VOICES RISING
YEAR III - VOL 3. Nº159
November 1st, 2005
CONTENT
1 - CALL TO JOIN THE AGGREGATE GROUP ON ADULT EDUCATION FOR THE UPCOMING POLYCENTRIC WORLD SOCIAL FORUMS, JANUARY 2006
2 - WRITING THE WRONGS: INTERNATIONAL BENCHMARKS ON ADULT LITERACY
3 - LEARNING TRANSFORMS LIVES NOMINATIONS WANTED FOR NEXT YEAR’S ADULT LEARNERS’ WEEK AWARDS
4 - AWID FORUM FOR WOMEN’S RIGHTS DRAWS 1800 TO BANGKOK
5 - DOCTORAL STUDENTSHIPS AVAILABLE
6 - VACANCIES: AWID RESOURCE NET
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1 CALL TO JOIN THE AGGREGATE GROUP ON ADULT EDUCATION FOR THE UPCOMING POLYCENTRIC WORLD SOCIAL FORUMS, JANUARY 2006
Cecilia Fernandez - icae@icae.org.uy
ICAE Secretariat, Montevideo, Uruguay.
In the last quarter of the year we have once more the possibility and the challenge to prepare ourselves for the WSF 2006, and highlight and broaden the concept of education/learning as the right to exercise our rights, and to achieve a full and inclusive citizenship.
We have been following closely, as part of the WSF International Council and of the Content and Methodology Commission, throughout the whole year, the preparatory process of the 3 Polycentric Forums to be held in January 2006 in Caracas -
We feel this is a particularly important moment in the WSF process as movements’ space at global level, in its fifth edition, and trying, for the first time this year, to be present in three continents at the same time, albeit with a global perspective, beyond the characteristics present in each of the different venues of the WSF.
For 2006 we would like to invite you to join the aggregate group formed on occasion of WSF 2005 in Porto Alegre so as to organize a panel in the three cities where the polycentric forums will be held, on the right to education and privatizations.
In the last edition of the WSF we achieved to establish an aggregate group for the organization of a workshop, together with CEAAL, PAALAE, NAAPAE, REPEM, NIACE, AUPEX, Action Aid, Pamoja, Açao Educativa, Campanha pelo Direito a Educaçao, Global Campaign for Education, Paulo Freire Institute, WICEJ and GEO, as well as several joint activities during the march, among others.
We believe this was a first experience that allowed giving greater visibility to the right to education within the agenda of the social movements, as well as concentrating our efforts, mutually reinforcing and complementing them. This year, the polycentric modality of the WSF will demand from us greater coordination and creativity, if we wish to be present in the three polycentric World Social Forums.
ICAE and GEO are planning to participate in Caracas and Bamako, but we don’t discard the possibility of supporting an activity in Karachi.
REPEM has let us know of its interest, following the same lines of 2005, of participating and fostering the debate on: the right to quality public services for all, intersectionality, and human rights.
CEAAL and ActionAid International have also expressed their interest in joining us.
November 15th is the deadline to register activities, which we can later adjust or modify, but this deadline demands from us to share, as soon as possible, the proposals we are thinking about for these instances, as well as to extend this invitation to further networks or organizations that may be interested in being part of the aggregate group, in order to be as inclusive as possible.
Another world is necessary and possible.
ICAE/GEO
Please contact us at secretariat@icae.org.uy
Further useful information:
on the website http://www.wsf2006.org/list_theme_caracas.php , you can access the list of the proposed terrains for the polycentric WSF 2006, and other useful information. These lists were developed after a thematic consultation held between May and July. If you wish, you can suggest alternatives names for the Terrains / Themes below clicking in the links at the bottom of the page
The proposed Terrains -- Caracas-2006 are:
1. Power, politics and struggle for social emancipation
2. Imperial strategies and peoples' resistance
3. Resources and rights for life: alternatives to the predatory civilization model
4. Moving diversities, identities and cosmovisions
5. Work, exploitation and reproduction of life
6. Communication, culture and education: democratizing dynamics and alternatives
The transversal themes WSF 2006, Caracas,
Gender
Diversities
The proposed Terrains -- Bamako-2006 are:
1. Assuring and defending Earth and people’s common goods As alternative to commodification and transnational control
2. Arts and creation: weaving and building people’s resistance culture
3. Communication: counter-hegemonic practices, rights and alternatives
4. Defending diversity, plurality and identities
5. Human rights and dignity for a just and egalitarian world
6. Sovereign economies for and of people Against neoliberal capitalism
7. Ethics, cosmovisions and spiritualities Resistances and challenges for a new world
8. Social struggles and democratic alternatives Against neoliberal domination
9. Peace, demilitarisation and struggle against war, free trade and debt
10. Autonomous thought, reappropriation and socialisation of knowledge and technologies
11. Towards construction of international democratic order and people’s integration
The transversal themes WSF 2006, Bamako, Mali are:
Social emancipation and political dimensions of struggles
Struggle against patriarchal capitalism
Struggle against racism and other types of exclusion based on ancestry
Gender
Diversities
Proposed Terrains -- Karachi-2006
Imperialism, militarisation and armed conflicts in the region and peace movements.
Natural resources Rights, peoples’ control & privatisation, and Trans- boundary disputes
Trade Development and globalisation
Social Justice Human Rights and Governance
State and religion, pluralism and fundamentalism
Nation, nationalities and ethnic and cultural identites
Development strategies, poverty unemployment and displacement
Peoples’ movements and alternative strategies
Women, patriarchy and social change.
Environment, ecology and livelihoods
Transversal themes WSF 2006, Karachi, Pakistan
Imperialist globalisation
Patriarchy
Casteism, Racism and Social Exclusions
Religious sectarianism, Identity Politics, Fundamentalism
Militarism and Peace
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2 - WRITING THE WRONGS: INTERNATIONAL BENCHMARKS ON ADULT LITERACY
ActionAid International - www.actionaid.org
Global Campaign for Education - www.campaignforeducation.org
The report “Writing the Wrongs: International Benchmarks for Adult Literacy” is a Global Campaign for Education / ActionAid International publication based on research funded by Unesco and the EFA Global Monitoring Report. Both organisations are keen to ensure that these adult literacy benchmarks are taken seriously by policy makers and practitioners around the world and the first task in achieving this is to ensure they achieve a high profile in the coming months. There are plans to do launches of this report in various locations (Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe). If you are interested in organising a launch event in your country /organisation, or can help raise the profile of this work in any other way, please contact David Archer at David.Archer@actionaid.org
A short summary of the issues addressed in the report as follows:
Adult literacy is the fertiliser needed for development and democracy to take root and grow. It is the invisible ingredient in any successful strategy for eradicating poverty and achieving gender equality. We know what works in adult literacy. These benchmarks emerge from the largest ever global consultation of its kind and show that adult literacy programmes can be affordable and effective. There is no excuse now to deny adults their right to learn!
1 - Literacy is about acquiring and using reading, writing and numeracy skills, and thereby the development of active citizenship, improved health and livelihoods, and gender equality.
2 - Literacy should be seen as a continuous process that requires regular and sustained learning. There are no magic lines to cross.
3 - Governments must take the lead responsibility, providing leadership and resources, working in systematic collaboration with civil society and decentralising budgets and decision-making.
4 - Governments should invest in ongoing feedback and evaluation mechanisms, data systematization and strategic research.
5 - Facilitators should be paid at least the equivalent of the minimum wage of a primary school teacher for all hours worked.
6 - Facilitators should receive substantial initial training and regular refresher training, as well as having opportunities for professional development.
7 - Facilitators should work wit h groups of no more than 30 learners and there should be at least one trainer/ supervisor to 15 learner groups.
8 - Learners in multilingual contexts should be given an active choice about the language in which they learn.
9 - Learners should be actively stimulated through the use of a wide range of participatory methods and through addressing issues of relevance to their lives.
10 - Governments should stimulate the market for production and distribution of suitable reading materials and should support production of materials by learners and facilitators.
11- Governments should commit between US$50 and US$100 per learner per year for at least three years.
12 - Governments should dedicate at least 3% of their national education sector budgets to adult literacy. International donors should fill any remaining resource gaps.
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3 - LEARNING TRANSFORMS LIVES NOMINATIONS WANTED FOR NEXT YEAR’S ADULT LEARNERS’ WEEK AWARDS
National Institute of Adult Continuing Education www.niace.org.uk
"Ed Melia" Ed.Melia@niace.org.uk
PRESS RELEASE
25th October 2005
PR50/05
Organisers of the biggest celebration of learning in the UK are on the lookout for stories of inspirational people - who have had a life changing experience through learning - for the Adult Learners’ Week Awards 2006. Every year the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) receives over one thousand nominations for Adult Learners’ Week Awards, which celebrate the achievements of learners young and old and in all their diversity - throughout the country.
Award winners are often adult learners who have had to overcome difficult circumstances or who have been doubtful in the past about the relevance of learning to their lives. However, while learning itself may have had a positive impact on people’s self-confidence, health, social life and career, receiving an award can be the impetus to even more.
Peter Fewell, an individual award winner from this year, said, “I was euphoric when I found out that I had won the NIACE Adult Learners’ Week Award. Meeting the other award winners and hearing about their remarkable achievements made me realise that no matter what our younger experiences were like or what obstacles we came up against, we were all achievers, whatever our environment, age or disabilities. To be honest, on the day of the award ceremony, I was floating on a cloud of elation.”
Rachel Thomson, Senior Campaigns Officer at NIACE, said, “Every year, thousands of adults take the plunge into or along - their learning journey. Learners often need to overcome challenges and barriers, finding the time for learning from crowded lives. But learning can be a life-changing experience, people discover new interests, develop new skills, or revisit or revitalise curiosities developed earlier in life. All of our Adult Learners’ Week Award nominees and winners are inspiring to new and existing learners who follow in their footsteps.”
She continued, “If you know someone, a family or a group of people whose learning journey others would find inspirational, then the Adult Learners’ Week Awards are a fantastic opportunity to give them the recognition they deserve. Please call NIACE’s Campaigns and Promotions team on 0116 204 4200 for a nomination form or visit our website, www.niace.org.uk/alw - and the learner you know could be receiving a national award next May.”
Media Contacts
Ed Melia, NIACE Press Officer on 0116 204 4248 or 07795 358 870
Francisca Martinez, NIACE Publicity Co-Ordinator on 0116 204 4202
Notes to Editors
Adult Learners’ Week 2006 will run from Saturday 20th May Friday 26th May 2006.
Nomination forms are available on audiocassette and in other languages from NIACE Campaigns & Promotions Team. For your form telephone 0116 204 4200, or email alw@niace.org.uk
The closing date for nominations for Adult Learners’ Week Awards 2005 is Friday 13th January 2006.
Adult Learners’ Week Award winners and their nominators will be invited to a regional ceremony to receive their award and they will also be invited to a national ceremony during Adult Learners’ Week in London. Winners will also receive a learning voucher, valued between £200 - £500. Everyone nominated for an award will receive a Certificate of Nomination.
The National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) is the leading non-government organisation for lifelong learning and exists to encourage more and different adults to engage in learning of all kinds and campaigns for, and celebrates the achievements of, all adult learners.
Details of all this year’s Adult Learners’ Week Award winners can be found at; www.niace.org.uk/alw/2005/Awards/2005.htm
Adult Learners’ Week 2006 is core-funded by the DfES and the European Social Fund, with significant additional support from Ufi/learndirect and Ofcom.
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4- AWID FORUM FOR WOMEN’S RIGHTS DRAWS 1800 TO BANGKOK
Women’s United Nations Report Network
WUNRN
www.wunrn.com
Bangkok, Thailand: 30 October, 2005
AWID Forum for Women’s Rights Draws 1800 to Bangkok
Theme: "How Does Change Happen?"
The Association for Women’s Rights in Development’s International Forum on ‘How does Change Happen?’ has brought together an amazing diversity of women and men united in the goal of advancing the rights of women globally. Over 1800 delegates including feminist activists, development practitioners, human rights defenders, trade unionists, government representatives, policy makers, students, researchers and community organizers from 120 countries comprise the biggest gathering for women’s rights this decade.
On day one of the Forum, 27 October, the President of AWID’s Board of Directors, Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, welcomed the participants who travelled from near and far in feminist solidarity and acknowledged the excitement, energy, and anticipation of an incredible event. Plenary panelists discussed the importance of connecting in a global way. "This is a humbling moment for me to meet everyone I've worked with, heard about and read about in the past thirty years,” exclaimed Sri Lankan feminist and human rights activist Sunila Abeysekera.
AWID’s Young Women and Leadership Programme Manager, Shamillah Wilson, described the women's movement as "the most successful revolution history has witnessed,” citing the attitudes, concepts, institutions and most importantly, lives that have been changed by women's movements. “Women have made the private sphere a part of public debate; we have created the structures for equality within the state; we have developed and implemented curricula for gender and women's studies in universities; and achieved many more milestones in history.”
Thai labour activist Junya Lek Yimprasert underscored the importance of understanding how the world has changed. Increasing militarization, corporate control, concentrations of wealth, lack of political will and persistent catastrophes such as natural disasters and HIV/AIDS form barriers to the achievement of gender equality and women's rights. Yimprasert, founder of the Thai Labour Campaign, put these issues in perspective and reminded us all that it is women who suffer the most in the context of these issues.
The first plenary closed with a call for more analysis on how to solve problems and create change. Over the past four days, all of these themes have been explored, developed, and celebrated through a rich array of available activities including over 170 working sessions, multiple caucuses, film and art exhibitions, a colourful marketplace, book launches, special presentations, and cultural and social events.
The theme of Friday's Plenary Session was "What is the Change Around Us?" The session began with a video produced by AWID entitled 'Three Moves Deep: Planning for the Future of Women's Human Rights," highlighting several issues that will affect the future of the world and women's rights in particular; fundamentalisms, new technologies, global power, climate changes and economic inequalities. The video likened the future to a game of chess, where governments and multinational corporations are thinking several moves ahead, presenting a challenge to civil society to keep up with them.
The moderator of the session was Anita Nayar from India, and the six panelists were Dr Marsha Darling from the USA, Yassine Fall from Senegal, Nursyahbani Katjasungkana from Burma, Yanar Mohammed from Iraq, Ramesh Singh who is based in Thailand and Virginia Vargas from Peru.
Ms Nayar opened the discussion on the session's theme by posing the question "Are the changes inevitable, and is the future predetermined?"
The panelists discussed three manifestations of global power: Geopolitical power, the international financial institutions, corporations, as well as the potential power of civil society. Although the emerging Southern centres of power - South Africa, Brazil, India and China hold the promise of challenging Northern hegemony and bringing millions of women out of poverty, there is a danger that they may become regional hegemonies in themselves. Women's civil society organizations have sometimes been passive participants in furthering economic inequalities, such as in the case of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers.
Fundamentalisms threaten to erode women's rights in among other areas, marriage and divorce, their property rights and reproductive rights. Yanar Mohammed denounced the United States' global hegemony and its illegal military occupation as well as the globally organized political Islamist groups who have devastated lives of women in Iraq. She also called for the rejection of the recently signed constitution which she said has been very negative for women's rights.
The effects of climate change are being felt today more than ever before. It is no longer just a generational issue but an issue that affects people's day-to-day lives. There are lessons to be learnt from the tsunami, the recent hurricanes, the mudslides and earthquakes that have affected the world this year. There is the need for a global early warning system. There is also a need to examine why government response to disasters is not able to match that of their citizens.
Mr Manek proposed that each of us should look at our personal choices and our lifestyle and exercise our power as consumers. He emphasized the importance of crossing the boundaries between civil society movements and other groups such as politicians and the youth in order to effect change. Ms Vargas emphasized that feminism is about a new political culture, while Ms Katjasungkana reminded participants that when the secular state fails to deliver, people turn to fundamentalisms.
On Friday October 28, 2005, in front of an international audience of women's rights' activists and key donors at the Funders' Forum, Lydia Alpizar Duran of AWID, in collaboration with Cindy Clark and Lisa VeneKlasen of Just Associates, launched the much-awaited results of AWID'S action-research project "Where is the Money for Women's Rights? Assessing Resources and the Role of Donors in the Promotion of Women's Rights and the Support of Women's Rights Organizations." One of the most alarming discoveries from the research was that 51% of women's organizations are now receiving less funding compared to five years ago in 2000.
The Funders' Forum Funders' Forum marked the beginning of an initiative to increase the level of funding to women's organizations worldwide, improve access to funding globally, and affirm the legitimacy of women's rights organizations and movements worldwide.
Also present at the Funders' Forum were representatives from the women's rights funding community: Sylvia Borren, Director, Novib-Oxfam Netherlands; Maria Eitel, President, Nike Foundation; Patti O'Neill, Special Advisor, Network on Gender Equality, Development Assistance Committee, OECD; Kavita Ramdas, President and CEO, The Global Fund for Women; and Dr Rosalia Sciortino, Director, Southeast Asia Regional Program, The Rockefeller Foundation.
The opening address was from the charismatic Bisi Adeleye Fayemi, President of AWID, who described the many anecdotes circulating throughout women's organizations that they simply don't have the same amount of funding that they had access to previously. As a result of these increasing messages from international women's movements, AWID decided to explore them with solid research focusing on the key questions: Where is the money? How do we mobilize more resources?
Cindy Clark presented the main findings of the year-long action-research initiative, which was conducted via surveys, international meetings and interviews with diverse women's rights organizations and AWID's member base. She exposed how there are striking commonalities across regions in that women's rights organizations are not receiving funding despite an increase in money going to some regions. A snapshot of Official Development Aid (ODA) in 2003, for example, revealed that out of USD 69 billion dollars in aid money, only 0.6 percent of ODA has gender equality as a principle objective and only 2.4 percent of this money supported the work of NGOs.
Five main funding sectors were covered by AWID's research: Bilateral and Multilateral Development Agencies; Large Independent Foundations; Public Foundations / International NGOs; Individual giving / Family Foundations; Corporate Philanthropy; and Women's Funds. Among these, common threads were found in poor tracking and accountability systems, and most importantly, that the promises of gender mainstreaming have not been realized.
There is a sense in the funding community that gender has been mainstreamed, and hence there is no need to support specific women's programs anymore. Unfortunately, this has resulted in women's organizations receiving less funding, despite the Millennium Development Goals identifying that women's equality is a prerequisite for development.
Other trends include a clear frustration from funders regarding the impacts and outcomes of funding, and that Women's Funds are growing in numbers and are the most frequently mentioned as flexible and steady sources of funding, giving USD 15 million in grants in 2004. Kavita Ramdas, President and CEO of the Global Fund for Women (GFW), explained this by remarking that Women's Funds have been forced into existence because money is going elsewhere.
Overall, the research discovered a downward drift in funding for women's rights organizations, and revealed a need for urgent strategies to reverse this trend. Women's rights organizations need to identify and work with their allies in the funding community, working together on new policies and accountability mechanisms. Importantly, there is a need for more evaluation efforts and for mobilizing broad, public support for women's rights. Sylvia Borren, from Novib-Oxfam in the Netherlands, implored that gender equality is something for which we must keep working. Referring to the audience, she exclaimed: "We are the ones who are going to make this world democratic, or not". Women need to think big, demand more, and find allies.
Rosalia Sciortino, Director of the Southeast Asia Regional Program, The Rockefeller Foundation, recommended that in the face of recent negative political shifts and conservatism, women's organizations need to take a proactive stance rather than a defensive one. According to Rosalia, many Foundations have stepped back in defensive moves, and are now afraid to reclaim this lost space. Maria Eitel, President of the Nike Foundation, suggested that the power of corporations can and should be used, and that organizations can reap benefits through speaking the language of business and economics to corporate funders, and
It's not all bad news for women's organizations, however, with Patti O'Neill from the Network on Gender Equality, Development Assistance Committee, OECD, sharing her feeling of a real sense of change in the air on the tail-end of lost momentum with donors. Norway, Canada and Sweden, for example, are reexamining and reenergizing their approaches.
At the end of the Forum, Lydia Alpizar Duran of AWID launched the new AWID initiative "Fundher-Money Watch for Women's Rights", which aims to increase the amount of funding for women’s organizations all over the world, to improve access to funding globally and to build legitimacy of women’s rights organizations and movements. This will be achieved through dialogue and alliance building between and among donors and women's rights organizations and networks, and will include an annual report "Money Watch for Women's Rights", to report on these issues.
As Lydia took the floor, she told Forum participants that this initiative was for them, and that the dialogue between donors and women's rights organizations, reinvigorated by this research, was only just beginning.
Saturday’s Plenary Session began with an excellent performance by Prima Donna, a troupe of Malaysian transsexual, transgender and …MSM individuals. Through their music and dance presentation they expressed their conviction that everyone should be allowed to have a lifestyle of their choice.
The plenary was moderated by Lina Abou-Habib from Beirut. The various panelists presented diverse answers to the theme question “How should we change?”
Pramada Menon, from the India-based organization Creating Resources for Empowerment in Action (CREA) urged introspection from those within the women’s movement, in order to effect change. Citing herself as an example of someone who received support when she began to work as a young woman in the movement, she said that we need to re-evaluate the trend of the movement’s ‘NGOization’ which leads to demands for greater qualifications from young women wishing to work within the movement. Inclusiveness is another way of creating change.
Marcela Rios Tobar, a feminist academic and activist from Chile said that the women’s movement has changed many things. However this is a time when it is facing challenging political contexts such as conservatism, fundamentalism and the weakening of the international governance structures such as the UN. She said that there have been many gains for women’s rights at the international level, but few at the national level and she proposed three solutions to this disparity; redefining the connection between local and global activism; reclaiming the political and ideological foundation of feminism; and redemocratizing political processes including leadership within the movement.
Enisa Eminova, a Roma feminist from Macedonia said that often when there is recognition of the rights of marginalized communities to practise their culture, there is a corresponding acceptance of their reluctance to discuss issues such as domestic violence or virginity testing within those cultures and women’s rights are thus sacrificed.
Dr Sylvia Tamale from Uganda pointed to some challenges: the careerism that has depoliticized the women’s movement, the gap between theory and practice, and extremism and fundamentalisms. She proposed effecting change by actively engaging with political structures and systems. She said that it is important to embrace radical strategies and not fear to tread controversial paths because that is how change is brought about.
Medea Benjamin of the USbased women’s group Code Pink: Women for Peace said that whereas other speakers had expressed the sense that they were humbled to take to the podium, she found it embarrassing to address the plenary, coming as she was from a country that is waging an unjust war against Iraq. Ms Benjamin said that Code Pink is trying to create a community of love and not war and asked for solidarity from the rest of the women’s movement globally.
Lydia Alpizar of AWID was the final panelist to speak, and she did so in Spanish. She protested against the ‘heteronormativity’ of English, saying that non-English speakers are often excluded from dialoguing with the rest of the movement. Ms Alpizar stressed the need to mobilize more financial resources in order to bring about change. Women’s organizations are often afraid to ask for money, but the women’s movement is not sustainable without enough resources. She said that we need to politicize the issue of financing. We also need to explore the possibility of having collective rather than competitive processes to secure funding for organizations within the movement. She suggested for instance that larger organizations who receive good funding can assist smaller organizations to get donor funding. She said that it is important for women’s organizations to evaluate themselves by installing mechanisms to measure their effectiveness.
The final day of the plenary on Sunday 30 October delegates returned to the question “how does change happen”.
Alejandra Scampini Franco, Coordinator of the programme on political influence and Advisor on Education, Gender and Citizenship for Red De Education Popular Entre Mujeres (REPEM) and ICAE, spoke about the importance of addressing economic issues and their impact on women. She expressed the need for stronger analysis on the role of international financial institutions. We need to ask how we are moving forward in the Global Call to Action Against Poverty.
Bella Matambanadzo, Zimbabwe Programme Manager for the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa, expressed that “change” had immense political currency in her country. “Conversations from our revolution” was how she described her reflections on the Forum. She spoke about the role of men in women’s movements and raised the question, “are we adding more privilege to men”? One of the delegates asked, “Isn’t it men who have to change? Why is the issue of HIV/AIDS still not a part of the global feminist agenda?” She also commented on the lack of attention given to African lesbian women.
Yvonne Underhill-Sem, a feminist geographer from New Zealand, cautioned that new technologies are a form of disciplining our bodies. Environmental issues need to be analyzed from a feminist perspective. In responding to the question “how does change happen”, she said: “Change happens in unleashing the possibility we all have to do, to say and to think.”
Lisa VeneKlasen, of Just Associates in the United States, described the process of change as “dynamic, messy, negotiated, and chaotic.” She said it is important to look at how we interact with our context, with each other, and most importantly with ourselves and our multiple identities. We need to have deeper conversations about power from personal and political diversities and perspectives.
Geetanjali Misra, Executive Director of Creative Resources for Empowerment in Action (CREA) and AWID President Elect recounted her experiences living as an immigrant woman in the United States and the political work she has done with immigrant women’s groups. Ms. Misra brought forward comments made in one of the sessions by women who had been victims of political violence. “We don’t need you to represent us but to support us.” She also raised the issue of indigenous women being able to define their own feminism.
The day and AWID’s Tenth International Forum closed with AWID’s Acting Director, Barbara Williams calling the members of the Forum’s International Planning Committee, AWID Board Members and AWID staff members up to the stage to recognize their work for the women’s movements. Marilyn Waring, a Professor at Massey University, longtime friend of AWID, and Nobel Peace Prize nominee, gave a compelling musical performance as delegates moved around the room, refueled “on the rare commodity called hope”.
AWID - http://www.awid.org
The Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID) is an international membership organization connecting, informing and mobilizing people and organizations committed to achieving gender equality, sustainable development and women's human rights. Our goal is to cause policy, institutional and individual change that will improve the lives of women and girls everywhere. We do this by facilitating ongoing debates on fundamental and provocative issues as well as by building the individual and organizational capacities of those working for women's empowerment and social justice.
A dynamic network of women and men around the world, AWID members are researchers, academics, students, educators, activists, business people, policy-makers, development practitioners, funders, and more. AWID recognizes that our members are our most valuable resource. We have a broad network of expert, committed members interested in sharing their ideas towards viable solutions for gender equality.
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5 - DOCTORAL STUDENTSHIPS AVAILABLE
Joyce J Lang
CRADALL Development Officer
Email: J.Lang@educ.gla.ac.uk
Two doctoral studentships are available at the UNESCO Centre for Comparative Education Research, School of Education, University of Nottingham. These offer full overseas students fees, together with an annual stipend of £5,000 attached to each of the studentships. These will be tenable for three years from January 30th 2006 or as soon as possible afterwards.
The UCCER is interested in applications from candidates interested in comparative and international research in the following areas:
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Candidates would normally be expected to hold the equivalent of a first or upper second UK Bachelor degree and a UK Masters degree and must provide evidence of competence in English e.g. a minimum IELTS score of 7.0 (with 6.0 on the written test) or equivalent.
The studentships are competitive, but preference will be given to candidates from low-income or middle-income countries. For an application pack please contact Lucy Copeland (see below). Interested candidates are also invited to make preliminary enquiries to Professor W. John Morgan at the address given below. The closing date for applications is 12 December 2005.
Professor W. J. Morgan, PhD, FRSA.
UNESCO Chair of the Political Economy of Education,
Director,
Centre for Comparative Education Research,
School of Education,
Jubilee Campus,
University of Nottingham
Nottingham, NG8 1BB, U.K.
+44 115 9513717 (direct line)
+44 115 9514436 (fax)
john.morgan@nottingham.ac.uk
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/education/ccer
Lucy Copeland
Research Degree Administrator
School of Education,
Jubilee Campus,
University of Nottingham
Nottingham, NG8 1BB, U.K.
+44 115 8466399 (direct line)
+44 115 8466600 (fax)
lucy.copeland@nottingham.ac.uk
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6 VACANCIES: AWID RESOURCE NET
AWID Resource Net
Jobs - Issue 287
Monday, October 31, 2005
CONTENTS:
1) Programme Manager, Governance and Gender Justice / UNIFEM /
Khartoum, Sudan / Closing date: November 10, 2005.
SEE FULL DESCRIPTION:
http://www.unifem.org/about/vacancy_detail.php?VacancyID=22
2) Programme Manager, Governance and Gender Justice / UNIFEM / Juba,
Sudan / Closing date: November 10, 2005.
SEE FULL DESCRIPTION:
http://www.unifem.org/about/vacancy_detail.php?VacancyID=21
3) Regional Gender and Governance Specialist / UNIFEM / Almaty,
Kazakhstan / Closing date: November 09, 2005.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: 9 NOVEMBER 2005.
Website:
http://www.unifem.org/about/vacancy_detail.php?VacancyID=20
4) Special Assistant to the Deputy Director - Programme / UNIFEM /
New York, NY, USA / Closing date: November 07, 2005.
SEE FULL DESCRIPTION AT:
http://www.unifem.org/about/vacancy_detail.php?VacancyID=19
5) Gender-Based Violence Program Coordinator / The International
Rescue Committee (IRC) / Bukavu, the Democratic Republic of Congo /
Closing date: December 15, 2005.
SEE FULL POSITION DESCRIPTION AND APPLY ONLINE AT:
www.ircjobs.org.
6) Research and Communications Assistant / BRIDGE, IDS / Brighton,
UK / Closing date: November 16, 2005.
SEE FULL DESCRIPTION AT:
http://www.ids.ac.uk/ids/recruit/100_101_102_RCAsBridge-Ad.html
TO APPLY:
Ref: 102
Download the application form from:
http://www.ids.ac.uk/ids/recruit/100_101_102_RCAsBridge-Ad.html
7) Research and Communications Assistant / BRIDGE, IDS / Brighton,
UK / Closing date: November 16, 2005.
SEE FULL DESCRIPTION AT:
http://www.ids.ac.uk/ids/recruit/100_101_102_RCAsBridge-Ad.html
TO APPLY:
Ref 100 & 101
Download the application form from:
http://www.ids.ac.uk/ids/recruit/100_101_102_RCAsBridge-Ad.html
8) Events Coordinator / BRIDGE, IDS / Brighton, UK / Closing date:
November 08, 2005.
SEE FULL DESCRIPTION AT:
http://www.ids.ac.uk/ids/recruit/097_EventsCoordinator-Ad.html
TO APPLY: Ref.: 097
Download the application form from:
http://www.ids.ac.uk/ids/recruit/097_EventsCoordinator-Ad.html
9) Equality Programme Internship for Women's Human Rights Lawyers /
INTERIGHTS / London, UK / Closing date: November 14, 2005.
PLEASE SEE FULL DESCRIPTION AT:
http://www.interights.org/page.php?dir=Vacancies#Equalityinternad%20headline,
http://www.interights.org/page.php?dir=Vacancies
Website:
http://www.interights.org/page.php?dir=Vacancies
10) Project Director, Anti-Trafficking Project / IREX / Pristina,
Kosovo.
SEE FULL JOB DESCRIPTION AT:
http://www.irex.org/careers/092905_pd.asp
11) Deputy Director (DD), Anti-Trafficking Project / IREX / Pristina,
Kosovo.
SEE FULL DESCRIPTION AT:
http://www.irex.org/careers/092905_dd.asp
Website:
http://www.irex.org/careers/092905_dd.asp
12) Senior Manager, Research, Gender Integration Project /
Development & Training Services, Inc. (dTS) / USA / Closing date:
November 24, 2005.
DESCRIPTION:
Development & Training Services, Inc. (dTS) is seeking a Senior Manager for Research for its Gender Integration Project. Funded By the Office of Women in Development (WID) at USAID, this Project
supports the WID Office's research and communication activities.
RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:
- Manage and implement all technically sound and evidence based research activities to advance gender integration in USAID, including short term time-frame requests (one week or less) and more complex
assignments such as the preparation of bibliographies, literature reviews, and conceptual papers;
- Supervise the writing of technically sound and evidence-based publications, such as Global Snapshots, Success Stories, etc.
- Supervise and support the writing, editing, and developing of web content. Ensure that staff work is technically sound, understandable, and free of jargon and hyperbole.
- Advance gender integration in USAID by providing evidence (including statistics, studies carried out by experts, and knowledge of the research efforts of other development agencies and actors) of its criticality to project and program success.
- Supervise all subcontract and consultant research and writing activities, providing guidance and direction as required;
- Fulfill management responsibilities, including, but not limited to, hiring, providing staff development and related consultative skills, and performance management.
- Work effectively and collaboratively in a team-based culture, treat all persons with dignity and respect, and be familiar with and committed to dTS's mission and goals.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
- Masters or equivalent degree in social or political sciences;
- Seven years of experience in academic or applied research on development topics;
- Three years of experience in conducting research related to understanding gender-related problems, policies, and interventions as well as gender dimensions of emerging issues;
- Two years of management experience;
- In-depth knowledge of international development and cross-cutting women's issues;
- Ability to develop innovative techniques and to initiate new ideas and methods to research and writing activities;
- Strong communication skills with demonstrated experience in performing technical presentations;
- Excellent writing skills;
- Commitment to fostering partnerships and mentoring staff and stakeholders.
TO APPLY: Detailed Resumes can be posted at: careers.onlinedts.com. No phone
calls please. APPLY BY NOVEMBER 24, 2005.
13) Senior Manager, Communications, Gender Integration Project /
Development & Training Services, Inc. (dTS) / USA / Closing date:
November 24, 2005.
SEE FULL DESCRIPTION AT:
http://stone.undp.org/undpweb/ohr/ohrjbview.cfm?jaf_uid_c=1980
Please apply ONLINE at:
http://stone.undp.org/undpweb/ohr/ohrjbview.cfm?jaf_uid_c=1980
(ref: ALD2005/0576)
Or by email: (unifem.vacancy@undp.org) (ref: 13096)
14) Chief Technical Adviser (CTA) for Gender / UNIFEM / Luanda,
Angola / Closing date: November 11, 2005.
SEE FULL DESCRIPTION AT:
http://stone.undp.org/undpweb/ohr/ohrjbview.cfm?jaf_uid_c=1980
Please apply ONLINE at:
http://stone.undp.org/undpweb/ohr/ohrjbview.cfm?jaf_uid_c=1980
(ref: ALD2005/0576)
Or by email: (unifem.vacancy@undp.org) (ref: 13096)
CLOSING DATE: 11 NOVEMBER 2005.
15) Regional Programme Director for the Pacific / UNIFEM / Suva,
Fiji / Closing date: November 11, 2005.
SEE FULL POSITION DESCRIPTION AT:
http://stone.undp.org/undpweb/ohr/ohrjbview.cfm?jaf_uid_c=1981
TO APPLY:
Please apply ONLINE at:
http://stone.undp.org/undpweb/ohr/ohrjbview.cfm?jaf_uid_c=1981
(Ref: REG2005/0496)
or by email: (unifem.vacancy@undp.org) (Post No: 3018)
CLOSING DATE: 11 NOVEMBER 2005.
________________
The Association for Women's Rights in Development
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Toronto, ON M5T 2C7
CANADA
Tel: 416-594-3773
Fax: 416-594-0330
Email: awid@awid.org
Web: www.awid.org