Helga Neumayer asked three newcomers to WIDE Annual Conference (AC) for their impressions.
Listen to the radio program on: www.fonkel.net/AudienceVoices_final.wav
(click on the link to download the program, it will take up to 3 minutes to download)
Saturday 11 October 2008
It ain't over yet!
You think you can go home without WIDE? Think again! WIDE has set up different ways for you to keep in touch with each other in order to fully profit from this conferences network.
By Esmeralda Tijhoff
This is the last day of the WIDE conference, but WIDE has found some innovative ways to keep the conference alive. In your WIDE goody bag, you will find a list with the names and addresses of the participants and speakers. But you can also keep in touch online. The WIDE organization will start a 'group' at LinkedIn, an online personal directory for professional use (www.linkedin.com). LinkedIn is used by many people to present themselves online, and to connect with other people for professional reasons. WIDE will send you an invitation to join the group.
WIDE has also set up a blog: http://feministvisionsforeurope.blogspot.com. You can leave messages at this blog, or react to other people's messages. This is also a great place to drop your articles and feedback for other participants to read! And don't forget to keep an eye on the WIDE website for the upcoming WIDE newsletter: www.wide-network.org.
This article was publised in Daily Visions 11-10-2008
By Esmeralda Tijhoff
This is the last day of the WIDE conference, but WIDE has found some innovative ways to keep the conference alive. In your WIDE goody bag, you will find a list with the names and addresses of the participants and speakers. But you can also keep in touch online. The WIDE organization will start a 'group' at LinkedIn, an online personal directory for professional use (www.linkedin.com). LinkedIn is used by many people to present themselves online, and to connect with other people for professional reasons. WIDE will send you an invitation to join the group.
WIDE has also set up a blog: http://feministvisionsforeurope.blogspot.com. You can leave messages at this blog, or react to other people's messages. This is also a great place to drop your articles and feedback for other participants to read! And don't forget to keep an eye on the WIDE website for the upcoming WIDE newsletter: www.wide-network.org.
This article was publised in Daily Visions 11-10-2008
Highlights from the second day; Reconstruction and reorganization
Speakers at the WIDE conference expressed their views on the challenges facing Europe and the consequences of the financial crisis. The crisis is said to effect what is generally referred to as 'the real economy'. As such, the crisis represents a great opportunity to prove that the current system cannot continue and needs to be rebuilt.
By Isabelle Gentilhomme
According to Kinga Lohmann European feminists need to strengthen cooperation among EU countries to ensure that funds will be provided by institutions in order to reach equality at the European level. Therefore the issue of funding has to be placed at the forefront of organizations’ agendas.
Sonja Lokar of the CEE pointed out the fact that women’s empowerment in Europe will be reached only with the work done primarily by feminist organizations, especially in the eastern part of Europe, where they are very active and efficient. We cannot count on the EU, and especially not on the European Commission, to improve the conditions of women in the new member states because it misuses its possibilities to enlarge in order to sponsor neo-liberal policies.
Ruth Pearson spoke of the feminization of labour that is occurring in the world, and urged feminists to promote issues raised by this feminization of labour in different contexts (geographical, political and sectoral) so that women do not have to pay the price of flexi-security.
Dot Keet of the AIDC pointed out in yesterday’s discussion that the European Commission is led by corporate interests. Thus, European policies are shaped by trade interests rather than by human ones. While the EU is speaking about failure in trade agreements, we at WIDE should speak about success. Success in the resistance to governments who face the threat of having their aid cut. In fact, in order to freely access their markets, the EU is putting conditions on the aid they offer. From this point of view, aid is not a self-evident ‘good’ since it is creating financial dependency and then decreases bargaining power. The EU is acting as a dictator which forces countries to open their barriers, while turning Europe into a ‘fortress’.
Brid Brennan from the TNI talked about the ‘Return Directive’, or so-called ‘Shame Directive’ by civil societies, adopted by the European Parliament this last summer. She identifies migration as a very challenging issue for the EU, which also has to do with human rights. These rights are seriously threatened by some practices which worsen the tensions that can appear between communities. This is well illustrated by what is happening in Italy with Roma people, or with the numerous deaths that are happening in some detentions camps for illegal migrants. The main problem is that ‘state violence’ is not considered illegal.
But this is just one side of the picture. We have extraordinary movements in the EU protesting against these practices, especially among migrant community themselves. There protests are very active and vibrant. We should strengthen these actions within the EU and all around the world to address policies with a human rights approach, including gender equality. We need to raise awareness about the fact that statements made by institutions about the supposed health of the global system, are in fact not true. This system is sick and it needs urgent rethinking in cooperation with all the involved stakeholders to reconstruct a more equitable world.
This article was published in Daily News 11-10-2008
By Isabelle Gentilhomme
According to Kinga Lohmann European feminists need to strengthen cooperation among EU countries to ensure that funds will be provided by institutions in order to reach equality at the European level. Therefore the issue of funding has to be placed at the forefront of organizations’ agendas.
Sonja Lokar of the CEE pointed out the fact that women’s empowerment in Europe will be reached only with the work done primarily by feminist organizations, especially in the eastern part of Europe, where they are very active and efficient. We cannot count on the EU, and especially not on the European Commission, to improve the conditions of women in the new member states because it misuses its possibilities to enlarge in order to sponsor neo-liberal policies.
Ruth Pearson spoke of the feminization of labour that is occurring in the world, and urged feminists to promote issues raised by this feminization of labour in different contexts (geographical, political and sectoral) so that women do not have to pay the price of flexi-security.
Dot Keet of the AIDC pointed out in yesterday’s discussion that the European Commission is led by corporate interests. Thus, European policies are shaped by trade interests rather than by human ones. While the EU is speaking about failure in trade agreements, we at WIDE should speak about success. Success in the resistance to governments who face the threat of having their aid cut. In fact, in order to freely access their markets, the EU is putting conditions on the aid they offer. From this point of view, aid is not a self-evident ‘good’ since it is creating financial dependency and then decreases bargaining power. The EU is acting as a dictator which forces countries to open their barriers, while turning Europe into a ‘fortress’.
Brid Brennan from the TNI talked about the ‘Return Directive’, or so-called ‘Shame Directive’ by civil societies, adopted by the European Parliament this last summer. She identifies migration as a very challenging issue for the EU, which also has to do with human rights. These rights are seriously threatened by some practices which worsen the tensions that can appear between communities. This is well illustrated by what is happening in Italy with Roma people, or with the numerous deaths that are happening in some detentions camps for illegal migrants. The main problem is that ‘state violence’ is not considered illegal.
But this is just one side of the picture. We have extraordinary movements in the EU protesting against these practices, especially among migrant community themselves. There protests are very active and vibrant. We should strengthen these actions within the EU and all around the world to address policies with a human rights approach, including gender equality. We need to raise awareness about the fact that statements made by institutions about the supposed health of the global system, are in fact not true. This system is sick and it needs urgent rethinking in cooperation with all the involved stakeholders to reconstruct a more equitable world.
This article was published in Daily News 11-10-2008
Evgenia Ivanova's questions
One of the wise women of this year’s conference is Evgenia Ivanova from Belarus. She is coordinator of the Center for Gender Studies in Minsk, and has an educational background in law and gender studies.
By Sander van Haperen
'The WIDE conference gives my a great opportunity to meet people from different parts of the world.' Evgenia Ivanova says. 'People who consider themselves feminists and spend their professional or free time fighting for social justice for themselves, their families, communities an
d states.' Ivanova thinks conferences like WIDE play an important role for activists and experts. 'It is about exchange of different perspectives we have on feminisms and current problems, locally as well as globally. It is about all the frustrations and doubts I have as a feminist and that I hope to discuss openly in the circle of people with similar values without any fear to be misunderstood or ignored due to the feminist identity.' Here in the group of people where it is not necessary to prove simple things over and over again - that gender is there, that sex matters, and so on – the participants can meet the common need for practitioners and theorists to make their work more interrelated.
Future of feminisms
'When I think about the future of feminisms and challenges we face, I put my imaginary feminist self in the quite extreme situation when she has to make the concrete choice. Answers are not always clear to me. That’s why I put my concerns in the shape of questions rather than answers. I would like to share them with you and would be very happy to here your own questions you ask yourselves as feminists. A couple of my questions are: to what extent does feminism remain the ideology for gender studies as a discipline and gender mainstreaming as a strategy? Shall we have some theoretical borders which separate feminism from other ideologies? If yes – what shall it be? If not – to what extent we can include different opinions and still be different from non-feminist movements and ideologies? Advocating for women political representation, will we support, for instance women from conservative party or any group practicing fundamentalism? Being a religious women and a feminist, will we bring up our daughters as emancipated women or loyal to religious norms when there is a conflict between these two identities?'
Post your own feminist questions at http://feministvisionsforeurope.blogspot.com
This article has been published in Daily Visions 11-10-2008
By Sander van Haperen
'The WIDE conference gives my a great opportunity to meet people from different parts of the world.' Evgenia Ivanova says. 'People who consider themselves feminists and spend their professional or free time fighting for social justice for themselves, their families, communities an
d states.' Ivanova thinks conferences like WIDE play an important role for activists and experts. 'It is about exchange of different perspectives we have on feminisms and current problems, locally as well as globally. It is about all the frustrations and doubts I have as a feminist and that I hope to discuss openly in the circle of people with similar values without any fear to be misunderstood or ignored due to the feminist identity.' Here in the group of people where it is not necessary to prove simple things over and over again - that gender is there, that sex matters, and so on – the participants can meet the common need for practitioners and theorists to make their work more interrelated.Future of feminisms
'When I think about the future of feminisms and challenges we face, I put my imaginary feminist self in the quite extreme situation when she has to make the concrete choice. Answers are not always clear to me. That’s why I put my concerns in the shape of questions rather than answers. I would like to share them with you and would be very happy to here your own questions you ask yourselves as feminists. A couple of my questions are: to what extent does feminism remain the ideology for gender studies as a discipline and gender mainstreaming as a strategy? Shall we have some theoretical borders which separate feminism from other ideologies? If yes – what shall it be? If not – to what extent we can include different opinions and still be different from non-feminist movements and ideologies? Advocating for women political representation, will we support, for instance women from conservative party or any group practicing fundamentalism? Being a religious women and a feminist, will we bring up our daughters as emancipated women or loyal to religious norms when there is a conflict between these two identities?'
Post your own feminist questions at http://feministvisionsforeurope.blogspot.com
This article has been published in Daily Visions 11-10-2008
Column: Concoction of ideas
By Karoline Kemp
Let me begin by introducing myself. I am a Canadian student who has been studying in The Hague for the past year. Having spent the majority of my undergraduate degree skipping classes in favour of volunteering with women’s collectives and other social justice groups, it has been an interesting experience to live in this city, where institutions, professional organisations and governments are ever present. To add to that, I chose a programme in Public Policy and Management for my MA degree at the Institute of Social Studies. So to be at this WIDE Annual Conference has been an interesting mix for me.
As we saw in the Opening Panel of day one, the people that we share this space with define themselves as activists and professionals alike. One of the things that struck me most about that activity was the interconnectedness and overlap in all of our beliefs and practices. Not once did any woman have to stand up alone, and many of us spent quite a bit of time standing up!
Attending this WIDE Conference has thus been interesting in many ways. To me it has raised questions about my own feminism – and even about whether or not I would even consider myself a feminist, given the interconnectedness I see between gender issues and other structural inequalities. In thinking about the kind of feminisms I have experienced in my previous studies and work in Canada, I’ve been struck with how little the word is used in talking about development – it seems to be a preference to refer to gender. In Canada, whenever talking with people outside of my community of friends or like-minded colleagues, the word 'feminist' was considered almost taboo. In Europe it seems to be slightly more accepted, perhaps owing to a longer and deeper history of feminist thinkers here.
Participants in this WIDE Conference have included Government officials, civil society members, activists and a myriad of other women. These experts bring together issues as diverse as trade, migration, religion, peace, and thinking about ways of not only strengthening the way they interact with their governments and the European Union and Commission but also their own, internal interactions. This bringing together of such diversity is a testament to the potential of WIDE and all of those who are here. So while this is in many ways sombre work, I have been struck by how celebratory it seems, and impressed with the strength that everyone here seems to gather from each other.
This article was publised in Daily Visions 11-10-2008
Let me begin by introducing myself. I am a Canadian student who has been studying in The Hague for the past year. Having spent the majority of my undergraduate degree skipping classes in favour of volunteering with women’s collectives and other social justice groups, it has been an interesting experience to live in this city, where institutions, professional organisations and governments are ever present. To add to that, I chose a programme in Public Policy and Management for my MA degree at the Institute of Social Studies. So to be at this WIDE Annual Conference has been an interesting mix for me.
As we saw in the Opening Panel of day one, the people that we share this space with define themselves as activists and professionals alike. One of the things that struck me most about that activity was the interconnectedness and overlap in all of our beliefs and practices. Not once did any woman have to stand up alone, and many of us spent quite a bit of time standing up!
Attending this WIDE Conference has thus been interesting in many ways. To me it has raised questions about my own feminism – and even about whether or not I would even consider myself a feminist, given the interconnectedness I see between gender issues and other structural inequalities. In thinking about the kind of feminisms I have experienced in my previous studies and work in Canada, I’ve been struck with how little the word is used in talking about development – it seems to be a preference to refer to gender. In Canada, whenever talking with people outside of my community of friends or like-minded colleagues, the word 'feminist' was considered almost taboo. In Europe it seems to be slightly more accepted, perhaps owing to a longer and deeper history of feminist thinkers here.
Participants in this WIDE Conference have included Government officials, civil society members, activists and a myriad of other women. These experts bring together issues as diverse as trade, migration, religion, peace, and thinking about ways of not only strengthening the way they interact with their governments and the European Union and Commission but also their own, internal interactions. This bringing together of such diversity is a testament to the potential of WIDE and all of those who are here. So while this is in many ways sombre work, I have been struck by how celebratory it seems, and impressed with the strength that everyone here seems to gather from each other.
This article was publised in Daily Visions 11-10-2008
Shahrzad News
The WIDE 2008 Annual Conference is not only covered by it’s own Daily Vision. You may have noticed a video camera moving around the venue. It belongs to Shahrzad News an Iranian news agency.
By Suvi Kilpeläinen
Shahrzad News is a bilingual, multimedia news service that provides news and views on gender sensitive issues in Iran. It gives Iranian women a voice in the media and they also offer media training. Besides covering news, this agency reports international events and conferences which concentrate specifically on women’s organisations. Shahrzad News feel that gender sensitive and women related issues are not covered enough in the mainstream media and work to fill this gap. This is the same reason why WIDE started the Daily Vision and the weblog online.
Shahrzad News is working on a documentary about the WIDE Annual Conference. They have interviewed participants, speakers and organisers to find out what kind of expectations various people have for the conference. The documentary will be out in two weeks. You can see the documentary through Shahrzad News` website: www.shahrzadnews.org. The documentary lasts 1001 seconds, which is a direct reference to Shahrzad, meaning Sheherazade – the narrator of 1001 nights.
This article has been published in Daily News 11-10-2008
By Suvi Kilpeläinen
Shahrzad News is a bilingual, multimedia news service that provides news and views on gender sensitive issues in Iran. It gives Iranian women a voice in the media and they also offer media training. Besides covering news, this agency reports international events and conferences which concentrate specifically on women’s organisations. Shahrzad News feel that gender sensitive and women related issues are not covered enough in the mainstream media and work to fill this gap. This is the same reason why WIDE started the Daily Vision and the weblog online.
Shahrzad News is working on a documentary about the WIDE Annual Conference. They have interviewed participants, speakers and organisers to find out what kind of expectations various people have for the conference. The documentary will be out in two weeks. You can see the documentary through Shahrzad News` website: www.shahrzadnews.org. The documentary lasts 1001 seconds, which is a direct reference to Shahrzad, meaning Sheherazade – the narrator of 1001 nights.
This article has been published in Daily News 11-10-2008
Are you ready for the WIDE Conference 2009?
The 'care economy' is a recently coined term that refers to unremunerated work undertaken within the home and volunteer activities in the community that maintain the social fabric. Research indicates that almost 90% of global illness care is provided in the home. It is generally recognized that women and girls are the principle caregivers, due to a confluence of gendered family roles and patriarchal societal structures. If you approach the issue from an economic perspective, the unpayed work performed by women can be valued at around 11 trillion.
By Tina Parhakar
Despite the economic and even more important intrinsic value of women’s contribution, their care work has not been integrated into national income accounting systems. Nor have unpaid care workers been sufficiently supported. The economics are difficult to evaluate when taking into account the fact that women and girls are forced to leave paid jobs, schooling and other opportunities to provide care. This is referred to as the 'care gap' where women frequently subsidize social development sectors with their own time, resources and energy.
With a growing elderly population in Western countries and the HIV/AIDS epidemic having a growing toll in Africa and Asia, a disproportionate number of women and girls are being drawn into formal and informal care giving roles that remain embedded in a value system whereby such responsibilities and efforts are given little recognition. According to UNAIDS, in Africa twice as many young women were living with HIV as young men in 2004. Cultural norms and societal expectations on women along with a lack of health services make women not only physiologically and socially more vulnerable to infection but also more likely to bear the burden of the societal impacts of the disease.
Meanwhile, traditional government structures seem to implicitly rely on reconstructing a nostalgic family that never existed, and there is continued resistance from local, national and international policymakers to explicitly address this impending crisis. These structures and individuals must be pressured for solutions that address diverse families and communities as they grow more vulnerable, fractured, and ultimately, overworked.
While the economist Diane Elson notes that 'there is a risk the use of the term “care” will mystify the relationship between the provider and the receiver,' she ultimately recognizes that the concept 'signals the fundamental importance of interpersonal attention to other people's needs in the maintenance of human societies' (2003). The role of feminists, in addition to making ourselves visible, is to provide an alternative definition for the 'care economy' phenomenon. Creating a space for changed emphasis, which may include alternative buzzwords such as 'productive care' or 'a caring economy,' whereby caregiving and all other work is valued for its contribution to overall well-being (rather than for its addition to an indicator such as GDP) may be a significant improvement.
A second and related area ripe for feminist research is how to decrease the influence of the tropes of femininity and masculinity that complicate agency, choice and freedom when it comes to caregiving. Many women feel they must fulfill obligations tied to love and concern for their relations while many men are structurally constrained from fathering and other caregiving functions, for example, through the idea of 'breadwinner.' So to conclude, next year's conference is sure to be a meeting of minds that has as its goal a more intergenerationally and intragenerationally interconnected and equitable world.
This article has been published in Daily Visions 11-10-2008
By Tina Parhakar
Despite the economic and even more important intrinsic value of women’s contribution, their care work has not been integrated into national income accounting systems. Nor have unpaid care workers been sufficiently supported. The economics are difficult to evaluate when taking into account the fact that women and girls are forced to leave paid jobs, schooling and other opportunities to provide care. This is referred to as the 'care gap' where women frequently subsidize social development sectors with their own time, resources and energy.
With a growing elderly population in Western countries and the HIV/AIDS epidemic having a growing toll in Africa and Asia, a disproportionate number of women and girls are being drawn into formal and informal care giving roles that remain embedded in a value system whereby such responsibilities and efforts are given little recognition. According to UNAIDS, in Africa twice as many young women were living with HIV as young men in 2004. Cultural norms and societal expectations on women along with a lack of health services make women not only physiologically and socially more vulnerable to infection but also more likely to bear the burden of the societal impacts of the disease.
Meanwhile, traditional government structures seem to implicitly rely on reconstructing a nostalgic family that never existed, and there is continued resistance from local, national and international policymakers to explicitly address this impending crisis. These structures and individuals must be pressured for solutions that address diverse families and communities as they grow more vulnerable, fractured, and ultimately, overworked.
While the economist Diane Elson notes that 'there is a risk the use of the term “care” will mystify the relationship between the provider and the receiver,' she ultimately recognizes that the concept 'signals the fundamental importance of interpersonal attention to other people's needs in the maintenance of human societies' (2003). The role of feminists, in addition to making ourselves visible, is to provide an alternative definition for the 'care economy' phenomenon. Creating a space for changed emphasis, which may include alternative buzzwords such as 'productive care' or 'a caring economy,' whereby caregiving and all other work is valued for its contribution to overall well-being (rather than for its addition to an indicator such as GDP) may be a significant improvement.
A second and related area ripe for feminist research is how to decrease the influence of the tropes of femininity and masculinity that complicate agency, choice and freedom when it comes to caregiving. Many women feel they must fulfill obligations tied to love and concern for their relations while many men are structurally constrained from fathering and other caregiving functions, for example, through the idea of 'breadwinner.' So to conclude, next year's conference is sure to be a meeting of minds that has as its goal a more intergenerationally and intragenerationally interconnected and equitable world.
This article has been published in Daily Visions 11-10-2008
Wendy Harcourt: CHALLENGING MAINSTREAMS
After four years of being the chair of the WIDE board, Wendy Hartcourt decided to resign. Daily Visions asked her about her experiences with WIDE.
by Mirjana Dokmanovic
How do you see the development of the WIDE network?
WIDE started after the Nairobi World Conference in 1985. Since then WIDE has passed different phases. It started as an initiative of enthusiastic women who wanted to support each other. After getting funds from the EU and moving its office from Ireland to Brussels, its work has been more focused on EU policy. WIDE focused on economic and trade issues from a gender perspective, and more and more started to tackle feminist issues.
In your presentation on Situating Feminisms in Europe Today, you have stressed the importance of challenging mainstream development, to raise questions and rethink alternatives. Development as perceived and practiced by global corporate actors is not working for all people, and it increases gender disparities and fundamentalism.
How can women counter these negative tendencies?
Women should not only work in women's movements, but should get into positions of political power, to be present on decision making places. Additionally, it is important to question where the money for women’s rights is, and where the money for NGOs goes.
We also need to sharpen critical thinking of development issues. Integration of feminist economics analytical thinking would help to develop alternatives to neoliberal policies.
It is also important to engage with other social movements, such as the European Social Forum and the World Social Forum, in which male approaches prevails.
In my book Body Politics in Development, I wanted to be honest about what is going on behind the scene. Development is created in big UN and corporate meetings. It is not a democratic process at all.
What can WIDE do? What can we do?
WIDE will continue to do critical analysis, and also build the capacity of women. It is important to work on development from feminist perspective, to be included in the trade debate, and to exchange different experiences to understand how we can respond better. After this conference, we should continue our debate in order to foster developing alternatives for the sake of all women and more just world.
Wendy is the Editor-in-Chief and Senior Adviser of the Development Journal of the Society for International Development. Born Australian, she moved to Great Britain in 1985 to finish her PhD studies at Oxford University. She jointed WIDE at the early stages of this network, and was a member of its Steering Group from 1987 to 1995.
by Mirjana Dokmanovic
How do you see the development of the WIDE network?
WIDE started after the Nairobi World Conference in 1985. Since then WIDE has passed different phases. It started as an initiative of enthusiastic women who wanted to support each other. After getting funds from the EU and moving its office from Ireland to Brussels, its work has been more focused on EU policy. WIDE focused on economic and trade issues from a gender perspective, and more and more started to tackle feminist issues.
In your presentation on Situating Feminisms in Europe Today, you have stressed the importance of challenging mainstream development, to raise questions and rethink alternatives. Development as perceived and practiced by global corporate actors is not working for all people, and it increases gender disparities and fundamentalism.
How can women counter these negative tendencies?
Women should not only work in women's movements, but should get into positions of political power, to be present on decision making places. Additionally, it is important to question where the money for women’s rights is, and where the money for NGOs goes.
We also need to sharpen critical thinking of development issues. Integration of feminist economics analytical thinking would help to develop alternatives to neoliberal policies.
It is also important to engage with other social movements, such as the European Social Forum and the World Social Forum, in which male approaches prevails.
In my book Body Politics in Development, I wanted to be honest about what is going on behind the scene. Development is created in big UN and corporate meetings. It is not a democratic process at all.
What can WIDE do? What can we do?
WIDE will continue to do critical analysis, and also build the capacity of women. It is important to work on development from feminist perspective, to be included in the trade debate, and to exchange different experiences to understand how we can respond better. After this conference, we should continue our debate in order to foster developing alternatives for the sake of all women and more just world.
Wendy is the Editor-in-Chief and Senior Adviser of the Development Journal of the Society for International Development. Born Australian, she moved to Great Britain in 1985 to finish her PhD studies at Oxford University. She jointed WIDE at the early stages of this network, and was a member of its Steering Group from 1987 to 1995.
This article was published in Daily Visions 11-10-2008
RADIOPROGRAM at WIDE!
Three opinions from the audience
Helga Neumayer asked three newcomers to WIDE Annual Conference (AC) for their impressions.
Listen to the radio program on: www.fonkel.net/AudienceVoices_final.wav
(click on the link to download the program, it will take up to 3 minutes to download)
Katrin Pelzer is a young women´s labour rights campaigner in the area of informal work from Austria. She heard about the conference because she is a member of the Austria WIDE network. After discovering the programme and speakers, she decided to attend. To her, the EU and its role means a daily struggle in her work. Especially when it comes to the terms of funding women´s labour rights. Sometimes she feels frustrated by it, but coming to WIDE and seeing all the different women working in various areas gives her power and more insights. At WIDE her confidence in her work grows. Day two of the conference was about the EU and its role. For Katrin, this day was the most inspiring, because she saw emotionally committed and experienced women in the panel. For her it is important to go home with concrete ideas that she can apply in her work.
Seconde Nyanzobe is a trainer at 'Search for Common Ground' in Burundi. Though she was in the Netherlands before, this has been her first WIDE conference. She was asked to come here as a keynote speaker on the topic of 1325 resolution by the Women´s Peacemaker Program. In the European Commission she observed that many times it does not really act according to the conditions and contexts of Africa. In a post conflict country, for example, or in a system with restorative justice, women are usually traumatized. And sometimes the same perpetrators continue to abuse women in the post-conflict transition. A real support for transitional justice has to consider the context. Also, the salary cuts that many educated women have had to take has been a big problem. This also affects many children.
Seconde learnt many things at the congress and she will share this at home within her network. She has a suggestion for WIDE: decentralize to other countries and to let other organisations know what is done, so they could be better prepared to act.
Mekka Abdelgabar is based in The Hague, where she chairs the 'Netherlands-Darfur Women Foundation'. She knew about the WIDE conference through a working group on resolution 1325. To her, the European Union means that the projects she is working on are funded here. It also implies that the Netherlands is playing a role in solving the conflict in Darfur, but at the same time, they are supporting the rebels. All this together with the Sudanese government, which makes things more complicated, also makes finding a solution more difficult. People, and especially women on the ground, are suffering and the problem should be solved as quickly as possible. Every day counts. Europeans are not doing much and Darfur is becoming forgotten.
At the conference she saw strong women, and that is what she takes home. But she feels sorry that nobody from Sudan was here, since it´s the largest country in Africa. She hopes that this will be different next year, because in Darfur are a lot of active women’s civil society movements.
Helga Neumayer asked three newcomers to WIDE Annual Conference (AC) for their impressions.
Listen to the radio program on: www.fonkel.net/AudienceVoices_final.wav
(click on the link to download the program, it will take up to 3 minutes to download)
Katrin Pelzer is a young women´s labour rights campaigner in the area of informal work from Austria. She heard about the conference because she is a member of the Austria WIDE network. After discovering the programme and speakers, she decided to attend. To her, the EU and its role means a daily struggle in her work. Especially when it comes to the terms of funding women´s labour rights. Sometimes she feels frustrated by it, but coming to WIDE and seeing all the different women working in various areas gives her power and more insights. At WIDE her confidence in her work grows. Day two of the conference was about the EU and its role. For Katrin, this day was the most inspiring, because she saw emotionally committed and experienced women in the panel. For her it is important to go home with concrete ideas that she can apply in her work.
Seconde Nyanzobe is a trainer at 'Search for Common Ground' in Burundi. Though she was in the Netherlands before, this has been her first WIDE conference. She was asked to come here as a keynote speaker on the topic of 1325 resolution by the Women´s Peacemaker Program. In the European Commission she observed that many times it does not really act according to the conditions and contexts of Africa. In a post conflict country, for example, or in a system with restorative justice, women are usually traumatized. And sometimes the same perpetrators continue to abuse women in the post-conflict transition. A real support for transitional justice has to consider the context. Also, the salary cuts that many educated women have had to take has been a big problem. This also affects many children.
Seconde learnt many things at the congress and she will share this at home within her network. She has a suggestion for WIDE: decentralize to other countries and to let other organisations know what is done, so they could be better prepared to act.
Mekka Abdelgabar is based in The Hague, where she chairs the 'Netherlands-Darfur Women Foundation'. She knew about the WIDE conference through a working group on resolution 1325. To her, the European Union means that the projects she is working on are funded here. It also implies that the Netherlands is playing a role in solving the conflict in Darfur, but at the same time, they are supporting the rebels. All this together with the Sudanese government, which makes things more complicated, also makes finding a solution more difficult. People, and especially women on the ground, are suffering and the problem should be solved as quickly as possible. Every day counts. Europeans are not doing much and Darfur is becoming forgotten.
At the conference she saw strong women, and that is what she takes home. But she feels sorry that nobody from Sudan was here, since it´s the largest country in Africa. She hopes that this will be different next year, because in Darfur are a lot of active women’s civil society movements.
Friday 10 October 2008
Highlights from day one: EUROPE versus WOMEN, part one
When you want to change the world, the first question to ask is 'who makes the decisions?' During the first day of the Wide conference, Amandine Bach challenged the conference participants to find these (in)visible forces in Europe. In a heated debate, Bach kept returning to that one important question: 'How can we challenge the main policy actors that shape women's position?'
By Mirjana Dokmanovic
Finding the answers to this question is not an easy task. To start with, the participants of the Parallel Session 'Europe, Europeans & European global players of today in the context of globalisation' had difficulties on agreeing about the concept of 'Europe'. Keywords started to buzz around the room: Democracy! Human rights! Diversity! But also: Migrants! Sexism! Fortress! Consumerism! And not to forget, a hypocritical attitude of paternalism toward the South. Europe shows itself as a social democracy, but it cannot hide the fact that Europe is first and foremost market oriented, in which corporations play a crucial role.
The session participants identified corporations, governments, and citizens as angles of a triangular constructed Europe. These many faces of Europe bring both opportunities and threats. It enables economic development, but at the same time, it produces unemployment, insecurity and demands opening up national economies to big European corporate players in favor of very small elite.
So, how can we, as feminists, react?
This article has been published in Daily Visions 10-10-2008
By Mirjana Dokmanovic
Finding the answers to this question is not an easy task. To start with, the participants of the Parallel Session 'Europe, Europeans & European global players of today in the context of globalisation' had difficulties on agreeing about the concept of 'Europe'. Keywords started to buzz around the room: Democracy! Human rights! Diversity! But also: Migrants! Sexism! Fortress! Consumerism! And not to forget, a hypocritical attitude of paternalism toward the South. Europe shows itself as a social democracy, but it cannot hide the fact that Europe is first and foremost market oriented, in which corporations play a crucial role.
The session participants identified corporations, governments, and citizens as angles of a triangular constructed Europe. These many faces of Europe bring both opportunities and threats. It enables economic development, but at the same time, it produces unemployment, insecurity and demands opening up national economies to big European corporate players in favor of very small elite.
So, how can we, as feminists, react?
This article has been published in Daily Visions 10-10-2008
Highlights from day one: EUROPE versus WOMEN, part two
In a heated debate about the major players in European decision making, WIDE participants managed to find some starting points in the battle for a better world.
By Esmeralda Tijhoff
Power has become so fragmented that it is hard to identify the people exercising this power. Activists must work together with scientists to locate these 'moving targets' of power. The EU seems almost 'supernatural'; nobody seems to know where it starts and where it ends. There are so many changing institutions involved that it is difficult to gain up to date knowledge about its activities, let alone how to hold it accountable.
To tackle this problem of 'superman', feminists have to deconstruct the notion of government, as well as the EU. If we talk about 'the' government, we have to put names next to the actions. Who are we talking about, and where do these people go when they leave politics and move to corporations?
Fears and opportunities
As many of you will have noticed, Europe has experienced a move 'to the right' in politics. Political parties from the right are gaining more votes. Although feminists are concerned by this move, we have failed to take the fears of ordinary people in the streets seriously.
Criminal networks are also growing because they provide people with social security and jobs. 'What do I say to the single mother with no job who grows a couple of marijuana plants in her attic?' one participants said. 'We lack the tools to address these issues!'
Feminist activists and scholars have to be engaged with the people and see, even experience, how these people are really grounded in their daily lives. Once we've located the fears and concerns of the people, we can come up with acceptable alternatives.
This article has been published in Daily Visions 10-10-2008
By Esmeralda Tijhoff
Power has become so fragmented that it is hard to identify the people exercising this power. Activists must work together with scientists to locate these 'moving targets' of power. The EU seems almost 'supernatural'; nobody seems to know where it starts and where it ends. There are so many changing institutions involved that it is difficult to gain up to date knowledge about its activities, let alone how to hold it accountable.
To tackle this problem of 'superman', feminists have to deconstruct the notion of government, as well as the EU. If we talk about 'the' government, we have to put names next to the actions. Who are we talking about, and where do these people go when they leave politics and move to corporations?
Fears and opportunities
As many of you will have noticed, Europe has experienced a move 'to the right' in politics. Political parties from the right are gaining more votes. Although feminists are concerned by this move, we have failed to take the fears of ordinary people in the streets seriously.
Criminal networks are also growing because they provide people with social security and jobs. 'What do I say to the single mother with no job who grows a couple of marijuana plants in her attic?' one participants said. 'We lack the tools to address these issues!'
Feminist activists and scholars have to be engaged with the people and see, even experience, how these people are really grounded in their daily lives. Once we've located the fears and concerns of the people, we can come up with acceptable alternatives.
This article has been published in Daily Visions 10-10-2008
Column: Last feminist standing
By Esmeralda Tijhoff
Feminists are an underappreciated, underpayed species, threated to be extinct. And I can prove this. Yes there are about 200 feminists at the Peace Palace in The Hague at the moment. But these people are all concerned about 'the next generation' that seems to be preoccupied with consumerism. In the plenary session of day one, the question was posed: 'Who is concerned about the young feminists'? And all hands rose. But nobody asks who of the participants belongs to this so called 'next generation'.
I thought I did. But then again, I am already 27 years old, and that is pretty old in this world. Yet, on all the pictures of the Second Feminist Wave, I do not see girls of 16 years old. Then why do these women over 30 complain that todays girls are not interested in feminism? As I see it, you can be a rebel at 16, but you will become a feminist when you are over 20. If you are really worried about feminism, try to offer this future generation a job or internship in your organization.
Are feminists under payed? Well, yeah! More then 90% of the participants at WIDE stated to have done volunteer work in the last month, e.g. underpayed work. And how many feminists in the room do you think earn more then 5.000 dollars as a feminists? That would be zero. But then surely, there were no feminists in the room earning less then the minimum wage? But that's where you're wrong. These women might not have been quick to stand up, but I know for a fact that they are among us.
And are we feminists underappreciated? Yes. We don't even present ourselves as 'experts'. No, we are 'activists', and sometimes we like to see ourselves as 'professional NGO worker'. Now do you understand why feminists are so badly payed? You have to pay big time for an expert, but you can hire someone with an opinion almost for free!
This article has been published in Daily Visions 10-10-2008
Feminists are an underappreciated, underpayed species, threated to be extinct. And I can prove this. Yes there are about 200 feminists at the Peace Palace in The Hague at the moment. But these people are all concerned about 'the next generation' that seems to be preoccupied with consumerism. In the plenary session of day one, the question was posed: 'Who is concerned about the young feminists'? And all hands rose. But nobody asks who of the participants belongs to this so called 'next generation'.
I thought I did. But then again, I am already 27 years old, and that is pretty old in this world. Yet, on all the pictures of the Second Feminist Wave, I do not see girls of 16 years old. Then why do these women over 30 complain that todays girls are not interested in feminism? As I see it, you can be a rebel at 16, but you will become a feminist when you are over 20. If you are really worried about feminism, try to offer this future generation a job or internship in your organization.
Are feminists under payed? Well, yeah! More then 90% of the participants at WIDE stated to have done volunteer work in the last month, e.g. underpayed work. And how many feminists in the room do you think earn more then 5.000 dollars as a feminists? That would be zero. But then surely, there were no feminists in the room earning less then the minimum wage? But that's where you're wrong. These women might not have been quick to stand up, but I know for a fact that they are among us.
And are we feminists underappreciated? Yes. We don't even present ourselves as 'experts'. No, we are 'activists', and sometimes we like to see ourselves as 'professional NGO worker'. Now do you understand why feminists are so badly payed? You have to pay big time for an expert, but you can hire someone with an opinion almost for free!
This article has been published in Daily Visions 10-10-2008
Human trafficking at conferences
Discussing and building feminist futures is not possible for everybody. At this annual conference we are missing the contributions from several very strong feminist activists and gender experts working in the South. WIDE and WO=MEN invited these people, but the Dutch embassies in their countries could not provide them visas.
By Gea Meijers
Despite sending visa invitation letters from conference organizers in the past several months, Dutch embassies did not provide the prospective participants with visas. Some embassies were closed, while other embassies could set up visa appointments only after the conference.
Thanks to the preparation of the conference organizers and invited participants, many people were able to get their visa. But it is a shame that getting to Europe is at times practically impossible to arrange. Is it a lack in service offered by Dutch embassies, and other embassies in the EU, or is this practice political?
Governments are afraid that people will not return from conferences, and of people abusing such invitations for other purposes. Indeed, international conferences are being misused for human trafficking. WO=MEN staff actually did receive some questionable requests from people claiming to want to participate. In those circumstances, it is the responsibility of the organizers of the conference to make sure the participants are not involved in trafficking. But the fear of governments does still not excuse them for offering poor support, very slow processes of applying and withholding visas.
This article has been published in Daily Visions 10-10-2008
By Gea Meijers
Despite sending visa invitation letters from conference organizers in the past several months, Dutch embassies did not provide the prospective participants with visas. Some embassies were closed, while other embassies could set up visa appointments only after the conference.
Thanks to the preparation of the conference organizers and invited participants, many people were able to get their visa. But it is a shame that getting to Europe is at times practically impossible to arrange. Is it a lack in service offered by Dutch embassies, and other embassies in the EU, or is this practice political?
Governments are afraid that people will not return from conferences, and of people abusing such invitations for other purposes. Indeed, international conferences are being misused for human trafficking. WO=MEN staff actually did receive some questionable requests from people claiming to want to participate. In those circumstances, it is the responsibility of the organizers of the conference to make sure the participants are not involved in trafficking. But the fear of governments does still not excuse them for offering poor support, very slow processes of applying and withholding visas.
This article has been published in Daily Visions 10-10-2008
International justice
By Suvi Kilpeläinen
Hands holding passports. That is the picture that welcomes the conference participants at the gate of the granite, sandstone and red brick Peace Palace. You can always feel some tension when you are waiting for your turn in the security checking line. You might start worrying: 'Is my name on the list? Did I leave my passport back at the hotel?'
This lovely autumn day and the slightly unsettling safety measures may have led you to forget about the history and importance of the magnificent building in which we gather: The Peace Palace. Today, this building houses the International Court of Justice and the Permanent Court of Arbitration. The setting for the WIDE Annual Conference is the main place where justice is debated and conferred within the United Nations.
The International Court of Justice is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. It was established by the United Nations Charter, signed in 1945 in San Francisco, and began work in 1946 in the Peace Palace, The Hague. The Court, which is composed of 15 judges, has a dual role: in accordance with international law, it settles legal disputes between States who have asked for arbitration, and provides advice on legal matters referred to by both authorized United Nations organs and specialized agencies.
So the next time you are in the security checking line, take a minute and think about the Hague Peace Conferences and the International Court of Justice – it has a significant place in the history of nations across the globe.
This article has been publised in Daily News 10-10-2008
Hands holding passports. That is the picture that welcomes the conference participants at the gate of the granite, sandstone and red brick Peace Palace. You can always feel some tension when you are waiting for your turn in the security checking line. You might start worrying: 'Is my name on the list? Did I leave my passport back at the hotel?'
This lovely autumn day and the slightly unsettling safety measures may have led you to forget about the history and importance of the magnificent building in which we gather: The Peace Palace. Today, this building houses the International Court of Justice and the Permanent Court of Arbitration. The setting for the WIDE Annual Conference is the main place where justice is debated and conferred within the United Nations.
The International Court of Justice is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. It was established by the United Nations Charter, signed in 1945 in San Francisco, and began work in 1946 in the Peace Palace, The Hague. The Court, which is composed of 15 judges, has a dual role: in accordance with international law, it settles legal disputes between States who have asked for arbitration, and provides advice on legal matters referred to by both authorized United Nations organs and specialized agencies.
So the next time you are in the security checking line, take a minute and think about the Hague Peace Conferences and the International Court of Justice – it has a significant place in the history of nations across the globe.
This article has been publised in Daily News 10-10-2008
What to expect tomorrow: European Global Players
The WIDE Annual Conference aims to come up with new strategies for feminists to promote a transformation towards an equal world. To do so, WIDE has gathered almost 200 feminists from all over the globe. At the last day of this conference, these participants will exchange successful strategies and find new ways to achieve their goals.
By Suvi Kilpeläinen
Did you think 'the players of Europe' were the same as 'the European Union'? Or was I the only one? My thinking could have been narrowed by the fact that I have been living and working in Brussels for a while. Considering Europe as the same as the EU is definitely a negative side effect of living inside the infamous Brussels bubble. So it is positive to notice that the Brussels bubble hasn't affected the programme committee of the Wide Annual Conference. They have managed to see outside of the box of EU and outside the traditional concept of Europe.
And do you still remember how strictly the concept of Europe was defined for us in school books? Well, I do. Hopefully this will change when the EU, now identified as only one of the European players, is ready to talk about what Europe is and what it means to its inhabitants. Moreover, there needs to be a discussion about what Europe means to women outside of Europe and what kind of effect Europe has on the global world and it's habitants.
The European players don't only affect women in Europe but also to women outside of Europe. This is a fact that seems to be forgotten so often. Women's rights and gender equality aren't topping high in the trade negotiations. Trade is not charity, trade is business. Unfortunately in business, the weakest people don't have room for input. The most vulnerable people are normally women who are working 14 hours per day without any overtime compensation. They sleep on the floors of factories because they don't have means or time to go to home. And when such a worker becomes sick, or too old to work, it is easy to replace her because there is always somebody else to do the work.
This could be a description of an Indian factory, but the same reality can be found inside Europe. And the responsibility to change this belongs to us all. The second day of the WIDE Annual Conference will offer us challenges, but also opportunities for a just Europe.
This article has been published in Daily Visions 10-10-2008
By Suvi Kilpeläinen
Did you think 'the players of Europe' were the same as 'the European Union'? Or was I the only one? My thinking could have been narrowed by the fact that I have been living and working in Brussels for a while. Considering Europe as the same as the EU is definitely a negative side effect of living inside the infamous Brussels bubble. So it is positive to notice that the Brussels bubble hasn't affected the programme committee of the Wide Annual Conference. They have managed to see outside of the box of EU and outside the traditional concept of Europe.
And do you still remember how strictly the concept of Europe was defined for us in school books? Well, I do. Hopefully this will change when the EU, now identified as only one of the European players, is ready to talk about what Europe is and what it means to its inhabitants. Moreover, there needs to be a discussion about what Europe means to women outside of Europe and what kind of effect Europe has on the global world and it's habitants.
The European players don't only affect women in Europe but also to women outside of Europe. This is a fact that seems to be forgotten so often. Women's rights and gender equality aren't topping high in the trade negotiations. Trade is not charity, trade is business. Unfortunately in business, the weakest people don't have room for input. The most vulnerable people are normally women who are working 14 hours per day without any overtime compensation. They sleep on the floors of factories because they don't have means or time to go to home. And when such a worker becomes sick, or too old to work, it is easy to replace her because there is always somebody else to do the work.
This could be a description of an Indian factory, but the same reality can be found inside Europe. And the responsibility to change this belongs to us all. The second day of the WIDE Annual Conference will offer us challenges, but also opportunities for a just Europe.
This article has been published in Daily Visions 10-10-2008
'Feminism is about passion'
There have always been tensions between the Southern and Northern regions of our world, and this is opposition can also be found in feminist movements. It makes me wonder: Are European feminists advocating enough for women in the South? Is European feminism sharing the same ideals, the same goals? In just one talk with Zohra Khan, I am reminded again of why I am a feminist.
By Isabelle Gentilhomme
Zohra Khan introduces herself as a South African feminist, albeit one who has lived in Europe for the past six years. Within her organization (UK Gender and Development Network) she brings an African development perspective, raising attention among European women who are not facing the same problems as African women might. Yet the point remains: feminists all around the world are different because of the daily challenges we face, but we all share the same aim: equality. We all have different identities, different backgrounds, and different religions, but we also have the same strength that motivates us to wake up every morning. It's our passion for justice.
I think that confronting different feminisms to stress out our differences should be minimized in order to build a strong world feminist movement. As Khan points out, patriarchy is a unified movement present all around the world that we can fight only as a unified block. So, how can we build a strong unified feminist movement? Khan sees the answer in combining social actions of some NGOs with political actions of others. This touches upon the interview with Gigi Francisco, published in Daily Visions yesterday. For Khan, the separation in feminism can be a positive force if all the organizations involved keep in mind that they have to work together.
I confront Khan with the possibility that women’s participation in politics does not necessarily lead to gender equality. Khan confirms this possibility, we have only to look at Sarah Pallin as a politician who does little for women’s empowerment. But Khan also thinks that pushing feminists in political areas will give a better visibility to women. This will slowly change mentalities among populations used to a 'male dominated-system'.
Feminism should be a transversal issue which goes beyond political parties. It has to raise awareness among the younger generation who sometimes feels that nothing further needs to be done for women’s rights. There is a great need for feminism to be addressed in a global way since women are the first to suffer from global crisis.
While I totally agree with Khan, I still feel so small trying to change this unequal world, especially when confronted with people who think I am wasting my time trying to change the world.
But at the end of conversation Zohran Khan asks me to look around. I see around me all these women coming from all around the world to attend the WIDE’s annual conference, talking together, sharing their experiences, and thinking of a common way to change this world. And at that point, I realize I am not alone. This knowledge is the main challenge of feminism and more broadly of women. Our goal is to raise consciousness, so that we can be a powerful group. A group that can easily re-build a 'new Era' based on 'gender equality and social justice'.
Let’s make the most of our differences to improve the life of millions of different women in the world. Let’s give each other the passion to wake up every morning for the rest of our lives!
Isabelle Gentilhomme is a young European feminist (23), starting the last year of her masters degree at ISMaPP (Paris-Brussels). She is also an intern at WIDE.
This article has been published in Daily visions 10-10-2008
By Isabelle Gentilhomme
Zohra Khan introduces herself as a South African feminist, albeit one who has lived in Europe for the past six years. Within her organization (UK Gender and Development Network) she brings an African development perspective, raising attention among European women who are not facing the same problems as African women might. Yet the point remains: feminists all around the world are different because of the daily challenges we face, but we all share the same aim: equality. We all have different identities, different backgrounds, and different religions, but we also have the same strength that motivates us to wake up every morning. It's our passion for justice.
I think that confronting different feminisms to stress out our differences should be minimized in order to build a strong world feminist movement. As Khan points out, patriarchy is a unified movement present all around the world that we can fight only as a unified block. So, how can we build a strong unified feminist movement? Khan sees the answer in combining social actions of some NGOs with political actions of others. This touches upon the interview with Gigi Francisco, published in Daily Visions yesterday. For Khan, the separation in feminism can be a positive force if all the organizations involved keep in mind that they have to work together.
I confront Khan with the possibility that women’s participation in politics does not necessarily lead to gender equality. Khan confirms this possibility, we have only to look at Sarah Pallin as a politician who does little for women’s empowerment. But Khan also thinks that pushing feminists in political areas will give a better visibility to women. This will slowly change mentalities among populations used to a 'male dominated-system'.
Feminism should be a transversal issue which goes beyond political parties. It has to raise awareness among the younger generation who sometimes feels that nothing further needs to be done for women’s rights. There is a great need for feminism to be addressed in a global way since women are the first to suffer from global crisis.
While I totally agree with Khan, I still feel so small trying to change this unequal world, especially when confronted with people who think I am wasting my time trying to change the world.
But at the end of conversation Zohran Khan asks me to look around. I see around me all these women coming from all around the world to attend the WIDE’s annual conference, talking together, sharing their experiences, and thinking of a common way to change this world. And at that point, I realize I am not alone. This knowledge is the main challenge of feminism and more broadly of women. Our goal is to raise consciousness, so that we can be a powerful group. A group that can easily re-build a 'new Era' based on 'gender equality and social justice'.
Let’s make the most of our differences to improve the life of millions of different women in the world. Let’s give each other the passion to wake up every morning for the rest of our lives!
Isabelle Gentilhomme is a young European feminist (23), starting the last year of her masters degree at ISMaPP (Paris-Brussels). She is also an intern at WIDE.
This article has been published in Daily visions 10-10-2008
Chantal Gill’ard: 'Feminist talk is not the talk of Parliament'
Chantal Gill'ard has a background in philosophy and ethics in biotechnology. She is most currently known for her work as a politician in the Dutch Parliament. Gill'ard will attend WIDE on behalf of AWEPA; the Association of European Parliamentarians for Africa.
By Karoline Kemp
As I enter the office of Chantal Gill'ard at the Parliament, she tells me that she has to shift her mindset for our conversation. Feminist talk is not the talk of Parliament. I grab the opportunity to ask her if she defines herself as a feminist. Gill'ard responds with the clever grin of a politician, saying that she is a critical thinker who incorporates feminism, indeed, several types of feminisms, into her work. Her belief that the women’s movement is strengthened by diversity is something she attempts to bring into her Parliamentary work. The language that she uses in Parliament has had to fill a gap in feminist stances, which she describes as not having been the easiest of transitions.
We shift our discussion to more detailed aspects of her work, and Gill’ard begins to talk about her work with an enthusiasm that is hard to deny. The work of her portfolio centers around reproductive rights, with specific attention paid to the right to abortion. Gill’ard endorses the right of a woman to control her own body, and does this on a political level by supporting legislation in The Netherlands that sets out to protect the rights of women to abortion. Her party, the PVDA, recently voted against a legislative policy on abortion because they did not think it went far enough; they believe that the law should also protect the right to access services.
Number 5
Much of Chantal Gill’ard’s work has roots in Millennium Development Goal Number 5, which aims to improve maternal health worldwide. 'While many countries have not protected women’s rights to abortion, others have,' Gill’ard says, 'and this unevenness in policies is unfair.' Engaging with the Lisbon Treaty is one way in which she approaches meeting this goal, which comes with her involvement in medical ethics as well as development cooperation. Thus, she works not only at ensuring the rights of women to abortion, but she also acts alongside other government parliamentarians to ensure that those Member States who join the Lisbon Treaty guarantee women’s rights as a precondition for their membership.
Another interesting area of Gill’ard's work is with AWEPA, the Association of European Parliamentarian’s for Africa. She became involved with AWEPA after speaking at a symposium on HIV/Aids and orphans, where Archbishop Desmond Tutu was also speaking. Gill’ard decided to join the group, and has since participated in a meeting in Washington, D.C. to strategise about how to bring the views of Parliamentarians to bear on the issue of aid effectiveness at the recent High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, which took place in Ghana at the beginning of September.
Gill’ard notes that it is not only important for civil society to have a united voice, but that Parliamentarians must also work more on this. While the Netherlands has not been active in AWEPA for the past several years, her recent membership in the network means a valuable group of people will be brought back in to deal with important issues. Again, MDG 5 is a key part of this work, and here, Gill’ard observes that their work must not only focus on the right to abortion, but also on ensuring that the women are able to deliver their babies safely. This is also a human right that governments must work to protect, and to this end, Gill’ard is busy organising an inter-parliamentary conference which will produce a road map for the 80 or so Parliamentarians who will attend. Organised alongside the World Health Organisation, they will try to ensure that Member States’ commitments to the MDGs are further endorsed and implemented.
this article has been published in Daily Visions on 10-10-2008
By Karoline Kemp
As I enter the office of Chantal Gill'ard at the Parliament, she tells me that she has to shift her mindset for our conversation. Feminist talk is not the talk of Parliament. I grab the opportunity to ask her if she defines herself as a feminist. Gill'ard responds with the clever grin of a politician, saying that she is a critical thinker who incorporates feminism, indeed, several types of feminisms, into her work. Her belief that the women’s movement is strengthened by diversity is something she attempts to bring into her Parliamentary work. The language that she uses in Parliament has had to fill a gap in feminist stances, which she describes as not having been the easiest of transitions.
We shift our discussion to more detailed aspects of her work, and Gill’ard begins to talk about her work with an enthusiasm that is hard to deny. The work of her portfolio centers around reproductive rights, with specific attention paid to the right to abortion. Gill’ard endorses the right of a woman to control her own body, and does this on a political level by supporting legislation in The Netherlands that sets out to protect the rights of women to abortion. Her party, the PVDA, recently voted against a legislative policy on abortion because they did not think it went far enough; they believe that the law should also protect the right to access services.
Number 5
Much of Chantal Gill’ard’s work has roots in Millennium Development Goal Number 5, which aims to improve maternal health worldwide. 'While many countries have not protected women’s rights to abortion, others have,' Gill’ard says, 'and this unevenness in policies is unfair.' Engaging with the Lisbon Treaty is one way in which she approaches meeting this goal, which comes with her involvement in medical ethics as well as development cooperation. Thus, she works not only at ensuring the rights of women to abortion, but she also acts alongside other government parliamentarians to ensure that those Member States who join the Lisbon Treaty guarantee women’s rights as a precondition for their membership.
Another interesting area of Gill’ard's work is with AWEPA, the Association of European Parliamentarian’s for Africa. She became involved with AWEPA after speaking at a symposium on HIV/Aids and orphans, where Archbishop Desmond Tutu was also speaking. Gill’ard decided to join the group, and has since participated in a meeting in Washington, D.C. to strategise about how to bring the views of Parliamentarians to bear on the issue of aid effectiveness at the recent High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, which took place in Ghana at the beginning of September.
Gill’ard notes that it is not only important for civil society to have a united voice, but that Parliamentarians must also work more on this. While the Netherlands has not been active in AWEPA for the past several years, her recent membership in the network means a valuable group of people will be brought back in to deal with important issues. Again, MDG 5 is a key part of this work, and here, Gill’ard observes that their work must not only focus on the right to abortion, but also on ensuring that the women are able to deliver their babies safely. This is also a human right that governments must work to protect, and to this end, Gill’ard is busy organising an inter-parliamentary conference which will produce a road map for the 80 or so Parliamentarians who will attend. Organised alongside the World Health Organisation, they will try to ensure that Member States’ commitments to the MDGs are further endorsed and implemented.
this article has been published in Daily Visions on 10-10-2008
Thursday 9 October 2008
Advocating change and resistance
Following a day full of introspection, the participants of the WIDE conference will turn to look at the role and responsibilities of various European actors. The conference will take up topics such as trends and issues concerning migrants, the feminization of labour and the gendered aspects of the agricultural trade regime and food crisis. What is the role of Europe in this, and what needs to be done?
By Tina Parbhakar
Although women across the globe face many of the same inequalities, there is potential for agents in Europe to have a disproportionate effect on those in developing countries through their control on established structures and processes. For example, Aid Effectiveness (AE) and Financing for Development (FFD) processes are two areas where critiques have been made because of their implications for how development is defined and thus how much emphasis and resources are given to enhancing and promoting women’s rights. The AE is spearheaded by the Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD) as per the Paris Declaration and FFD is guided by the UN and based on the Monterrey Consensus. The former lacks a specific role for civil society while the latter appears to be more inclusive. Nevertheless, a more integrated approach is desirable, but political will remains an issue.
European Union expansion and constitutionalization has not led to a major discussion of gender. This omission has been to the detriment of women, illegally trafficked or otherwise, who are put into increasingly vulnerable situations in order to sustain themselves and their families. The world is seeing an increasing feminization of labour which coalesces with migration issues.
But there is potential to rally women around policies on the topics of war, peacemaking and the agricultural trade regime. A key step may be increasing the number of women and gender-sensitive individuals occupying decision making positions whether in defence secretariats, police forces or trade negotiations. We must also continue to observe and measure the gendered impacts of abstract and high-level policies on the communities they are meant to serve.
Leibert (2002) suggests actively mobilizing public support, building gender expertise and fostering the diffusion of innovative ideas from epistemic communities. However, while individual agents may strategically frame gender issues to fit within the dominant frames of target organizations and thus break new ground, this may also water-down the original message. The WIDE Annual Conference will try to find new resources and a desirable discourse with regards to accelerating women’s empowerment in multiple fora.
This article has been published in Daily Visions 08-10-2008
By Tina Parbhakar
Although women across the globe face many of the same inequalities, there is potential for agents in Europe to have a disproportionate effect on those in developing countries through their control on established structures and processes. For example, Aid Effectiveness (AE) and Financing for Development (FFD) processes are two areas where critiques have been made because of their implications for how development is defined and thus how much emphasis and resources are given to enhancing and promoting women’s rights. The AE is spearheaded by the Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD) as per the Paris Declaration and FFD is guided by the UN and based on the Monterrey Consensus. The former lacks a specific role for civil society while the latter appears to be more inclusive. Nevertheless, a more integrated approach is desirable, but political will remains an issue.
European Union expansion and constitutionalization has not led to a major discussion of gender. This omission has been to the detriment of women, illegally trafficked or otherwise, who are put into increasingly vulnerable situations in order to sustain themselves and their families. The world is seeing an increasing feminization of labour which coalesces with migration issues.
But there is potential to rally women around policies on the topics of war, peacemaking and the agricultural trade regime. A key step may be increasing the number of women and gender-sensitive individuals occupying decision making positions whether in defence secretariats, police forces or trade negotiations. We must also continue to observe and measure the gendered impacts of abstract and high-level policies on the communities they are meant to serve.
Leibert (2002) suggests actively mobilizing public support, building gender expertise and fostering the diffusion of innovative ideas from epistemic communities. However, while individual agents may strategically frame gender issues to fit within the dominant frames of target organizations and thus break new ground, this may also water-down the original message. The WIDE Annual Conference will try to find new resources and a desirable discourse with regards to accelerating women’s empowerment in multiple fora.
This article has been published in Daily Visions 08-10-2008
Gigi Francisco: “They are supposed to be the floor, not the ceiling”
We often think that feminism is practiced in one, defined way. But when two feminists start to talk with each other, this idea has to clear the room. Here is the result of a discussion between a young feminist living in Europe trying to become a 'professional feminist' and a much more experienced feminist living in the Philippines.
By Isabelle Gentilhomme
Gigi Francisco works with DAWN (Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era) and has been involved in WIDE for 15 years now, mainly on development projects. Isabelle Gentilhomme is a young feminist, studying in Brussels and working as an intern at WIDE. They meet each other a day before the conference to discuss this thing called 'feminism'.
With her experience in the field, Gigi Francisco is able to compare her experiences of feminism in the South with feminism in Europe. Though they work together, there are still many different visions. For Francisco, feminism in Europe is split in two parts: on the one hand, there are European feminist organizations like WIDE, working closer than ever before with social movements such as the European Social Forum and the Seattle to Brussels network. On the other hand, there are feminist organizations that are engaging with European institutions like the European Parliament and the European Commission.
This is about the 'institutionalisation' and 'professionalization' of feminism in the European Union. Some organizations have understood that women’s rights will be well advocated for if they are working hand-in-hand with 'non-governmental institutions' such as S2B, because the situation of women in the South is nothing to be compared with the situation of women in the EU. So advocating at the level of European institutions without previous consultation of South organizations can be negative for the feminist struggle. But the EU should not behave like the USA in thinking that they have a model that can be applied anywhere without considering religious, political and cultural differences.
The young ones
Does political parity means gender equality? As a young feminist, Isabelle Gentilhomme thought it did. 'But I didn’t consider the women who are not involved in politics!' she states. Even if Europe is to reach this political parity, it does not mean that gender equality will be reached in other areas. Gentilhomme realized that her feminism was too institutional. 'I thought that gender equality would be reachable if countries were able to achieve the MDGs (Millemium Development Goals) which are the objectives of governmental institutions,' she explains. 'But in the discussion with Gigi, I'm reminded by her that these MDGs are the minimum for human rights and that feminism should go much higher than these standards – women need to demand more protection from their governments.'
Are feminists sometimes too involved in the system? Are we forgetting to develop alternatives to the system we are living in? Can feminism be professional?
For Gigi Francisco these are the new challenges of European feminism. European feminism needs to re-think what it strives for and how it aims to achieve their goals in order to address the important issues in an alternative way. It needs more diversity and more feminism to wake up solidarity: solidarity within Europe, but also solidarity among women from all around the world who are facing growing poverty and increasing social gaps. European feminism needs a confrontation among its organizations to re-build a new 'Era of thinking' and work more effectively for women’s rights.
Feminism has to be at the heart of any political debate in the EU as well as alternatives to the current system. The financial crisis that we are currently experiencing confirms that the neoliberal system must be challenged urgently.
The WIDE Annual Conference offers a special and timely opportunity to start new dialogues about feminism, where we can lay the groundwork for future, collective action. Women from all around the world are coming together during these three days in The Hague to share their experiences of feminism and their ideas for alternatives. This is our chance to strengthen our actions to be able to reach 'gender equality and social justice'.
This article has been publised in Daily Visions 08-10-2008
By Isabelle Gentilhomme
Gigi Francisco works with DAWN (Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era) and has been involved in WIDE for 15 years now, mainly on development projects. Isabelle Gentilhomme is a young feminist, studying in Brussels and working as an intern at WIDE. They meet each other a day before the conference to discuss this thing called 'feminism'.
With her experience in the field, Gigi Francisco is able to compare her experiences of feminism in the South with feminism in Europe. Though they work together, there are still many different visions. For Francisco, feminism in Europe is split in two parts: on the one hand, there are European feminist organizations like WIDE, working closer than ever before with social movements such as the European Social Forum and the Seattle to Brussels network. On the other hand, there are feminist organizations that are engaging with European institutions like the European Parliament and the European Commission.
This is about the 'institutionalisation' and 'professionalization' of feminism in the European Union. Some organizations have understood that women’s rights will be well advocated for if they are working hand-in-hand with 'non-governmental institutions' such as S2B, because the situation of women in the South is nothing to be compared with the situation of women in the EU. So advocating at the level of European institutions without previous consultation of South organizations can be negative for the feminist struggle. But the EU should not behave like the USA in thinking that they have a model that can be applied anywhere without considering religious, political and cultural differences.
The young ones
Does political parity means gender equality? As a young feminist, Isabelle Gentilhomme thought it did. 'But I didn’t consider the women who are not involved in politics!' she states. Even if Europe is to reach this political parity, it does not mean that gender equality will be reached in other areas. Gentilhomme realized that her feminism was too institutional. 'I thought that gender equality would be reachable if countries were able to achieve the MDGs (Millemium Development Goals) which are the objectives of governmental institutions,' she explains. 'But in the discussion with Gigi, I'm reminded by her that these MDGs are the minimum for human rights and that feminism should go much higher than these standards – women need to demand more protection from their governments.'
Are feminists sometimes too involved in the system? Are we forgetting to develop alternatives to the system we are living in? Can feminism be professional?
For Gigi Francisco these are the new challenges of European feminism. European feminism needs to re-think what it strives for and how it aims to achieve their goals in order to address the important issues in an alternative way. It needs more diversity and more feminism to wake up solidarity: solidarity within Europe, but also solidarity among women from all around the world who are facing growing poverty and increasing social gaps. European feminism needs a confrontation among its organizations to re-build a new 'Era of thinking' and work more effectively for women’s rights.
Feminism has to be at the heart of any political debate in the EU as well as alternatives to the current system. The financial crisis that we are currently experiencing confirms that the neoliberal system must be challenged urgently.
The WIDE Annual Conference offers a special and timely opportunity to start new dialogues about feminism, where we can lay the groundwork for future, collective action. Women from all around the world are coming together during these three days in The Hague to share their experiences of feminism and their ideas for alternatives. This is our chance to strengthen our actions to be able to reach 'gender equality and social justice'.
This article has been publised in Daily Visions 08-10-2008
Thanh-Dam Truong: 'Human beings will always find ways to resist social oppression.'
Thanh-Dam Truong is one of the members of the Opening Panel 'Situating Feminisms in Europe today. She was one of the first scholars to write an academic analysis on sex tourism. Daily Visions asked her how she would situate feminism.
By Karoline Kemp
'I see the Women’s Movement, Her-Stories and turning points as a deep ocean, much of which has not yet surfaced. Sometimes referred to as waves, I have seen many strands of feminism. But to me they are still movements only at the surface.
To name and frame these waves is difficult. Instead I try to understand the deeper currents that make the waves and their impact on people lives. Goran Therborn. a Swedish scholar, once wrote that we have had a neoliberal tsunami over the last 30 years. There are many different waves, including feminism, that move along this current. He saw this 'tsunami' as inevitable because the old paradigm of social reforms was no longer functional. The question is what is next? This is where we can learn from lessons of the past to envisage a future.'
So, then how can we be feminists today in Europe?
'Well, this is a difficult question, because it presupposes that we know what “feminism” is and who “feminists are”. I would rather reformulate the question and ask: What set of feminist values are relevant to Europe today, why, and what makes these values attractive to people as compared to other sets of values? But this is a big question. I am not sure if I can give a fair answer.
Feminism is a form of consciousness; it evolves, unfolds itself and extends to many realms of human life. Consciousness is about self-knowledge and knowledge of others through exposure, and about the struggle against many internal mental and emotional barriers, or layers and layers of beliefs, some of which are prejudicial, that have settled in ourselves throughout our lives. This journey is very personal and I think it may be counter-productive to set norms of “being a feminist” as an identity set in stone. There is a difference between “being a feminist” as a public image, and “being a feminist” as a journey of self-discovery which has implications for our actions.'
Can we build a common feminist movement in Europe?
'Feminist movements in Europe have had a long trajectory, dating back to the Middle Age. Running the risk of idealizing the past, I would say they were different streams that converged together to make a big wave. How they converge depends on the specific aspects of a historical context. Disruptions have occurred for different reasons, war, differences of political ideology and alliances with broader causes. So the question to me is not “can we built a common feminist movement”, but more about whether it is possible to find a common set of issues and principles to act together effectively at this historical juncture. And how to maintain a distinctive autonomy of individuals and groups without causing friction with others.'
'Feminism will always exist in different forms so long as social inequality persists in value systems, systems of thinking and social relations. I discovered a book many years ago, I forget the title, about women under patriarchal rule in ancient China, and how they developed their own language to communicate with each other and help each other. Human beings everywhere are creative and will always find ways to resist social oppression. The future for feminism depends much on how its ideas and visions can be made relevant to people who suffer from complex systems of oppression and inequality, not exclusively gender inequality. As our lives become more affected by global relationships, such complexity is likely to be intensified rather than simplified.'
What can we learn from South East Asian Feminism?
'I am not sure if I can comment on this, since I have lived in Europe for 3 decades now; therefore my engagement in that part of the world is more indirect than direct. At the risk of making an inappropriate statement, I think that in this part of the world, many feminist activities depend very much on external funding, and are generally not free from domestic politics. So I think the issue of steering domestic issues with the conditionalities imposed by external funding organisations is one of the greatest challenges. External funding organisations may have a global agenda, but in actual reality they rarely escape the political repertoire of the countries where they are based. Harmonizing interests and responsibility on both ends to redress the injustice suffered by particular groups seems to be something that we can all learn from. But this issue is beyond South East Asia.'
This article has been published in Daily Visions 08-10-2008
By Karoline Kemp
'I see the Women’s Movement, Her-Stories and turning points as a deep ocean, much of which has not yet surfaced. Sometimes referred to as waves, I have seen many strands of feminism. But to me they are still movements only at the surface.
To name and frame these waves is difficult. Instead I try to understand the deeper currents that make the waves and their impact on people lives. Goran Therborn. a Swedish scholar, once wrote that we have had a neoliberal tsunami over the last 30 years. There are many different waves, including feminism, that move along this current. He saw this 'tsunami' as inevitable because the old paradigm of social reforms was no longer functional. The question is what is next? This is where we can learn from lessons of the past to envisage a future.'
So, then how can we be feminists today in Europe?
'Well, this is a difficult question, because it presupposes that we know what “feminism” is and who “feminists are”. I would rather reformulate the question and ask: What set of feminist values are relevant to Europe today, why, and what makes these values attractive to people as compared to other sets of values? But this is a big question. I am not sure if I can give a fair answer.
Feminism is a form of consciousness; it evolves, unfolds itself and extends to many realms of human life. Consciousness is about self-knowledge and knowledge of others through exposure, and about the struggle against many internal mental and emotional barriers, or layers and layers of beliefs, some of which are prejudicial, that have settled in ourselves throughout our lives. This journey is very personal and I think it may be counter-productive to set norms of “being a feminist” as an identity set in stone. There is a difference between “being a feminist” as a public image, and “being a feminist” as a journey of self-discovery which has implications for our actions.'
Can we build a common feminist movement in Europe?
'Feminist movements in Europe have had a long trajectory, dating back to the Middle Age. Running the risk of idealizing the past, I would say they were different streams that converged together to make a big wave. How they converge depends on the specific aspects of a historical context. Disruptions have occurred for different reasons, war, differences of political ideology and alliances with broader causes. So the question to me is not “can we built a common feminist movement”, but more about whether it is possible to find a common set of issues and principles to act together effectively at this historical juncture. And how to maintain a distinctive autonomy of individuals and groups without causing friction with others.'
'Feminism will always exist in different forms so long as social inequality persists in value systems, systems of thinking and social relations. I discovered a book many years ago, I forget the title, about women under patriarchal rule in ancient China, and how they developed their own language to communicate with each other and help each other. Human beings everywhere are creative and will always find ways to resist social oppression. The future for feminism depends much on how its ideas and visions can be made relevant to people who suffer from complex systems of oppression and inequality, not exclusively gender inequality. As our lives become more affected by global relationships, such complexity is likely to be intensified rather than simplified.'
What can we learn from South East Asian Feminism?
'I am not sure if I can comment on this, since I have lived in Europe for 3 decades now; therefore my engagement in that part of the world is more indirect than direct. At the risk of making an inappropriate statement, I think that in this part of the world, many feminist activities depend very much on external funding, and are generally not free from domestic politics. So I think the issue of steering domestic issues with the conditionalities imposed by external funding organisations is one of the greatest challenges. External funding organisations may have a global agenda, but in actual reality they rarely escape the political repertoire of the countries where they are based. Harmonizing interests and responsibility on both ends to redress the injustice suffered by particular groups seems to be something that we can all learn from. But this issue is beyond South East Asia.'
This article has been published in Daily Visions 08-10-2008
WIDE 2008: FEMINIST VISIONS FOR A JUST EUROPE
Today’s globalized world poses new threats and challenges to women, their families and communities. Street protests have turned into debates, in which today’s female leaders, together with men, question the political and economic systems that are keeping gender inequalities alive.
For this purpose feminist thinkers and development experts from all over the world will come to The Hague for the 7th WIDE Annual Conference. Titled ‘Feminist visions on a just Europe’, this year's Wide Conference will focuss on addressing Europe’s responsibility towards women’s rights and gender equality by promoting fair and just global Trade and Development. The conference is hosted by WO=MEN, the brand new Dutch Gender Platform.
WO=MEN, the Dutch Gender Platform was formed in 2007 to increase attention for gender inequality worldwide and to bring together Dutch based development professionals, policy makers, activists, academics, entrepreneurs and men and women alike. WIDE has existed for nearly twenty years and has been working as a professional gender network with a European and Global scope. WIDE organises an annual conference to discuss and envision developments in gender justice. Previous conferences took place in Madrid, Warshaw and London.
The mix of conference presentations, workshops, open spaces and discussions will enable participants to deepen understanding on how ongoing reforms on trade, financial mechanisms, and development are linked and how they affect women's and men's livelihoods and to build strategies and lasting alliances to address inequality.
For this purpose feminist thinkers and development experts from all over the world will come to The Hague for the 7th WIDE Annual Conference. Titled ‘Feminist visions on a just Europe’, this year's Wide Conference will focuss on addressing Europe’s responsibility towards women’s rights and gender equality by promoting fair and just global Trade and Development. The conference is hosted by WO=MEN, the brand new Dutch Gender Platform.
WO=MEN, the Dutch Gender Platform was formed in 2007 to increase attention for gender inequality worldwide and to bring together Dutch based development professionals, policy makers, activists, academics, entrepreneurs and men and women alike. WIDE has existed for nearly twenty years and has been working as a professional gender network with a European and Global scope. WIDE organises an annual conference to discuss and envision developments in gender justice. Previous conferences took place in Madrid, Warshaw and London.
The mix of conference presentations, workshops, open spaces and discussions will enable participants to deepen understanding on how ongoing reforms on trade, financial mechanisms, and development are linked and how they affect women's and men's livelihoods and to build strategies and lasting alliances to address inequality.
‘Intersectionalities, intersecting lives and realities’
By Bénédicte Allaert, WIDE
WIDE has played a key role in promotion gender equality in EU development & trade policies for many years. What has been achieved? Where are we today and where do we want to go? One thing for sure is that we have increased our awareness -both at collective and individual levels. And we need to open up to more feminist views. We need to improve our understanding of the various forms of powers (and oppressions) that intersect to affect our bodies and lives. In other words; we need to better understand the interlocking factors of domination.
In order to be able to envision alternatives to the main ideologies and forms of oppression, as well as to identify new avenues of thought and paradigms, we first need to be able to situate ourselves in the processes in which we are involved. We believe that the intersectionality approach can help us to reflect on the actors, institutions, policies and norms that intertwine to create the Europe we live in today. This includes not only its neoliberal economic policies, but also the militarization and new technologies nad the entrenched patriarchal and new imperialist agenda that threaten women’s rights and livelihoods globally and in Europe. WIDE plans to introduce and use intersectional analysis for linking the current social, economic, political and legal environment in the EU that contributes to create multiple forms of discrimination. In doing so we can structure converging experiences of oppression and privilege.
In the parallel session on intersectionality to be held this afternoon, we will start with a presentation by Patricia Muñoz. She will show the concept and approach of intersectionality to help us see how dominating ideologies and intersecting factors of oppression have harmful effects on women’s lives and sense of self-worth. Not surprisingly, her presentation will also illustrate how women living at the bottom of the social ladder bear a disproportionate amount of the burden.
We hope this presentation will help get the debate started around key questions, starting perhaps with identifying who the most marginalized women in today’s Europe are, and why. We hope that our collective intersectional analysis will enable us to come up with some elements that can be of help in the following sessions. Our aim is therefore to develop ‘holistic and powerful solutions from the places where our relative privileges intersect’.
See you at the session this afternoon!
This column has been published in Daily Visions 08-10-2008
WIDE has played a key role in promotion gender equality in EU development & trade policies for many years. What has been achieved? Where are we today and where do we want to go? One thing for sure is that we have increased our awareness -both at collective and individual levels. And we need to open up to more feminist views. We need to improve our understanding of the various forms of powers (and oppressions) that intersect to affect our bodies and lives. In other words; we need to better understand the interlocking factors of domination.
In order to be able to envision alternatives to the main ideologies and forms of oppression, as well as to identify new avenues of thought and paradigms, we first need to be able to situate ourselves in the processes in which we are involved. We believe that the intersectionality approach can help us to reflect on the actors, institutions, policies and norms that intertwine to create the Europe we live in today. This includes not only its neoliberal economic policies, but also the militarization and new technologies nad the entrenched patriarchal and new imperialist agenda that threaten women’s rights and livelihoods globally and in Europe. WIDE plans to introduce and use intersectional analysis for linking the current social, economic, political and legal environment in the EU that contributes to create multiple forms of discrimination. In doing so we can structure converging experiences of oppression and privilege.
In the parallel session on intersectionality to be held this afternoon, we will start with a presentation by Patricia Muñoz. She will show the concept and approach of intersectionality to help us see how dominating ideologies and intersecting factors of oppression have harmful effects on women’s lives and sense of self-worth. Not surprisingly, her presentation will also illustrate how women living at the bottom of the social ladder bear a disproportionate amount of the burden.
We hope this presentation will help get the debate started around key questions, starting perhaps with identifying who the most marginalized women in today’s Europe are, and why. We hope that our collective intersectional analysis will enable us to come up with some elements that can be of help in the following sessions. Our aim is therefore to develop ‘holistic and powerful solutions from the places where our relative privileges intersect’.
See you at the session this afternoon!
This column has been published in Daily Visions 08-10-2008
What do feminists have to say?
Of course, the WIDE Annual Conference would not be called 'annual' if there wasn't a conference each year. So what was the conference about last year? Daily Visions took a look at the most prominent issues of WIDE 2007.
By Tina Parbhakar
Thinking about WIDE is thinking about solidarity. No wonder last years conference is known for its convivial atmosphere of solidarity. During this conference, reflections on women’s contribution to different development processes and strategies for alternative visions for feminist were flourishing.
The conference titled ”New aid, expanding trade: what do women have to say?” was hosted by the Gender and Development Working Group of the Spanish Platform of Development NGOs (CONGDE) in Madrid. It brought together more than 150 women activists from over 40 countries. The conference took stock of the changes in international trade policies, regulation of financial flows and investment together with international development policies and their impact on women’s realities, rights and gender equality. The discussions also focused on strategies on how to tackle the new aid and trade architecture from feminist perspectives. Moreover, they examined how ongoing reforms on trade, financial mechanisms, and development are linked.
The conference scrutinized the profound changes in the nature of international trade policies, regulation of financial flows and investment and the new international development architecture. High on the agenda was whether the new aid modalities such as those outlined in the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness will further sideline gender interests, shrink the spaces and resources available to gender equality and undercut efforts for women’s empowerment. As well as providing critical analysis on what is happening now in development policy, the conference also looked at possible feminist alternatives and ways to push for gender equality and women’s rights.
Wide once again succeeded in engaging participants in possible new advocacy positions. The conference of 2007 moved the discussions beyond the restrictions imposed by inequitable and asymmetrical global development and trade architecture.
This article has been published in Daily Visions 08-10-2008
By Tina Parbhakar
Thinking about WIDE is thinking about solidarity. No wonder last years conference is known for its convivial atmosphere of solidarity. During this conference, reflections on women’s contribution to different development processes and strategies for alternative visions for feminist were flourishing.
The conference titled ”New aid, expanding trade: what do women have to say?” was hosted by the Gender and Development Working Group of the Spanish Platform of Development NGOs (CONGDE) in Madrid. It brought together more than 150 women activists from over 40 countries. The conference took stock of the changes in international trade policies, regulation of financial flows and investment together with international development policies and their impact on women’s realities, rights and gender equality. The discussions also focused on strategies on how to tackle the new aid and trade architecture from feminist perspectives. Moreover, they examined how ongoing reforms on trade, financial mechanisms, and development are linked.
The conference scrutinized the profound changes in the nature of international trade policies, regulation of financial flows and investment and the new international development architecture. High on the agenda was whether the new aid modalities such as those outlined in the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness will further sideline gender interests, shrink the spaces and resources available to gender equality and undercut efforts for women’s empowerment. As well as providing critical analysis on what is happening now in development policy, the conference also looked at possible feminist alternatives and ways to push for gender equality and women’s rights.
Wide once again succeeded in engaging participants in possible new advocacy positions. The conference of 2007 moved the discussions beyond the restrictions imposed by inequitable and asymmetrical global development and trade architecture.
This article has been published in Daily Visions 08-10-2008
Welcome at Wide!
by Zairah Khan
You arrive in a strange city, tired from travel, your head full of impressions and street names you can hardly understand. You are looking for your hotel but somewhere you took a wrong turn. So, why not stop for a coffee and smell some of the atmosphere before you take up the background documents that you didn’t read yet.
This has been my experience at most conferences that I have been to so far, although the number is limited. The next day is usually when I lose myself in wonderfully interesting people and debates, but the day of arrival is a wonderful one as well, being in a new place and having the opportunity to dwell a little.
This time I’m on the other end, as the coordinator of WO=MEN, your host organisation to this years WIDE Annual Conference. It is me that gives you a warm welcome on behalf of my organisation and also on behalf of the city I live in. The city may not be big, but it is rich in history and in atmosphere, and I’m happy to live here. I’m sure I’ll have an opportunity to talk to you about the global issues we commonly face, but let’s not get into that quite yet.
For the time being I hope you all feel welcome and at home. I hope you will leave this place not only enriched by ideas but also by pleasant memories that linger in your mind the next time you pay a visit to this city.
You arrive in a strange city, tired from travel, your head full of impressions and street names you can hardly understand. You are looking for your hotel but somewhere you took a wrong turn. So, why not stop for a coffee and smell some of the atmosphere before you take up the background documents that you didn’t read yet.
This has been my experience at most conferences that I have been to so far, although the number is limited. The next day is usually when I lose myself in wonderfully interesting people and debates, but the day of arrival is a wonderful one as well, being in a new place and having the opportunity to dwell a little.
This time I’m on the other end, as the coordinator of WO=MEN, your host organisation to this years WIDE Annual Conference. It is me that gives you a warm welcome on behalf of my organisation and also on behalf of the city I live in. The city may not be big, but it is rich in history and in atmosphere, and I’m happy to live here. I’m sure I’ll have an opportunity to talk to you about the global issues we commonly face, but let’s not get into that quite yet.
For the time being I hope you all feel welcome and at home. I hope you will leave this place not only enriched by ideas but also by pleasant memories that linger in your mind the next time you pay a visit to this city.
This article has been published in Daily Visions 09-10-2008
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