May 2010 Update from the Women Waging Peace Network

May Akl of Lebanon published an article in The Daily Star on "Lebanese Women and the municipal elections."

Sharon Bhagwan-Rolls of Fiji
Bhagwan-Rolls, executive director of femLINKPACIFIC, reported that members of femLINKPACIFIC’s Regional Women's Media Network, in colloboration with the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC), launched their campaign around the 10th anniversary of the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325. According to Bhagwan-Rolls, the campaign aims “to build an international consensus on peacebuilding and the prevention of violent conflict...[and] to strengthen the focus on women's expertise and participation within the field of conflict prevention.” Bhagwan-Rolls also serves on the UN Civil Society Advisory Group panel tasked with acting as a liaison to civil society and guiding the UN steering committee in taking action on UNSCR 1325. (see related story on the first meeting of the advisory group).

Visaka Dharmadasa of Sri Lanka
To ensure that women have the capacity to take up leadership positions in government, Dharmadasa's organization—the Association of War Affected Women—recently trained a core group of 25 women leaders on how to build the capacity of women to run for political office. Participants from this Training of Trainers have since trained 500 additional women in their communities and are now in the process of training 750 more women in 15 districts across Sri Lanka.

Atema Eclai and Mary Okumu of Kenya
Eclai moderated, and Okumu participated in, an Enough Project briefing, "Returning Home: A New Model from Uganda." Eclai and Okumu described how they used methods of traditional justice to heal after the devastating conflict between the Lord's Resistance Army and the Acholi people in Northern Uganda. Both panelists also stressed the importance of rebuilding community infrastructure and educational systems in the region.

Azadeh Faramarziha of Iran
With support from Google, Reporters Without Borders awarded the first Netizen Prize to Faramarziha’s women’s rights activist group Change for Equality, site of the One Million Signatures Campaign.

Anne Itto of Sudan
Itto cited by Bloomberg News in article on SPLM concern over ballot paper printing.

Asatu Bah Kenneth of Liberia
Kenneth, former deputy inspector-general for the Liberia National Police, is now an assistant minister at the Ministry of Justice
http://www.moj.gov.lr/content.php?sub=24&related=1&res=24&third=24.

Sushmita Subba Manandhar of Nepal
Network member Sushmita Subba Manandhar is the 2010 Andi Parhamovicj Fellow at the National Democratic Institute, where she is conducting research on women’s caucuses around the world.

Precious Mitchell of Liberia
Mitchell, founder of the Security for Women through Advocacy Coalition, will co-teach with Inclusive Security’s Evelyn Thornton the one-week-long course on “Inclusive Security: Expanding Participation of Women in Peace Processes,” at American University’s Peacebuilding & Development Summer Institute in June. Mitchell reports that SWACO and WONGOSOL are developing a directory of women in the security sector in Liberia.

Mossarat Qadeem of Pakistan
Qadeem, along with  Kishwar Sultana (also of Pakistan), participated in a workshop in Jordan organized by Urgent Action Fund, and with Sanam Anderlini, director, International Civil Society Action Network, on implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1325.

Humaira Shahid of Pakistan
Shahid testified at a hearing on violence against women held by the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission of the US House of Representatives.  She joined US Representatives Jim Delahunt (D-MA) and Jim Poe (R-TX) and other international experts to speak in support of the International Violence Against Women Act. Shahid was also mentioned in an article in the The Epoch Times.

Mu Sochua of Cambodia
Network member Mu Sochua has been nominated to receive the 8th Annual Global Exchange Human Rights Award as the People’s Choice Award Honoree.  Sochua is a member of the opposition party in Cambodia and is a leading voice for women in her country. The winner will be announced May 27, 2010.

Kishwar Sultana of Pakistan
Sultana's organization received funding from the United States Institute of Peace for a project on ethnic diversity, religion, and peace; she credited the meeting Inclusive Security arranged for the Pakistan delegation and USIP as important to that award. Sultana also reports that she is busy advocating to government officials for implementation of recommendations for Pakistan developed at Inclusive Security's 2010 Colloquium. Her organization, Insan Foundation, will be working with the Provincial Home Department of Punjab to train and educate members of the District Public Safety Commissions on peace and security issues from the perspective of  Pakistani women.