"Women of Nagorno Karabach for Peace and Peaceful Coexistence"

Conference Organized by Inclusive Security: Women Waging Peace Members

The Armenian NGO Democracy Today, with support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nagorno Karabach, organized a special series of events dedicated to women in Nagorno Karabach in July 2002.

The conference "Women of Nagorno Karabach for Peace and Peaceful Coexistence," which took place in Stepanakert, Nagorno Karabach, was opened by Naira Melkumian, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nagorno Karabach.  Government officials, prominent community leaders, NGO representatives from the region, members of Democracy Today, and representatives of international humanitarian organizations working in Nagorno Karabach participated in plenary and roundtable discussions and training sessions.

"Women of Nagorno Karabach for Peace and Peaceful Coexistence" covered the following themes:

  • women's role in the peace process, with discussions of perspectives of integration and peaceful coexistence
  • the impact of international legislation related to women's participation in peace process - Resolution 1325, G8,and other documents
  • CEDAW: mechanisms of implementation and shadow reporting
  • humanitarian law and its application in zones of conflict
  • women's role in strengthening peace and democracy once cease fire is achieved
  • women in war - refugee women, widows, freedom fighters - an analysis of the consequences of war.

The conference was followed by four days of intensive training sessions run by IFOR expert Diana Francis. 

For information please contact: Gulnara Shahinian or Viktoria Avakova in Yerevan: tel (3741) 56 56 80, email: sshah@arminco.com or Rita Karapetian, MFA Nagorno Karabach; tel (3741) 28 55 01 or email: rita@mfa.nk.arminco.com