[APWW-Meet] DAWN Questions Global Reform and Review Processes on Gender Equality

[gigi@mail.isiswomen.org, francisco@mail.isiswomen.org, [gigi.francisco@gmail.com]@mail.isiswomen.org]

Welcome to the APWW-Meet
An announcement list of the Asia Pacific Women Watch network
working for the advancement of the status of women.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------


(The following was taken from DAWN Informs, June 2008 issue)

DAWN Questions Global Reform and
Review Processes on Gender Equality

The current conjuncture reflects an intensification of efforts to deepen harmonization and coherence between the various parts of international development cooperation on the one hand, and trade and financial liberalization on the other. Within these ongoing
discussions, the location$B!>(Jposition of women$B!G(Js empowerment and gender equality is unclear, particularly because it is often couched in mainstreaming or cross$B!>(Jcutting language.

What is alarming is that recent data shows women$B!G(Js empowerment and welfare
indicators are the weakest among the MDG targets. Clearly, too, the policy convergence
around the neo$B!>(Jliberal agenda of economic, financial and trade liberalization is serving to fuel the current financial, energy and food crises.

For DAWN, 2008 is a year of focused engagement with two important processes of
inter$B!>(Jgovernmental negotiations taking place in the United Nations General Assembly,
namely, on (1) System Wide Coherence, and the (2) Review of Financing for
Development. In both these processes, DAWN supports the view that the UN
retains its leadership role in the coordination of global economic and social policies,
including trade, finance and macroeconomic policies, and in so doing, positions gender
equality at the center of debates and negotiations.

Following these processes for DAWN are Gita Sen, Anita Nayar, Mariama
Williams, Marina Durano and Gigi Francisco. The UN Reform, The System Wide Coherence or UN Reform involves discussions on the structural reform of the UN aimed at
addressing issues of duplication of mandates and lack of coordination among the UN
System$B!G(Js diverse development$B!>(Jrelated agencies, funds and programmes. 

In accompanying this process, DAWN joined hands with the Center for Women$B!G(Js
Global Leadership (CWGL), Women$B!G(Js Environment and Development Organization (WEDO), Association for Women$B!G(Js Rights in Development (AWID), and International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) as global focal points for a campaign dubbed the Gender Equality Architecture Reform (GEAR) Campaign. The campaign seeks a high$B!>(Jlevel UN entity for women that will have strong normative and operational functions.

DAWN is particularly concerned about securing increased funding for the new
gender architecture, with most of the funds going to country$B!>(Jlevel work in developing
countries. In an email message to the global GEAR Campaign list, DAWN noted that $B!H!D(J
while a number of Northern governments have been vocally supporting a new gender
architecture, even tentative financial commitments have been absent.$B!I(J DAWN
also questioned $B!H(Jthe extent to which the highest level of the UN is genuinely
committed to moving the gender equality agenda forward$B!D!I(J (23 April 2008).
For DAWN, a highly$B!>(Jplaced gender entity whose principal function will be
limited to acting as a watchdog for gender mainstreaming and which will have very
limited capacity to undertake projects on its own will not close the existing gap between official rhetoric and action on gender equality and women$B!G(Js empowerment. 

The Doha Review$B!D(J
With the Follow$B!>(Jup International Conference on Financing for Development
(FfD) to Review the Implementation of the Monterrey Consensus being held 29
November-02 December 2008 in Doha, Qatar, the FfD consultative process is now in
full swing. The Review of Financing for Development or FfD Review is meant to
assess progress made, take stock of lessons learned, and identify new challenges and
emerging issues related to implementation of the Monterrey Consensus.
Women$B!G(Js rights and economic justice advocates are working to ensure the Doha
outcome builds upon the Monterrey agreements while addressing global inequities contributing to feminized poverty, women$B!G(Js human rights violations, environmental crises and global economic instabilities more so than governments and financial institutions did in Monterrey in 2002. Women$B!G(Js rights advocates are also calling for increased financing for gender equality and women$B!G(Js empowerment from the Doha review process.

The Women$B!G(Js Working Group (WWG) on the FfD is a network of women$B!G(Js rights advocates in the FfD process, and is coordinated by a core group comprised of Association for Women$B!G(Js Rights and Development (AWID), Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN), Feminist Task Force$B!>(JGlobal Call to Action against Poverty (FTF$B!>(JGCAP),
International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), Women$B!G(Js Environment and Development Organization (WEDO), and the Women in Development Europe (WIDE).

The WWG informs and facilitates women$B!G(Js rights advocates in the FfD process, while
linking these advocacy efforts to other related processes such as the UNCSW,
UNCTAD 12 and the OECD 3rd High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness. 

DAWN Informs is published by the Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN), a network of women scholars and activists from the economic South who engage in feminist research and analysis of the global environment and are committed to working for economic justice, gender justice and democracy. It is an information and networking tool that can be downloaded from the DAWN website (www.dawnnet.org). A limited number of copies is printed for free distribution to women in the South. Friends from the North who wish to receive printed copies are requested to make an annual contribution of USD20.00. For subscriptions, notify info@dawnnet.org.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
The APWW-Meet is a moderated list hosted by Isis International-Manila for
the APWW network. To unsubscribe, send an email to majordomo@isiswomen.org
and put the line "unsubscribe apww-meet" in the message body. To post
messages, send to apww-meet@isiswomen.org. For inquiries, send to
owner-apww-meet@isiswomen.org.