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The Huairou Commission Member Networks are currently engaged in two projects that harvest the strategies developed and lessons learned by community based groups and non-governmental organizations who engage with local authorities and other stakeholders to improve basic service delivery, safety and security for women and communities, obtain recognition for their work, and to direct resources available at the local level to reflect communities' needs. These initiatives include:
- Mapping Strategies to Improve Safety and Security for Women - a collaborative initiative between the UN-Habitat Safer Cities Program and the Huairou Commission
- Documenting Innovations in Local Authority and Grassroots Partnerships
Mapping Strategies to Improve Safety and Security for
Women We invite you to join in the development of a database and directory through
completing the survey below. This will enable us to begin the process of network
building and knowledge exchange in this important area for women. Download our survey here: We invite you to join in the development of a database and directory through
completing the survey below. This will enable us to begin the process of network
building and knowledge exchange in this important area for women. Please pass
this message to any other organizations or institutions you know that work on
women's safety issues. All submissions are due by Friday, August 10th. Reply to
survey@femmesetvilles.org and/or governance@huairou.org, or fax to 514-288-8763
(in canada) or 718-388-8915 (in U.S.A.)
As the first step in the development of a Global Campaign on
Women's Safety, the Huairou Commission has been commissioned by the UN-Habitat
Safer Cities Program to conduct a global assessment of the on-going work and
successful practices organizations and institutions, both governmental and
non-governmental, have developed responding to lack of safety and security for
women in their communities. The assessment is led by member networks of the
Huairou Commission, Women in Cities International and Women and Habitat Network
- Latin American, and results will be shared at the International Conference on
the State of Safety in World Cities 2007 in Monterrey, Mexico from October 1st -
5th, 2007 (for more information click here to visit the: Monterrey
Conference Website)
In
English
In
French.
Documenting Innovations in Local Authority and Grassroots
Partnerships The Slovak Mother Centers were the first organization within the networks to
complete this challenge. The result is a rich report of the strategies and steps
used by the Union of Mother Centers to partner with local government for a
positive impact upon the policies and programs that affect the daily lives of
the mothers, parents and children the Union of Mother Centers works to serve.
Download their report here: A
better world for mothers
What does it take for grassroots women's groups to
build relationships with local authorities, establish permanent mechanisms for
poor and/or marginalized groups to engage with local authorities, and ensure
governments are held accountable to community needs? By looking to the knowledge
and expertise of our own networks, GROOTS International joined additional
Huairou Commission networks to support the documentation and self-analysis of
successes and challenges grassroots women's groups have experienced through
building relationships with government authorities at the local and national
levels.
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The contributions of Grassroots women in the field of disaster risk reduction were recognized at high level plenary at the historic first convening of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction convened by UNISDR, the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR).
The Global Platform is the main consultative forum on disaster risk reduction at the global level. It brings together a wide range of actors in the various sectors of development and humanitarian work, and in the environmental and scientific fields related to disaster risk reduction. It aims at expanding the political space dedicated by governments to disaster risk reduction, in all sectors, and contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals particularly in respect of poverty reduction and environmental sustainability. The Platform, as a global forum, will advocate for effective and timely action by nations, communities and all stakeholders and partners to mitigate risk, manage vulnerabilities and reduce disaster.
Representing different aspects of civil society, these community leaders and partners from local and national governments contributed to three days of high-level dialogue working towards enacting the Hyogo Framework for Action. The global representatives brought with them a message of gender inclusion and grassroots empowerment, emphasizing the need for national platforms to include community led action in disaster reduction strategies. The community leaders led a formal recommendation setting event of the UNISDR conference with national, local and inter-governmental officials participating. Together these actors developed a Report on National Mechanisms with Action Points, which were later presented to the Global Platform Plenary Session to better ensure community participation while integrating national DRR strategies.
GROOTS International and the Huairou Commission further contributed to the outcome documents from the Global Platform for Risk Reduction. The documents are available for download below, and on the GROOTS International website www.groots.org.
The first, "Gender Perspective: Working Together for Disaster Risk Reduction" is a booklet of case studies specifically focusing on gender, featuring several contributions by GROOTS International and including a preface by Sandy Schilen, Global Facilitator of GROOTS.
The second is the most recent issue of UN ISDR Highlights newsletter featuring news and outcomes from the Global Platform.
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