NEW! AWID is pleased to announce that our Aid Effectiveness and Women's Rights Series is now available online for download.

This set of Primers shares critical information and analysis about the new aid architecture that has emerged as a result of the Paris Declaration (PD)-the most recent donor-partner agreement designed to increase the impact of aid. This aid effectiveness agenda, the result of the signature and implementation of the Paris Declaration process currently determines how and to whom aid is being delivered as well as how donor and aid-recipient countries are relating to one another. We hope the information, analysis and proposals included in these primers will encourage women's rights advocates and other actors to understand the relevance of this process and to engage in it to support the call for a more comprehensive, balanced, and inclusive approach to reforming aid so that it reaches the people who need it most, including women! Stay tuned for the 5th and final primer in this series devoted to highlighting some of the specific concerns and recommendations from a women's rights perspective.

Download series here.

Now Available!

NEW! AWID is delighted to announce that our 2007 Second Fundher Report, Financial Sustainability for Women's Movement's Worldwide, is now available online for download This report includes valuable insights and ideas about resource mobilization and movement-building for women's rights organizations, and has already proven to be a powerful advocacy and lobbying tool with donors, a source of insight into funding patterns, and a practical guide to feminist resource mobilization.

2006 First Fundher Report now Available in Arabic! In partnership with the Centre for Research, Training and Action (CRTD.A) from Lebanon, we have finalized the Arabic version of AWID's First Fundher Report, Where is the Money for Women's Rights? now available for download. We are looking forward to partnering again with CRTD.A to produce our 2007 Second Fundher report in Arabic.

Now Available!

AWID's latest book, jointly published with Zed Books, entitled Building Feminist Movements and Organizations - Global Perspectives will be available from August 2007.

This groundbreaking collection of essays by activists from all over the world explores what it means to be an effective women's organization, and what it takes to build the kinds of movements we need to transform women's lives. Touching on everything from how to build successful participatory democratic processes and implement shared leadership models, to lessons on overcoming internal organizational divisions, the case studies in this collection focus not only on the "what" but also the "how" of movement building. Anyone involved in the complex, vexing question of how to effect sustainable change will find not only much food for thought, but also an abundance of creative ideas and innovative strategies - served up with a uniquely feminist twist.

To order a copy, please email us.

The Young Feminist Activism Program is launching a new research project as part of AWID's "Where is the Money for Women's Rights" initiative.

Working with members of the Young Feminist Activism program, including the participants in the 2006 Mexico Young Women and Leadership Institute, this research project will investigate sources and types of funding available to young women, issues and problems young women face in meeting donor expectations, and strategies used by progressive donors. It will also make the case for more funding tailored to the needs of young women's rights activists.

To contribute to this research project please contact Sanushka Mudaliar at contact@awid.org.

The process to reform the United Nations has been under way for a few years now. Given the importance of the UN in advancing human rights, global security, sustainable development and women's empowerment how can we be sure that the fast-paced reforms on the table will really protect and promote women's rights? Women's rights and gender equality advocates have to ensure that accountability to women's human rights is an integral part of the Reform process. Learn more about women's rights and the UN Reform process.

International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women Video conference of Forum on 'Culture', Women, Violence, 26 November 2007, Istanbul

Co-organised by the Research Programme Consortium on Women's Empowerment in Muslim Contexts, City University of Hong Kong and Istanbul Bilgi University

 United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM)

Supported by the Department for International Development (DFID), AWID and Mama Cash Foundation.

AWID's 11th International Forum on Women's Rights and Development will be held November 14-17, 2008 in beautiful Cape Town, South Africa. In the coming months, we will be working with an international planning committee of 30 women's rights advocates to define the theme and central questions of the conference, and to develop the Call for Proposals.

AWID was honoured to participate in this conference that gathered 80 incredible women's rights activists and researchers from 30 different countries around the world - including prominent peace activists, ex-political prisoners, representatives of international rights organizations, disarmament experts, journalists, academics and the most promising emerging activists - for discussions aimed at putting women at the center of securing lasting solutions to peace in the Middle East.

For more information on the Nobel Women's initiative visit http://www.nobelwomensinitiative.org or http://www.opendemocracy.net to read openDemocracy's blog from the conference and listen to podcasts from conference participants.

Landscaping is a 35 minutes documentary about feminism. Shot in India, Holland, Brazil and Thailand, the documentary explores feminism as a tool for social change and as a political philosophy through the eyes of three women and one man. The documentary is part of the Feminism: Speak Up! project which was inspired by the AWID 2005 Forum theme: How does change happen?

Feminism: Speak Up! is a project created by Valentina Homem and Angela Collet.

The documentary Landscaping is directed by Valentina Homem, Ricardo D'Aguiar and Angela Collet.

For further information, please go to: http://feminismspeakup.blogspot.com