20 June 2006,
Greetings from Geneva!
Enclosed in this section mailing you will find the following information:
- IEC Updates:
- Reports online!
- Proposed Resolutions online!
- Reminder to register & Pay!
- Request for help.
- Update on the Peace Building Commission
- WILPF Pushes Commission on Sustainable Development for Sustainable Energy Agency
- Human Rights Council begins- WILPF preparations, activities and reporting.
- Nominate an Intern for Geneva!
As always, we welcome feedback and input to these monthly mailings. If you have something to contribute, please send it to susi.snyder@wilpf.ch no later than the 12th of each month. Also, you can find this, and past section mailings archived on the WILPF international website at: http://www.wilpf.int.ch/updates/sectionmailings.html
With Best Wishes,
Marie and Susi
PS: Susi had an email nightmare last week, and if you have sent her something and did not get a response, please send it again! Thanks!
IEC Updates
Reports online!
A huge thank you to the sections, committees, international representatives and working groups that have submitted their reports already for the IEC meeting. These have now been posted on the international website, and you can access them through this link: http://www.wilpf.int.ch/events/2006IEC/index.html
Some of you may not see your reports listed. If they were not sent to inforequest@wilpf.ch, they may not have been received. Susi lost the contents of her email last week, and if you sent the report directly to her (without a copy to inforequest@wilpf.ch) it may be lost. Please send it again. Thanks!
Proposed Resolutions online!
To date, we have received six different proposals, they can be found on the website here: http://www.wilpf.int.ch/events/2006IEC/resolutions_index.htm. Please take the opportunity to discuss these among your sections, and also consider submitting amendments before the IEC, so that our meeting can be productive and smooth.
Reminder to register & Pay!
The deadline for IEC registration, and payment is 15 July, and that date is coming very quickly! If you haven't registered yet, please take a few minutes and register today. You can find the registration forms on the web site at: http://www.wilpf.int.ch/events/2006IEC/index.html
Request for help- Translation Equipment
Our fantastic UK section is lining up volunteer translators for the duration of the IEC meeting. In order to increase our ability to provide multiple languages during the meetings, to more than 5 people, we need more headsets! These receivers cost nearly USD$ 600 each. Would you, or your section, or perhaps a good friend of yours purchase one or more of these headsets for WILPF? If so, please get in touch with Susi in Geneva. Thanks!
Update on the Peace Building Commission
On 16th May 2006, the General Assembly elected seven member states to the Organizational Committee of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), the final step in constituting the new 31-member body. These seven joined other categories of members previously selected or elected from the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) major troop-contributing countries and top financial contributors. It was the culmination of a process that began with a proposal in the 2004 report of the Secretary-General’s High-level panel on Threats, Challenges and Change, for the establishment of an institutional mechanism to effectively address the challenge of helping countries with the transition from war to lasting peace. The proposal was adopted with some modification by UN member states at the 2005 World Summit, and in December 2005, joint General Assembly and Security Council Resolutions established the PBC as an intergovernmental advisory body mandated to provide a coordinated, coherent and integrated approach to post-conflict peacebuilding.
During the negotiations around the formation of the PBC, WILPF and NGO allies, advocated, among other things, for the new body to address all stages of complex conflict situations from conflict prevention to post-conflict peacebuilding. Ultimately however, the World Summit outcome limited the mandate of the PBC to post-conflict activities and did not include early warning and monitoring functions or other conflict prevention activities.
The agenda of the PBC will be established by the intergovernmental Organizational Committee on the basis of requests for advise from the Security Council, ECOSOC or the General Assembly in specific situations, member states on the verge of lapsing or relapsing into conflict in cases in which the Security Council is not already seized, and the Secretary-General. In addition to the Organizational Committee, the PBC will also consist of a Peacebuilding Support Office within the UN Secretariat, and a multi- year standing Peacebuilding Fund to support initiatives on post-conflict stabilization and capacity building.
In the lead up to the first meeting of the Organizational Committee, scheduled for the end of June, WILPF’s Peacewomen Project has put forward proposals outlining mechanisms for women’s participation in the PBC. Peacewomen, together with a group of allied NGOs, is currently carrying out advocacy urging PBC members to adopt working methods that allow for meaningful civil society engagement with the Commission.
For background information and documentation on the PBC see
http://www.peacewomen.org/un/women_reform/PBC.htm
WILPF Pushes Commission on Sustainable Development for Sustainable Energy Agency
Report on the 14th Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CDS-14) held in New York, 1-12 May 2006. Submitted by Jill Sternberg with input from Kathy Wan Povi Sanchez.
The Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) meets annually in New York to review progress, monitor and report on:
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Agenda 21, plan of action adopted at the UN Conference on Environment and Development in 1992. It addresses the links between economic and social development and environmental protection.
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Barbados Program of Action (BPOA), adopted at the 1994 Global Conference on Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (SIDS). It details action for sustainable development in these states.
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Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI) was adopted at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD). It is more focused than earlier agreements, and contains quantifiable and time-bound targets and goals.
These conferences all addressed ending poverty, changing unsustainable patterns of production and consumption, and protecting and managing natural resources. The cross-cutting issues for the meetings are health, gender equity and education. The action plans are government commitments to achieve these aims.
The CSD has a two year cycle, starting with a review session followed by a policy session. CSD-14 was a review session focused on Energy for Sustainable Development, Industrial Development, Air Pollution/Atmosphere, and Climate Change. The aim was to better understand the priority concerns—opportunities, challenges, and lessons learned and best practice on the themes. CSD-15 will result in policy to strengthen implementation on these same topics.
At CSD-14 WILPF and many of the NGOs participating focused on the need for more emphasis on renewable energy and the challenges nuclear power poses as an unsustainable source of energy. We advocated for an International Sustainable Energy Agency. We organized a panel with Grace Policy Institute, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, with support from Forum for Environment and Development arranged by WILPF Norway.
Approximately 50 people attended the event, held at the United Nations. The five women panelists stressed the detrimental consequences of nuclear power from health to economic realities, to holistic development and proliferation concerns. Panelist Helen Caldicott stressed that nuclear power is not a solution to global warming, that there are CO2 emissions throughout the process of power generation from mining to waste storage. Similarly Michele Boyd emphasized the subsidies the nuclear power industry receives, gaining an advantage along each step of the fuel generation cycle.
We hosted panelist Kathy Wan Povi Sanchez for the first week of the CSD. Kathy, an Indigenous women’s organizer in USA, reminded us of the larger picture of sustainability. While most of us in NGOs were rushing from official meetings to caucus groups and to side events, in an advocacy and organizing frenzy, Kathy was a calm, grounded presence, a clear speaker and keen analyst. Kathy met and networked with Indigenous peoples, women’s groups, NGOs and youth. She made links between the CSD and the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues that she hopes to follow-up, including a stronger presence next year to reinforce the anti-nuclear perspective in both meetings.
In the formal sessions, the majority of interventions focused on market solutions and technology needed for sustainable development. The cooperating major groups tried to counter this mindset as much as possible. More positive governmental interventions emphasized the need for time bound targets and accountability. In the closing session, South Africa, on behalf of the G77, reminded delegates that the Millennium Development Goals are not just the responsibility of developing countries and appealed to the developed countries to meet their commitments. Costa Rica reminded all present that we cannot continue with business as usual.
The highlight of the meeting was the youth statement. They reminded the delegates that their future is what is at stake. The youth concluded their statement by asking all the delegates who have children to stand up. Many were taken aback by the request, but some did stand. The youth then asked if the chair’s summary offered hope for their children in twenty years time. This creative intervention held the attention of the whole room, and earned applause from all.
Some governments requested clearer data to back up our claim that nuclear power is not sustainable. I believe we need to work on the packaging of our message for CSD-15. WILPF will continue to work closely with other CSD oriented NGOs to advocate and generate greater governmental movement toward this position. Our aim is a statement against nuclear power in the outcome document of CSD-15.
Human Rights Council begins- WILPF preparations, activities and reporting.
Thanks to the capable leadership of our 2006 Human Rights Intern, Michelle Arevalo Carpenter, working in conjunction with our Special Adviser on UN Matters, Edith Ballantyne, WILPF continues to be actively engaged in all aspects of the newly established Human Rights Council. In preparation for the opening of the Council, WILPF, with other organizations including Pax Romana, CETIM, World YWCA and the World Lutheran Foundation organized two informal round table events. Attended by both governments and NGOs, these events were designed to provide a space for free-flowing discussions on the future engagement of NGOs with the new Council, as well as to address issues of concern related to the Council agenda. Attended by the President Elect of the Council, Ambassador Luis Alfonso de Alba, these round tables demonstrated how NGOs and governments can work constructively together and share ideas with an equal voice. Reports from these events can be found on the WILPF international website at: http://www.wilpf.int.ch/humanrights/2006/Roundtable_NGO_Participation.htm.
True to our tradition of recognizing women's human rights and focusing special attention on these, WILPF is organizing a complementary panel discussion on Friday, 23 June titled “Women's Human Rights at Cross Roads”. Past International WILPF President Krishna AhoojaPatel will chair the meeting, and Michelle Arevelo Carpenter will speak on the panel. More information can be found here: http://www.wilpf.int.ch/humanrights/2006/HumanRightsCouncil06/23June06.doc
We are pleased to welcome two members of WILPF Norway to attend the Council as part of our delegation as well- Ms. Rachel Eapen Paul and Ms. Lene Nilsen. US WILPF member Lois Herman has also traveled to Geneva to join Krishna AhoojaPatel, Maya Ondaligoklu, Ashley Marie Smith, Line Favre, Beatrice Fihn, Stephanie Garde, Edith, Marie, Michelle and Susi as part of WILPF's delegation to this historic event. WILPF will be providing daily reports on the meetings of the Council, both on our website (at: http://www.wilpf.int.ch/humanrights/2006/1sessionreport.htm) and also via the wilpf-news email list.
Nominate an Intern to work in Geneva!
We would like to take this opportunity to encourage all sections to nominate someone, or to circulate information about the Geneva internship program, as the deadline is 30 July for our 2007 internships. The description is below and more information can be found on the international website at: http://www.wilpf.int.ch/interns/iindex.htm
The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom currently annually offers two internships for young women who wish to learn more about the work of our organization in the areas of disarmament and human rights, in the context of the United Nations and International Organizations.
The internships are reserved for women in recognition of the fact that women remain largely excluded from positions concerned with questions of foreign policy and international relations, although their presence in these crucial areas is much needed. Priority is given to women between the ages of 20 and 30, and preference is given to WILPF members. Fluency in oral and written English is essential; Spanish and French speaking skills are an advantage for the work of the interns.
The interns reside in Geneva. The programme focuses on work of the United Nations, WILPF, and the community of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), in either disarmament/economic justice or human rights. WILPF sees these issues as inter-related and emphasizes the need for a gender perspective.
The interns prepare articles, reports and other materials in their respective subject areas for publication by WILPF and help in the preparation of WILPF meetings. Interns attend NGO and UN meetings on behalf of WILPF. They also assist in carrying out the daily tasks of the International Secretariat such as typing, proof-reading, preparing letters, mailouts and other office jobs.
To apply for an internship, please send a cover letter, two letters of reference, resume/ CV, and a short essay on current disarmament issues or a human rights topic (depending on the internship you are applying for) to the WILPF International Secretariat. Please note that we do require the complete application materials to be sent by post in one envelope only to:
WILPF
Case Postale 28
1211 Geneva 20
Switzerland
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