the left column)

One week after the installation of the first alarm system in the municipality, about 14 thousand citizens of Tlalepantla have already been organized in neighborhood security networks, defining 199 points of installation of the 324 alarms, which means an advance of 61.5 percent.

She pointed out that daily meetings are held for the formation of these networks, which are composed of 70 neighbors on average. The networks aim to strengthen the capacities of organization, collaboration and solidarity, to promote and address violence and insecurity that afflict the municipality .

Ugalde Alegría added that about 500 public servants from all areas of the administration, have already been sensitized and trained in these issues of attention to citizenship, in addition to having held work meetings aimed at restoring public confidence.

She explained that among the communities that have already installed the alarm systems, are Santa María Tlayacampa, Jardines de Santa Mónica, Electra, Cuauhtémoc, Unidad Habitacional El Tenayo, Lázaro Cárdenas, San Juan Ixhuatepec, Leandro Valle, Los Pirules and Prensa Nacional, to name a few.

The meeting was moderated by Angélica Garnica Sosa, integrator of Culture of Peace. Colombian journalist Margarita Solano shared her experience of what she experienced in Ciudad Juárez, considered at one point as the most dangerous and violent city in the world.

Also, activist Rosa Cristina Parra narrated her experience as coordinator of the worldwide mobilization against the FARC and the work she promoted so that Colombia regains peace.

Women of Tlalnepantla exchanged points of view with the speakers, and expressed their interest in continuing to work in this municipality to consolidate a culture of peace and thereby build a safe place for their families.

Latin America, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

On the way to the World Social Forum in Bahia

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

An article from Attac

The next World Social Forum (WSF) will take place in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil, from 13 to 17 March 2018.

This WSF session is unlikely to have the same impact as the WSFs of the 2000s, but it will bring together many participants, mainly from the city and state of Salvador but also from the Americas (North and South). South) as of some European countries, starting with France.


(Click on photo to enlarge)

The Brazilian political situation, with a presidential election to be held in the autumn of this year, will obviously weigh on this WSF, which will be mobilized against the austerity policies at work in the country.

In this context, several elements that justify Attac’s presence and involvement in this WSF deserve to be highlighted.

(Article continued in right column)

(Click here for the article in French.)

Question for this article:

World Social Forums, Advancing the Global Movement for a Culture of Peace?

(Article continued from left column)

* The international situation is very unstable, a consequence of the weakening of American domination, and is marked by the coming to power of “populist”, xenophobic leaders tempted by authoritarian policies. It is therefore particularly important for movements around the world to be able to analyze this new situation and to exchange the experiences of the various resistance struggles that are developing on all continents.

* This WSF will be another opportunity to debate on the situation and balance sheet of left-wing governments in South America. These debates that continue regularly at each international meeting (Montreal WSF or People’s Summit in Buenos Aires during the WTO Ministerial for example) and are interesting for all movements, in America as on other continents.

* Salvador is one of the cities of Brazil where the population of African origin is the most important (Brazil having been the country in America with the most slaves). Discrimination, the aftermath of slavery and post-colonial issues will therefore be central.

Attac France will therefore be present at the World Social Forum in Salvador, with a delegation composed of members of the Board of Directors and facilitators of the “Systemic Alternatives” project (a project led by Attac France, Solon Foundation of Bolivia and Focus On The Global South, based in Southeast Asia that has helped to publish the book Le Monde emerges).

If you wish to contact the Attac delegation on site, you can contact fsm2018@attac.org.

Registration for the Forum is on the wsf2018.org website; when you register on this site do not forget to join the organization “Attac France”.

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, global, Latin America,

14th Annual Israeli Apartheid Weeks of actions

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

Information from Apartheid Week website and twitter page

The 14th Annual Israeli Apartheid Weeks of actions will take place all around the world in March and April. Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) is an international series of events that seek to raise awareness of Israel’s apartheid system over the Palestinian people and to build support for the growing Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

A report released earlier this year by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) proves beyond doubt that Israel has imposed a system of apartheid on the entire Palestinian people and calls for BDS measures to end Israel’s apartheid regime.

Inspired by the popular resistance across historic Palestine and struggles worldwide, IAW 2017 included a wide range of events from lectures, film screenings, cultural performances, and BDS actions, to postering in metro stations, setting up apartheid walls on campuses, and many more. These actions took place in more than 200 cities across the world.

The coming year (2018) will mark 70 years of Palestinian popular resistance against the ongoing process of dispossession and ethnic cleansing, since the 1948 Nakba.The Palestinian people’s resistance against colonization has in fact been longer than that. From the Balfour Declaration of 1917 to the present moment- Palestinians have fought for their dignity, their rights, and their lands. IAW is an opportunity to reflect on this resistance and further advance BDS campaigns for the continued growth and impact of the movement. Despite Israel’s legal and propaganda war on BDS internationally, IAW and the BDS movement continue to build linkages and solidarity with other struggles to achieve freedom, justice, and equality.

(continued in right column)

Question related to this article:

Presenting the Palestinian side of the Middle East, Is it important for a culture of peace?

Israel/Palestine, is the situation like South Africa?

(continued from left column)

If you would like to organize and be part of Israeli Apartheid Week on your campus or in your city, check out what events are already planned at apartheidweek.org, find us on Facebook and Twitter, register online http://apartheidweek.org/organise/ and get in touch with IAW coordinators in your region. For more information and support, please contact iawinfo@apartheidweek.org.

Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) 

To close #IsraeliApartheidWeek 2018, the IPSC held actions highlighting Helwett-Packard’s (HP) profiteering from Israel’s occupation and illegal colonisation of #Palestine.

In #Omagh and #Ennis we hosted information and petition collecting stalls, in #Dublin we staged a ‘mock checkpoint’ on Dublin’s busiest shopping street to give people an insight into the daily fear and humiliation faced by Palestinians living under Israel’s occupation, and in #Derry we brought the noise to the city’s famous walls.

Now we’re asking YOU to sign the pledge to boycott HP products, to refuse to buy their good in the future until they stop helping Israel oppress and colonise Palestine. Sign the #BoycottHP Pledge here: http://www.ipsc.ie/hp

Kenya na Palestine

#IsraeliApartheidWeek kicks off next Monday, March 12th with a great line-up of Palestinian films & discussions taking place across Nairobi, over the entire month. First stop Mathare!

Israeli Apartheid Week – Kingston, Ontario

Events beginning today [March 12] hosted by @SPHRQU in Kingston #Ontario, including a poetry night exploring parallels between Turtle Island and Palestine with @EricaVioletLee #IsraeliApartheidWeek

(Thank you to Janet Hudgins, the CPNN reporter for this article.)

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, global, Mideast,

What Is CSW and Why Are We in New York to Be Part of It?

. WOMEN’S EQUALITY .

An article from the Intenational Women’s Development Agency

CSW is the largest gathering of the 193 UN Member States and other stakeholders that’s focused on the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. This annual forum can have huge real-world applications to the lives of millions of women around the world. It’s a place where those with power come together to make decisions that affect real women’s lives. 

A BIT OF HISTORICAL CONTEXT

In its 61 years, CSW has contributed to huge progress for women. CSW is where conventions and guidelines that are still used today to protect the political, social and economic rights of women were passed, like the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination of Women (otherwise known as CEDAW). Before CSW, ‘men’ was still used as a synonym for all of humanity. It was also the place where, in 1975, the 8th of March was formally recognised as International Women’s Day. Over the years, CSW has also been critical in recognising rape as a weapon of war, a view that was then formalised at the International Criminal Court.

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS AT THE COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN?

The first week is a time for UN Member States, Civil Society Organisations (this just means organisations like us and other not-for-profits) and other stakeholders to deliver large plenary presentations on the year that was in gender equality, discuss innovations in this space and share recommendations for the coming year.

Week one of CSW is jam-packed full of debate, strategising and planning. Governments of the world come together in high level meetings to discuss the myriad of issues affecting women. Everything is up for discussion, but this year’s focus is on women’s economic empowerment. Ministers and Heads of State will gather and discuss how they will further the full and equal participation of women in their economies.

Leaders will share ideas and strategies about how to improve women’s economic participation through clearer policy and formal governmental commitments to gender equality. Civil Society Organisations will attend meetings, lobby Governments, liaise with decision makers and ensure the voices of diverse women are represented.

After the first week of meetings, discussions and debate among delegates, the week two of CSW is all about negotiating the “agreed conclusions”, which sets out Governments’ commitments to advance women’s rights post-CSW. It sounds simple enough, but the policy agenda that comes out of CSW requires feedback from many different people – and just about every word is hotly contested.

The “agreed conclusions” is a huge document, but an important one to get right – it’s designed to inform policy on women’s human rights across the world. If a government signs up, they’re obligated to deliver on it, which is why so much time is spent in discussions, negotiations and debate to reach an outcome that can be agreed on.

(continued in right column)

Question for this article

Does the UN advance equality for women?

(continued from left column)

WHY DO WE GO?

Women’s rights organisations and networks, both at home and abroad, have a key role to play in ensuring that the priorities of women on the ground are taken into account. But despite the importance of reflecting real women’s circumstances in the decisions that come out of CSW, women’s rights organisations and other Civil Society Organisations aren’t allowed to be involved in the formal negotiations of the “agreed conclusions”. This is reserved for governments. That’s why we need to show up and be as vocal as we can about the key issues that affect women’s lives and where women’s rights remain at risk.

We’ve seen true progress come out of CSW. But it’s always been a fight to get things passed, and over the past five to six years, we’ve seen a group of states coming together to push back against the gains we’ve made in gender equality and women’s human rights. Sexual health and reproductive rights are being impinged, comprehensive sex education to halt HIV isn’t always happening, and interested parties with fundamentalist ideas about women’s role in society are advocating for abstinence. Action to address these issues has already been agreed upon in the past, but these issues are still being contested and pushed back on.

If women’s rights advocates are not there to speak up, CSW gives states, lobbyists and those who wish to maintain the status quo of gender inequality a chance to push us backwards. We need to be there to hold the line and keep the discussion moving forward.

WHAT DOES A DAY AT A BIG GLOBAL CONFERENCE LOOK LIKE?

It starts early. It ends late. We don’t stop.

Days start at 7am with teams touching base and sharing information about what’s happening in the negotiating rooms. We check in to see how everyone is travelling, what we need to achieve for the day, and figure out conversations to pursue with decision makers.

Over the course of day we meet with Government delegations; catch up with fellow activists and make plans for the future; work with our colleagues to find ways to contribute to debate around the “agreed conclusions”; and meet with funders to share results and attempt to secure more funding for the women’s rights movement.

Our colleagues have told us that CSW can be personally challenging. They say it’s confronting to see the denial of women’s humanity and rights, particularly by legitimised groups like UN Nation States. As an organisation that works in research, policy, advocacy and programs, we know the impacts these decisions can have on the lives of women. We can see ahead. At the moment, we’re seeing the disturbing rise of rhetoric around women’s primary role being motherhood and caregivers. This is something that needs to change. We’re seeing countries decriminalising violence. We’re seeing women’s rights at risk.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR THE PEOPLE INVOLVED?

When the UN can’t back criminalisation of domestic violence, it lets national governments decriminalise domestic violence. If the UN can’t back comprehensive sexuality education, it allows National Governments and conservative groups to withhold education and resources around pregnancy and protection against STIs. When the UN can’t back the human rights of people with diverse sexualities and gender identities, it creates environments in which states can create laws which make homosexuality punishable by death.

We go to CSW because we want to change the laws and policies around the world to achieve gender equality, and CSW is the preeminent global policy space in which to do this. We go to get in front of Governments and funders of the world to ensure their political and financial commitment to women’s rights. We also go to build the global alliances between women’s activists, organisations, and feminists. We go because it isn’t just a lofty political event – it effects real women’s lives. We go to create change.

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UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW62)

. WOMEN’S EQUALITY .

An article from UN Women

The Issue: Empowerment of rural women and girls

She works from daybreak until sundown, and often beyond. She tills the land and grows the food that feeds families and nations, but often without land rights, or equal access to finances and technology that can improve her livelihood. She is working as hard, or more, as the man next to her, but have less income. She has much to contribute, but will her rights, voice and experience shape the policies that affect her life?

Without rural women and girls, rural communities and urban societies would not function. Yet, on almost every measure of development, because of gender inequalities and discrimination, they fare worse than rural men or urban women.

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Question for this article

Does the UN advance equality for women?

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Less than 13 per cent  of landholders worldwide are women, and while the global pay gap between men and women stand at 23 per cent, in rural areas, it can be as high as 40 per cent.

For far too long, rural women’s and girls’ rights, livelihoods and wellbeing have been overlooked or insufficiently addressed in laws, policies, budgets and investments. They lack infrastructure and services, decent work and social protection, and are left more vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Gender-based violence and harmful practices continue to limit their lives and opportunities.

The 62nd session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW62), the UN’s largest gathering on gender equality, is taking place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 12 – 23 March 2018. It will focus on the theme, “Challenges and opportunities in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls”.

The Commission is one of the largest annual gathering of global leaders, NGOs, private sector actors, United Nations partners and activists from around the world focusing on the status of rights and empowerment of all women and girls, everywhere. Check out CSW62 events.

Join us to learn more about rural women’s lives, their priorities and accomplishments. Follow the unfolding conversation at the United Nations and in rural communities worldwide.

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International Women’s Day Celebration and Launching Ceremony of the “Libya for Peace” Campaign, 8 March 2018

. WOMEN’S EQUALITY .

Announcements from CNBC Africa and UNSMIL twitter

The “Libya for Peace” Campaign was launched on International Women’s Day held in cooperation with the General Authority for Culture and the support of the United Nations.


GhassanSalame addressing the launch of ‘#Libya for #Peace Campaign (photo from UNSMIL twitter)
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Question for this article

Do women have a special role to play in the peace movement?

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“Libya for Peace” Campaign aims at promoting a culture of peace and peaceful coexistence and highlighting the role of women in peacemaking.

This Campaign was initiated by a group of Libyan women after a series of meetings and conferences that resulted in the nomination of seven women from different regions of Libya as coordinators of the campaign.

This inaugural ceremony is the first of several activities to highlight the general plan of the “Libya for Peace” Campaign and the Women’s Peace Document that emerged from the Libyan Women’s Peace Conference held in Montreux, Switzerland, in September 2015.

Opening Remarks:

•       Coordinators of the “Libya for Peace” Campaign

•       Dr. Hassan Ewneis, Director of the General Authority for Culture

•       Dr. Asma Alosta, Minister of State for Women Affairs and Social Development

•       Dr. Ghassan Salamé, Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Libya.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).

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What Women Bring to the Constitution-Writing Table

. WOMEN’S EQUALITY .

A blog by Marie O’Reilly* for Ms Magazine Blog

When social norms are upended by violence—including relations between women and men—constitution reform presents an opportunity to transform power dynamics in a society. Rewriting a country’s constitution is a frequent step on the path toward peace, and is a particularly important entry point for women to address their historic marginalization and have a say in the future of their societies.


UN Women / Creative Commons
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Yet among the 75 countries that undertook constitution reform in the wake of conflict or unrest between 1990 and 2015, women made up only one in five constitution drafters.

As individuals, women play myriad roles in peace and conflict—victims and perpetrators, peace activists and politicians—and they often embody many of these identities at once. But a new study from the nonprofit Inclusive Security, where I serve as research director, shows that when women do participate in constitution making, they consistently advocate for constitutional provisions that advance gender equality.

In Kenya, this meant equal rights and non-discrimination in marriage, divorce, property and citizenship—as well as a commitment that no more than two-thirds of any elected body could be of the same gender. In Rwanda, it meant a guarantee that women would occupy at least 30 percent of seats in parliament.

These kinds of gender equality provisions help to ensure that women can continue to influence public policy after the constitution-making process ends.

They also help lay a foundation for peace.

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Question for this article

Do women have a special role to play in the peace movement?

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There are many drivers of conflict, but scholarly research suggests a strong relationship between gender equality and peace. This is particularly true for women’s participation in politics and the durability of peace after war. A study of 58 conflict-affected states between 1980 and 2003 found that when no women were represented in the legislature, the risk that a country would relapse into war increased over time. But when 35 percent of lawmakers are women, the risk of relapse is near zero. The causal direction is not always clear, but working for both equality and peace at once appears to be in everyone’s interest.

Beyond advocating for their own rights in the constitutional text, our research showed that women tended to advance peace-building as part of the constitutional process. Across eight case studies, women frequently bridged acute political and religious divides to advance their gender equality agenda, modeling for other policymakers how communities affected by conflict can collaborate and develop consensus on priority issues.

Women’s civil society groups also consistently led outreach initiatives to broaden societal participation and help cement the social contract as it was being created.

In the Philippines, women’s organizations engaged former combatants, students, academics and religious, tribal and business leaders to develop draft provisions on topics such as indigenous peoples’ rights, the justice system and policing.

Of course, it takes much more work to turn constitutional provisions into tangible change. In Rwanda, women now have the highest rates of parliamentary representation in the world. In Kenya, on the other hand, the parliament has failed to enforce the two-thirds principle. But as a foundational legal text, a constitution provides a framework for advocacy and further legislation. Kenyan women took the streets last January to protest their president’s failure to name women to at least one-third of his new cabinet, and their banners referenced the constitutional provisions that he was violating. Two Kenyan rights groups have taken the issue to the High Court.

If done right, constitution-making lays the groundwork for civil contestation, rather than violent confrontation. But its potential to transform conflict into democratic deliberation depends, in part, on who gets to participate.

* Marie O’Reilly is director of research and analysis at Inclusive Security.

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