By Carolyn Handschin

In the 6th event in an ongoing peace building and human rights conference series, Women's Federation for World Peace, Int'l (WFWPI), partnered with the Geneva Interfaith Intercultural Alliance (GIIA) and the Universal Peace Federation (UPF), convening two sessions to mark the International Day of Families. Reinforcing the United Nation's declared theme for 2009, "Mothers and Families: Challenges in a Changing World", the pivotal role of the mother in the family, and the family in the community, took the stage in both sessions.

Chair, Dr. Alpha Ayande, Director of Synergy and Development, introduced the theme of family in its current social context. Afton Beutler, chair of the CONGO Committee on the Status of Women (CSW) Working Group on Health and Human Rights provided participants with examples of the primordial role that women have played in development issues. She noted some of the gaps that governments could help to fill in the areas of coordination and training.

Sonia Billard-Fattah, Coordinator for women's issues and online education at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), covered the very practical aspects of mothers as peacebuilders in their roles as caregivers, educators and models in their communities. She cited several best practices in the capacity that women can have to extend their "maternal embrace" beyond their own children to harness the strengths of community initiatives. She spoke of the very constructive power of intergenerational harmony and specifically about how her own father's interfaith lifestyle influenced her choices.

Michel Reymond, UPF Geneva Director, presented a more theoretical perspective concerning the roles of parents and family members in learning to live in peace, citing requirements for each developmental stage. Responding to the rather positive views presented, Dr. Christiane Agboton Johnson, Deputy Director of UNIDIR, reminded the participants of the other side, the destructive role that the family can hold in cases of some human rights violations like FGM or honor crimes. This sobering challenge underscored a common thread of the previous speakers' statements: prioritizing access to education including values based education. It was noted that celebration of this day each year is meant to be a time to create greater awareness about the current situation that families face, and how the UN, governments and civil society organizations can contribute to ameliorating the situation.

In the second session, four of twelve delegates of the GIIA's Youth Interfaith Council prepared statements on the family. Dorcas Pimizi (Christian), Marwa Mahmoud (Moslem), Jasdeep Singh (Sikh) and Nina Habermacher (Baha'i) were introduced by youth coordinator and WFWPI, Deputy Director of the UN Office, Carolyn Handschin, When each of the representatives spoke, they showed striking similarities in their analysis of the role of the family in today's society as a much needed stabilizing, strengthening and educative force. "As all major religions recognize", one delegate read, "when there is no distinction between our physical family and the neighborhood family around us, we will already be living in a culture of peace". She reminded us that religions teach those tools.

The commemoration concluded with a Youth Interfaith Council Resolution on the Family that highlighted the common contribution that religion can make to the family and that families can make toward the healing of our communities. It began, "As the Youth Interfaith Council, we feel as one family. We have learned that mutual respect can create unity within families and among cultures and religions. Family needs a common moral and spiritual support to achieve unity within. Priority for education for women will contribute to the achievement of equality of men and women. The concept of family values is the only way to create lasting peace and prosperity. In a family, each member is unique and each assists in the others' whole development. It implies that each has a different character with weaknesses and strengths, but are all called to progress together. Therefore, religion can be a supporting factor in guiding the family to realize the equality of its members, help them to work towards being an example in society and to form a vital and strong base for a strong society to be built on."

Strengthening Women's Leadership Capacities Through Education and Training

WFWPI 12th Annual Women’s Conference for Peace in the Middle East
June 17-18, 2008 - Palais des Nations, UN HQ Geneva

By Carolyn Handschin

One hundred sixty women leaders from the Middle East, North Africa, Europe and Japan, representing governments, international organizations and civil society institutions gathered at the United Nations in Geneva marking the 12th anniversary of the Women’s Conference for Peace in the Middle East. Discussions focused on identifying positive steps to improve access to education, tools and the mindset necessary for women to participate actively in the social, economic and political developments in their region. Holding the conference in Geneva presented a unique opportunity to forge partnerships outside of the region, share expertise and seek innovative solutions which built on conclusions from the previous eleven conferences. Over half the participants were under thirty years old, which contributed to the adoption of very forward looking strategies. "Without the active participation of women and the incorporation of women’s perspective at all levels of decision-making, the goals of equality, justice and peace cannot be achieved."

"At this time of global crises, it has become clear that women’s perspectives and talents are necessary to help redefine national and international priorities and to implement sustainable commitments to goals of peace and justice their governments have made," explained conference cochair, Carolyn Handschin, Deputy Director, WFWPI UN Office in her opening remarks.

The first speaker of the panel was Ambassador Luis A. De Alba, president of the historic first year of the Human Rights Council. He reminded participants that we are still building the three pillars of the UN. Enforcement of human rights comes through moral and political pressure, not force. As women are guaranteed equal access to education and as they take on roles to defend human rights, the new tools and mechanisms can deliver change.

Dr. Lan Yang Moon Park, WFWPI president affirmed the accomplishment of gathering women to break down barriers among ourselves first. She referred to the WFWPI Heart to Heart Peace Conference in 2004 in Jerusalem and last year’s gathering of 500 women from five continents in North Korea. We must all respond to the needs of our fellow human family members. Women need to be heard. We all know of Martin Luther King Jr., but few heard about Rosa Parks. When she decided not to give a seat to a white person on a bus and was arrested for that, many people sympathized with her. Martin Luther King Jr. came on that foundation.

Dr. Patricia Lewis, Director of UNIDIR (UN Institute on Disarmament Research) said that men and women need to think together, as well as people of different ages, cultures and knowledge. We need women from the Middle East to bring their knowledge and experience to the UN or peace cannot be made there. Peace will come from understanding and listening within a common framework.

H.E. In’am Al Mufti, the first woman minister (Social Development) in Jordan and special advisor for 10 years of this conference series, referred to a report that she had written for UNESCO "Learning the Treasure Within". Scientific and economic advancement have not brought happiness. The family is the place where we learn to practice love and relate constructively to one another. The prophet says that we are all leaders. Women are most important in that area because they play a vital role in community development. We need to find women at the grassroots and help them develop their leadership capacities and skills.

Ambassador Laura Thompson Chacon of Costa Rica spoke about the labors her nation has made in the area of human rights education. She informed us that her country had abolished their army in 1948, dedicating all resources to education, health and development of infrastructure. We have to give our population a new perspective and vitality based upon ethics, citizenship and understanding of how to live together enjoyably. Civil society and especially women have much more power than they realize to challenge ideas and be a force of change.

Dr. El Bouchiha, a professor in civic education in Tunisia, stated that the most effective way of developing countries is to educate women. In Tunisia because costs are so high, often only boys are sent on to higher education. At this time only 23% of government officials are women. Even some Arab countries still deny women the right to vote and be elected. She recommended more incentive be established to increase the presence of women in decision-making.

Session 2 was chaired by Mme. Al-Mufti: What are the requirements for womens leadership and how to strengthen them? She invited Dr. Moon Park to speak about educating and promoting women as central figures instead of peripheral figures. Dignified gender roles must be fostered and masculine and feminine natures harmonized. Development is slow without utilizing the best of womens power. A leadership that serves, cares and embraces, as women learn in their gender roles, will bring prosperity and cultural development for all.

Dr. Haifa Zangana, journalist from Iraq and chair of the Committee on Media and Culture, reported that people in her country have regressed unimaginably. Thirty years ago, gender was a vibrant issue, now 74% of uneducated children are girls. Youth cannot read or write although their mothers and grandmothers were highly educated. We are fighting an uphill battle. We have to continue talk of peace and build from the grassroots. Dr. Asmaa Kfarou, professor of Islamic studies for women, and granddaughter of the former Grand Mufti said we have to be able to cry for peace; for those close to us and those we don’t know. Peace requires justice. When women cannot protect their children, it is an untenable situation. We are fighting to change laws that are discriminatory. Islam is misunderstood, and this also makes life difficult. The prophet insists that women and men both need education and knowledge.

Dr. Zoe Bennet, Women’s Federation’s Director for the Middle East opened Session Three, What kind of education is effective in promoting women’s leadership? Dr. Natalie Mohamad Domloj, a young doctor from Lebanon, said that we women must be the change that we want to see. Women must choose between family and career/public responsibilities, but should be able to do both. Curricula need to be readjusted to changing priorities. Our society needs healing. Women can do that best, but they shouldn’t get stuck in petty concerns. The best leadership education is the experience of leading even as a youth. Ms. Dakara Georgescu, from UNESCO’s International Bureau of Education (IBE) asked the audience how we can best promote womens leadership, and answered: education. We have to organize curricula that foster leadership competencies and capacities of girls and boys.

Mrs. Noor Babad, Deputy Minister of Work and Social Affairs in Yemen explained that the Queen of Sheba was Yemenite who played an important role historically. Now, 80% of students in Yemen are boys. We have to challenge the masculine culture. Programs should be designed that include a vision of women as leaders. Ms. Barbara Stubble, educator in Character Education in Egypt explained the concept of a character based approach to education and how it has impacted the lives of violent and aggressive children who had no desire to learn. Change was more dramatic in younger students as they learned new life skills, based upon universally accepted core values. Results are much better when parents are involved and children have already been instilled with an image of good character.

The first session on Day 2 was lead by Dr. Emel Dogramaci, Dean of Arts and Science Faculty at Kankaya University on the topic: What are the important steps to be taken to improve womens leadership opportunities? Dr. Oya Talat, Director, Women’s Patriotic Movement of North Cyprus opened the session by saying men and women should make decisions together to balance one another. Radicalism and ultra nationalism are dangerous, but seeds sown through women’s common projects for the future can prevent such extremes. Working side by side and listening with open hearts is healing and can solve centuries of pain. Ms. Ayse Sozen, Coordinator of Foreign Affairs, Department of Justice and Development of Turkey expressed her desire that these conferences be held in the Middle East. Although ¼ of the Turkish Parliament is women, most have not been educated to advocate for necessary changes. Our campaign, "Girls to School" made it possible for 80% of girls to go to school.

Women have a natural talent for leadership, but may never recognize it, if not given opportunities to lead during the period when their personality is developing - expressed H.E. Noora Nasser Al-Merekhi, Supreme Council on Family Affairs in Qatar. Education from early life is essential to improve capacity. If women dont strive to lead, they will not lead. In Qatar, people often prefer men leaders. We need a good feminine role model, like the first lady, to demonstrate feminine leadership. Palestinian panelist, Dr. Sherene Sekaily, Co-editor of the Arab Studies Journal described the long journey of women in Palestine and their courageous fight for gender equality and rights to education against a backdrop of hardship.

We want to be women against terror, building peace first in our minds. Women deserve to be the model of strength, continued Dr. Hiba Othman, Professor at the American University in Lebanon. Leadership is persistence, vision, overcoming obstacles, collaboration. Leadership is praising and awarding others. United, women will represent strength. The final speaker, Dr. Roya Kshefi, Human Rights Committee for the Association of Iranian Researchers, explained discrimination toward women in the application of Islamic law in Iran. Many prepared, strong, righteous women have been imprisoned for the "crime" of providing access to education for girls. The situation is degrading.

A report was given by Dr. Bennet, NadinaTheodorou and Fawziye Tayim about the recent humanitarian project of WFWPI in cooperation with government and civil society sources, to bring medicine to the Gaza strip. Palestinian Ambassador Mohamed Abu-Koash sent a message of thanks.

A series of recommendations and a Call to Action were drawn up and accepted by consensus in the closing ceremony.

By Motoko Sugiyama

As follow up to the 2005 World Summit mandate for ECOSOC to convene an annual ministerial-level substantive review (AMR), the General Assembly resolved (resolution 61/16) that the first AMR be held during the 2007 high-level segment of the ECOSOC Substantive Session. The objective of the AMR was to advance and assess progress in the UN development agenda, including the MDGs (Millennium Development Goals). To prepare for the first AMR, a series of meetings were held at global, regional and national levels. The AMR consisted of three main elements. They were: a worldwide review of the UN development agenda, a thematic review (2007 theme was eradication of poverty and hunger through global partnerships for development) and finally, a series of voluntary presentations from nations about their efforts in implementing national development strategies.

An Innovation Fair complemented the AMR and provided the opportunity for NGOs to showcase best practices and lessons learned through projects focused on fulfilling the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Because of the Millennium Declaration of 2000 and the outcome of the 2005 UN World Summit, a process has been established to identify new and better ways to engage NGOs as active partners in development cooperation. The Innovation Fair was a contribution to this process. In our new global landscape, NGOs have a crucial role as partners in development and as watchdogs that assure UN and country commitments are implemented.

This year marks the halfway point to the target date for fulfillment of the MDGs. Expertise and resources of the NGO community have increased tremendously over the years. It is widely acknowledged that NGOs will be a driving force in furthering the UN‘s development agenda. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon stated recently, “The UN can only do its job properly with partners. We will need to forge even closer ties with civil society groups, foundations, academic institutions, the media, labor unions, and the private sector. Each has unique contributions to make.” The new mandate given by the General Assembly to ECOSOC reaffirmed the UN aim to strengthen cooperation within the NGO community. ECOSOC sought to make the AMR more practical by holding the Innovation Fair as a parallel event during its Annual Ministerial Review. NGOs were active participants. The overall objectives of the AMR Innovation Fair were: to showcase a repertoire of NGO good practices”, to unlock the potential of the NGOs fully, to make information on innovative policies and approaches widely available, and to encourage the launch of new partnerships. The AMR Innovation Fair was a milestone in the participation of NGOs at the ECOSOC Annual Substantive Session. We were truly contributing “as ONE” to the achievement of MDGs in the way that Sec. Gen. Ban described “Delivering as ONE” in his report for scaling up the UN‘s cooperation with NGOs.

WFWP International was among twenty-seven NGOs with ECOSOC consultative status who were invited to present three success stories each at the Innovation Fair exhibition during the AMR at the Palais des Nation, UNHQ, Geneva. Prior to the fair, NGO reports were posted on the ECOSOC AMR Innovation Fair website. (Success stories from 32 NGOs can be viewed at www.amrif.blogspot.com.) Because of the grassroots nature of WFWPI projects, all of the projects could be considered innovative. However, the three stories presented at the Innovation Fair are good examples of what WFWP has been accomplishing. In its presentation, WFWP International summarized all service projects that target MDG #1 for poverty eradication. WFWP Kenya described a grassroots project to prevent FGM (feminine genital mutilation). WFWP UK described its school for orphans in India. Twelve delegates from WFWP attended the AMR and the Innovation Fair at the High Level Segment. For further information on the High Level Segment, go to www.un.org/coordination/ecosoc/.

(Please find full text of the three WFWP success stories, WFWP feedback and Summary Report on the Innovation Fair as well as the WFWP application for the upcoming MDG Awards at www.wfwp.org/archive )