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Who's making policy? What difference does it
make?
An international conference on
gender-inclusive decision making for peace with
justice
October 18-20, 2006 Joan B. Kroc
Institute for Peace & Justice San Diego,
CA
Co-Convened by Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace
& Justice (IPJ) and United Nations Development Fund for Women
(UNIFEM)
Apply
to be a conference delegate.
International resolutions and agreements call for women to be at all
policymaking tables. This is an international working conference on
the shaping of peacemaking, peacekeeping, and peacebuilding policies when
women are more engaged. Experts will present signs of influence on policy
direction as women and men work jointly on peace and human security
issues. Challenges to women's inclusion in, and within,
decision-making bodies in multiple spheres of power will be exposed.
Delegates and speakers will explore positive outcomes, as well as inherent
roadblocks, in efforts to hold governments, political parties,
peacekeepers, armed forces, corporations, religious institutions and civil
society accountable for progress in incorporating women as essential
partners and voices in peace negotiations, demobilization and disarmament,
reconciliation, reconstruction and development, and creation of new
constitutions.
Peacebuilding in the twenty-first century is a complex process.
It is essential to understand how gender-inclusive decision making in four
key sectors can affect and influence peace processes. Distinguished
representatives from governments, corporations, peacekeeping and armed
forces, and the religious sector who are charged with setting the
priorities for conflict prevention, negotiations, or postconflict
transitions and healing will update conference delegates. We will
look at progress in implementation of the international policy frameworks
calling for equal participation of men and women in decision making in
their respective sectors.*
In addition panel presentations, a series of knowledge-building,
working sessions will give delegates the opportunity to directly engage
with and learn from one another and build cross-sector networks and
alliances. Delegates will be able to gather and synthesize from the global
reports on successes and challenges to gender equality in consultations
and decision making on such topics as going to war, peace negotiations,
peacekeeping, and postconflict activities including securing more equal
roles in political, legislative, reconstruction, and constitutional
framing bodies.
This will be the third Women PeaceMakers Conference at the IPJ,
supported by funding from the Fred J. Hansen Foundation. It builds
on the 2004 "Promoting Women's Equal Participation in Peace & Security
Processes: Operationalizing UN Security Council Resolution 1325"** and the
2005 "Global Women's Court of Accountability, Public Hearing on Gross
Violations of Women's Human Rights in Conflict and the Power of
International Instruments to Address Gender-based Crimes."*** With
the 2006 IPJ Women PeaceMakers in residence and colleagues from the front
lines of conflict transformation around the world, we trust this program
will open wider the doors to cross-sector partnerships and deeper
understanding of the importance of peace with justice that includes women
and men working together.
Conference fee is $120.00 and $60.00 for students. Student scholarships
and opportunities to serve as notetakers will be available and details
announced July 1. An agenda will be on line as of August 15 and
distinguished speakers will be listed as they are confirmed.
*Primary international policy frameworks include: Beijing
Platform for Action (Paragraph 181), Convention on the Elimination of All
Forms of Discrimination against Women (Article 7), and UN Security Council
Resolution 1325. **http://peace.sandiego.edu/reports/ConferenceReports/1325.html
***http://peace.sandiego.edu/programs/GlobalWomensCourtPg.html
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