Current UN-INSTRAW work/activities
Gender and Security Sector Reform (SSR) Toolkit
The Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF), the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organization for Security and Cooperation Europe (ODIIHR/OSCE and UN-INSTRAW have launched the “Gender and Security Sector Reform (SSR) Toolkit”, a comprehensive tool that provides concrete examples, checklists and other practical information for integrating gender issues into SSR processes and strengthening the security sector’s response to violence against women and other gender-based crimes. The SSR, which includes the armed forces, police, border guards, penal and justice systems, ministries of defence and justice, parliamentarians, civil society organizations, private military and security companies and other key actors – can play an active and vital role in protecting and promoting sustainable peace and human security. In this context, the security sector reform that fully integrates gender issues, including increasing the recruitment of female staff and preventing human rights violations to collaborating with women’s civil society organizations, is a crucial element in building a responsive and effective security sector.
Women act for sustainable peace and gender equality in Africa
UN-INSTRAW has launched two new projects in Burundi, Liberia and Somalia in support of the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR). The projects were launched during the High-Level Policy Dialogue on National Implementation of UNSCR 1325 in Africa (6-8 February 208, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia) organized by the United Nations Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women (OSAGI) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). In the framework of the year-long project in Burundi and Liberia, financed by the Government of Austria, UN-INSTRAW will conduct assessments of the women, peace and security situation; support the full implementation of Resolution 1325 by generating national consensus on these issues and promoting a national action-planning process; and stimulate awareness-raising and capacity-building activities through tools and workshops to relevant stakeholders. The project in Somalia, financed by the Government of Italy, will evaluate and strengthen the role of Somali women in ongoing conflict resolution and peace-building processes as well as the role of Somali women in the Diaspora.
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Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) – 52nd Session
Carmen Moreno, Director of UN-INSTRAW, participated in the 52nd Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) being held from 25 February to 7 March 2008 at United Nations Headquarters. In her statement, and in line with the priority theme of the CSW session, Moreno emphasized that investment in the empowerment of women is a prerequisite to achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Moreno also pointed out that the top five biggest spenders dedicate a combined annual total of US$735 billion to military expenditures, while only US$19 billion are needed to eradicate global hunger and malnutrition, US$12 billion to provide education for every child on earth, US$15 billion to provide access water and sanitation for every person in the world, and US$23 billion to reverse the spread of AIDS and Malaria.
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First International Forum on Women and Local Politics
UN-INSTRAW participated at First International Forum on Women and Local Politics on 26 February 2008 in Córdoba, Spain. The aim of the Forum was to analyze and agree upon local initiatives to confront the challenges of the processes resulting from a globalized and interconnected world. The Forum gathered women politicians and municipal negotiators from Europe, Latin America, the Maghreb, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Near East to debate and share agendas and networks on global issues that have an impact at the local level, as well as to create a space for permanent exchange and projection of information. Some of the issues discussed during the Forum focused on the role of women in the Alliance of Civilizations, managing local intercultural issues, network participation, women as subjects and objects of local politics and management of territorial and citizenship spaces. The Forum was organized by the Andalusian Municipal Fund for International Solidarity, with support from Ministry of Foreign Relations and Cooperation of Spain, The Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development (AECID), The Arab House, the Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policies (FIIAP), the Cordoba Congress, UNIFEM and the ART Initiative.
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Global Gender News
Integration of Female Migrant Domestic Workers: Strategies for Employment and Civic Participation
The Mediterranean Institute of Gender Studies (MIGS) in collaboration with the University of Nicosia, hosted this international conference on 28 February 2008 in Nicosia, Cyprus. In the framework of the transnational project entitled “Integration of Female Migrant Domestic Workers: Strategies for Employment and Civic Participation”, the conference has as its objective to develop an integration model that will be responsive to the needs of female migrant domestic workers in Europe who are susceptible to exploitation and discrimination in the countries of destination due to the type of work that they perform. Participants to the conference included NGO representatives, policy makers, public authorities, representatives of international and local migrant organizations, experts in the field of migration and gender studies and representatives from the five partner European countries, namely, Cyprus, Italy, Greece, Germany and Spain.
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UN Agencies Rally for End to Female Genital Mutilation Within a Generation
Ten United Nations agencies issued a joint statement on 27 February 2008 joining hands to help eliminate female genital mutilation within a generation and “stressing the need for strong leadership and greater resources to protect the health and lives of millions of women and girls”. The agencies highlighted the damaging effects on women, girls and newborn babies and have pledged their support to governments and communities in their efforts to abandon the practice, which is still performed in many parts of the world and which to date has affected approximately 140 million women in parts of Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
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Combating Sex Trafficking: Prevention and Intervention in North Carolina and Worldwide
The Carolina Women’s Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in partnership with the Jordan Institute for Families, the UNC School of Social Work, the Law School, Diversity and Multicultural Affairs, and the Office of Research Development, along with other campus, state and community partners, will sponsor a national, action-oriented conference entitled Combating Sex Trafficking: Prevention and Intervention in North Carolina and Worldwide on 3-4 April 2008 at the Friday Center in Chapel Hill, NC. This conference will focus on sensitive advocacy for survivors of various ages, races, and ethnicities; shutting down demand for commercial sexual exploitation; the role of the travel and tourism industry; legal research and advocacy; local prevention models and efforts; the media’s impact in educating the public; and the role of corporate, private, non-profit, and faith-based sectors in dealing with this global problem. The conference will provide training to first responders, educators, health professionals, and the legal community, for the purpose of developing a working plan for North Carolina and beyond to help victims, raise global awareness, and put a stop to sex trafficking. Online registration is now available at: http://fridaycenter.unc.edu/pdep/trafficking/
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