Gender and Development e -Brief / Issue 39
March, 2006
(SPECIAL –INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY)
IN THIS ISSUE

EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES

GENDER

Gender and citizenship in a multicultural context

NEWS

CELEBRATION OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

Law does not recognize children of Lebanese females
UN celebrates International Women’s Day but is blasted on gender equality
'Unions for Women, Women for Unions' campaign enters phase two

FOREIGN AID
EU donates $17.8 million to refugees 
U.K. donates $356,000 to UNRWA project to aid refugees 

GENDER

Ashreat Al Amal (Sails of Hope) - Sudan 
Communication for Healthy Living (CHL) - Egypt 
Communicating Safe Motherhood in Morocco
Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) Encourages Women to Use ICTs for Development.
Morocco Family Planning/Maternal and Child Health Phase V Project - Morocco 
Making Motherhood Safer in Egypt
No Economic Growth Without Women's Rights, UN Says
Reproductive Health Care for Somali Refugees - Yemen 
Reforming Family Laws in the Middle East and North Africa

HURRIYAT

ICFTU denounces workers' rights violations in Djibouti
Local Iraqi NGO documents prisoner abuse
ICT

Beyond the dust and heat: APC looks at Tunis and Geneva in perspective

INTERNATIONAL NGOs

Finnish NGOs push for more and better focused aid
WIDE Statement to the 50th session of the CSW
Women's Environment and Development Organization (WEDO)

POLITICS

Governments hear civil society’s call for greater transparency in the Arab world 

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
ConventionYES! Help protect the rights of people with disabilities
Egypt Agricultural Exports and Rural Income Project


NGOs

First human-rights organization licensed in U.A.E
Iranian civil society is an ‘ethical sector’
Arab Science and Technology Foundation

YOUTH
International Summer Work camp in Palestine

EDUCATION
AUB aims to bring back PhD program by 2007 

REPORTS & BOOKS & ARTICLES
CHILDREN
Violence against disabled children
The Children of Iraq-in need of aid

GENDER
A gender perspective on the 6th WTO Ministerial Conference at Hong Kong
Funding Sources for Gender-Equality and Women-focused Projects, BRIDGE (ed.), 2006
From Microfinance to Macro Change: Integrating Health Education and Microfinance to Empower
Women and Reduce Poverty
Gender mainstreaming since Beijing: a review of success and limitations in international institutions
Gender, development, and advocacy
Gender equality and the extension of social protection
Inequality in NGO and Government Salaries in Afghanistan
Social and gender analysis in natural resource management: learning studies and lessons from Asia
The First Lady syndrome and the marginalization of women from power: opportunities orcompromises for gender equality?
Reference Documents on Gender and Land Where is the Money for Women's Rights? 

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

Preventing Iraq's Disintegration

RESOURCES

CAPACITY BUILDING

Civil Society Budgeting Toolkit: Part 1 NGO Web-Kit in French and Arabic by Morocco Country Gateway  

ECONOMICS

Ensuring that Micro enterprise Funds Reach the Very Poor

DEVELOPMENT AID

USAID Report-A Year in Iraq Charities Aid Foundation

ICT
UNAIDS has launched a new version of its website complete with new navigation, branding and logo Iraq Resource Information Site (I.R.I.S.)


DONORS PROFILE

Aga Khan Foundation World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts

GENDER

OECD Development Centre database charts discrimination against women


Development e-Brief receives and comprises of material from various sources for its publication. Should you wish to refer to these sources/ sites directly, the list includes publications from: AVIVA, www.aviva.org , AWID: www.awid.org , Democracy Digest: www.freedomhouse.org , Development Gateway: www.developmentgatway.org , Dignity: www.dignity.org , e-Civicus: www.civicus.org , Eldis: www.eldis.org, ESCWA: www.escwa.org.lb , GDB: www.developmentex.com, Global Knowledge Partnership: www.globalknowledge.org , IGTN: www.IGTN.org , ILO: www.ilo.org  One World: www.oneworld.net , Siyanda:www.siyanda.org  , The Daily Star: www.dailystar.com.lb , The Drum Beat: www.comminit.com , The Soul Beat: www.comminit.com , The World Bank: www.worldbank.org, UNDP: www.undp.org, Wicejilist: www.wicej.addr.com , WLP: www.learningpartnership.org

 EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES

GENDER

Gender and citizenship in a multicultural context
The conference is a triennial event organized by the Association of Institutions for Feminist Education and Research in Europe (AOIFE), and plans to be a high-level, interdisciplinary event focused on gender research in a wide but well-defined range of thematic areas.  Date: 31 August – 3 September 2006 - Venue: Lódz, Poland - Further information:

http://www.gender2006.pl 

NEWS

CELEBRATION OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

Law does not recognize children of Lebanese females

CRTD.A calls for right of all Lebanese to pass on nationality

The Women's Rights Club co-sponsored a women's nationality rights campaign with the Collective for Research and Training on Development-Action (CRTDA) in honor of Women's Day on March 8.For more information: 

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=22773# 

UN celebrates International Women’s Day but is blasted on gender equality
A coalition of international women's organisations – including more than 240 women fromover 50 countries - has castigated both UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the 191 member states for paying ‘lip service’ to the cause of gender parity in the world body. For more information, visit
www.ipsterraviva.net/Europe/article.aspx?id=3066 

'Unions for Women, Women for Unions' campaign enters phase two
Anti-union violence against women, persistent wage gaps and the feminisation of poverty do not make the situation of women in the world of work any easier. On 8 March, International Women's Day, the international trade union movement, building on the progress made since2002, launched phase two of the 'Unions for Women, Women for Unions' campaign. For more information, visit
www.icftu.org/displaydocument.asp?Index=991223520&Language=EN  

FOREIGN AID
EU donates $17.8 million to refugees
BEIRUT: Delegates of UNRWA and the Head of the Delegation of the European Commission in Lebanon, announced a $17.8 million groundbreaking educational program to facilitatefuture employment for Palestinian refugees. For more info:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=22486  

U.K. donates $356,000 to UNRWA project to aid refugees
Palestinians will have a chance to be self-employed or find employment in Lebanon or abroaddue to a project funded by the British Embassy in Lebanon which. donated $356,000 for a project called "Governance and Empowerment of Palestinian Refugees" to benefit around 900 Palestinians. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=22424  

GENDER
Ashreat Al Amal (Sails of Hope) - Sudan  Ashreat Al Amal (Sails of Hope) is a radio serial drama that deals with reproductive health issues in Sudan. The programme deals with HIV and AIDS education and the importance of educating women as a means to a better life.http://www.comminit.com/africa/experiences/pds122004/experiences-2815.html  

Communication for Healthy Living (CHL) - Egypt
Communication for Healthy Living is a health communication USAID supported project in Egypt aimed at enabling families and communities to protect and maintain their health related to issues such as family planning and reproductive health, maternal and child health and infectious diseases including HIV and AIDS.
http://www.comminit.com/africa/experiences/pds122004/experiences-2848.html  Contact Ron Hess rhess@jhuhcp-eg.org    

Communicating Safe Motherhood in Morocco
This document describes the development and implementation of the first communication strategy for safe motherhood in Morocco and its key interventions. 
http://www.comminit.com/africa/materials/ma2003/materials-1622.html

Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) Encourages Women to Use ICTs for Development.
The ability of women and girls to use information and communication technologies (ICTs) for the purpose of advancing social development goals, for example extensive networking among women's organizations enables them to build new knowledge regarding violence against ...
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/ict/rc/ItemDetail.do~1057738?intcmp=700

Morocco Family Planning/Maternal and Child Health Phase V Project - Morocco 
Funded by USAID, this maternal mortality reduction programme focused on improving maternal health services and the health of children under the age of five. 
http://www.comminit.com/africa/experiences/pds32003/experiences-2375.html

Making Motherhood Safer in Egypt
Published by the Population Reference Bureau in March 2004, this 8-page policy brief describes Egypt's efforts to reduce maternal deaths. Included in this policy brief is an overall history of maternal mortality in Egypt, a description of common models of service delivery in safe motherhood care, and a list of "Lessons Learned".
http://www.comminit.com/africa/strategicthinking/st2006/thinking-1610.html

No Economic Growth Without Women's Rights, UN Says
UNITED NATIONS, Feb 27 - The world is beginning to understand that integrating women and girls into the life of a nation is the surest path to economic growth and development, a top U.N. official told an annual meeting that analyzes the global status of women. For more information:
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N27514123.htm

Reproductive Health Care for Somali Refugees - Yemen 
Marie Stops International Yemen is offering reproductive health and family planningservices and education sessions to Somali refugees living in Yemen. For more info:
http://www.comminit.com/africa/experiences/pds22005/experiences-3002.html

Reforming Family Laws in the Middle East and North Africa
This new policy brief by Valentine Moghadam of UNESCO and PRB's Farzaneh Roudi-Fahimi details how Morocco recently adopted an entirely new family law that is consistent with the spirit of Islam, yet based on equal rights for both men and women. For more information:
 www.prb.org.

HURRIYAT
ICFTU denounces workers' rights violations in Djibouti
A new International Confederation of Free Trade Unions report on the observance of core labour standards in Djibouti denounces the violations suffered by the country's workers for over 15 years. or more information, visit
www.icftu.org/displaydocument.asp?Index=991223454&Language=EN  

Local Iraqi NGO documents prisoner abuse
An NGO established to assist former prison detainees who have suffered abuses in prison has received an overwhelming initial response. ‘This organisation has already received nearly 125 reports of prisoner abuse inside Iraqi prisons,’ said Khalid Rabia’a, spokesman for the Prisoners’ Association for Justice (PAJ). For more information, visit
www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=51801&SelectRegion=Middle_East&SelectCountry=IRAQ  

ICT
Beyond the dust and heat: APC looks at Tunis and Geneva in perspective
Some months after the heat and dust settled on the Tunisian skyline, APC has come up with its evaluation of the four-year World Summit on the Information Society. APC concluded that there are some positive signs emerging from WSIS. Read the eleven page report at 
http://rights.apc.org/documents/apc_wsis_reflection_0206.pdf

INTERNATIONAL NGOs
Finnish NGOs push for more and better focused aid 
Finnish NGOs have compared the country's development cooperation policy with other Nordiccountries and have concluded that on the policy level, Finland's aid is heading in the right direction but that there is room for improvement regarding implementation. For moreinformation, see
www.millenniumcampaign.org /site/apps/nl/content3.asp?c=grKVL2NLE&b=190470&ct=198 

WIDE Statement to the 50th session of the CSW
WIDE views the 50th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women as an important opportunity to voice our ideas and   concerns regarding following issues:
·Gender Mainstreaming
·Enhanced participation of women in development
·
Multi-year programme of work
For more information please visit:
www.wide-network.org 

Women's Environment and Development Organization (WEDO)
WEDO is an international organization that advocates for women's equality in global policy.
It seeks to empower women as decision makers to achieve economic, social and gender justice,
a healthy, peaceful planet and human rights for all.
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/ngo/rc/ItemDetail.do~1058317?intcmp=700

POLITICS

Governments hear civil society’s call for greater transparency in the Arab world  A high-level conference organised by Transparency International (TI) brought together government ministers, parliamentarians, diplomatic missions, the private sector and the media to promote the ratification and effective implementation of the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) in the Middle East and North Africa. For more information, see

http://csr-news.net/main/ratification-of-anti-corruption-convention-will-show-governments%E2%80%99-political-will-in-middle-eastnorth-africa/2006/03/08 

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

ConventionYES! Help protect the rights of people with disabilities
Over five hundred million people, nearly 10 percent of the world's population, have a disability. The United Nations (UN) is currently negotiating a treaty, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, to ensure that human rights standards are extended to people with disabilities. For more information, visit
www.conventionyes.org 


Egypt Agricultural Exports and Rural Income Project
This project by Winrock International aims to strengthen agricultural competitiveness through the expansion of access to agricultural supply chain entities, new technologies, skills and institutions. The project will provide technical assistance, grants and training ...

http://topics.developmentgateway.org/foodsecurity/rc/ItemDetail.do~1058269?intcmp=700 

NGOs

First human-rights organization licensed in U.A.E

The United Arab Emirates has authorized its first non-governmental organization to begin work to enforce human rights in the Gulf state, said Al-Imarat Al-Yawm newspaper. Quoting a licensing decision issued by the Social Affairs Ministry, it said the Emirates Human Rights Association (EHRA) aimed to "respect and enforce human rights according to the state's laws and constitution." For more info:

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=22417 

Iranian civil society is an ‘ethical sector’ Civil society is the subject of intense debate in Iran today because of the limits of accountability and political decentralisation in the country. The actors of Iranian civil society are concerned with the structures that stand between government and citizens and are asimportant a force in society as were the members of civil society in the Communist period in Poland and Czechoslovakia. For more information, see 

www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=87533 

Arab Science and Technology Foundation The Arab Science and Technology Foundation is an independent, nongovernmental, non­profit regional and international organization. Scientists and researchers from inside and outside the Arab world as well as representatives of Arab and international science centers ...

http://topics.developmentgateway.org/knowledge/rc/ItemDetail.do~1058022?intcmp=700 

YOUTH

International Summer Work camp in Palestine This project, for youth and adults up to 35, has been designed to provide international students and professionals the opportunity to meet and discuss the Middle East conflict, share ideas, enhance practical skills, foster relationships and give assistance to members of the Palestinian community. For more information, visithttp://youth.zajel.org/summer_camps/camp2006/announcing.htm 

EDUCATION

 AUB aims to bring back PhD program by 2007The American University of Beirut may see some exciting changes in the next few years, including the return of a PhD program, as new board of trustees' chairman Thomas Morris takes the helm of the 140-year-old institution. For more info: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=22437 

REPORTS & BOOKS & ARTICLES

CHILDREN

Violence against disabled children This report presents the findings of the Thematic Group on Violence against Disabled Children convened by UNICEF. It looks specifically at violence in the home, in educational and custodial settings, institutions, the criminal justice system, community based violence, in the workplace. Available online at: http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC21020 

The Children of Iraq-in need of aid
The Children of Iraq is an independent newsletter and website which seeks to provide humanitarian assistance to the children of Iraq and help Americans and others understand their plight. It calls for an end to the economic sanctions on Iraq and calls for treating ...
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/aideffectiveness/rc/ItemDetail.do~1057773?intcmp=700   

GENDER
A gender perspective on the 6th WTO Ministerial Conference at Hong Kong
The events during the 6th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) at Hong Kong were marked by a distinct inside–outside dichotomy, the authors of this report describe. This WIDE analysis of the 6th WTO Ministerial Conference provides an assessment of what Hong Kong means for women’s lives and livelihoods. 
Download
: http://www.eurosur.org/wide/Globalisation/Post_HK.pdf 

Funding Sources for Gender-Equality and Women-focused Projects, BRIDGE (ed.), 2006
This document is a list of potential funding sources for gender equality and women-focused projects. More info at:
http://www.siyanda.org/static/bridge_genderfunding.htm  

From Microfinance to Macro Change: Integrating Health Education and Microfinance to Empower Women and Reduce Poverty
This advocacy booklet calls for integration of reproductive health education with microfinance services in developing countries. It presents individual stories, case studies and dramatic findings to show the impact this combination can have on reducing poverty  ...
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/gender/rc/ItemDetail.do~1058386?intcmp=700  

Gender mainstreaming since Beijing: a review of success and limitations in international institutions
This Oxfam article assesses progress made by international development institutions in gender mainstreaming since the Beijing Platform for Action in 1995. Summary written in collaboration with BRIDGE and
Siyanda
Available online at:
http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC17185

Gender, development, and advocacy
This on line Oxfam journal considers gender advocacy on a number of levels in society fromgrassroots women demanding community level change, to coalition-building to promotechange to international trade laws.
Available online at
: http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC21128 

Gender equality and the extension of social protection
This paper examines the composition of the Labour market and gender specific vulnerabilities in relation to social protection. It argues that as women occupy a disadvantaged status in relation to work opportunities compared to men from equivalent social groups, ...
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/poverty/rc/ItemDetail.do~1058466?intcmp=700  

Inequality in NGO and Government Salaries in Afghanistan
Summary of article: "Government employees have complained their co-workers employed by some nongovernmental organizations are getting high salaries that cause socio-economic imbalance in the society.
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/ngo/rc/ItemDetail.do~1058375?intcmp=700  

Social and gender analysis in natural resource management: learning studies and lessons from Asia
This on-line IDRC book documents and reflects on the steps that researchers are taking to implement social and gender analysis, including questions of class, caste, and ethnicity, into their everyday work.
Available online at:
http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC20982  

The First Lady syndrome and the marginalization of women from power: opportunities or compromises for gender equality?
This article explores the dynamics of marginalizing women from political power, and the ways in which "First Ladies" have sought to intervene through their special position as spouses of men in power. It discusses this in the context and experience of Nigeria and Ghana. Available online at:
http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC21047  

Reference Documents on Gender and Land
Gender determines the individual's and group's access to and control over resources. While women are primary agricultural producers and users of natural resources in many parts of the world, there are still many institutional, social, cultural and economic obstacles...
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/gender/rc/ItemDetail.do~1058090?intcmp=700  

Where is the Money for Women's Rights?
Just Associates in collaboration with AWID, 2005 This document assesses the Role of Donors in the Promotion of Women's Rights and the Support of Women's Rights Organizations. This study shows the recent trends in thefinancing of women's rights work and organizations. For more info: 
http://www.siyanda.org/static/AWID_moneyforwomensrights.htm  

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Preventing Iraq's Disintegration
Article by Joost Hiltermann, Middle East project director at the International Crisis Group: "Almost three years after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's regime, Iraq is at serious risk of civil war and disintegration. The attack ...
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/ngo/rc/ItemDetail.do~1058630?intcmp=700  

RESOURCES

CAPACITY BUILDING
Civil Society Budgeting Toolkit:
Part 1This toolkit provides guidelines on how to go about developing and monitoring a budget. It will help you with an overall organisational budget as well as with a budget for a specific project. The toolkit includes tools for estimating costs as well as tips for ensuring that your budgets meet the needs of your project or organisation. For more information, visit
www.civicus.org/new/media/Budgeting.doc  

NGO Web-Kit in French and Arabic by Morocco Country Gateway  
Tanmia.ma, the Morocco Country Gateway, has released a new service for non­governmental organizations, called the NGO web kit. The kit helps NGOs develop and manage a professional-quality website adapted to their needs. The kit, available for a fee, was built using an open-source content management system. The kit is available at: http://www.assodev.ma?intcmp=800  

ECONOMICS
Ensuring that Micro enterprise Funds Reach the Very Poor
The IRIS Center at the University of Maryland is helping USAID's Office of Microenterprise Development develop a set of accurate, low-cost poverty assessment tools _ survey questionnaires that determine whether U.S. government funding is reaching the poorest of ...
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/microfinance/rc/ItemDetail.do~1057974?intcmp=700  

DEVELOPMENT AID
USAID Report-A Year in Iraq
This resource explains how the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) have supported Iraq's recovery from three decades of tyranny and mass murder.
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/fdi/rc/ItemDetail.do~1057353?intcmp=700  

Charities Aid Foundation
The Charities Aid Foundation was first established in 1924 as part of the United Kingdom National Council of Social Services to encourage more efficient giving to charity. In 1974, the Charities Aid Foundation became an independent registered charity with the uniquepurpose to do all in its power to ensure that charitable giving to all charities is as robust and effective as it can possibly be. Today, CAF handles over £1 billion a year for donors and charities, employs more than 300 staff in Kent and London and works around the world. For more information, visit
www.cafonline.org  

ICT
UNAIDS has launched a new version of its website complete with new navigation, branding and logo
The new UNAIDS website has a easier navigation structure as well as content specifically chosen for different audience groups; business and labour; civil society; donors; media; people living with HIV/AIDS; policy-makers; researchers; the UN family; and women. For more information, please visit www.unaids.org. New also is the UNAIDS quarterlynewsletter available at
www.unaids.org/en/mediacentre/newsletter  

Iraq Resource Information Site (I.R.I.S.) IRIS
is a comprehensive, categorized, multi-media, Internet database of various Iraqi topics and issues based on eyewitness testimonies, human rights reports, reference sources, official government documents, notable editorials, maps, chronologies, bibliographies ...
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/elearning/rc/ItemDetail.do~1057776?intcmp=700  

DONORS PROFILE
Aga Khan Foundation
The Aga Khan Foundation is a non-denominational, international development agency established in 1967 by His Highness the Aga Khan. Its mission is to develop and promote creative solutions to problems that impede social development, primarily in Asia and East Africa. Created as a private, non-profit foundation under Swiss law, it has branches and independent affiliates in 15 countries. For more information, visit 
www.akdn.org/agency/akf.html  

World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) is a worldwide Movement providing non-formal education where girls and young women develop leadership and life skills through self-development, challenge and adventure. Its mission is to enable girls and young women to develop their fullest potential as responsible citizens of the world. For more information on WAGGGS, visit www.wagggsworld.org

GENDER
OECD Development Centre database charts discrimination against women
Gender equality has come a long way since International Women’s Day was first celebrated in Europe in 8 March 1911, but a new OECD database shows deeply rooted social norms and traditions still harming women’s economic opportunities in many countries around theworld. For more information, please visit
www.oecd.org/dev/institutions/GIDdatabase  




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