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Activities in 2007

15 January to 2 February 37th CEDAW Session and the “From Global to Local” mentoring programme, New York, USA IWRAW Asia Pacific's - From Global to Local -programme aims to assist women's groups in countries reporting to the CEDAW Committee present alternative information to the CEDAW Committee through highlighting critical issues in the reporting countries at the pre-session and review, the preparation of shadow/alternative reports and the presence and participation of women’s NGOs in the CEDAW Session when their countries are reporting. The goal of such alternative information and participation of women’s NGOs is to help increase the impact and effectiveness of the review of the government report. At the 37th Session in January 2007, the CEDAW Committee reviewed 14 periodic reporting countries ( Austria, Azerbaijan, Colombia, Greece, India, Kazakhstan, Maldives, Namibia, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Peru, Poland, Suriname and Vietnam) in dual chambers and one initial reporting country ( Tajikistan) as a whole. NGOs from all fifteen countries that were reviewed at the 37th Session submitted Shadow/Alternative Reports, and thirty-seven participants from thirteen countries attended the “From Global to Local” mentoring programme in New York during the 37th Session. Alda Facio, Martha Morgan and Programme Officer Jana Rumminger served as the resource persons. On 14 and 21 January, IWRAW Asia Pacific held one-day briefings on the CEDAW Committee, what happens during the CEDAW Session, how NGOs can be involved and provided assistance in preparing NGO oral statements for the informal NGO meetings on 15 and 22 January. Throughout the two weeks, the resource persons were available to provide advice and assistance. They also conducted daily debriefings every evening. NGO representatives from India and Tajikistan held lunchtime discussions with CEDAW Committee members. After returning home to their countries from New York, the NGO participants began follow up work to disseminate, discuss and promote implementation of the Concluding Comments. More information about the 37th CEDAW Session, including all of the official documents, can be found on the Division for the Advancement of Women website. NGO Shadow/Alternative Reports can be found in the Resources section of the website. 2 to 3 February Regional Consultation on UN Human Rights Council, Organised by Forum Asia. Bangkok, Thailand The Regional Consultation on the UN Human Rights Council, organised by Forum Asia, was held from 2-3 February 2007 in Bangkok. The objectives of the Consultation were to provide an update on the work and outcome of the Human Rights Council sessions; to assess the progress or lack of progress of the Human Rights Council and Treaty Body reforms from Asian NGOs’ perspective; and to develop common goals, strategies and action plans among national and regional human rights NGOs. Specifically, the Consultation looked into evolving strategies for the March-April 2007 session of the Human Rights Council. There were about 45 participants from the Asian region who represented national, regional and international organisations. They presented areas of work on which they are focussing and plans for the upcoming 4th Human Rights Council session in March-April 2007. Since some of the NGOs would be present during integral sessions, this meeting served to facilitate cooperation and coordination at the March-April session. Selvi Palani, programme officer, attended the Consultation on behalf of IWRAW Asia Pacific. 11 to 13 February Seventh Advisory Committee Meeting, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia After several years, this was the first time that the Advisory Committee (AC) members were in full attendance. The AC comprises Andrew Byrnes, Andonia Piau Lynch, Miho Omi, Ruth Manorama, Sapana Pradhan Malla, Savitri Goonesekere, Shireen Huq and Kanjapat Korsieporn. The Board members present were Shanthi Dairiam, Ivy Joisah and Maznah Mohamad. Also present was Tulika Srivastava who joined us on the third day of the meeting in the capacity as our new executive director. The agenda of the meeting was divided into 4 sections: Procedural Substantive Administrative Discussions on critical issues The procedural section involved discussions pertaining to adoption of the agenda, confirmation of the last AC minutes, matters arising, updating of CEDAW related work by the Advisory Committee Members The substantive section involved updating of IWRAW Asia Pacific activities, revisiting IWRAW Asia Pacific’s links with partners, advisors, programme advisory/resource teams and resource persons and presentation of planned activities for the new work cycle (2007-2009). The administrative section discussed matters pertaining to institutional and financial matters, possibility of renaming IWRAW Asia Pacific and discussion of other pending issues. The last day of the meeting was devoted to an intensive brainstorming session on the latest trends in the UN systems such as the proposed UN Treaty Body Reform / Reform of the Reporting Process, Human Rights Council (HRC) and Universal Periodic Review (UPR), reforming the gender architecture in the UN system, advocacy for an Optional Protocol to the ICESCR (OP-ICESCR), possible expert group meetings on the Strengthening of Rights in the Global Era and on Culture and Religion. 13 to 16 February Expert Group Meeting on CEDAW Article 2: National and International Dimensions of State Obligation, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia IWRAW Asia Pacific in collaboration with University of New South Wales, Australia organised a three-day Expert Group Meeting (EGM) on CEDAW Article 2 that brought together international experts to share experiences, analyses, strategies and recommendations for the development of a comprehensive set of guidelines and principles on state obligation in relation to CEDAW. The result of the discussions of the EGM have been integrated into a revised discussion paper and issued as the outcome document that would be shared with the CEDAW Committee, as they are currently drafting a General Recommendation on state obligation (Article 2). The outcome document is intended to provide guidance to state parties and NGOs on the nature and content of the various obligations contained in Article 2 of the Convention, as well as identify a range of practical measures that would enable fulfilment of states’ obligation under the Convention. The EGM was attended by three CEDAW Committee members and international experts along with the Executive Director (Anuradha Rao and Tulika Srivastava), the Deputy Executive Director (Yew Bee Yee) and four Programme Officers (Lee Wei San, Janine Moussa, Selvi Palani and Jana Rumminger) from IWRAW Asia Pacific. 8 March Stakeholders’ Consultative Meeting, organised by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia UNDP and the Government of Malaysia through the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) are in the process of preparing for the next Country Programme Document (CPD) for the period 2008-2012. The CPD sets out broad parameters and scope of cooperation for the next programme cycle. The document is being prepared by the UNDP Country Office (CO) together with the Government in order to ensure that the framework is based on the key national priorities especially the 9th Malaysia as well as UNDP’s programme mandate. On 8 March 2007, the UNDP Country office organised a stakeholder consultative meeting to obtain inputs towards the Country Programme Document 2008-2012 and the Country Programme Action Plan (CPAP). About 40 participants from more than 10 NGOs (national, regional and international) attended the Consultation. The meeting was divided into two panel sessions: 1) Human Development and South-South Cooperation with 4 speakers and 2) Energy and Environment with 2 speakers. The meeting was interactive and UNDP was able to obtain numerous suggestions/recommendations from the participants on what should be included in the CPD. Tulika Srivastava and Yew Bee Yee attended the meeting on behalf of IWRAW Asia Pacific. 19 to 24 March Fourth Human Rights Council, Geneva, Switzerland The fourth session of the Human Rights Council (HRC) was held from 12 to 30 March 2007. Tulika Srivastava and Selvi Palani represented IWRAW Asia Pacific during the period 19 to 24 March 2007. The fourth session was devoted to presentations by Special Rapporteurs and meetings within the Working Groups. IWRAW Asia Pacific’s focus during this session was on integrating human rights of women into the HRC. As the HRC is in its first year of formation most women’s groups felt that is an opportune moment to integrate human rights of women into the institutional procedures (agenda and programme of work of the HRC). To achieve this IWRAW Asia Pacific along with other women’s NGOs prepared a non-paper on integration, listing specific actions, viz., a one day permanent item on the agenda or programme of work of the HRC; the HRC to plan in its main session how to integrate human rights of women into each of the items on its substantive agenda in its yearly programme of work and that all special procedures’ reflect and report on the manner in which women and girls are affected differently than men. The non-paper was used to lobby governments to support integration. A parallel event in the form of a workshop on “Integrating Human Rights of Women into the Human Rights Council” was organised by IWRAW Asia Pacific and cosponsored by Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD), Centre for Women’s Global Leadership (CWGL), Human Rights Watch (HRW) and World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT). IWRAW Asia Pacific also supported along with OMCT a joint-statement of APWLD on the report of the Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women. 8 March “Ending Impunity for Violence Against Women through CEDAW”. Organised by Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO). Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia On the 8th of March 2007, over 200 women gathered in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia to celebrate International Women’s Day. This meeting began on a high note when the women’s groups presented a memorandum to the Ministry on Women, Family and Community Development. This memorandum contained the women’s groups suggestions on how the Malaysian government can best implement their obligations under the CEDAW Convention, as per the recommendations of the CEDAW Committee. Next the participants heard from a very distinguished panel who spoke on “Ending Impunity for Violence Against Women through CEDAW”. Panel discussants were: Shanthi Dairiam (CEDAW Committee) who spoke about the CEDAW Convention and the CEDAW process; Ivy Josiah (Women’s Aid Organisation) who spoke on the memorandum presented to the Ministry; Dr. Hamidah Karim (National Council of Women’s Organisation) who spoke about the NGO involvement in the CEDAW process; and Margaret Ho (Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development) who spoke from the perspective of the Ministry. The event was followed by a luncheon. This event was organised by the NCWO and organised by the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development. Janine Moussa, programme officer for international advocacy, attended on behalf of IWRAW Asia Pacific. 28 to 30 March Implementing the Human Right to Sexual Autonomy and DecisionMakingPerspectiveBuilding Workshop. Organised by Association for Advocacy and Legal Initiatives (AALI). Delhi, India The Association for Advocacy and Legal Initiatives (AALI), an IWRAW Asia Pacific national partner based in Lucknow, India, held a five-day workshop entitled “Implementing the Human Right to Sexual Autonomy and Decision Making Perspective and Skills Building Workshop” from 28 March – 1 April 2007. The workshop brought together approximately 30 participants from a number of states in India, including Delhi, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. The objectives of the workshop were: • To develop a common understanding of the right to sexual self determination and autonomy • To build perspective to enable informed intervention in violations of right to choice • To build skills to support and enable fact finding of concerned cases The first two days of the workshop focused on perspective building and developing a conceptual framework for understanding women’s sexuality and autonomy. The third was focused on skills building, including conducting fact finding missions and writing reports, and the fourth and fifth days involved cross-learning from the experiences of different organisations in different states and setting a common plan of action. Jana Rumminger attended the first three days of the workshop on behalf of IWRAW Asia Pacific and gave a presentation on how sexuality has been addressed within the international human rights system. 1 to 3 April IWRAW Asia Pacific Strategic Planning Meeting, Bali, Indonesia IWRAW Asia Pacific’s annual strategic planning meeting was held in Bali, Indonesia, from 1-3 April 2007. The objectives of the meeting were to: Revisit and review the process of the formulation of our main areas or work, the development of our mission, strategy, constituents, challenges and activities. Review, identify actions for the implementation of the advice from the Advisory Committee Formulate and finalise an operational plan on the basis of the above, identifying clearly the priorities, funding needs and concerns, human resource requirements and any other issues that would impact on the implementation of the plan and realisation of the goals. During the three day meeting, the staff revisited the conceptual basis of the organisation’s programmes, and then discussed each of the programme thrusts in detail. After a brief discussion of funding streams, the group identified priority activities and constructed an operational plan for implementing these activities in 2007 and early 2008. The operational plan was elaborated and consolidated after the team returned to the office. The IWRAW Asia Pacific team and Shanthi Dairiam and Ivy Josiah from the Board of Directors were present at the meeting. 13 April 13 th Board of Directors Meeting, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia The Board of Directors met to discuss the following: The draft 2006 audited accounts. The draft 2006 Annual Report. The proposed operational plan The process for search of the next Executive Director to join IWRAW Asia Pacific by February 2008. Present at the meeting were Shanthi Dairiam, Ivy Josiah, Maznah Mohamad, Tulika Srivastava, Yew Bee Yee and Jamuna Ranee. 18 to 21 April Domestic Realisation of Human Rights Institute (DAHRI-Step 2), Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India This training was step two of DAHRI, which is a training institute on human rights law designed by the Association for the Advancement of Legal Initiatives (AALI) to support the use of law and rights-based activism in the Hindi belt on India. At present the participants are from the Indian states of Uttranchal, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand. The step two training took forward the linkage and disjuncture between national law and human rights law per se, and the strategies to make rights-based claims. The focus of this step was on family and property law and its intersection with gender. It also helped participants to design strategies for working for realisation of women’s human rights in their local contexts. The next steps will focus on violence, health, child rights, natural resources and also include procedural law. Tulika Srivastava served as a resource person at this training. 21 April Training for All Women’s Action Society (AWAM) Volunteer Counsellors, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia IWRAW Asia Pacific contributed to AWAM’s modular training programme for its staff and volunteer counsellors. During this four-hour presentation/training session, the 12 participants were given basic information on the Human Rights System and International Instruments, especially the CEDAW Convention, and given training on basic gender concepts. The twelve participants were from diverse backgrounds: professionals, students, psychologists, media and AWAM staff. Audrey Lee, programme officer for information and communications, conducted the training. 26 to 27 April Expert Group Meeting On Implementation of Recommendations in the Secretary General’s Report on the In-Depth Study on Violence against Women, Bangkok, Thailand UNESCAP convened an Expert Group Meeting on the Secretary General’s Report on Violence Against Women on 26-27 April 2007 for the purpose of implementing the generic recommendations of the Secretary General’s report. In addition, the meeting also aimed to develop specific recommendations on appropriate policies and strategies to prevent and eliminate violence against women through addressing the root causes of violence and violations of women’s human rights i.e. discrimination especially those that are based on and supported by harmful and traditional cultural practices. The meeting also sought to initiate recommendations and actions to strengthen the role of national machinery and other stakeholders such as intergovernmental organisations and non-governmental organisations in responding to all forms of violence against women. Several experts on violence against women and human rights NGOs, including IWRAW Asia Pacific, contributed to this meeting. Audrey Lee attended the meeting on behalf of IWRAW Asia Pacific. The outcome document of this meeting was a set of draft recommendations/ guidelines, which were finalised and released by the UNESCAP Secretariat by the end of May 2007 for dissemination and adoption. It is hoped that this document will be used as a guide for government machinery reporting under Resolution 61/143 on the progress of implementation of the SG Report on VAW as well as to other relevant treaty bodies and UN mechanisms such as the CEDAW Committee report. UNESCAP has pledged to bring this issue to two specific platforms: inter-ministerial meeting of UNESCAP member states later this year to focus attention on the Report and the follow-up activities looking into harmful traditional and cultural practices; and UNESCAP Commission internal coordination meeting in June/July to include specific agenda item on how to implement the guidelines derived at this meeting. 26 to 29 April Bi-Regional Strategic Planning Meeting of the Coalition on Sexual and Bodily Rights in Muslim Societies. Organised by Women for Women’s Human Rights – New Ways. Istanbul, Turkey The Coalition on Sexual and Bodily Rights in Muslim Societies held a bi-regional (Middle East/North Africa and South/Southeast Asia) network strategic planning meeting to enhance their solidarity, discuss the Coalition’s structure, future plans, emerging issues, strategies, as well as updates on activities. Tulika Srivastava attended on behalf of IWRAW Asia Pacific. The meeting was attended by over 25 activists from Islamic countries. The meeting focused on two issues: Preparing an agenda for the coming year that would support work to visibilise sexual and bodily rights and the work being done by the network Attempting to formalise the network itself, so that decision-making and moving forward could be done more transparently and effectively. A work plan was discussed and prepared, which will be forwarded by the Secretariat to the network members along with the report. 5 to 7 May Oxfam Novib Workshop on Links between Central Asia and Global Civil Society, Dushanbe, Tajikistan Oxfam Novib organised a meeting in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, that aims to promote stronger linkages between civil society in the Central Asia region and civil society networks at the regional and global levels. Gender / Women's Rights was one of the themes that the meeting focused on, bringing a number of women's rights organisations from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. Over the course of two and a half days, they surveyed the current level of interaction between the region and global civil society networks and processes, heard from civil society organisations in the region about their priorities and expectations from linking their work with regional and global efforts, and explored together the practical steps that can be taken to facilitate linkages that are responsive to the region’s needs and that can enrich and benefit the work of regional and global civil society. IWRAW Asia Pacific was one of three women's networks from outside the region to be invited to this meeting, and was represented by Shanthi Dairiam. 8 May “From Global to Local” Project Management Team meeting The Project Management Team for the “From Global to Local” programme held its annual meeting on 8 May to discuss plans for restructuring the programme in 2008 and the training for the 38th CEDAW Session. Alda Facio, Deb Liebowitz, Lee Waldorf from UNIFEM, Luz Melo from UNFPA, IWRAW Asia Pacific Executive Director Tulika Srivastava and Programme Officer Lee Wei San attended the meeting. The Programme Management Team approved the restructuring of the programme. 10 May to 1 June 38th CEDAW Session and the “From Global to Local” training programme and Global to Local Project Management Team meeting, New York, USA The CEDAW Committee reviewed States parties’ reports from 8 countries at the 38th CEDAW session: Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Pakistan, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Syrian Arab Republic and Vanuatu. IWRAW Asia Pacific facilitated the flow of alternative information to the CEDAW Committee by providing technical assistance and guidance to women’s groups in the drafting of their shadow reports, and as well as supported the presence and effective participation of women’s groups at the CEDAW session where their countries were reporting. IWRAW Asia Pacific held a three-day training for these NGOs on the mechanisms set up by the CEDAW Convention for the monitoring of its implementation, the dynamics of the reporting process, the mechanics of the CEDAW meetings and the role NGOs can play within these proceedings. This included assistance with the drafting of NGO oral statements, tips on lobbying CEDAW Committee Members, effective uses of Concluding Comments, etc. IWRAW Asia Pacific also partnered with the International Women’s Tribune Centre (IWTC) to hold a media strategy session on the use of the media to strategically advocate for the implementation of CEDAW. Additionally, a lunch time meeting on using the CEDAW reporting mechanism to strengthen the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 was organised with IWTC, which brought together two members of the CEDAW Committee, a representative of the Finnish mission to the UN, representatives of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom and NGOs from Sierra Leone. Approximately 30 participants from NGOs from the reporting countries of the 38th and 39th CEDAW Sessions attended the training. Resource persons were: Alda Facio (ILANUD); Martha Morgan ( University of Alabama) and Tulika Srivastava (IWRAW Asia Pacific). A programme officer (Lee Wei San) also attended from IWRAW Asia Pacific. More information about the 38th CEDAW Session, including all of the official documents, can be found on the Division for the Advancement of Women website. NGO Shadow/Alternative Reports can be found in the Resources section of our website. 22 May Handover of Outcome Document and Background Paper from Expert Group Meeting on State Obligation to the CEDAW Committee Tulika Srivastava presented the outcome document and background paper from the Expert Group Meeting on State Obligation that was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from 14-16 February 2007 to Dubravka Simonivic, Chairperson of the CEDAW Committee, and Cees Flinterman, Chair of the working group that is formulating a general recommendation on State Obligation. The working group will hopefully use the documents as references when it is considering the elements to include in the general recommendation. 13-15 June Workshop for development of Training Manual on Human Rights Based Approach to Sexual and Reproductive Health. Organised by UNFPA. Boston, USA The Culture, Gender and Human Rights Branch of the UNFPA Technical Support Division is developing a training manual on the human rights-based approach (HRBA) to programming within UNFPA in collaboration with the Program on International Health and Human Rights (PIHHR), at the Harvard School of Public Health. As part of this programme, UNFPA is engaging organisations in three regions ( Asia, Africa and Latin America) to serve as regional training centres that can provide input into the training manual and co-organise and facilitate a training of trainers using the manual. IWRAW Asia Pacific has agreed to be the Regional Centre for Asia, thus will attend a workshop to review the draft training manual in June 2007 and will organise a training of trainers in late 2007 or early 2008. Tulika Srivastava attended on behalf of IWRAW Asia Pacific. 14 June Roundtable on ASEAN: “Towards a People-Centred ASEAN”, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia “Towards a People-Centred ASEAN”, a roundtable meeting organised by SUHAKAM, the Malaysian National Human Rights Commission, consisted of a series of presentations and dialogues that updated participants on the latest developments to ASEAN. Julia Barry, the IWRAW Asia Pacific intern for May through August, and Selvi Palani, Programme Officer, attended the first half of the dialogue, which focused on (1) the development of an ASEAN Charter and (2) the Development of an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism. The panellists were encouraged to consider implementing an individual complaints mechanism and using the framework of CEDAW as develop an effective Commission on Women and Children and Human Rights Mechanism. 15-17 June Fiesta Feminista 2007: Embracing Diversity, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Fiesta Feminista is a Malaysian initiative organised by the Joint Action Group for Gender Equality and the Gender Studies Programme, Universiti Malaya, that is about making connections, exchanging ideas, and educating ourselves about issues surrounding feminism, women's rights, development and democracy. Fiesta Feminista will showcase a range of activities covering issues under four broad areas: Feminism, Gender and Development; Human Rights and Democracy; Social Movements; and Women Organising. The initiative kicked off in 2007 with a two-and-a-half day event from 15-17 June at Universiti Malaya. The theme for Fiesta Feminista 2007 was "Embracing Diversity", in recognition of how acknowledging and celebrating diversity is a necessary step towards bridging and addressing differences. Janine Moussa gave a presentation on the CEDAW Convention, Reservations and Religion during a panel session on Women, Human Rights and Democracy. In addition to Janine, Lee Wei San, Audrey Lee, Selvi Palani, Julia Barry and Jana Rumminger attended on behalf of IWRAW Asia Pacific. For more information about the Fiesta Feminista, visit the website. 18 to 22 June Sixth Inter-Committee Meeting of the Human Rights Treaty Bodies and Nineteenth Meeting of Chairpersons, Geneva, Switzerland The week of 18 June, members of the various human rights treaty bodies convened for their annual Inter-Committee Meeting and Meeting of Chairpersons. One of the main issues discussed at this year’s meeting was the ongoing reform to the treaty body system, in particular increased harmonisation of working methods of treaty bodies. Present at the meeting were members of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), members of the treaty body committees, and representatives from non-governmental organisations. IWRAW Asia Pacific has been following these discussions and attending these meetings and making oral interventions for the past several years. This year, Janine Moussa attended on behalf of IWRAW Asia Pacific. 1 to 3 July Workshop on UN Treaty Body Reform On 1-3 July a workshop was held on the United Nations Treaty Body reform in Berlin Germany. This workshop was sponsored by the German government and organised by the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights. The workshop gathered about 25 experts, academics and representative from civil society to discuss specific proposals for treaty body reform that included, the one treaty body and report, the amalgamation of the ICCPR and the ESCR, increased harmonisation of working methods among treaty bodies and the one communications working group. The meeting also discussed proposals relating to the Human Rights Council such as the universal Periodic Review including the role of NGOs in this process. No final decisions were made or adopted. Rather this workshop was meant to serve as a brainstorming only where pros and cons of various reform options could be discussed and debated. Shanthi Dairiam attended as CEDAW Committee expert and as IWRAW Asia Pacific representative. 4 to 9 July Training on International Women's Human Rights and on Advocacy Using International Standards and National Laws, Hanoi, Vietnam A six-day training on international women’s human rights and advocacy using international human rights standards and national laws was organised from 4th to 9th July 2007 in Hanoi (Vietnam) by the Center for Education, Promotion and Empowerment of Women (CEPEW) and International Women’s Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific (IWRAW Asia Pacific). This training is a part of CEPEW, Institute for Reproductive and Family Health (RaFH) and Vietnamese Community Mobilization Center for HIV/AIDS Control’s (VICOMC) project on trafficking in women and children, which is funded by Danida. The broad objective of the project is to protect women’s rights, combat trafficking in women and children and prevent HIV/AIDS. This training comprised two parts: the first on international women’s human rights and the second on using international human rights in advocacy relating to the prevention of trafficking. The participants gained an understanding of the international human rights system, including its monitoring frameworks, treaties and treaty bodies, reporting processes and special procedures; the theoretical framework behind the CEDAW Convention and its basic principles and procedures; how the Convention can be applied in the local context, particularly on the issue of trafficking in women and children; and how international human rights standards can be used in advocacy around women’s human rights and trafficking in women and children. IWRAW Asia Pacific provided technical support for the training, i.e. assisted in the drafting of the programme, the collation of background materials and the provision of resource persons. Resource persons were Rea Abada Chiongson ( Philippines) and Niti Saxena from AALI ( India) who are part of the IWRAW Asia Pacific pool of resource persons. 15 July NGO Coalition Meeting on the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights IWRAW Asia Pacific’s resource persons Brenda Campbell, Claire Padilla, and Niti Saxena participated at the NGO Coalition Meetings that preceded the formal session of the Open Ended Working Group (OEWG). The NGO Coalition met on the evening before the working group commenced and again twice (formally) during the first week. These meetings were of course in addition to many informal meetings between coalition members discussing challenges and successes. The first meeting focused on formal introductions, sharing information on States’ positions and individual and group actions before the working group. Strategies were identified and states/regions were allocated to Coalition members for targeted lobbying. This meeting was extremely useful ensure that all present were ready and confident to get to work immediately on Monday morning. There then followed two formal NGO meetings in the NGO room in the Palais des Nations during the course of the following week. Again, information was shared as to States’ positions, lobbying success stories, areas of concern etc. Tasks were allocated in these meetings to coalition members with the double purpose of keeping all those not present at the working group informed of recent developments and ensuring that targeted lobbying and interventions were maintained at a high level. 16 to 27 July Open Ended Working Group on the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Geneva, Switzerland The three IWRAW Asia Pacific resource persons who participated at the NGO Coalition meetings also attended the official United Nations Open Ended Working (OEWG) group on an Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social, Cultural Rights (OP-ICESCR). Ensuring an IWRAW Asia Pacific presence at the United Nations Open Ended Working Group (OEWG) is only one part of enhancing the realisation of economic, social and cultural rights for women but it is a very important part. This meeting offers the opportunity to monitor state action at the international level and to educate states on the realities of denying these rights to women. It is clearly important that efforts made and lessons learned at the OEWG are supported by activities at the national level to raise awareness and to lobby states before and after their attendance at the UN. There is a clear lack of writing and research into this area and, as a result, both states and citizens are unclear about the potential impact an Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (OP-ICESCR) would have. There is, a real opportunity for IWRAW Asia Pacific to educate states and individuals on all areas, contentious and otherwise, of the OP-ICESCR. Highlights of this activity include: 1. IWRAW Asia Pacific's statement to the working group on the importance of having a comprehensive Optional Protocol. 2. Participating in a meeting with the NGO Coalition and the African delegation. 3. Actively participating in NGO Coalition meetings in relation to activities and strategy and supporting the development of the Coalition’s submission to the OEWG 4. Drafting a press release to raise awareness at the national level. 21 July – 10 August 39th CEDAW Session and the “From Global to Local” mentoring programme, New York, USA At the 39th CEDAW Session in July and August 2007, the Committee reviewed reports from 15 countries: Belize, Brazil, Cook Islands, Estonia, Guinea, Honduras, Hungary, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Korea, Liechtenstein, New Zealand, Norway and Singapore. Forty-four NGO representatives from twelve of these countries participated in the “From Global to Local” mentoring programme at the 39th Session. As at the 36th and 37th CEDAW Sessions, IWRAW Asia Pacific did not conduct a formal training programme for the 39th Session, but rather provided a mentoring programme. IWRAW Asia Pacific conducted 2-day trainings on the Saturday and Sunday devoted to providing NGOs with practical information about the CEDAW review process and what would happen during the week ahead. These were held before both the first and second weeks of Session for NGOs from countries reporting in the respective week, facilitated daily debriefings each evening, and provided feedback and mentoring throughout the week. Global to Local Project Management Team member Debra Liebowitz and programme officer Jana Rumminger served as the resource persons for the session. More information about the 39th CEDAW Session, including all of the official documents, can be found on the Division for the Advancement of Women website. NGO Shadow/Alternative Reports can be found in the Resources section of the website. In addition, this session marked the 25th Anniversary of the work of the Committee. IWRAW Asia Pacific was invited to make a statement at a special celebratory event before the opening of the formal session in New York, organised by the Division for the Advancement of Women where we made an address congratulating the Committee and a statement on the future work of the Committee. The statement can be found here. 1 to 4 August GenComNet Strategic Planning Meeting, Hanoi, Vietnam From 1-4 August the Vietnamese network of women’s NGOs known as GenComNet gathered for a strategic planning meeting. The objective of this meeting was to set out a long and short term strategic action plan, based on the CEDAW and Rights Based Approach framework. About 25 participants attended the meeting. The participants were mostly high level representatives from member organisations of GenComNet. The meeting was a success with, after four days of intense work, the generation of GenComNet’s vision, mission, broad strategies, long term goals and detailed action plan for the upcoming year. Mdm Phuong from the Organisational Capacity Development (OCD), a Vietnamese consulting firm, and Janine Moussa from IWRAW Asia Pacific acted as co-facilitators for this meeting. OCD’s role was to assist GenComNet in applying a PEST(political, economic social and technological) and SWOT (strength, weakness, opportunity and threats) analysis to their work, and IWRAW Asia Pacific’s role was to ensure that the strategic action plan generated was based on and incorporated the CEDAW and Rights Based Approach framework. 20 to 22 August Shadow Report Training, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan International Women’s Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific (IWRAW Asia Pacific), in collaboration with Women Support Centre, Kyrgyzstan conducted a CEDAW Shadow Report Training for 20 participants from non-governmental organisations in Kyrgyzstan from 20 – 23 August 2007 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The broad objective of the training is to strengthen participants’ knowledge of CEDAW concepts and mechanisms, emphasising the process of writing and presenting a Shadow Report to the CEDAW Committee and how to use the shadow reporting process as a tool for advocacy within the country. The training focused on building the capacity of NGOs on: Understanding the significance, scope, content and uses of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW); Compiling a List of Critical Issues for the CEDAW Committee’s -session meeting; Writing an NGO report to be submitted to the CEDAW Committee; Using the CEDAW Shadow Report as an advocacy tool to promote women’s rights within Kyrgyzstan. This training is part of the women’s groups efforts to be better prepared for the shadow reporting process (the second time around) as the government of Kyrgyzstan has just submitted its second report to the CEDAW Committee. The participants were thus aware that international processes are strategic to national advocacy, particularly to hold accountable the promises made by the state in an international arena. IWRAW Asia Pacific provided technical support for the training, i.e. assisted in the drafting of the programme, the collation of background materials and the provision of a resource person. Resource person was Ivy Josiah from WAO ( Malaysia) who is part of the IWRAW Asia Pacific pool of resource persons. 21 to 24 August UNIFEM CEDAW SEAP Regional Workshop of CEDAW Watch Groups: Role of NGOs in Monitoring CEDAW Implementation, Phnom Penh, Cambodia IWRAW Asia Pacific attended the Regional Meeting on Role of NGOs in Monitoring CEDAW Implementation, organised by UNIFEM CEDAW SEAP. The meeting brought together country CEDAW Watch groups from the 7 countries the project worked in, (i.e. Timor Leste, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia and Philippines) with regional organisations to share ideas on how civil society’s role can be strengthened in monitoring the implementation of CEDAW. The meeting heard from activists working on various issues on the best strategies they had used to ensure implementation of CEDAW, such as in ensuring the adoption the Domestic violence law in Cambodia. It also discussed the various functional strategies that NGOs could adopt to monitor implementation of CEDAW in their countries. IWRAW Asia Pacific was represented by Tulika Srivastava who also gave a presentation on the work of IWRAW Asia Pacific on CEDAW implementation. 26 to 28 August First Regional Consultation on ASEAN and Human Rights (Conference and strategy planning) This meeting was the first Regional Consultation on ASEAN and Human Rights is a Forum Asia regional initiative to address human rights challenges related to the ASEAN Charter drafting process from a human rights perspective. Held from 26-28 August 2007, nearly 60 participants from NGOs in the ASEAN region were invited by Forum Asia and Suaram Malaysia to review and assess the human rights situation and developments related to ASEAN itself and the ASEAN charter drafting process, the development of a regional human rights mechanism and to develop a common strategy on identified challenges related to ASEAN. IWRAW Asia Pacific was invited to participate to give inputs on women’s human rights. IWRAW Asia Pacific may also play a role in the Civil Society Task Force on ASEAN (and Human Rights) set up at the end of this conference specifically to give inputs into the development of the human rights mechanism. IWRAW Asia Pacific was represented by Audrey Lee and Shanthi Dairiam also attended as CEDAW Expert and gave a presentation from the perspective of UN Treaty Bodies and the development of a regional human rights mechanism. 5 to 8 September Southeast Asia Women’s Human Rights Implementation Meeting, Jakarta, Indonesia IWRAW Asia Pacific conducted a four-day Southeast Asia Women’s Human Rights Implementation Meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia. It created a platform to assess the implementation of women’s human rights at the national level, identify critical/priority issues and strategies and plan how IWRAW Asia Pacific can best support or assist in elaborating existing plans/strategies. The process had also helped in identifying elements that are common between countries and that may be a source of collaboration at the regional level. The meeting was attended by participants from ten countries ( Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste and Vietnam) and donors from Oxfam-Novib, Hivos, Tifa Foundation, Ford Foundation, UNIFEM CEDAW SEAP. A specific space was also created for interactive dialogue between donors and activists which highlighted areas of interests from donors and funding potentials for national partners. IWRAW Asia Pacific’s Executive Director (Tulika Srivastava) and Programme Officers were the resource persons (Audrey Lee, Janine Moussa, Wathshlah G. Naidu) and rapporteurs (Lisa Pusey). Ivy Josiah (WAO, Malaysia), Shoko Ishikawa (UNIFEM CEDAW SEAP) assisted as moderators of specific sessions; while Clara R. Padilla (EnGendeRights, Philippines) did a presentation on Philippines’ experience in ratification and use of the Optional Protocol to CEDAW. From this meeting, which was largely motivated by the need to implement IWRAW Asia Pacific’s SEA strategy on CEDAW implementation, some follow-up activities have been identified and are currently being pursued and planned, in collaboration with national groups or with IWRAW Asia Pacific providing resource persons support and technical assistance. 10 to 13 September Study Workshop on Political Economy of Violence Against Women (10 – 11 September 2007) & Regional NGO Consultation with the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women As part of our advocacy and networking, IWRAW Asia Pacific attended the Study Workshop on Political Economy of Violence Against Women (10 – 11 September 2007) and the Regional NGO Consultation with Dr. Yakin Erturk, the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women (UNSRVAW) (12 – 13 September 2007) organised by Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD), in Manila, Philippines. It was attended by more than 40 participants from the Asia Pacific region representing various national and international women’s organisations. The objective of the Study Workshop was to address violence against women in the context of the growing elements of globalisation, fundamentalism and militarisation and to introduce the concept of the UNSRVAW’s next report which will focus on the political economy of VAW. The Consultation with the Special Rapporteur then focused on the interlinkages between women’s civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights and violence against women. It provided an opportunity for women’s groups dealing on specific issues to share their experiences, strategies, best practices and provide specific recommendations to the UNSRVAW on how to strengthen international, state and community responses to VAW, its causes and consequences. The UNSRVAW also discussed her latest report and plans for the next report. It was shared with the participants that next on the UNSRVAW’s agenda will be to develop the guidelines for an indicator on VAW. As such the report on the intersectionality of the political economy of violence against women will be due only in 2009. 17 to 21 September 6th Session of the Human Rights Council: Gender Integration Panel of the Human Rights Council IWRAW Asia Pacific, represented by Lisa Pusey, attended the 6th Session of the Human Rights Council, 17-21 September 2007. IWRAW Asia Pacific fully participated in the Gender Integration Panel of the Human Rights Council, both in preparation for the panel (including through contributing to lobbying for the inclusion of a panel in the programme of work of the HRC’s 6th session, preparation with the NGO representative on the panel - Charlotte Bunch) and during the panel by preparing and coordinating the delivery of an oral intervention. IWRAW Asia Pacific also participated in on-going discussions around the Chilean Resolution on Gender Integration in the Human Rights Council which we continued to be involved in during the 6th session through informal meetings. The discussion aimed to create space for the newly formed Human Rights Council to reflect on and discuss the practical ways in which it can integrate gender into all aspects of its work. This objective was very clearly articulated by the Chair at the beginning of the session to ensure that discussions of panellists, states and civil society remained focused on the methods and means of integrating gender rather than on substantive issues related to women’s human rights. This was the first discussion of its kind in the Human Rights Council which also created significant space for civil society input including through the participation of a civil society representative on the panel (Charlotte Bunch from the Centre for Women’s Global Leadership) and statements and contributions from the floor. IWRAW Asia Pacific made a joint statement with Asian Forum for Human Rights in Development (FORUM- ASIA), Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD) and International Movement Against Racism (IMADR) which was delivered by Sunila Abeysekera (Information Monitor – INFORM). The statement called for de facto gender and women’s rights integration based on the principles of equality and non-discrimination found in CEDAW. It addressed the requirements for the Universal Periodic review to be able to reflect and address women’s human rights concerns and called on greater civil society participation in all aspects of the Council’s work. 24 to 27 September Annual Meeting of the Asia Pacific Forum (APF) on National Human Rights Institutions, Sydney Australia On 24-27 September 2007, the 12th Annual Meeting of the Asia Pacific Forum (APF) on National Human Rights Institutions was held in Sydney Australia. This meeting was open to both Asia Pacific Forum representatives and members of civil society. In conjunction with the above meeting the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), a Geneva based NGO, held a training seminar for about 25 individual experts and members of civil society. The seminar aimed to promote practical knowledge about international and national mechanisms for the protection of human rights defenders in the Asia-Pacific region, to explore the role that NHRIs can play as protection mechanisms for human rights defenders. The seminar held by the ISHR also aimed to help NGOs prepare the presentations they were to make at the APF Annual Meeting The seminar further aimed to encourage regional discussion regarding human rights defenders and to promote collaboration between NHRIs and non-governmental organisations (NGOs)and it helped provide an update on the development of the Human Rights Council processes. Shanthi Dairiam attended both the APF meeting and ISHR training seminar as IWRAW Asia Pacific representative. She served as a resource person at the ISHR seminar. 25 to 27 September CEDAW Shadow Report Workshop, Alola Foundation, Dili, Timor Leste IWRAW Asia Pacific conducted a 3-day workshop on CEDAW Shadow Report from 25 – 27 September 2007 in Dili, Timor Leste. It was the intent of the workshop to re-affirm and strengthen participants’ knowledge of CEDAW concepts and mechanisms, emphasising the process of writing and presenting a Shadow Report and how to use the shadow reporting process as a tool for advocacy within the country. Around 15 – 18 representatives from national NGOs, women’s NGOs and human rights NGOs in Timor Leste participated and a consensus was reached with regards to the setting up of various working groups which will deal with specific issues. The participants had also put together a strategic plan of action on the preparation and writing of the Shadow Report. It was understood that the Shadow Report process will be coordinated by Rede-Feto, which is a coalition of 18 NGOs in Timor Leste. 28 September AllianceBuilding Meeting, Alola Foundation, Dili, Timor Leste As part of the follow up to the Southeast Asia Women’s Human Rights Implementation Meeting (SEA Meeting) in Jakarta, IWRAW Asia Pacific had initiated a meeting with women’s groups in Timor Leste in an effort to concretise our alliance building within this region. The meeting with the Timorese women’s groups was attended by representatives from Rede-Feto, Alola Foundation, Fokupers, Caucus and FHAM. This meeting was meant to establish the groundwork for our continued cooperation and aimed at further developing the CEDAW implementation strategies and needs identified by Timor Leste representatives at the SEA meeting and to assist in strengthening the capacity of women’s groups in Timor Leste. The meeting successfully concluded with the following outline of future cooperation between IWRAW Asia Pacific and women’s groups in Timor Leste: Participation at the IWRAW Asia Pacific Sub-Regional Training of Trainers (SRTOT) National Training of Trainers with IWRAW Asia Pacific acting as resource persons Technical assistance: Continued support on the Shadow Report process, developing monitoring and advocacy tools, media strategies, etc Supporting the Working Group on Women in Conflict and Peace Building established at the SEA Meeting Global to Local Programme:– Unified Training, Mentoring Programme during the CEDAW Session and CEDAW Implementation Programme Training, capacity building and dissemination of information to assist the women’s groups in their possible attempt to compile and file cases to the CEDAW Committee under the mandate of the Optional Protocol 25 to 28 October Updating Concepts, Addressing Contexts and New Challenges, Kuala Lumpur IWRAW Asia Pacific held an Updating Concept, Addressing Contexts and New Challenges Meeting from 25-28 October 2007 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia which brought together IWRAW Asia Pacific’s resource persons and national implementing partners to reconnect, reflect and refine our collective understanding of the application of CEDAW. The meeting aimed to deepen our understanding of how to operationalise CEDAW and other international human rights instruments in specific contexts and issues. It took the application of CEDAW one step further by developing a framework that can be used to draft, challenge and reform laws and policies, and build programmes and services, taking into account the challenges posed by the external environment. This will be done through practical application exercises of CEDAW in four specific themes – livelihoods; violence against women; health; and, political participation - which took into account the current social, economic and political environment in which we live. Participants gained a greater understanding of how to apply CEDAW in different contexts and environments and a practical tool/guide to the application of CEDAW was developed which will be published and can be used as a resource by both civil society and government. This meeting also provided an opportunity to reflect on additional concerns requiring further work as well as on the contributions of the IWRAW Asia Pacific training package and led to some concrete areas for further work and collaboration. The meeting was attended by 26 members of IWRAW Asia Pacific’s resource pool and national implementing partners and was attended by 6 programme staff of IWRAW Asia Pacific (Tulika Srivastava, Janine Moussa, Audrey Lee, Lee Wei San, Wathshalah Naidu and Lisa Pusey). Shanthi Dairiam, Eleanor Conda, Madhu Mehra and Shireen Huq served as the steering group for this meeting. 27 October CapacityBuilding Advisory Groups Meeting The meeting was the first meeting of the newly formed Capacity Building Advisory Group. This group (originally called Training Advisory Group) consists of Shanthi Dairiam, Shireen Huq, Madhu Mehra and Maria Graterol. The members present at the Updating Concepts meeting (Shanthi, Shireen and Madhu) and IWRAW Asia Pacific staff (Tulika Srivastava, Lisa Pusey, Wathshlah Naidu) met to briefly discuss the draft TOR prepared by IWRAW Asia Pacific and to generally discuss the aims, roles and responsibilities and expectations of the advisory group and IWRAW Asia Pacific. Outcomes of the meeting: the group should be called a capacity building advisory group (rather than training advisory group) as this more clearly reflects their envisioned role as overall advisor for the capacity building programme of which training is just one element. Eleanor Conda will also be invited to join the group (Eleanor accepted and is now part of the group). The group will meet for their first official meeting from 10 – 11 March 2008 in Kuala Lumpur providing advice and direction for the overall capacity building strategy/programme of IWRAW Asia Pacific. This can then feed into the strategic planning meeting and Advisory group meeting which will take place directly after. As an immediate follow up, the TOR was re-drafted into a document outlining the ‘roles’ of the Capacity Building Advisory Group and relationship between the Capacity Building Advisory Group and IWRAW Asia Pacific. 28 October Board of Directors Meeting, Kuala Lumpur IWRAW Asia Pacific held a Board of Director’s meeting on 28 October 2007 to discuss and update the Board on the status of the organisation’s funding situation and operation plan; status of search for Executive Director and some miscellaneous administrative and staff matters that required policy decision. Present at the meeting were Shanthi Dairiam, Ivy Josiah, Sapana Pradhan who are members of the Board and Tulika Srivastava, Executive Director & Yew Bee Yee, Deputy Executive Director. The meeting ended with a closed door meeting whereby the Executive Director briefed the members of the Board on the performance appraisal of some staff whose contracts were due for review. Objectives: To confirm minutes of the previous Board of Directors meeting To update funding situation, budget allocation and operational plan of the organisation To update status of search for Executive Director To look at other administrative matters that need decision from the Board To look at performance appraisal of some staff 1 to 3 November Training on Skills in Organising Media Campaigns on Domestic Violence Prevention, Hanoi, Vietnam The training on Skills in Organising Media Campaigns on Domestic Violence Prevention, 1 – 3 November 2007, organised by IWRAW Asia Pacific and Gender and Community Network (GenComNet) in Hanoi, Vietnam was an initiative by GenComNet. GenComNet had wanted to prepare and educate the public on what is domestic violence as there was much debate in the media on the upcoming bill on domestic violence to be passed by the Vietnamese parliament. The training itself tackled the dynamics of domestic violence and the right to be free of violence using a rights based approach as framed within CEDAW and GR 19. Five media campaigns were planned in five districts with the objective of improving awareness on domestic violence. Mostly the target groups were youth, community leaders, local authorities, women and families. All these campaigns were supposed to take place during the Sixteen Days of Activism (25 November – 10 December 2007). Three districts had planned to have one big event on 25th to begin the campaign and other activities will follow. The mediums decided were radio, TV, folk music, posters, pamphlets and bringing in celebrities. Two groups had planned debates, drama and other competitions during that time. The timing was considered important because the DV bill was being debated in the parliament and they were expecting it to be passed soon. The districts were Hanoi, Hatay, Vinh Phuc, Hanam and Yen Bai. The campaigns were different depending on the audience as some of the districts were urban and others were rural. IWRAW Asia Pacific provided technical support for the training, i.e. assisted in the drafting of the programme, the collation of background materials and the provision of a resource person. Resource person was Ivy Josiah from WAO ( Malaysia) and Huma Khan from Vanangana ( India) who are part of the IWRAW Asia Pacific pool of resource persons. 2 to 4 November The Third ASEAN Civil Society Conference (ACSC-3) – Moving Forward: Building an ASEAN People’s Agenda, Peninsula Excelsior Hotel, Singapore The Third ASEAN Civil Society Conference (ACSC-3) was held in Singapore on 2 – 4 November 2007 building on the past two ACSC’s and the national processes developed in the last two years. This year the ACSC hoped to transform itself into an active agenda for research, advocacy and activism that will meld into and reinforce existing regional civil society and social movement initiatives through the theme of “Moving Forward: Building an ASEAN People’s Agenda”. ACSC-3 had plenary sessions, concurrent workshops, cultural and multi-media events, a Quiz, and spaces for independent interactions and caucuses. The plenary sought to increase dialogue and interaction between civil society groups and social movements in Singapore and the rest of ASEAN. One main focus of the ACSC was the proposed ASEAN Charter which was to be adopted at the next ASEAN Summit ( 19 November 2007). The ACSC-3 ended with the reading of the Conference Statement and reaffirming the agenda and the commitments of the ACSC. IWRAW Asia Pacific was represented by Wathshlah G. Naidu who had joined the drafting committee of the Conference Statement which had reaffirmed the commitment to the draft the People’s Charter. IWRAW Asia Pacific as a thematic focal point (women/CEDAW) was invited to attend the workshop on ASEAN Human Rights Body ( 4 November 2007), organised by the Civil Society Task Force on ASEAN. This workshop was aimed at updating participants on progress made towards the establishment of an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism. It had also clarified what powers and responsibilities are necessary for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism to make a difference to the human rights situation on the ground in Southeast Asia and further elaborated on how an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism will interact with and compliment the work of other human rights mechanisms at the national and international level. The National/Thematic Focal Points were also requested to attend a meeting on 5 November 2007 to discuss the strategic plans of the Civil Society Task Force on ASEAN and Human Rights. 5 to 8 November ‘Using the International Human Rights Agreements for Redressing Violations of Women’s Human Rights’ Meeting, Bellagio, Italy IWRAW Asia Pacific in collaboration with Debra Liebowitz of Drew University, USA organised a meeting called ‘Using the International Human Rights Agreements for Redressing Violations of Women’s Human Rights’ at the Bellagio Study and Conference Centre, Bellagio, Italy from 5th -8th November 2007. The objective of the project is to develop a tool or resource which identifies and captures innovative, successful and potentially replicable strategies and methodologies for more robust policy advocacy by non-governmental organisations (NGOs), in using CEDAW as an advocacy and organising tool. This meeting was convened to further develop the papers in collaboration with the identified paper writers who are from selected countries, who are activists, lawyers and scholars using CEDAW in their work at the national level to advance implementation of women’s human rights. IWRAW Asia Pacific had developed the project in collaboration with Debra Liebowitz, including developing concept of meeting, book concept, programme, funding and materials. Shanthi Dairiam and Debra Liebowitz (Drew University, New York) were the main organisers and developed the programme for the meeting. They will also be co-editors of the eventual publication. There were 3 overview paper writers: Alda Facio, Martha Morgan and Deepika Udagama who also acted as convenors for their group. Audrey Lee from IWRAW Asia Pacific was amongst the 23 participants at this meeting. 8 November Workshop on Mainstreaming Reproductive and Sexual Health Rights in the Work of UN Treaty Bodies and Special Procedures. Geneva, Switzerland On 8 November, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health, in collaboration with the UNFPA, convened a workshop to discuss their collaborative project aimed at promoting sexual and reproductive health rights, especially in relation to marginal and disadvantaged individuals and groups, within the UN system. About 15 UN treaty body representatives, special procedures, specialised agencies alongside NGOs and international experts gathered in Geneva, Switzerland for this event. The one day brainstorming proved to be very effective, as best practices were shared and strategies for steps forward were discussed. Shireen Huq attended on behalf of IWRAW Asia Pacific, to discuss and share with the group IWRAW Asia Pacific’s experiences advocating for women’s health through the UN system (e.g. through special procedures, development of general recommendations, shadow report trainings, etc). 12 November Meeting of on NGOs Participation in Treaty Bodies Processes. Geneva, Switzerland On 8 November a group of NGOs working on UN treaty body reform, including IWRAW Asia Pacific, convened a one day meeting in Geneva to discuss civil society’s engagement with the reforms. More specifically, the objective was to develop recommendations for harmonised treaty monitoring body procedures that would provide effective and consistent NGO participation in all treaty bodies processes, and develop a plan for advancing these recommendations, including effective participation in the Inter-Committee meetings. This meeting was an excellent opportunity for NGOs focussing on a wide variety of human rights issues to share their experience of working within the various treaty body mechanisms. The timing was both important and appropriate, given that the next session of the Inter-Committee Meeting (ICM) is anticipated to take place in the first quarter of 2008. In sharing experiences, those present were able to identify best practices and recommendations focusing on improving and harmonising of NGO participation to treaty bodies processes. Among matters addressed were considerations of states parties reports, individual communications, drafting of general comments, etc. A report was produced with a series of recommendations identified. It is hoped that these recommendations will be presented at the next Inter-Committee meeting. Brenda Campbell attended on behalf of IWRAW Asia Pacific and presented best practices for civil society in influencing development of General Recommendations. 29 November Launch of Human Development Report 2007/2008 (Fighting Climate Change: Human Solidarity in a Divided World), Kuala Lumpur United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) had launched its Human Development Report 2007/2008 (Fighting Climate Change: Human Solidarity in a Divided World). This event co-sponsored by British Petroleum was held at the Renaissance Hotel, Kuala Lumpur on 29 November 2007. The launch of the publication was followed by a press conference and panel session. The panel discussion was moderated by Sundari Ramakrishna (Coordinator, Malaysian Environmental NGOs – MENGO) and the speakers were Prof. Mazlin Mokhtar (Director, Lestari UKM), Steven Wong (Assistant Director-General, ISIS). The speakers (both in the panel and of the speeches) in general point to the upcoming Bali climate summit as a platform to determine future action and intensify inter-government effort. A representative of the Economic Planning Unit (EPU - Malaysia) stated that there will be an international workshop, hosted by the government of Malaysia, on Sustainable Development Index. It was further elaborated that the EPU has been tasked with “developing indicators” for sustainable development. Yasmin Masidi had attended the launch on behalf of IWRAW Asia Pacific 2 to 3 December South Asian Task Force for the Advancement of CEDAW/ South Asian Litigation Initiative Meeting, Nepal The South Asian Task Force on the Advancement of CEDAW (SATAC) meeting served the important purpose of rearticulating and reaffirming the reason d’etre of SATAC and making concrete action plans for the next 2 years. The meeting brought together the focal points from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Maldives and Pakistan (unfortunately the focal points from Sri Lanka and Afghanistan were unable to join the meeting) one year on from their meeting in Male, Maldives in December 2006. The meeting began with the SATAC Secretariat presenting an overview/update on activities that have been undertaken over the last year since the Male SATAC meeting in 2006. This was followed by each focal point updating the meeting on activities they have undertaken at the National level, the gaps and the remaining challenges. The discussion illuminated the breadth of work which all the focal points had been doing over the last year and highlighted gaps and as well as opportunities for further engagement which led the meeting into planning. The SATAC set as their priorities work on the following over the next two years: The immediate objectives/plan of action for SATAC in the coming year were articulated as follows: 1. To build clarity on judicial interpretation of equality and non-discrimination; 2. Collating and providing resources related to best practices on legal protection of women from domestic violence to national groups; 3. Provide support to membership working to seek remedies for individual and group violations by state and non-state actors. Detailed timelines, and roles and responsibilities were outlined for each. The next meeting is scheduled for July 2008 where the SATAC will review the findings of the regional SALI study. Lisa Pusey and Tulika Srivastava (Janine Moussa attended the last half day) IWRAW Asia Pacific provided technical assistance to Association for Advocacy and Litigation Initiatives (AALI) 4 December UNDP Malaysia Gender Mainstreaming Workshop, Kuala Lumpur UNDP Malaysia held a half day Gender Mainstreaming Workshop on 4 Dec 2007 at the La Meridien Hotel, Kuala Lumpur. Participants including NGOs, government agencies and academics were invited to share in the gender mainstreaming strategy and tools developed by UNDP as well as to give feedback to UNDP to further improve their tools. This is part of UNDP Malaysia’s internal capacity building as well as their effort to support the Malaysian government in gender mainstreaming activities. Audrey Lee attended the workshop on behalf of IWRAW Asia Pacific. 5 to 7 December Consultation on Realising the Potential of the Optional Protocol: Litigation Strategies on the Claiming of Equality and Non-Discrimination. Kathmandu, Nepal. On December 5,6, & 7 IWRAW Asia Pacific convened a consultation on “Realising the Potential of the Optional Protocol: Litigation Strategies on the Claiming of Equality and Non-Discrimination” in Kathmandu, Nepal. This consultation brought together over 20 experts, activists and lawyers, mainly from the South and South East Asia region who have ratified the OP-CEDAW, to brainstorm and strategise over how to maximise the use of the OP-CEDAW and all of its benefits. Over three days we endeavoured to better understand the technical requirements of the OP-CEDAW, we took a comparative look at OP-CEDAW & other international and regional jurisprudence on equality and non-discrimination to date, and began to develop (or further develop) our own national communications and/or inquiries to bring before the CEDAW Committee. Tulika Srivastava, Janine Moussa and Lisa Pusey attended on behalf of IWRAW Asia Pacific, as did Shanthi Dairiam and other members of IWRAW Asia Pacific’s OP-CEDAW advisory group and IWRAW Asia Pacific advisory committee. 10 December United Nations Conference on Asylum and Islam, Renaissance Hotel, Kuala Lumpur The United Nations Conference on Asylum and Islam was held on 10 December 2007 in Kuala Lumpur. The event, commemorating the International Human Rights Day, was organised by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and supported by the Harun Law Centre, International Islamic University Malaysia. Almost 100 participants from the offices on UNHCR, UNDP, Attorney General’s Office, Bar Council, legal practitioners, academicians, international experts, NGOs gathered and discussed the ethics of asylum in Islam and reflected on the responses of the Muslim community towards refugees. Parallels were also drawn between the first Muslim community and contemporary (legal) asylum concepts. The conference was concluded with a panel discussion to identify effective and sustainable solutions in respond to the challenges of refugee protection from an Islamic perspective. Wathshlah G. Naidu had attended on behalf of IWRAW Asia Pacific.