Evening Events

April 19th, 2012

An intimate launch for the Centre for Secular Space, a think tank to show how fighting religious fundamentalism and strengthening secular voices is essential for economic justice. The launch will feature a short film by Gita Sahgal and discussion led by Ariane Brunet, Amrita Chaachi, Sunila Abeysekera, Sara Hossain and Frances Kissling.

Cibali III 19:00 -21:00

Gender Action invites you to the launch of a global network of gender IFI watchers, including gender IFI watchers Christian Tanyi of LUKMEF in Cameroon, and Ana Quiros of Nicaragua’s Center for Information and Health Advisory Services”

Kasimpasa I & II 19:00 – 21:00

The staged reading of Bareed Mista3jil: Queer Arab Women’s Stories brings Arab and Arab American women (queer-identified and allies) together to share these inspiring lives. Whether it’s learning and claiming the word Lesbian, defining your desires, coming out to accepting, incredulous, or disparaging parents, or the hilarious trials of finding a girlfriend in Beirut, these true stories will have your attention from start to finish.

Tophane 19:30 -21:30

Join Women for Women’s Human Rights-New Ways (WWHR) to celebrate two decades of human rights work. Following screening of a WWHR documentary on women’s economic empowerment, we’ll discuss how women throughout Turkey transform their lives and communities through training and building solidarity networks, and how a women’s human rights framework intersects with democratization processes and economic rights.

Cibali I&II 19:00 – 21:00

Join Nasawiya, a young-and-getting-older feminist collective based in Beirut. Nasawiya works on social and gender justice in Lebanon. See our leading campaigns: Adventures of Salwa, Anti-Racism Movement (ARM), Sawt al Niswa, and Girl Geek Camp. Nasawiya is newly coordinating the Coalition for Sexual and Bodily Rights in Muslim Societies (CSBR). We’re excited to meet you!

Sutluce I 19:30 – 21:30

FRIDA-The Young Feminist Fund is a global resource mobilization initiative that promotes women’s rights by providing flexible funding, networking, and capacity building opportunities to young women and transgender youth. We invite you to join us as we officially launch the Fund and share some of the exciting work being done by young feminist activists globally.

Sutluce II 19:30 – 21:30

1325 Facts & Fables: Where Storytelling Meets Advocacy: Who wants to read another report on UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security? No one, the Kosova Women’s Network decided. Instead, our book includes “facts” and “fables”: stories that enforce a useful truth. Join us to discuss how activists can use oral history stories for advocacy.

Sutluce III 19:00 – 21:00

Learning from its Count Me IN! Initiative on the rights of marginalised women, CREA aims to make connections between marginalisations due to sexuality, gender, and economic transformations. CREA launches the first ever multi-country research study report on violence against marginalised women in South Asia, and Free and Equal, booklet by renowned artist and photographer Rebecca Swan on experiences of women who resist oppression, marginalisation, and everyday inequality.

Marmara 19:30 – 21:30

Women, War & Peace Join executive producer Abigail Disney and Global Fund for Women president and CEO Musimbi Kanyoro for a screening of I Came to Testify, the first documentary in the groundbreaking series Women, War & Peace. Following the film, Abigail and Musimbi will discuss women’s roles in conflict and peacebuilding. Speakers: Abigail Disney, Musimbi Kanyoro

Sadabad 19:00 – 21:00

Hosted by Gender & Development’s editor, Caroline Sweetman, the Gender & Development Reception offers all delegates of the 2012 AWID Forum the opportunity to come along and learn more about the journal, meet members of the editorial advisory group, hear one of Oxfam’s Female Food Heroes speak, and view the journal’s exciting new

Haskoy 19:30 – 21:30

Join Pathways of Women’s Empowerment RPC for screening of two short films: “Sugar Cane” from Brazil and “30%” from Sierra Leone. A panel discussion will follow on the two pathways featured in the films that have been advocated for women’s economic and political empowerment—increasing women’s access to paid work and increasing the numbers of women in politics—including insights and lessons for feminist engagement.

Eyup 19:00 – 20:00

Filmmor Women’s Cooperative was established in 2003 in Turkey to make movies, raise objections, produce and dream. Join us for a selection from the Filmmor International Film Festival. Filmmor is celebrating this year the 10th Anniversary of their International Women’s Film Festival on Wheels.

Haliç 19:00 – 21:00  

Passionate Politics: The Life & Work of Charlotte Bunch. This one-hour documentary brings Charlotte’s story to life from idealistic young civil rights activist to lesbian separatist to spearheading efforts to put women’s rights, front and center, on the global human rights agenda

Fenner 19:00 – 20:00

April 20th, 2012

Join AWID and celebrate with us our 30th Anniversary with food, drinks, lots of music, dance, other kinds of entertainment (local and international), and surprises. The party takes place in the beautiful and historic Binbirdirek Cistern in Istanbul. Buses will transport everyone there, see daily schedule for exact times. We look forward to celebrating with you all!

Binbirdirek Cistern 19:00 – 23:00

April 21, 2012

Evening Plenary: Tapping Current Opportunities and Assessing Challenges to Mobilize Resources for Women’s Rights and Feminist Organizing Around the World. Seven years ago, we asked the question “Where is the Money for Women’s Rights?” in a context where many funders and activists agreed that donor interest in women and women’s rights had peaked and then faded. Now nearly everywhere you look—from corporate foundations to mainstream media, international financial institutions to large international development organizations—we increasingly hear talk of investing in women and gender equality not just as smart economics, but also as “the right thing to do”. This renewed interest is important progress and it also comes with some challenges; how to ensure the results of these investments are making a real impact to advance women’s rights in the longer term? Our panel will share some current funding trends analysis, explore how various donors are putting their commitments into practice, latest data on the funding situation of women’s organizations and how diverse actors can work together to ensure that the resources becoming available for women really contribute to longer-term structural change and we tap current opportunities to mobilize more resources to support women’s rights and feminist organizing around the world.

Moderator: Lydia Alpizar, Executive Director, AWID

Presenter:

Angelika Arutyunova, Manager, Where is the Money for Women’s Rights?, AWID

Panelists:

Srilatha Batliwala, Scholar Associate, AWID

Irma van Dueren, Head of Gender Equality Division, Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Musimbi Kanyoro, President and CEO, Global Fund for Women

Joanna Kerr, CEO of Action Aid International

Florence Tercier Holst-Roness, Head of Programme for Issues Affecting Women, Oak Foundation

Amina Doherty, Coordinator, FRIDA-The Young Feminists Fund (TBC)

Sadabad 18:00 – 20:00

Like a virgin: The Virgen for the dispossessed and marginalized, before known as Santa Rita, comes to illustrate for us the impact of economics on our personal lives as feminist activists with an interactive demonstration; a theater cabaret performance performed by Las Reinas Chulas from Mexico that will help you to understand the need for economical self care.

Eyup 18:00 – 19:30

Repeat performance: The staged reading of Bareed Mista3jil: Queer Arab Women’s Stories brings Arab and Arab American women (queer-identified and allies) together to share these inspiring lives. Whether it’s learning and claiming the word Lesbian, defining your desires, coming out to accepting, incredulous, or disparaging parents, or the hilarious trials of finding a girlfriend in Beirut, these true stories will have your attention from start to finish.

Tophane 18:00 – 20:00

Filmmor Women’s Cooperative was established in 2003 in Turkey to make movies, raise objections, produce and dream. Join us for a selection from the Filmmor International Film Festival.

Sadabad 18:00 – 20:00

Tribute to Feminist Activists and Women’s Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs) [LD1] 

The tribute will be a collective commemoration and celebration of WHRDs and feminist activists who have passed away since we last gathered at the 2008 Forum.  Most of what has been gained in regards to women’s human rights and gender equality has been thanks to the struggles of women themselves. Women activists have broken social norms and cultural taboos to speak out, confronting power in different ways, leading brave and inspiring campaigns for our rights and for justice. What’s more, countless women have been killed or disappeared because of their work in defense of women’s human rights and gender equality. Others have passed away due to illness, accidents, and natural disasters. Let’s pay tribute to these compañeras and celebrate their work and lives.  Through an engaging multi-media presentation, music and art installation Forum participants will be able to celebrate and honor the legacy of our sisters, their lives, work and passion.

Pera Foyer 20:00 – 21:00

April 22, 2012

March ‘Defending our Human’s Rights, Demanding Political, Economic and Social Justice’

Members of our Forum International Planning Committee based in Turkey and their partners and allies are calling on Forum participants to march together with them and other women’s rights advocates in Turkey to defend our human rights, demanding social and economic justice for all women and people.

RELIGION, TRADITION, CULTURE…Call it what you want. WE, WOMEN FROM ALL CONTINENTS AROUND THE WORLD, CALL IT PATRIARCHY AND WE SAY NO TO PATRIARCHY, NO TO OPPRESSION AND NO TO WOMEN’S RIGHTS VIOLATIONS! There can be no excuse for the exploitation of women’s labor in the house, streets, and factories. No excuse for our exclusion from public life. No excuse for violence against us. No excuse for taking away our control over our bodies and our lives. WE DEMAND EQUALITY! WE DEMAND RIGHTS! WE DEMAND ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL JUSTICE! We demand what’s been seized from us! WE DEMAND THAT GENDER EQUALITY AND WOMEN’S RIGHTS BE INCLUDED IN ALL LAWS AND CONSTITUTIONS. We will not stop demanding and fighting until the lives of all women around the world are radically transformed.

Shuttles will be leaving the Haliç Conference Center immediately after the final plenary.

Location to be announced 18:00 – 20:00


Campaign Corner

16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence Campaign – Open Forum

Participants will learn more about CWGL’s 16 Days Campaign theme on militarism, share strategies for ending gender violence, and network.

Presented by: Center for Women’s Global Leadership

On exhibit: 19-22 April

Feminism, Queer activism and BDS: A Global Movement for Political Change and Palestinian Rights

Access information, resources, and connect with Boycott Divestment and Sanctions campaigns, based on the 2005 Palestinian civil society BDS call.

Presented by: Queers against Israeli Apartheid, Palestinian Queers for BDS and Pinkwatching Israel

On exhibit: 19-22 April

20869

The Pending Debts of States for Women’s Economic Empowerment and the Right to Access Justice.

To make visible the main debts that States have with women’s human rights emphasizing on access to justice and racial-ethnic intersections.

Presented by: CLADEM

On exhibit: 19-22 April

Resisting Exploitation of Women’s Reproductive Health and Human Rights

Commercial surrogacy and the global trade in human eggs threaten women’s health and human rights. Help expose and stop violations.

Presented by : Alliance for Humane Biotechnology (USA) and Isha L’Isha (Israel)

On exhibit: April 20 -21

They Took My Choice Away: The Use of Video Advocacy to End Forced Sterilization

A short film featuring one woman’s story of forced sterilization will be followed by a panel discussion about this heinous abuse.

Presented by : Campaign to Stop Torture in Health Care

On exhibit: April 20 -21

Gender Action Goes Global: Launching a Worldwide Network of Gender IFI Watchers

Launching a global gender International Financial Institution watcher network to promote women’s rights and gender justice

Presented by: Gender Action

On exhibit: 21-22 April, 2012

Women Resisting Crisis and War

Women’s struggles and forms of resistance in the midst of economic crisis and war

Presented by: International Women’s Alliance (IWA)

On exhibit: 19 – 20 April 2012

Revonomics of women’s participation: revolutions, conflicts, and new wave of women’s activism

Will women protest groups be able to mainstream legitimate participation and gender approach into new wave activism?

Presented by: Women Support Center

On exhibit: 21-22 April, 2012