Dear Friends (apologies if this is information known to you already) W o m e n B u i l d i n g P e a c e: >From the Village Council to the Negotiating Table � the international campaign to promote the role of women in peacebuilding I am writing from the Women Building Peace campaign which was launched in May 1999 by International Alert and over 100 ngo's. The campaign has five themes: 1. to include women in peace negotiations as decision makers 2. put women at the heart of reconstruction and reconciliation 3. strengthen the rights and protection of refugeee and displaced women 4. end impunity for crimes committed against women and ensure redress 5. give women and women's organisations the support and resources they need to build peace The campaign aims to raise global awareness of women's experiences and perspectives of peace and conflict, and to help women better realise their potential as peace-builders from the village to the international level. It seeks to influence and affect the implementation of global policies and international standards on peace, security and development to ensure that gender perspectives are integrated and women's needs are met. International Alert believes that women and women's groups specifically play a critical role in the peacebuilding process and that their work should be highlighted and strengthened and should be supported as widely as possible by all actors in the international community. We are currently collecting signatures to present to Kofi Annan on International Women's Day 2001, to strengthen public awareness of the importance of women and their peacebuilding role and to encourage the international community to adhere to the pledges they made at the Beijing Conference in 1995. Given your focus I would firstly like to ask you whether you would be interested in receiving copies of the policy research documents which have been produced by the campaign;The Women, Violent Conflict and Peacebuilding Conference Report or Mainstreaming Gender in Peacebuilding:A Framework for Action, which looks at Women, Gender and conflict; and Women, Gender and peacebuilding issues. Secondly as the campaign is being taken forward by thousands of organisations and individuals from around the world it would be fantastic if you would consider collecting signatures from your contacts or include an insert in any newsletter or publication you may have (we could return the favour!) Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have need further information or have any suggestions about possible ways of working together. Many Thanks and Best Wishes Bethan Cobley international alert ps our site is at www.international-alert.org/women and you can place your sigantures on line at http://www.international-alert.org/women/petition/index.html#1 *******This is a petition initiated by the International Campaign "Women Building Peace: from the Village Council to the Negotiating Table". It is addressed to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and the international community. We aim to collect a minimum of 250 000 signatures to present to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan at International Women's Day March 2001. Please sign the petition by giving all your contact details in the space provided below, and email it back to the secretariat of the "Women Building Peace" Campaign at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or the address above. Please distribute the petition as widely as possible. Thank you. ************* Dear Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Women everywhere applaud the efforts made for peace by the United Nations. Women recognise the progress made in including women in peace making and peace building efforts within the UN itself and the pledges made to women during the UN Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995. However, we believe that five years later not enough has been done to make these pledges a reality. They must be implemented, as sustainable peace can only be achieved with the full participation of women from all levels of society. We ask the governments of the international community and the United Nations to stand by the commitments they have made to women. These are to: 1 Include women in peace negotiations as decision-makers 2 Put women at the heart of reconstruction and reconciliation 3 Strengthen the protection and repreesentation of refugee and displaced women 4 End impunity for crimes committed against women and ensure redress 5 Give women and women's organisations the support and resources they need to build peace Signed: Name: ................ Address: ............. ........................... Organisation: ....... Country: .............. Tel: ..................... Fax: .................... E-mail: ................ Please e-mail the filled in petition to [EMAIL PROTECTED] petition and more information about the campaign is also accessible on our homepage www.international-alert.org/women. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Australian Peace Committee (South Australian Branch) Inc. 11 South Terrace, Adelaide SA 5000, Australia Ph: (+61-8) 8212 7138 Fax: (+61-8) 8364 2291 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web sites: www.peacecourier.com and: www.peace.internode.on.net -- Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Archived at http://www.cat.org.au/lists/leftlink/ Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop Subscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=subscribe%20leftlink Unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20leftlink
