VOICES RISING
YEAR III - VOL 3. NΊ128
March 07, 2005
CONTENT
DAWN Announces a New Feminist Advocacy Training Institute
Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN) is pleased to announce its second feminist advocacy training programme, to take place this year in Montevideo,
DAWN is a network of feminist scholars and activists from the economic South working for economic justice, gender justice and sustainable and democratic development. DAWN began in 1984, on the eve of the international conferences marking the end of the UN Decade for Women. Founding members prepared a platform document for that event and held a number of workshops at the NGO Forum in Nairobi. DAWN's platform document, Development Crises and Alternative Visions: Third World Women's Perspectives (Monthly Review Press 1987) was a South feminist critique of three decades of development. It highlighted the impacts of four inter-linked and systemic global crises - famine, debt, militarism and fundamentalism - on poor women of the South and offered alternative visions. The document made a significant impact at Nairobi, and put macro-economic issues firmly on the agenda of the women's movement.
Between 1992 and 1995, DAWN actively engaged in the series of UN Conferences (ICPD, WSSD and FWCW) on development and their preparatory processes, with a view to influencing the debates agendas and outcomes of these meetings. After 1999, DAWN became involved in the 5-year review processes for these conferences; engaged in a new series of UN Conferences including the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia, and other forms of Discrimination, UN High Level Conference on Financing for Development (FfD), and the World Summit for Sustainable Development; participated in two World Bank reform initiatives established in response to the women's movement and others' critique of the Bank; and worked to bring gender analysis to selected 'malestream' organisations. DAWN has also been very active in the global civil society movement against corporate globalisation, joining forces with other NGOs and civil society organisations to resist the inequitable trade rules and economic injustice of the WTO, and working with partners within the World Social Forum. DAWN's current work involves linking its themes and advocacy strategies in pursuit of its goals of economic and gender justice and equitable, democratic and sustainable development, and supporting the struggle to secure and advance women's sexual and reproductive rights in the context of renewed threats to women's rights from rising fundamentalism and militarism in the present global conjuncture.
The DAWN Training Institute, inaugurated in Bangalore, India, in 2003 and held every second year, is designed for young feminist activists (aged over 25) from the economic South who are already engaged, or have a strong interest, in global advocacy work for gender justice, and who wish to sharpen their analytical capabilities and advocacy skills. The training programme will draw on both DAWN's feminist analysis, which inter-links issues under the four themes of Political Economy of Globalisation, Sustainable Livelihoods, Sexual & Reproductive Health and Rights and Political Restructuring & Social Transformation, and the network's considerable experience in UN Conference processes and other sites of struggle, including the global civil society movement against economic globalisation.
Participants will be trained by experienced feminist advocates who will assist them understand the changing terrain of the struggle for gender justice. They will be exposed to the ideas and work of other activist scholars and will examine critical issues under each theme in the context of current debates at the global level, and their inter-linkages with issues under other themes. The course will involve lectures and discussions, case study presentations and analysis, organised debates and role-play, and practical skill-building exercises in research, analysis and advocacy.
Programme instructors are expected to include, among others, Professor Gita Sen (IIMB, India & DAWN), Sonia Correa (ABIA, Brazil & DAWN), Dr Viviene Taylor (University of Cape Town, South Africa & DAWN ), Gigi Francisco (Miriam College, University of the Philippines & DAWN), Dr Mariama Williams (International Gender and Trade Network & DAWN), Dr Yvonne Underhill-Sem (University of Auckland & DAWN) and other feminist resource persons with advocacy experience in the fields covered.
The broad aims of the course are to i) build capacity among young feminist activists especially in understanding linkages between different issues and advocacy agendas/arenas/actors; ii) strengthen feminist advocacy work at the global level, and
iii) deepen analysis in some specific areas, including global trade and sustainable development. The course is intended to prepare young feminist activists working in any of the four theme areas for the specific challenges entailed in working for gender justice in the present global political and economic context.
The DAWN Training Institute is not an academic course, but applicants should have (or be close to completing) a first degree. Applicants must be citizens of a developing country and be based in the South (if based in the North for a short period of time they might be accepted, but the decision would depend on an assessment of both their current residence situation and future plans). They should be persons who straddle both analysis and advocacy work, and who have some local or national experience in working in at least one of the theme areas). Applicants must provide a recommendation letter from someone who is familiar with their work, their commitment and their readiness for such a training programme As the course will be conducted in English, applicants must be proficient in English - they must be able to read/speak/write English. They must be able to attend the course from start to finish (ie be fully involved for the entire three weeks).
Up to 30 participants will be admitted to the programme in 2005. Full funding is being sought for at least 20 participants.
Information of the application process and an Application Form are attached. Applications close on March 31 2005.
APPLICATION PROCESS IN ATTACH
The International Gender and Education Office (GEO) of ICAE creates
VOICES RISING
Email: voicesrising@icae.org.uy
Web: www.icae.org.uy
Tel/fax: 00 5982 401 00 06
Address: Acevedo Diaz 1600 / 1002.
11200 Montevideo, Uruguay