Presentation of Ann Schlyter
There are many networks for European feminists. I represent GADIP "Gender and Development in practice" which is a network for individuals and organisations which are involved in development cooperation mostly outside Europe. Most members in GADIP are not feminist organisations, but by joining the network, they show that they want to improve their awareness in gender issues.
GADIP is a rather new network; it was only established last year, but it works closely with a more established academic network GADNET. Within GADNET/GADIP research results and experiences gained by practitioners and activists are drawn together in efforts to generate new and useful knowldege.
GADIP is also the national Swedish Platform of WIDE – Women in Development Europe, a network of individuals smaller and larger NGOs and Foundations. The secretariat is based in Brussels. Last year, there were national platforms in twelve European countries.
WIDE’s slogan is: Globalising Gender Equality and Social Justice. For women’s economic, cultural and political empowerment it works with networking, lobbying, advocacy, capacity building and awareness raising activities. The focus has been on TRADE and increasingly also on AID – gender issues, of course, and Europe’s role in this.
Development cooperation involves huge transfers of capital intended to support development and erase poverty. Compared to the flows of capital generated by trade, financial transactions, or even remittances sent home by immigrants working in Europe the sums are not so big.
Still big enough to have a huge impact, especially in the poorest countries in Africa. It is also big enough to have a negative impact on women’s position in these countries, if not planned and implemented in a gender-aware way. It is also an activity within the political realm and thereby open for political activism.
Efforts to make development cooperation gender-aware started more than twenty years ago (during the first decades one should rather say women-aware) and there has been some success, albeit too limited. No success is permanent - the struggle have to be repeated again and again. It also has to be renewed as new difficulties are coming up, among them the so called Paris Agenda.
Five years ago the rich OECD countries met in Paris and agreed on an agenda for Aid efficiency. This agenda did only mention gender in a passing.
Aid was seen as something that could be improved by modern management. Efficiency was to be reached by donor cooperation. The experience of joint projects between donors is that the agreements have been on the basis of the smallest denominator. I mean - the least progressive countriy in regard of gender equity sets the standard in terms of gender justice.
We are convinced that no sustainable development is possible without gender justice. A review of the Paris Agenda has just taken place in Accra, and this time in an UN arrangement with wider participation of countries. A WIDE working group was preparing for this conference and for the next one in Doha about finance for development. The group made a good job, although the outcome may be somewhat of a disappointment.
Some improvements are made in the Accra Agenda for Action. Poverty reduction is maintained as the first goal while human rights, gender equality and environmental sustainibility are presented as cornerstones for for achieving enduring impact. Further the AAA states that "developing countries and donors will ensure that their respective development policieis and programmes are designed and implemented in ways consistent with international commitments on gender equality, human rights, disability, and environemntal sustainibility". It also recognises the need to improve access to sex-disaggregated data.
BUT this language is undermined by the lack of new targets. The AAA do not identify work programmes on how committments to gender equality will be implemented. No indicators are identified to measure progress.
It is therefore even more important that the women's movement hold governments accountable to the general committments.
these shuld be translated from policy into operational level.
We feminists know that we have to work together; to network to find strength and encouragment.
Feminism has always gone hand in hand with the peace movement and with international solidarity
Feminists in Europe are networking for another Europe -
- for another Europe in another world.
Would you like to have contact with GADNET/GADIP or WIDE, send a mail to:
GADNET@globalstudies.gu.se
info@wide-network.org