Excerpts
from August-September 2001 edition
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WILPF's International Program
2002 - 2004 ....
WILPF's program, established
at the recent International Executive Committee Meeting (IEC) heldin Geneva,
July-August 2001
GLOBAL SHARED PRIORITIES - PROMOTED BY ALL SECTIONS
- 1. Peace
and a culture of peace
- 2. Disarmament of all weapons
- 3. Economic and social justice and democratization
of society
- 4. Sustainable environment and human security
- 5. Racial justice
- 6. Freedom and human rights
- 7. Democratization of the UN
All the seven priorities are
seen from a woman's view, and with a gender, race and class perspective.
The seven priorities are seen as a whole; the elements are interlinked,
and WILPF needs to work on highlighting the connections. The issues are
listed according to the priorities of the Executive Committee members.
SECTIONS WILL CHOOSE SPECIFIC
PROGRAM AREAS LINKED TO THE GLOBAL PRIORITIES - AS FOLLOWS:
 1.
Peace and a Culture of Peace
Policy
- A. To formulate a clear
overall position as well as a specific position on each of the Peacekeeping
Forces and so called 'humanitarian interventions' in Bosnia, Kosovo,
Somalia and other countries, by the UN or any other international organization
- and monitor the operations to ensure that they are effective.
- B. To work towards frameworks/models
of analysis on the causes of war, armed conflict and militarism, and
to formulate policies to eliminate these causes and create a Culture
of Peace of Peace as opposed to a Culture of War.
- C. To analyse the concrete
manifestations of Peace and Freedom in today's world, taking into consideration
the conditions of indigenous peoples.
Activity
- D. To focus its continuous
advocacy and lobbying efforts, at international, especially the Security
Council, and national level, to eliminate the causes of war and armed
conflict.
- E. To highlight the impact
of armed conflict on women's lives, with attention to rape, violation
of sexual and reproductive rights; in the UN Security Council, General
Assembly, UN agencies and with National governments.
- F. To continue special efforts
on all levels to reduce small arms proliferation which impact and promote
situations of armed conflict, through the implementation of the final
document of the UN World Conference on Small Arms, working with the
IANSA Women's Caucus.
- G. To promote a 'Culture
of Peace' and specific grassroots initiatives on multi ethnic coexistence
and non-violent conflict resolution. Encourage citizens to be peace
workers.
- H. To empower women and
ensure that women are integrated at all levels of decision making, conflict
resolution, peace negotiations and reconstruction programmes, in line
with Security Council Resolution 1325.
- I. To monitor, publicise
and engage into the activities of the Organization of Security and Co-operation
in Europe.
- J. To hasten the de-militarisation
of indigenous peoples lands and territories and the forced relocation
of indigenous peoples, for example through working at the World Conference
Against Racism
- K. To publicise and monitor
the activities of the International Criminal Court
- L. To celebrate the Nobel
Prize Centennial
M. To develop specific activities for the Middle East region including
a small international WILPF delegation to heads of states and governments
in the region; a model negotiation round with women from the region;
develop a peace education programme; widen and deepen the women's peace
network in the Middle East and encourage sections to show solidarity
with organizations such as "Women in Black".
N. To develop specific activities for the Balkans including a peace
and reconciliation conference in Macedonia; a strengthened contact with
women's groups that are working for multicultural, multi-ethnic and
democratic societies, and develop a peace and democracy education programme
together with women's peace groups in the region; and encourage sections
to show solidarity with women's organizations, such as The Women in
Black.)
O. To join efforts all over Europe - by European institutions, the European
parliament and national parliaments and governments - to study the increasing
incidents of street violence in Europe, e.g. during the G8 conference
in Genoa, as well as the dynamics leading to these incidents - and prepare
preventive and de-escalating strategies for the future including conflict
resolution training for police forces. If possible the result should
be applied to other regions as well.
P. To advocate for an adequate international mechanism to ensure that
those who have committed war crimes in East Timor do not escape with
impunity.
2.
Disarmament of all weapons: nuclear, biological, chemical, laser, conventional
and space weapons
Activities
A. To locate nuclear disarmament
within the world order after the Cold War
B. To address chemical and biological weapons, its dangers and impact
on lives through the biological Weapons Review Conference, Nov. 2001 and
the promotion of the BW Protocol
C. To campaign against the national missile defense all missile defence
and outer space weaponry through transatlantic efforts and global lobbying
D. To continue mobilisation efforts on nuclear disarmament through the
Reaching Critical Will project
E. To support local initiatives on the disarmament of conventional weapons
through promoting the use of the UN registers on military budgets. The
conventional weapons register must be widened to include all exports and
imports
F. To campaign against arms sales and brokering
G. To campaign urgently against- with the intention of stopping - the
US plans for a global Ballistic Missile Defence, which is intended to
be the first step for US nuclearization and total domination of Space
H. To work for arms conversion to socially useful production
3.
Economic and Social Justice and Democratization of Society
WILPF sections and International
are working on economic globalisation, its impact on women and alternatives
to achieve economic and social justice.
Policy
A. To formulate a consistent
WILPF position in reference to the existence of the WTO and other trade
and financial institutions, which frequently impact negatively on local
economies and foster economic globalisation.
Activity
B. To challenge and seek alternatives
to the current economic world order, including a rules based trading system,
that promotes human rights, labour rights and environmental sustainability,
include participating in the World Social Forum, in Porto Alegre, Brasil,
2002.
C. Encouraging localization of food supplies.
D. To support actively women's budgets initiatives
E. To analyse the links between armed conflict and economic and social
justice
F. To undertake advocacy and lobbying activities to campaign against economic
globalisation and the privatisation of the public services.
G. To support Good Governance, democratization of society, the empowerment
of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), "Civil Society" and
Citizens' Rights at local, national and regional level.
H. To draw attention to the feminisation of poverty and the plight of
maquiladoras and other women workers and to relate these to the loss of
women's human rights and to racism, classism, class discrimination, economic
justice
I. To formulate positions and action plans, regarding peace and freedom
in developing countries
J. Share and collect t information on the effects of economic globalisation
on different continents and update the Baltimore Congress document "Women
Define Globalisation".
K. Collect and distribute information on General Agreement on Trade in
Services (GATS) and the other free trade organizations.
L. Prepare a statement against a new round of trade talks for the WTO
meeting in Qatar.
M. Explore and document how the global trade regime, under WTO rules,
contravenes international human rights law.
4.
Environmental and Human Security
WILPF sections and international
are working on the interdependencies of environmental and human security
to achieve sustainable development and peace and create an environment
enabling peace initiatives.
Policy
A. To define human centered
security as opposed to nation state centered one.
B. To produce a small booklet/paper to analyse the links between environmental
degradation and disarmament and economic globalisation
Activity
C. To address the developments
in biotechnology and their relationship to armed conflict
D. To focus on the links of toxic waste and racial, economic and social
justice
E. To advocate for human-centred as opposed to nation state-centred security
in a paper,enabling a Culture of Peace
F. Raise - through the Rio +10 process - the issue of military production
and consumption; military spending of resources, raw materials, and money
essential to sustainable development; and nuclear energy as a threat to
sustainable development.
G. To study and describe the connection between militarism, environment
and development in a position paper
H. To make known the dangers of radiation and ensuing genetic damage in
a fact sheet
I. To focus on food and agricultural security through the FAO World Food
Summit and the implementation of its outcome documents.
5.
Racial Justice
WILPF sections and WILPF International
are continuing a campaign of racial justice.
Policy
A. To explore and develop a
common definition of racial justice
B. To elaborate and formulate positions about the links between racism,
racial discrimination, ethnicity, nationalism, armed conflict, economic
and social injustice
Activity
C. To work towards making WILPF
a racist free zone.
D. To collect data which allows Sections to analyse the causes and effects
of racism and racial discrimination
E. To develop programmes which seek solutions to Section-identified causes
and effects of racism and racial discrimination
F. To identify the compensatory measures and possibly including reparations,
to redress systematic and institutional racism
G. To develop, implement and monitor comprehensive post-WCAR Section action
plans
H. To initiate activities on a Section level to monitor the commitments
made by governments at the WCAR and to review the adopted Declaration
and Programme of Action and make widely known their inadequacies.
I. To initiate action in Sections/branches to address the discrimination
arising from cultural and institutional norms which result in racist attitudes,
towards healing and reconciliation
J. To promote an international policy against the spreading of racist
ideas through the Internet.
6.
Freedom and Human Rights
Activity
A. To promote full respect
for the human rights of women as indispensable preconditions for a democratic
society, through providing a gender analysis of specific country situations
to the Human Rights Commission and to bring the results to the attention
of national governments.
B. To promote the right to food, housing, health services and education
for girls and women.
C. To provide leadership training for women at all levels, local, national
and international- with particular attention to women in conflict areas.
7.
Democratization of the UN
Activity
A. To advocate and lobby for
the democratization of the UN, Security Council and all other organizations
and agencies and ensure co-ordination with WILPF at international level
B. To continue to monitor the activities of the Security Council in order
to promote reforms
C. To oppose the privatisation and corporatisation of the UN, especially
the global compact with Corporations
D. To advocate for the abolition of the Security Council veto
ADDITIONAL
PRIORITIES FOR INTERNATIONAL WILPF AND THE INTERNATIONAL OFFICES
Support the improvement of
the WILPF organization at all levels
A. To initiate action on and
eliminate the racism and racial discrimination inherent in the WILPF organisational
structures
B. To intensify recruitment of new members, especially younger women.-
Sections should work out their own plans and communicate with International
office. The office should develop outreach materials
C. To continue to provide a calendar of world events e.g major UN meetings
and meetings of other world institutions as well as actions and programs
that are time sensitive and section specific.
D. To continue to improve WILPF's organisation, specifically with regard
to communication, leadership and governance, through training and empowerment
of the IEC
E. To consider a delegation of WILPF present and past presidents to international
leaders
F. To consider a WILPF Peace Caravan to prepare the celebration of the
WILPF 100 years anniversary in 2015
ISSUES
WHERE WILPF COULD WORK WITH OR SUPPORT THE WORK OF OTHER ORGANISATIONS
AND NETWORKS THAT SHARE WILPF's VISION:
These are illustrative examples
of issues and organizations, and we have mutual responsibility to inform
each other of relevant players on WILPF and other relevant issues
A. Women's Human Rights, domestic
violence, trafficking, Women in Afghanisation: e.g. other women's organizations
B. Human Rights: e.g. Amnesty International
C. Debt relief for developing countries: e.g. Jubilee South/Jubilee Plus
D. Sustainable development and Local Agenda 21: e.g. Rio +10
E. The rights of children e.g. Save the Children
F. The situation for migrants e.g. national organizations
G. Racial Justice e.g. Black Radical Congress US & other national
organisations
H. The elimination of nuclear weapons and
Power in space e.g. Abolition 2000, Global Network against National Missile
Defense and other peace organizations.
I. Workers' Rights e.g. Trade Unions
J. Situation for indigenous peoples e.g. Council of Indigenous Peoples
FLEXIBILITY FOR ALL WILPF
SECTIONS TO WORK ON LOCAL ISSUES LINKED TO THE WILPF GLOBAL PRIORITIES
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