Scheduled Forum caucuses
The Forum is now over, but we encourage you to check the "Latest News" section of this site for selected session writeups, transcripts, and other post-forum information. Updates will be posted throughout December and January.
Forum Programme
October 27, AM
Caucus of Countries in Post-Socialist Transition
Room: Chang Mai 1
Convening networks: ASTRA, NWP/OSI, NEWW, IGPN
The Caucus of countries in post-socialist transition will be a daily gathering to provide a space for an intra- and inter-regional dialogue on the major outcomes of the "year of impact" (2005) for women of the region. We will debate topics including the following: How have the new geo-political realities and divisions (EU accession process, revolutions in Georgia, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, new NATO composition, role of the US, EU, Russia, etc) affected women? Have they divided women's movements or created new opportunities? Have we as a movement succeeded or failed during the major global processes of recent years, such Millennium Summit, Beijing+10 Review, EU accession? Do we have the women's movement in the region?
October 27, LUNCH
Disabilities Caucus
Room: Ayuthaya 1
Robyn Hunt, Human Rights Commissioner, New Zealand
In this caucus, participants discuss progress in the development of the United Nations Convention on the rights of disabled people, the inclusion of disabled women, and our rights to be "whole" women. In relation to the Convention we will also explore international networking and the development of capacity among disabled women in preparation for the Convention's implementation.
Children and Gender Inequalities
Room: Ayuthaya 2
Andrea Esser
Despite widespread adherence to a gender perspective that highlights the role that social forces play in perpetuating gender inequalities, the majority of all efforts to redress imbalances continue to target adult women. The little that has been done to address gender inequalities among children tends to focus on niche problems such as school enrolment or trafficking. The Caucus will be a forum for open discussion of the above issues as well as brief presentations of relevant research/projects/policies and proposals to more comprehensively include the field of children and gender inequality in the mainstream feminist agenda.
US Foreign Policy and its Effects on Women Worldwide
Room: Chang Mai 1
Women's Edge Coalition
Business in Support of Women's Rights and Development/Corporate Social Responsibility
Room: Chang Mai 2
Jane Voll
This Caucus will nurture a forum for dialogue among the growing numbers of women (and men) in the corporate world with responsibility for making corporate social responsibility commitments to education, environment and other development goals come to life.
Middle East North Africa Caucus
Room: Thonburi
Women's Learning Partnership for Rights, Development, and Peace (WLP)
Women in the MENA region have had the highest rates of growth in literacy in the world in the last decade. They have participated actively in building civil society organisations. Yet, women's education and skills building has not been reflected in their level of participation in decision making in economic and political fields. Legal and traditional restrictions impede women's ability to participate fully in the development of their societies. WLP will convene a daily caucus to explore issues such as reform of family laws, political participation of women, non-traditional leadership concepts, access to technology, elimination of violence against women, and nationality and citizenship rights. The Caucus will provide a forum for exchange of best practices, creation of stronger networks in the region, and building solidarity to work for shared goals.
Young Women's Caucus
Room: Sukothai
AWID's Young Women and Leadership Programme
October 28, AM
Caucus of Countries in Post-Socialist Transition
Room: Chang Mai 1
Convening networks: ASTRA, NWP/OSI, NEWW, IGPN
Please see description on October 27
October 28, LUNCH
Diverse Sexualities Caucus
Room: Ayuthaya 1
Emily Utz, Kirsten Westby
In previous years, AWID Forums have included Lesbian Caucuses, but activists from the 2002 Forum requested a 2005 Caucus that would be more inclusive of all sexual minorities including, but not limited to, people who identify as lesbian, transgender, intersex, queer and/or allies. In a time when sexual orientation, gender identity — and indeed sexual rights in general — remain controversial topics even within the international women's movement, this is a safe space to come share, strategise and build solidarity.
Microcredit, Gender and Power
Room: Ayuthaya 2
Malena De Montis, Lynda Mayoux
This caucus space will be used to clarify current debates on gender and microfinance, some current innovations and the obstacles and challenges to mainstreaming a gender and empowerment perspective in the sector as a whole. In particular we shall be focusing on the potential role of women's movements to help inform and catalyse gender mainstreaming in the micro-finance movement so that the millions of largely poor and disadvantaged women worldwide currently or potentially accessing micro-finance can challenge and change gender inequalities.
US Foreign Policy and its Effects on Women Worldwide
Room: Chang Mai 1
Women's Edge Coalition
Trade-Led Growth with regionalism and bilateralism: the Implications for Women's Decent Work
Room: Chang Mai 2
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and
Institute of Social Studies Trust (India)
This Caucus gathers representatives from regional intergovernmental organizations, INGOs, NGOs and academia in a forward looking dialoque on priority setting for research, policy making and trade facilitation. Internationally leading feminist analysts will initiate the discussion by presenting gendered analysis of how recent trade-led development efforts in Asia and the Pacific reflect and respond to a variety of international agreements at global, regional, and sub-regional levels, affecting women's work in complex and far-reaching ways. The discussion aims at identifying priorities for: policy relevant comparative research within and between sub-regions; gender responsive policy formulation and implementation at regional, sub-regional and national levels; and gender responsive trade facilitation.
Middle East North Africa Caucus
Room: Thonburi
Women's Learning Partnership for Rights, Development, and Peace
Please see description on October 27
Young Women's Caucus
Room: Sukothai
AWID' Young Women and Leadership Programme
Women and the WTO
Room: Rattanakosin
Caucus of the Hong Kong People's Alliance on the WTO
This Caucus will be run by the Women's Caucus of the Hong Kong People's Alliance on the WTO, which is the coordinating body for the NGO presence at the 6th WTO Ministerial to be held in Hong Kong in December. The aim is to underline the importance for women to understand the linkages between the various "gender issues" and the macro economic issues pertinent to the WTO meeting in December, and to encourage as many women as possible to go to Hong Kong in December. There will be presentations making these linkages and information about the activities planned in general and by the Women's caucus.
October 29, AM
Caucus of Countries in Post-Socialist Transition
Room: Chang Mai 1
Convening networks: ASTRA, NWP/OSI, NEWW, IGPN
Please see description on October 27
October 29, LUNCH
Francophonie
Room: Ayuthaya 1
What have emerged as the essential 'take-aways' from the AWID Forum for Francophone NGOs and Francophone participants? To what degree have Francophone participants been able to share their agendas, and have their voices heard internationally? What lessons and recommendations do these activists have for the Francophonie? La Francophonie is in the midst of profound reform, both in terms of institutional planning and its programming. During the Francophone Caucus we will present the new programme on gender and equality for 2006 to 2009.
Economic Social and Cultural Right
Room: Ayuthaya 2
ESCR-net, Programme on Economic Social and Cultural Rights, AWID
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR) while not new, are promising innovative and interesting possibilities for women's rights work. Primary responsibilities for the implementation of ESC rights lie with states, but many different actors have impacts and potential responsibilities and richer states have extra territorial obligations with respect to international co-operation. How can governments and private actors be held to account for their actions? How can an international environment be fostered which facilitates gender equality and women's full enjoyment of their rights? What tools are available (or needed) in order to "mainstream" the values of human rights in all aspects of state policy, intrastate negotiation and development policy? This caucus is a space to share both experiences and ideas for realizing women's economic, social and cultural rights.
US Foreign Policy and its Effects on Women Worldwide
Room: Chang Mai 1
Women's Edge Coalition
Violence Against Indigenous Women
Room: Chang Mai 2
MADRE
Middle East North Africa Caucus
Room: Thonburi
Women's Learning Partnership for Rights, Development, and Peace
Please see description on October 27
Young Women's Caucus
Room: Sukothai
AWID's Young Women and Leadership Programme
Secularisms As Alternatives To Fundamentalisms: What now for Feminists?
Room: Rattanakosin
Women Living under Muslim Laws
Following on from the panel Secularisms As Alternatives To Fundamentalisms: Questions for Feminists organised by Women Living Under Muslim Laws, WLUML is holding a Caucus to allow for a more detailed and intimate discussion of the issues raised and to move towards identifying practical strategies for feminists from diverse contexts. Can we begin the process of building a common understanding of the meaning of secularism? What work is already being done that can feed into our analysis and deepen our understandings? Are there feminists who would like to come together to work further on the issue?
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