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The Global Persecution of Women
Glossary
May 28-30, 2003, Athens
At a two-day forum last month in Athens, Greece, more than 500 women and men – peace activists, policy makers, academics, and students – gathered to strategize about how to move forward the European Union agenda on women’s roles in conflict prevention, resolution, reconstruction and peace-building.Below is an excerpt from the statement:
We, the participants of this Forum,
…-Expect that women will actively participate in all policy decisions and actions now shaping the future of the EU, a global power of over 450 million citizens. This includes developing in the enlarged European Union a common defense and foreign policy for the protection of civilians from threats to human security, trafficking, violence - particularly gender-based violence - and war.
-Demand that the European Convention and Intergovernmental Conference of 2004 ensures that gender equality is enshrined as one of the principles and values of the European Constitution. We ask the Member States of the European Union to commit themselves to gender mainstreaming in all emergent European foreign policy, and to achieving gender balance in all advisory and decision-making bodies in the critical area of external relations in the next Treaty or Constitution of the European Union.
…-Call on the Member States of the European Union to take account of the active role and treatment of women in their bi-lateral relations with developing countries.
-Ensure that Member States, within the context of the on-going harmonization of asylum systems in Europe, will take due account of the protection needs of refugee women and girls; and that gender related issues are fully considered.
…-Call upon the European Union to support the national and growing international peace movement now challenging the very legitimacy of war and to develop strategies to protect human rights defenders and peace activists.
-Encourage international commitment to structuring more just, equitable and peaceful societies, through support for the implementation of instruments such as the International Criminal Court and the international criminal tribunals of former Yugoslavia, Rwanda and Sierra Leone, and other efforts to promote women’s human rights and justice.
-Further support the development and implementation of innovative approaches to conflict prevention through peace education, education in schools to address the structural causes of conflict and promote communication and dialogue. This should include evaluation of language on which concepts are based, creating a new language on which to base a culture of peace.
-Develop a programme, which addresses the negative impacts of economic globalisation for women, combats poverty and other root causes of violence and through support of a gender perspective on globalisation.
-Respond to the dramatic rise in religious fundamentalism and militarisation, which has discriminatory and violent impact on women, through renewed emphasis on human rights, social justice and respect for diversity.
-Ensure that gender analysis becomes an integral part of all conflict analysis, through the development of gender sensitive early warning indicators and response strategies, recognising that micro and macro levels of violence are interlinked.
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The Global Persecution of Women
Glossary
