The 10th AWID International Forum on Women's Rights and Development

The 10th AWID International Forum on
Women's Rights and Development:

How does change happen?

October 27-30, 2005 | Bangkok, Thailand
Early Registration Deadline: August 15, 2005
Registration Closes: October 14, 2005
www.awid.org/forum

Change is not only possible, it is inevitable

At a time of unprecedented global conflict and corporate power, devastations wrought by ecological disasters and pandemics, and conservatisms and extremisms on the rise, women's movements around the world find themselves facing some of the most daunting challenges in recent memory. Powerful political and economic forces are mobilizing not only to block further gains for women, but to erode the rights already secured. We are at a crossroads, embattled on all sides.

And yet, even in these difficult times, the world continues to witness remarkable acts of defiance. From Nigerian women occupying an airstrip to hold a powerful, multinational oil company accountable to their villages, to Asian Comfort Women waging a decades-long battle to force governments to atone for their war crimes, women around the world are seizing opportunities for change in moments of crisis. And they are doing so with the clarity that the world belongs not to the wealthy and the powerful, but to them - the millions struggling for a different kind of world, one built on economic justice, clean environments, and the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women and girls.

How do we harness these moments of defiance into a strong and coordinated transnational women's movement? What are the success stories we need to hear, and what can we learn from them? Where have we failed, both individually and collectively, and what can we learn from these failures? What other urgent work remains to be done, and who is going to do that work? How can we strengthen our fledgling alliances, and where do we go from here?

Join us for the 10th AWID International Forum on Women's Rights and Development: How does change happen? Learn about how others are making real change in their regions, and share with others the changes you have made in yours. Analyze your successes and failures, and participate in what many are calling the most important global agenda-setting meeting for the women's movement this year. Be stimulated, be provoked, be inspired. Become involved and be transformed. Because the AWID Forum is not just another conference ...

Be stimulated, be provoked, be inspired

From October 27-30, up to two thousand activists, academics, policy makers, funders, students, researchers and practitioners working for women's rights and gender-sensitive development will converge upon Bangkok in an unprecedented global meeting to discuss the urgent question, How does change happen?

What is AWID? The Association for Women's Rights in Development is an international membership organization that connects, informs, and mobilizes people and institutions committed to achieving gender equality, sustainable development, and women's human rights.

What is the AWID Forum? The AWID International Forum on Women's Rights and Development is both a conference and a call to action. The largest recurring event of its kind, the AWID Forum brings together women's rights leaders and activists from around the world every three years to strategize, network, celebrate, and learn in a highly charged atmosphere that fosters deep discussions, sustained personal and professional growth, and unprecedented opportunities for alliance-building and global networking.

Delegates to the Forum participate in four days of plenaries, interactive sessions, workshops, debates, and creative sessions geared to powerful thinking on gender equality and women's human rights. These sessions delve deeply into the issues affecting women today - from HIV/AIDS and trafficking to reproductive rights and poverty - in order to deepen analysis and develop solutions that not only work, but are realistic and sustainable.

Who can participate? Participation in the AWID Forum is open to anyone who has an interest in women's rights, international development, and social justice. AWID particularly welcomes women and men from the global south, young and emerging women leaders, and marginalized groups and organizations that have had difficulty getting their agenda heard on an international stage.

What can I expect from the Forum? As a delegate to the AWID Forum, you can expect to be enlightened, provoked and inspired by an exceptional group of thoughtful, forward-looking and fiercely committed women and men. You can expect to move beyond simply talking, to getting involved in global action plans and campaigns that will emerge out of the Forum, but will last well beyond it. You can expect to gain an abundance of new skills, information, tools, experiences and ideas. And finally, you can expect to be welcomed, nurtured, fortified and challenged by a group of like-minded activists, academics, practitioners and allies.

Not just big names, but big ideas

The AWID Forum is anchored by daily plenary sessions with big ideas to provoke, stimulate, challenge, enlighten and inspire. Each plenary offers new visions and strategies from some of the most dynamic and innovative leaders in the global women's movement today, in dialogue with each other and with a vibrant group of emerging leaders, supporters and their allies.

Plenary Sessions

Day 1: What have we changed and how? The Forum will open with a plenary that takes stock of what we, as women's movements and feminist activists, have achieved so far through our work and our activism. Speakers will reflect not only on the successes we've had, but they will also probe our key failures and some of the unintended consequences of our work. The best strategies will be highlighted and explored, and mistakes and challenges will be examined with an eye to avoiding the same mistakes and pitfalls in the future.

Day 2: What is the change around us? Most of us are so occupied with day-to-day challenges that we are ill-prepared to face the future. The second plenary will begin with a screening of AWID's "future trends" documentary, which will open participants' minds to some of the biggest and most daunting challenges we will face together in the future. The screening will be followed by a wide-ranging discussion that spans everything from the emergence of new global governance regimes to the problems of climate change and its fallout.

Day 3: How should we change? While celebrating our achievements is important, analyzing our challenges and shortcomings is even more critical. This plenary will focus specifically on the sustainability of our movements, with an emphasis on financial sustainability and leadership. During this plenary, AWID will launch its new "Where's the Money?" campaign, followed up with a frank and thoughtful critique of our current leadership capacities, intergenerational challenges, and organizational development needs.

Day 4: How does change happen: wrap-up. What have we learned at the Forum? What were the big ideas that emerged, and what was everyone talking about in the hallways? AWID will have "trackers" working throughout the Forum, noting and analyzing the big conversations, ideas, meetings, and events. These trackers will close the Forum with their insights and findings, so that everyone leaves with not only their own experiences, but the fullness of having been a participant in a collective learning and growing process.

Breakout Sessions + Workshops

In addition to the plenary sessions, the AWID Forum also hosts over a hundred different breakout sessions and workshops on provocative and urgent issues for women's rights and development. Some examples of sessions include:

General Sessions on Change: Examples*

Theories of change: what theories of change are most useful for our practice, and how does feminism fit in?
Histories of change: how have different regions and organizations created change, and what can we learn from their successes and their failures?
Strategies for change: how can we translate the gains we've made on paper into tangible gains in women's everyday lives?
Alliances for change: how do we use our alliances with men and other social movement to further our work?
Building a movement for change: what critical elements do women's movements need to succeed in the future?
Examining the changing future: what new forces, structures, and technologies will have an impact on women's rights work in the future?
Issue-based Sessions: Examples*

Law and policy reform: using the courts and other international institutions, instruments and conventions to further women's rights.
Religion, extremisms and secularisms: engaging religion to further our work, resisting extremisms and conservatisms, (re)secularizing the state.
Labour rights: home based workers, migrant workers, garment workers working for change.
Trafficking: evaluating strategies, debating theories, speaking about successes and failures, moving forward.
HIV/AIDS: strategies for change, using microbicides, AIDS and economics, young women and HIV/AIDS around the globe.
Gender mainstreaming: moving beyond the pitfalls of mainstreaming to new, cutting-edge tools for institutional change.
Fundraising: changing attitudes, gaining skills, and mobilizing new resources.
Sexuality: debating lesbian/gay/bi/trans/intersex rights within the women's movement, examining sexuality- based violence.
Poverty: strategies for alleviating poverty, from microcredit and social entrepreneurship to grassroots capacity-building programs.
Sexual and reproductive rights: women's health, sex selection, the right to decide, abortion.
Economics and trade: the gendered impact of trade policies, understanding economic theory, the impact of international financial institutions.
Media and public outreach: using the media, doing public relations, successful outreach strategies.
Rural women: new strategies for empowerment, successful pilot programs, case studies from around the globe.
Regional Session: Examples*

New revolutions, old sexisms: Learning from the experiences of Central and Eastern Europe and the Newly Independent States.
Changes in Afghan women's rights: Before, after, and during the Taliban.
The politics of abortion and the right to decide in Latin America.
Feminist leadership in Africa: established and emerging leaders share stories and strategies.
Transforming religion, tradition and culture in Muslim societies.
Understanding femicide across the Americas.
The politics of tsunami disaster relief in Southeast Asia.
The women's movement in the North: where has it gone?
* Sessions are subject to change without notice.

Food for thought, sustenance for the spirit

The AWID Forum also features a wide range of activities and sessions designed not just to feed the mind, but to inspire the spirit and re-energize the whole person. Whether you're looking for an early morning yoga session or an opportunity to network with others in your region, the AWID Forum has dozens of events to you leave you energized, connected, and inspired.

Artistic and Cultural Events: Inspire others with your creativity! A range of artistic and cultural events held throughout the Forum will give delegates opportunities to let their politics and passions mix in inspiring and imaginative ways.

Book Launches and Receptions: Meet some of the most innovative authors and publishers in the world of women's rights and development at several major book launches and receptions that will take place during the Forum.

Dance and Lounge: Sit back with a drink with other Forum delegates, or let loose on the Shangri-La dance floor! The Forum will host spirited evening events that will allow delegates to relax and reenergize in an atmosphere that is geared as much towards fun and celebration as it is towards networking and alliance-building.

Exhibit Hall and Marketplace: From publications and products to handicrafts and textiles, the Marketplace has something for everyone. Shop around and peruse the latest publications, tools and resources from publishers and funders, or stock up on one-of-a-kind, hand-crafted treasures from women-owned businesses and collectives in the region.

Feminist Yoga: Early-morning yoga sessions will offer opportunities for delegates to get some physical exercise and mental calm for the long, full day ahead.

Film Festival: Take in some of the best new videos and films on women's rights from around the world at AWID's mini-film festival, featuring everything from high-energy dramas with legendary heroines to documentaries that highlight the challenges and successes of social movements around the world.

Gala Dinner: Be wined and dined at the AWID gala dinner, where Forum participants will gather to eat, drink, network, and celebrate in a relaxed atmosphere geared to networking and alliancebuilding.

Installations, Posters and Visual Essays: Hallways and other public spaces will be adorned with posters, visual essays, artwork and installations on everything from female condoms and globalization to ecology and the politics of abortion.

Internet Corner: Stay connected with those you left behind! The Forum "Internet Corner" will be open all day and evening to provide free internet and email access to Forum delegates who need to keep in touch with work, or who just want to say hello to loved ones back home.

Members' Meeting: An opportunity for AWID members to meet each other and AWID staff, to contribute to discussions on AWID's work, and to participate in discussions that will determine AWID's organizational direction in the years ahead.

Orientation: A pre-Forum orientation session will help veterans and new delegates alike find their way around the Forum and get the most out of it. The Forum orientation will be scheduled for the afternoon or evening of Wednesday, October 26th.

Roadside Consulting: This is an opportunity not to be missed. Expert consultants in everything from fundraising to organizational development will be on hand for one-on-one, private consultations with AWID Forum participants.

Playcare: Forum participants traveling with children will be able to leave them at the AWID Forum Playcare, where they will be cared for by qualified staff and volunteers.

Wellness Centre: Bring us your tired, your huddled masses! An onsite "Wellness Centre" will be available for participants to visit throughout the day for a quick neck, foot, or hand massage to reinvigorate the body and calm the mind.

Funding your participation

AWID recognizes that the cost of attending international events like the AWID Forum poses a considerable financial challenge for many participants To help, AWID will be posting funding information and contacts to our website leading up to the Forum, with information on creative ways to fundraise to attend the Forum.

Cost to Attend the Forum: Flights to Thailand are frequent from anywhere in the world, but ticket fares vary widely, from $500-$1,000 USD in Asia, $1,000- $2,500 USD in North America and Europe, and $1,500- $3,000 USD in Latin America and Africa. Other Forum costs include: Tourist Visa $25; Airport Transfers $20; Meals (on average) $2-$5; Hotel (per night, based on the hotels AWID has blocked for the Forum) $13-$91.

Fundraising Ideas: Contact your organization's donors and ask if they have funds for conferences or professional development. Make sure you inquire about your participation as soon as you can, as funds are often allocated well in advance. If you work for an international NGO or donor agency, ask for money to be set aside for your participation in the AWID Forum as an important component of your professional development. If you work for a local or regional NGO, ask your donors' regional offices for discretionary travel funding to attend the Forum. Ask your friends and colleagues about ways they have found funding for international conferences. Follow their suggestions. Finally, consider raising money for your participation through a personal fundraising effort using your personal and professional networks.

Tools on the AWID Website: Basic information on how to put a funding proposal together; A comprehensive list of funders and their contact information; Sample budgets to help you more accurately estimate attendance expenses; Volunteer registration application form, for those willing to volunteer during the Forum in exchange for a reduced registration rate; Internet roommate message board to help you find someone to share your accommodations.

Funding from AWID: Given the number of requests, AWID is unable to provide funding for all Forum participants. Partial assistance from AWID will be available to a limited number of presenters whose proposals have been selected for the Forum.

Thai Participation: A limited number of free registrations (100) will be available to participants from Thailand. If you are living in Thailand and are interested in attending the Forum, contact [email protected] for more information and to obtain an application form.

Registering for the Forum

BEFORE AUG. 15/05 AFTER AUG. 15/05
Member Rate
$330 USD $390 USD
Institutional Member Rate*
$280 USD $360 USD
Non-member Rate
$400 USD $450 USD
Student Rate
$160 USD $180 USD
Volunteer Rate
$100 USD $100 USD
Companion Rate
$125 USD $125 USD
*Institutional members may send up to four members at the discounted rate.

We encourage all participants to register online using our easy, online registration system at www.awid.org/forum. Participants have the option of registering and paying by credit card online, or registering online and paying later by wire transfer.

If you are interested in registering as a volunteer, please note that you must submit an application and be approved before you register. An online application form is available at www.awid.org/forum.

You may also request a registration form at [email protected].

For more information

AWID Forum website: www.awid.org/forum
Email inquiries: [email protected]
Telephone inquiries: +1.416.594.3773
Fax inquiries: +1.416.594.0330
Inquiries by Post: AWID, 215 Spadina Ave., Suite 150
Toronto, Ontario M5T 2C7 CANADA

The Association for Women's Rights in development is an international membership organization committed to achieving gender equality, sustainable development and women's human rights.