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