SOURCE: http://www.wougnet.org [2]

Invitation to participate!!!

The 5th World Conference/Beijing + 10 Debate

With the proliferation of resources, energy and participation of NGOs in
the numerous UN system world conferences, it is time that the feminist
movement begin to ask important questions around not only the efficacy of
such world conferences in securing the economic, political and social
rights of women, but the strategic roles that feminist activists can play
at such events. It is time that we ask ourselves how we are benefiting
from such participation. Do these events truly strengthen co-operation
with governments in support of a united feminist agenda? Alternately, how
can we make our continued participation in world conferences more
strategic? What new and increasingly relevant issues need to be reframed
and revisited both by the movement and by states? This reflection is of
greater saliency given the current political context of the
internationalization of right wing, neoliberal governments and policies.

AWID's 9th International Forum, Reinventing Globalization, fostered the
ongoing and critical debate of whether we, as an international feminist
movement, should be concentrating our energies on yet another world
conference. A Beijing +10 meeting, though an opportunity to re-group and
re-prioritize, may also be redundant given that much of the Beijing
Platform for Action (PFA) remains to be achieved. In the opening plenary,
Joanna Kerr, Executive Director of AWID, stated, that she personally does
not support a fifth world conference on women in 2005 given the effort and
resources required merely to defend the gains made in previous UN
Conferences. Until we have more gender equality governments in power,
perhaps it is too dangerous to allow governments now to renegotiate our
rights, a meeting in 2010 is perhaps more appropriate. Do our members
agree? This comment, as well as some of the materials that arose out of
Forum sessions generated a great deal of input and debate. The responses
of forum participants and members have varied from overwhelming support
for the postponement of a fifth world conference on women to 2010 (when
there might be a better political environment) to the active preparation
for a world conference in 2005, and alternative suggestions such as a
women's conference on the world.

Now that we have had some time to reflect on much of the dialogue
generated at the Forum, what discussions, dilemmas and ideas are surfacing
around the Beijing +10/Fifth World Conference debate? We at AWID, would
like to invite and engage you, our members and forum participants, in a
timely and ongoing dialogue around the pros, cons and alternatives to the
proposed 2005 Conference. This four-week online discussion will be
moderated and will include weekly summaries and discussion topics relevant
to the individual postings and contributions made throughout the week. To
participate please subscribe by sending a message to [email protected] [3].
Please leave the subject line blank and write "subscribe
5worldconferencewomen" (without quotes) in the text of the message.
Contributions can be made in either French, Spanish and English.

We look forward to yet another diverse, engaging and provocative dialogue!!

And to start us thinking, here are some of the already articulated pros
and cons of participating in Beijing +10 in 2005:

A Fifth World Conference on Women may:

. Bring new voices, new states and new issues to the table for negotiation;
. Provide access to state representatives, strengthen state commitments
to women s human rights, or at least maintain women s human rights on the
state agenda;
. Strengthen women s groups in working together towards assessing their
successes and challenges, locally, regionally and internationally;
. Harness widespread international media coverage and attention;
. Increase the international women s movement s momentum and commitment.

Alternately, it may:

. Allow governments to back out of previously made commitments, thereby
weakening their commitment to the PFA;
. Not be the most strategic use of NGO financial and personnel resources,
as the preparations are often costly and time consuming;
. Take energy away from the timely and necessary front line services and
projects being carried out by women s NGOs internationally;
. Distract women s organizations and the larger movement from their
independent (of states) and united processes of strategizing;
. The above are increasingly salient given the spread of right wing
conservatism throughout states around the globe as well as in the UN.

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