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CALL FOR INTEREST & PARTICIPATION

WOMEN'S EQUALITY STRUGGLES & HUMAN RIGHTS

WORLD SOCIAL FORUM 2009

PWESCR

EQUALINRIGHTS

Dear Colleagues,

Are you planning to go to the World Social Forum (WSF) in 2009? Are you planning any activities there?

Are you interested in participating in the Struggles for Gender Equity theme within the Human Dignity and Human Rights Caucus? There are various ways to participate including:

· Brainstorming on how to best use the proposed space for  human rights and gender

· Hosting your event in the human rights space

· Joining with others, or taking leadership to collectively organize one or more events, such as a panel discussion, plenary, round-table, workshop or other type of cultural event on issues linking gender equity struggles and human rights

· Coordinating all events being held under this theme

· Facilitating linkages between people interested in the theme, to exchange, share and build contacts

We – Equalinrights (The Netherlands) and PWESCR – The Programme for Women’s Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (India) have taken responsibility within the Caucus for mobilising a sub-group focused on women’s equality struggles and human rights in preparation for the upcoming WSF in Belem. We are keen to chat with you about your plans and any interest in working together or coordinating in the run up and at the Forum itself. We propose to host a skype chat with those interested in the first week of September to discuss possibilities further.

What is the Human Dignity and Human Rights Caucus about????

 The Caucus is a group of human rights and development related organisations that, over the past few World Social Forums, have come together to contribute to the coordination and visibility of human rights activities there. There were more than 80 organisations involved in the Caucus in the Nairobi 2007 WSF. The next WSF will be held in Belem do Para (Brazilian amazonian region) in January 2009 and we are starting to mobilize now. More information on previous activities of the Caucus, as well as about the organisations involved in Nairobi WSF 2007 and in the 2008 Global Action Day is available on:

http://hdhrc.over-blog.com/

For the 2009 WSF, the Caucus is focusing on facilitating alliance building, stimulating new linkages between diverse actors and hosting a human rights space as well as advancing core Human Rights themes. The Caucus will not organise any specific activity on its own.

The Caucus will focus its energies again around the following general themes:

1. Human rights and struggles for social and economic justice

2. Human rights and struggles for women’s equality

3. Human rights and struggles over habitat, land and environment

4. Human rights, mobility and citizenship gap

5. Human rights and conflict, militarization and culture of impunity

6. Human rights and faith and cultural diversity

Where is the process ???

Rosa Sanchez is again coordinating the efforts of the Caucus (coordinationhdhrc@yahoo.com),  with participating members of the core organizing group -HIC, ICCO, FIDH, FIAN, LWF, Equalinrights, PWESCR.

Initial explorations and outreach are currently taking place to draw in organisations/movements that would like to take leadership for these topics, to work with them or even to suggest another human rights related topic within the framework of the Caucus that they would like to lead. Let us know if you are interested in any other theme and we can connect you to the right contact person!

The Caucus is open to new ideas about what it could do and would welcome any proposal / suggestion which would help advance the Caucus objectives.

Get in touch!

If any of this interests you, please get in touch with me. Let me know your plans and ideas and participate in the skype chat in the week of 11^th August. In this regard, also please let me know which dates and times would be good for you for the skype chat.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Priiti Darooka

Executive Director

PWESCR (Programme on Women's Economic, Social and Cultural Rights)

New Delhi, India 110019

Phone: +91 (0)11-40536091/92

Mobile: +91 9910040419

pdarooka@pwescr.org

http://www.pwescr.org/

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