EMPOWERING WOMEN CONDITION FOR BUILDING PEACEFUL, PROSPEROUS SOCIETIES

The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands in partnership with The White House Project, the Council of Women World Leaders and the Women Leaders Intercultural Forum launched the International Women Leaders Global Security Initiative in October 2006. This initiative, which will run through June 2008, aims to bring the perspectives and voices of global women leaders to the international discourse on security. As part of the initiative, the International Women Leaders Global Security Summit was held November 15-17, 2007 in New York City, New York.
The White House Project facilitated the largest gathering of women world leaders addressing issues of global security ever held in the United States. This truly significant initiative brought together current and former women heads of state and government and more than 70 other high-level women leaders from Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America, Europe and North America.
Empowering women is the condition for building peaceful, prosperous, societies said Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro at the New York Summit. Giving her remarks she said:
"I am honoured to be with you for this important gathering of singularly accomplished women. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to help frame the connection between women and global security.
The United Nations community is coming to understand this connection more and more profoundly. We know that achieving gender equality and empowering women is not only a goal in itself. It is also a condition for building healthier, better educated, more peaceful and more prosperous societies.
Study after study has shown us that, when women are fully empowered and engaged, all of society benefits. Only in this way can we successfully take on the enormous challenges confronting our world -- from conflict resolution and peacebuilding to fighting AIDS and reaching all the other Millennium Development Goals.
At the 2005 World Summit held at the United Nations, leaders declared that gender equality and human rights for all are essential to advancing development, peace and security.Five years before that, the Security Council adopted resolution 1325 on women, peace and security.
The resolution was a landmark on many fronts. It highlighted the increasing, disproportionate and unconscionable toll that modern conflict is taking on women and girls. It called for special measures to protect women and girls from gender-based violence during conflict. It underlined the responsibility of all States to put an end to impunity and to prosecute those responsible for war crimes relating to violence against women and girls. And it emphasized the importance of women’s full and equal participation in all efforts for peace and security -- before, during and after conflict.
We have made some progress in translating those principles into action -- both in conflict-affected societies and in the international community.
More and more, women participate in mediating and negotiating peace, in searching for justice, in fostering reconciliation, in supporting disarmament and demobilization, and in shaping development policies and rebuilding institutions.
More and more, the Security Council ensures that peace processes empower women and advance gender equality.
More and more, United Nations entities work closely and actively with Governments and women’s organizations, including through the United Nations System-Wide Action Plan on implementation of resolution 1325.
But there is much more to do. On the implementation of resolution 1325, more countries in conflict or post-conflict need to establish their own national action plans. We in the United Nations system need to work better with Governments to establish truly joint programmes, driven by national priorities. We need to work better as a team, so as to give countries access to a common entry point. And we need to appoint more women in leadership positions, at Headquarters and in our peace operations around the world.
More generally, while we have in place global goals and commitments on women’s empowerment, we still have far to go in implementing them fully -- from school enrolment to women’s economic independence and representation in decision-making bodies.
In almost all countries, women continue to be underrepresented in decision-making positions. Women’s work continues to be undervalued, underpaid, or not paid at all. Out of more than 100 million children who are not in school, the majority are girls. Out of more than 800 million adults who cannot read, the majority are women. And violence against women and girls continues unabated in every continent, country and culture.
Changing all this requires all of us -- women and men -- to work for enduring change in values and attitudes. It means working in partnership -- Governments, international organizations, civil society and the private sector. It means men assuming their responsibility. It means ensuring that women and girls enjoy their full rights, and take up their rightful place in society.It means moving forward on several fronts at once:-- Ensuring that men take on a greater role in household and family care;-- Challenging traditions and customs, stereotypes and harmful practices, that stand in the way of women and girls;-- Ensuring that women have access to education and health care, property and land;-- Investing in infrastructure to make it easier for women and girls to go about the daily business of obtaining safe drinking water and food;-- Integrating gender issues into the follow-up to United Nations resolutions and decisions -- including the work of recently established bodies such as the Peacebuilding Commission and the Human Rights Council.
Violence against women has reached hideous and pandemic proportions in some societies attempting to recover from conflict. Together, all of us need to strengthen our collective and individual response to it. This is essential if we are to reverse the damage done by conflict, and build more inclusive, accountable and cohesive societies, underpinned by viable democratic institutions.
Earlier this year, the Secretary-General urged the Security Council to establish a mechanism dedicated to monitoring violence against women and girls, within the framework of resolution 1325.
The Secretary-General has also encouraged Member States to actively consider proposals to strengthen the United Nations gender architecture, as presented by the High-Level Panel on United Nations System-Wide Coherence.
The Secretary-General and I believe we could significantly advance our cause by replacing several current structures with one dynamic United Nations entity. Such a new body should be able to call on all of the United Nations system’s resources in the work to empower women and realize gender equality worldwide. It should mobilize forces of change at the global level, and inspire enhanced results at the country level.
And it should have mechanisms for drawing on the expertise and experience of women leaders such as all of you. You have so much to contribute –- in leading by example, in raising awareness, in identifying women candidates for leadership positions and in helping us to be bold in our thinking. With your resources, your vision and your wisdom, you are all wonderfully placed to give life to the theme of this Summit -- enhancing the effectiveness of women’s leadership on global security.
I thank every one of you for your commitment, and I look forward to working in partnership with you in the years ahead."
For more information visit
WomenandGlobalSecurity.org http://www.thewhitehouseproject.org/
Anwar Merchant is a Government of Canada On-Line Research Panel member.

University of Central Asia

About the University of Central Asia (UCA)


The fall of the Soviet Union brought with it both the withdrawal of much-needed resources invested in education in Central Asia, and new opportunities to create innovative institutions that could respond to the needs of communities in the region.
In 1994, President Rakhmonov of Tajikistan and His Highness the Aga Khan conceived the idea of a new university designed to address the unique educational, economic and cultural needs of mountain communities. In December 1995, an international Commission was established to study the idea and come up with relevant recommendations. The Commission on the Establishment of an International Institution of Higher Education was made up of fourteen distinguished academics, advocates and programme administrators from around the region and the world. It was supported by an additional nineteen experts who made up various sub-committees to study curricula, planning, finances, facilities development and recruitment. The Commission and its Sub-Committees met thirteen times over eighteen months, made frequent visits to the region and commissioned or received 78 papers. In 1998, the Commission endorsed the idea of a regional university to promote sustainable economic and social development within mountain communities. It included the recommendation that three main academic programmes be developed - continuing education, undergraduate and graduate programmes - and also included several recommendations regarding teaching and learning approaches, facilities and technology and student and faculty recruitment. These recommendations created the foundation for the planning of UCA. UCA is CreatedUCA was founded in 2000 by the governments of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan, and His Highness the Aga Khan. It is the world’s first internationally chartered institution of higher education. The International Treaty and Charter establishing this secular and private University was signed by His Highness the Aga Khan and the Presidents of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan, ratified by the respective parliaments and registered with the United Nations. The Presidents are the Patrons and His Highness the Aga Khan is the Founding Patron and Chancellor of UCA. UCA is a private, independent, self-governing institution which will be governed by an independent Board of Trustees and led by a Rector. It will have three campuses of equal size and stature in each of the founding countries. Currently, the Director General of UCA is in charge of operations and planning at the Central Administration office in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic.VisionUCA was created to offer an internationally recognized standard of higher education in Central Asia and create knowledgeable, skilled and creative graduates who will contribute leadership, ideas and innovations to the transitioning economies and communities of the region.Mission & ObjectivesThe mission of UCA is to promote the socio-economic development of Central Asia’s mountain societies, while at the same time helping the diverse peoples of the region to preserve and draw upon their rich cultural traditions and heritages as assets for the future.
It will do this through:
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The development of three world-class residential campuses and facilities in remote mountain communities of Central Asia;
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The preparation of new kinds of experts in key fields of development that respond to local, national and regional needs;
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The education of a new generation prepared for leadership roles;
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The renewal and revitalization of skills of existing professionals in diverse fields; and
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The provision of practical training to youth and adults.
FocusWith the understanding that education is central to development, UCA programmes are geared towards addressing key social and economic issues facing the region and particularly, mountain communities.To reach the broadest spectrum of learners possible, UCA will offer a range of internationally recognized academic programmes, including undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree courses, non-degree preparatory courses for incoming degree candidates, and vocational, professional development and distance education courses for students and professionals beyond the three UCA campuses.ValuesUCA operates within a framework of values that espouses academic excellence, individual rights and security, responsibility to community and public service, and ethical and transparent operations of government and business.
Why have another University in this Region?There are many universities in Central Asia. However:
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There are none that focus specifically on mountain communities, their traditions, cultures, and economic development needs. UCA does.
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There are no regional institutions of higher learning that encourage the exchange of information and ideas across borders; the mobility of the best and brightest minds throughout the region; and the study of local economic and cultural issues, while being committed to the development of the region as a whole. UCA is specifically designed to do so.
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Other Central Asian universities lack the capacity to conduct the full range of original research needed to close the knowledge gap in the region and bring new data to solve chronic problems. UCA will establish a rigorous research programme in all of its schools and activities.
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There is an urgent need for investments in rigorous and creative educational opportunity and ways to celebrate and preserve valuable traditions and cultures in mountain regions. UCA will address this need.
Challenges and Opportunities:

The Central Asian ContextTransitioning Economies: Mountain regions and transitioning economies face considerable challenges. The Soviet economic system directed economies in the republics towards interdependence on suppliers and markets within the Soviet Union. Today, post-Soviet Central Asian communities often find themselves poorly equipped to engage in the global economy. Communities within the region face profound poverty, isolation, shortages of capital and business skills, and a deteriorating physical and socio-educational infrastructure. There is an urgent need for educational programmes to prepare Central Asian students for the critical thinking, innovative approaches, rigorous international standards, and fast-changing information and technologies required for these transitioning economies to be competitive in the broader global economy.Neglected Cultures & Communities: Seventy years of russification in the region has made it difficult to revive or preserve some cultural practices and traditions that were neglected or altered during Soviet times. Emigration from these isolated mountain regions after the post-Soviet economic collapse is compounding the problem of creating the next generation of caretakers for these cultures and communities. There is a need to revive and preserve these valuable traditions and cultures before they - and the communities that practice them - are lost forever.Unique Resources: UCA recognizes mountain regions as a source of opportunity. They provide most of the world’s fresh water and have vast hydropower reserves; possess much of the world’s mineral wealth; have immense potential for agriculture and tourism; and play an important role in preserving the planet’s biodiversity. Above all, mountain regions are home to vigorous and capable men and women who are the bearers of diverse and rich cultures.The challenges mountain communities in Central Asia face are not unique. They exist in mountain regions across the world, including the Himalayas, the Caucasus, the Balkans, the Atlas and the Andes regions. In developing resources to better understand and address these challenges, UCA will contribute to the study and preservation of mountain cultures around the world.An Unprecedented Endeavor: UCA will provide the people of Central Asia, particularly in mountain regions, with international, regional and local resources for them to address their own economic and cultural challenges. It will provide opportunities to generate income and create jobs, and develop skills and leadership to enable communities to participate fully in the global community. It will also help them preserve and benefit from the environment of which they are the guardians. All these changes will bring benefits that extend far beyond specific communities to societies as a whole.UCA will link one of the world’s most isolated areas with the global intellectual community to provide student-centered, innovative teaching and learning methods, and encourage critical thinking and leadership in its graduates. UCA will also provide unprecedented opportunities for research, dialogue and inquiry on the economic and social development of Central Asia.In the tradition of the ancient Silk Road that crossed Central Asia, UCA will create important dialogue across cultures and effective information highways to bring the latest academic pedagogies and technologies to Central Asia, while conveying the rich and diverse cultures and traditions of Central Asia to the rest of the world.

The Role of His Highness the Aga KhanThe Founding Patron and Chancellor of UCA, His Highness the Aga Khan, a direct lineal descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, through his daughter Fatima and her husband Ali bin Abu Talib, the Prophet’s cousin, is the 49th hereditary Imam Caliph of the Shia Ismaili Muslim community. The Ismailis are a culturally diverse community spread across the globe, including South and Central Asia, China, the Middle East, Iran, Sub-Saharan Africa, Western Europe and North America.A statesman and philanthropist, His Highness the Aga Khan represents a centuries-old tradition of leadership associated with his office to encourage human development, through individual self-fulfillment, as the key to social harmony and progress. He is the founder of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), a group of private, non-denominational development agencies that addresses a range of development issues including health, education, architecture, rural development and the promotion of civil society and private sector initiatives. The AKDN’s agencies collaborate in working towards a common goal - building institutions and programmes that respond to the dynamic challenges of social, economic and cultural change. Active in over 30 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and North America, the Network’s institutions work for the common good of all citizens, regardless of origin, gender or religion. UCA is an active member in this network.The Aga Khan is also the founder and Chancellor of The Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan, the first private university in the country. Founded in 1983, The Aga Khan University is now a thriving academic and training institution with a range of facilities and programmes, including a University hospital, Medical College, School of Nursing, Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilizations, and Institute for Educational Development.

ismili.us Dr. Anuradha

USAID office of poverty reduction

Poverty Analysis and Social Safety Net:

As part of the United States Government’s contribution to the global poverty reduction program envisioned in the Millennium Development Goals, and advanced at successive World Summits on Social Development, USAID sponsors programs and activities designed to help poor people improve and protect their assets. It also works to identify policy interventions that will foster an environment where the poor can convert their assets to capital with minimum risk.
USAID sponsors research on pro-poor economic growth and the impact of informal economies on poor people:
Pro-poor economic growth research examines the complex relationship between economic growth and poverty reduction. The findings of this research will enlighten the public discourse on poverty, deepening the dialogue between government and civil society.
The work of leading researchers who are examining the effects of informal economies on the poor enables assessments of their prospects for escaping poverty. These researchers’ findings make a compelling case for an inclusive property system that recognizes and protects the assets of the poor.
Other work in this area explores the roles of social safety nets in the context of protecting basic livelihoods through risk management. Of particular interest are social safety nets comprised of public interventions that empower individuals, firms, households and communities to build and protect assets through risk management strategies. Viable social safety nets can reduce transitory poverty, prevent poor people from falling into deeper poverty and provide a foundation for them to escape poverty.

Courtesy: Carmen Villegas Caballero

Notes:

Fatimid Heritage Foundation supports heritage, education and peace activities to enhance knowledge, interfaith harmony and global pluralism. The FATIMID works to promote a more secure, equitable and prosperous world in conformity with the vision of His Highness Aga Khan. It is an expression of love and devotion Ismaili Muslims have for Aga Khan Fatimid Imam Caliph, 49th direct lineal descendant of Prophet Muhammad through his cousin and son-in-law, Aly, the first Imam-Caliph, and his wife Fatima, the Prophet's daughter. Aga Khan is the rope of love, wisdom and unity among interpretations of the Faith, and also bridge of confidence between West and Muslims. This year, the world is celebrating Golden Jubilee of the Imamat Caliphate of His Highness the Aga Khan. Year 2007 is also the Diamond Jubilee of the creation of Pakistan.Geneva Peace Development Centre (Geneva Peace) and Mountain Girls Education Development Program (MGEDP) are other development initiatives of The FATIMID. Geneva Peace is an international non-profit initiative working to promote theological and political consensus between West and Muslims, so as to enhance friendship and peace globally. The name is derived of admiration for Geneva, the city of 44 Nobel Prizes. A centre of excellence and decision-making in multiple domains, Geneva has become the principal forum of world negotiation, and a natural home to intense diplomatic and networking activity, due to the numerous International Organizations and NGOs located in the Lake Geneva area. MGEDP is a non-profit educational initiative co-founded by Anwar Merchant, Nazlin Anwar, Aziz and Shirin. Intellectual gender leadership of exceptional merit is the best motivation for future development of communities, and that mountain regions are too engulfed by poverty and hazards to develop their talented young girls as community leaders, led the family to found proposal for a network of catalytic centres of educational excellence around the mountain regions, known as the Mountain Girls Academies.The FATIMID is a Cooperating Organization with Development Gateway. Join DG communities here.