Subject: [fem-women2000 63] Re: IWTC Women's GlobalNet #130
From: lalamaziwa <lalamaziwa@jca.apc.org>
Date: Thu, 28 Oct 1999 09:45:46 +0700
Seq: 63


---------------- Original message follows ----------------
 From: iwtc <iwtc@igc.org>
 To: iwtc-womensglobalnet@igc.topica.com
 Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1999 10:12:01 -0700
 Subject: IWTC Women's GlobalNet #130
--

IWTC Women's GlobalNet
Women's Initiatives and Activities Worldwide
by Anne S Walker

IWTC Women's  GlobalNet #130

October 26, 1999

WOMEN'S RIGHTS NETWORKS WORLDWIDE PREPARE FOR BEIJING +5

CONGO PLANS INCLUSIVE REVIEW PROCESS:
In New York during the March 1999 CSW, NGOs began a series of brainstorming
sessions in order to find ways to make the best use of their participation
in the Special Session and its preparations. Since that time, the Conference
of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations (CONGO) has
convened NGO planning dialogues in partnership with the CONGO Committees on
the Status of Women and other UN-based NGOs, and assembled an interim
planning group to undertake outreach to NGOs around the world. A consortium
of women's information groups has also been active, forming a worldwide
network known as WomenAction 2000 to work with CONGO in increasing access to
information on Beijing+5 plans and initiatives. (See 2. below). After wide
consultation, a framework for ensuring NGO input from around the world into
planning for Beijing+5 has evolved.

The structure of the international NGO facilitation effort is envisioned as
follows. It will be comprised of: 1) a 15-20 member NGO Coordinating
Committee that will function as the primary decision making body and include
representatives of  the three CONGO Committees on the Status of Women in
Geneva, New York and Vienna, regional groups, large networks, and
issue-based caucuses; 2) a smaller NGO Organizing Subcommittee that will be
responsible for day-to-day operations; and 3) the larger "NGOs for Women
2000" that will be open to colleagues from around the world who wish to put
ideas and work into the review process. The NGO Coordinating Committee will
meet electronically on a regular basis, and may convene at some point during
the Commission on the Status of Women session in February-March 2000. Open
meetings will be held periodically in New York for locally-based members of
national and international NGOs. Hopefully, similar gatherings will be
convened in other regions of the world.

The UN Regional Meetings to be held between September 1999 and February 2000
will provide venues for NGOs and NGO networks to identify two regional NGO
representatives for the NGO Coordinating Committee. Representatives already
nominated, or put forward before the regional meetings take place will act
as temporary representatives until a regional consensus is formed at the
meetings. However their role will be important in providing an immediate
link between women working regionally and the interim NGO Coordinating
Committee.

CONGO COMMITTEE ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN:
Preparations for the NGO Working Session that precedes the Special Session
in June, 2000 are well underway. Discussions are being held with the UN to
ascertain whether  the President of the USA and/or other Heads of State will
be attending the first day of the Special Session, in which case the dates
of the Working Session may have to be changed to allow for necessary
security measures to be undertaken at the UN on  Sunday June 4, 2000. 

For further information , please contact: CONGO, 777 United Nations Plaza,
New York, NY 10017, USA. Tel: (1-212) 986-8557. Fax: (1-212) 986-0821.
E-mail: <congongo@aol.com>. Web-site: <http://www.conferenceofngos.org>.
 
NGOs URGED TO PUSH FOR INCLUSION ON COUNTRY'S DELEGATION TO PREPCOM AND
SPECIAL SESSION
The participation of NGOs on their country's delegations at both the PrepCom
in February-March 2000 and the Special Session in June 2000 was one of the
most important recommendations to come out of  meetings held between the UN
Division for the Advancement of Women (UN/DAW) and NGOs in October 1999. 
Countries who included NGO representatives in their delegations to the first
PrepCom in March 1999 were: Australia, Finland, Israel, Niger, Philippines,
Senegal, Sweden, UK, and Zambia. (According to a UN/DAW chart "Composition
of Delegations Participating at the 43rd Session of CSW" October 1999. 

For information on UN plans and preparations for both the PrepCom and
Special Session, please contact  the UN Division for the Advancement of
Women, United Nations, New York, NY 10017. Tel: (1-212)963-8034. Fax:
(1-212) 963-3463. E-mail: <koh.miyaoi@un.org>. Web sites:
<http://www.un.org/daw> and/or <http://www.un.org/womenwatch>

ALTERNATIVE COUNTRY AND/OR REGIONAL REPORTS BEING PREPARED BY NGOs WORLDWIDE
Groups who are preparing alternative reports for their country and/or region
on the implementation progress of the PFA, are invited to send them to CONGO
at the address given below. Every effort will be made to compile all reports
received and to disseminate them widely both before and during the PrepCom
and Special Session.  

To date, we have heard of alternative reports being prepared by groups in:  
 the Arab Region (e-mail: admin_unifem@nets.com.jo>); Asia
(isis@isiswomen.org> Web-site: <http://www.isiswomen.org>);  Bosnia and
Herzegovina (<lara@bn.rstel.net>);  Cambodia (<gad@bigpond.com.kh>); Canada
(<fafiadir@web.net>);  Central/Eastern Europe (<ebarclay@neww.org>); Costa
Rica (<fuegocr@sol.racsa.co.cr>);  Denmark (<randi@kvinderaad.dk>);  India
(<b5tfindi@bol.net.in>); Japan (see AWORC web site at
<<http://www.jca.apc.org/aworc/bpfa/>); Pacific (<pac-ywca@sopac.org.fj>);
UK (<motaylor@cabinet-office.x.gsi.uk>). 

We would very much like to know of any other  alternative reports  -either
country or regional- that are being prepared, and will inform CONGO and
include this information in upcoming issues of the IWTC Women's GlobalNet,
and .

HOST COMMITTEE  FORMED TO PLAN CELEBRATORY EVENTS AND PROVIDE LOGISTICAL
SUPPORT FOR NGOs FOR JUNE 2000 SPECIAL SESSION:
A separate US Host Committee has been set up to facilitate "celebratory and
hosting activities" in the New York area during the time of the Beijing Plus
Five Special Session (June 5-9, 2000).  They are currently looking for a
Coordinator and a job description for this position has been posted on the
Center for Policy Alternatives (CPA) web site at:
<http://www.stateaction.org>. For further information on the US Host
Committee, contact CPA at: (1-202) 956-5127 and ask for Carmencita or call
Ellen Chesler at Open Society Institute (1-212) 548-0600.   

WOMEN'S MEDIA AND INFORMATION NETWORKS HOLD WORKSHOP IN SEOUL TO PREPARE FOR
BEIJING PLUS FIVE WEB SITES:
>From September 27 to October 2, 34 women from global and regional
information and media networks in Africa, Asia/Pacific,  Latin America/
Caribbean, East/West Europe and North America, met at the Asia and Pacific
Women's Information Centre (APWINC)  in Seoul, Korea, to work on setting up
an NGO Global Information Network for Beijing Plus Five. Known as
WomenAction 2000, this project came out of meetings between media and
information women at the first PrepCom for B+5 held in March 1999 in New
York. In the months since then, regional "animators" have been found,
initial funds have been raised (with the help of WomenWatch, the UN women's
web site set up by a coalition of UN agencies), and work has begun on a
global web site (<http://womenaction.org/preview>) and B+5 sections on
regional web sites in Africa, Asia/Pacific, the US and Canada. Web sites are
planned in Europe and Latin America/Caribbean. 

The workshop was organized along three main tracks, one for the training of
the global and regional web site managers, one for global and regional
on-line dialogue facilitators, and one for an analysis of Section J, the
Women and Media section of the Beijing Platform for Action (PFA). Plans were
outlined for a special web site that would focus on women and media concerns
and issues worldwide.

SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM IWTC:

This bulletin has been delayed because of the transferal of all of IWTC's
e-mail lists from one list method/service to another. IWTC Women's
GlobalNet, along with its Spanish version entitled GlobalNet de Mujeres del
CTIM, is now a part of the Topica network, and can be accessed via their web
site at <http://www.igc.topica.com>. We apologize for any inconvenience this
may have caused.

As part of the Topica services, it is now possible to subscribe to, and
unsubscribe from IWTC Women's GlobalNet automatically. All future issues of
the bulletin (English and Spanish) will also be archived at the Topica web
site.



IWTC Women's Globalnet is produced by:
International Women's Tribune Centre
777 United Nations Plaza
New York, NY 10017, USA
Tel: (1-212) 687-8633
Fax: (1-212) 661-2704

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