ASIAN INDIGENOUS WOMEN’S NETWORK:  3RD CONFERENCE

This is to announce that the 3rd Conference of the Asian Indigenous Women’s Network (AIWN) will be held on 15 – 16 November 2010 in Manila, Philippines. This will be an organizational cum capacity building activity organized around the theme “Indigenous Women Securing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) in Climate Change”.

Background:

Fifteen (15) years after its establishment, and three years after its second conference, this 3rd Conference aims  to review and assess how far has the AIWN achieved its vision of “ supporting, sustaining and helping consolidate the various efforts of indigenous women in Asia to critically understand the roots of their marginalized situation and to empower themselves by becoming aware of their rights as indigenous women and as indigenous peoples and by developing their own organizations or structures for empowerment”. The assessment will be done in two levels – first at the member organization level and second at the network level.

Members are encouraged to do an assessment of their own organizations and networks prior to the conference. Assessment areas will include the following: strength of members; activities of the organization with regards to the promotion and protection of indigenous peoples and women’s right vis-à-vis how each organization/network have implemented the Baguio Declaration of the 2nd Asian Indigenous Women’s Conference, capacity of organization to implement its program, expertise developed in own area/s of work i.e resource persons/experts, information and training/educational materials, among others. At the network level, members will also look at how activities, information and materials have reached them and how this has contributed, if at all, to local women’s groups/organizations. An assessment guideline has been developed by the Secretariat to guide these local/country level processes. Results of the country/subnational level assessment process will be reflected in a country situationaire  which will be presented during the conference.

An important part of the conference will be a strategic planning session to come up with practical recommendations to facilitate the institutional strengthening of the AIWN as well as to strengthen its global work and linkages with other indigenous women’s organizations and networks.

The second part of the conference is a capacity development activity on climate change – a phenomenon that needs to be addressed globally. While we claim that indigenous peoples have the least carbon footprints, the overarching threat of climate change presents a serious scenario that may negate indigenous women’s potentials and gains in securing their rights and welfare, including that of their communities. Indigenous women possess skills and knowledge to mitigate and adapt to climate change, but they remain vulnerable to its impact given the discrimination they face as women and as indigenous peoples. Moreover, indigenous women have been relatively left behind in the discussions and processes relevant to this, including that on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+). The full and effective implementation of the UNDRIP and indigenous women’s increased capacities to use this and other instruments and mechanisms in international, national and local levels is one major guarantee that indigenous women are not overrepresented in the vulnerability scale.

The Global Seminar-Workshop on Indigenous Women, Climate Change and REDD+ that follows on 18-19 November provides a space for the AIWN and other indigenous women from other continents to come together, discuss and sharpen their capacities to be able to engage in the different processes and levels of discussions on climate change and REDD+ including its intersections to other areas of concern like land, biodiversity, human security and gender violence among others. Please refer to the separate concept note for the Global Seminar-Workshop for more details and guidance.

Participants:

National/subregional networks and organizations are adviced to develop their own democratic process of selecting 2 country representatives to the AIWN 3rd Conference. Factors to consider in choosing your representatives should include:

a)      Geographical distribution

b)      Age  ( please consider young indigenous women who are potential leaders)

c)       Capacity for English language (at least 1 of the chosen representatives can understand and communicate in English and is willing to translate for the other who may not have the capacity for  English)

d)      Participants should be ready to present your country reports and  the case presentations  for the  Global Seminar –Workshop on Indigenous Women, Climate Change and REDD+, if your organization have signified interest on the latter. Please take note that both reports should preferably be submitted on or before end of October.

e)      Chosen representatives should be obliged to report back to the country level organizations/networks.

f)       Chosen representatives should start working on their visas to the Philippines as soon as possible. Participants should check with the nearest Philippine Embassies/Consulates for documents required for Philippine visa. Participants from ASEAN member countries (Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos, Mongolia, Burma) are allowed entry without visa for not more than 21 days.

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