Overview
Prior to the 8WAMM representatives from civil society will come together at a Partners' Forum from 8 - 10 June 2007 to discuss and report on issues pertaining to the 8WAMM theme: "Financing Gender Equality for Development and Democracy " and to develop and write a communiqué to be presented to the Ministers. This forum is expected to attract over 250 representatives of civil society organisation from around the Commonwealth as well as the magistrates, judges, parliamentarians, business women and development partners interested in gender equality issues especially the CPoA.
The CSOs Partners Forum will feed into the plenaries of the Ministerial meetings, in which every 6 th speaker will be a civil society representative . The Thematic working groups at the WAMM offers opportunity for informal exchanges between government and civil society representatives as well as promoting open and constructive discussion in the government-civil society dialogue. Participation of civil society in the 8WAMM provides a unique opportunity for dialogue between governments and civil society on key gender issues of interest to Commonwealth countries.
Objectives
• Provide an opportunity for civil society organisations (CSOs) across the Commonwealth to share experiences and learning on the 8WAMM theme: Financing Gender Equality for Development and Democracy ;
• Network, share experiences and report on progress with the implementation of the CPoA and develop key messages for Ministers;
• Network and share experiences as well as report on critical challenges and emerging issues from the CPoA and to bring these to the attention of Ministers .
• Mobilise civil society opinion in advance of 8WAMM on the issues to be addressed by Ministers and senior officials.
Activities
• Civil Society Meeting (for CSOs) to be organised by the Commonwealth Women's Network to critically examine how the new aid architecture will impact on gender equality work. The main aim of this forum is to discuss the impact of the new aid modalities on gender equality work. The forum will provide an opportunity for civil society not only to make recommendations to the ministers meeting but also to prepare for the review of the Paris Declaration that will take place in Accra , Ghana in 2008.
• Gender and Human Rights Workshop for judicial officers, lawyers and paralegals in Uganda , Kenya and Tanzania . The Workshop will be organised by the Commonwealth Magistrates and Judges' Association and the Commonwealth Lawyers Association . There will be approximately fifteen participants in the workshop.
• A one-day workshop under InterAction Leadership Programme to be organised by the British Council. InterAction is a transformational leadership programme which, for the past three years, has been working with dynamic and innovative individuals who want to make a positive difference in their organisations and communities across Africa and the UK . The programme is a unique approach to leadership, and enables participants to engage with the challenges that their countries face by learning from what has worked and is working in Africa and other parts of the world.
• One-day workshop for ministers will be held in Kampala immediately prior to their triennial meeting in June 2007 . Facilitated by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), the purpose is to support Ministers as effective policy practitioners for gender equality and women's empowerment .
Click here to download a document showing the workshops at the Partners Forum.
Other activities in the Partners' Forum include a workshop for parliamentarians, organised by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, and a Commonwealth Business Women's Network Roundtable (for business women).
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Issues to be discussed/debated
The main issue to be addressed at the Partners Forum is whether the new aid initiatives have been successful in transforming Commonwealth societies to achieve gender equality. The Forum will focus on three key areas of the 8WAMM theme namely:
• Challenges of new aid modalities to gender equality work
• Role of civil society in the implementation of the Paris Declaration
• Gender in social transformation:
• democracy, peace and conflict
• human rights and law
• poverty eradication and economic empowerment
• Maternal health and HIV/AIDS
• Gender and education
The focus of the 8WAMM is motivated by the fact that the Commonwealth region is a host of the world's poorest nations where more than 800 million people live on less than one dollar a day. In the recent past, many countries in the region have been engaged in developing national Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRSP) in exchange for debt relief as demanded by the World Bank and other donors. There has also been commitment to increase development aid in order to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGS). However, despite all these initiatives poverty has remained widespread in most countries with women being the most affected. Poverty will continue to increase especially among women unless gender inequalities are addressed. Financing gender equality work contributes substantially to the elimination of gender inequalities in all spheres of life. In many commonwealth countries progress towards gender equality has been very slow because of failure to attach money to policy commitments leading to either inadequate or no implementation of gender related programs and actions.
Downloads
Schedule for the Partners Forum
List of Workshops at the Partners Forum
Options for accomodation
Proposed Conference Room Allocation
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